Work in Progress - Georgina Says Farewell to Durban
These are two friends from Grade 1, taken right at the end of the academic year. I love this photo - it somehow conveys everything that St James Durban stands for.
When you live and work in a place, your days are made up of detail, of very simple moments that seem so ordinary at the time.
I recall one particular morning. Once the children had finished their work, they were allowed to choose a book from our little class library and sit on the floor to read. This was their favourite time.
On this particular occasion, they noticed a new pile of books by my chair. I hadn’t planned on giving them out, but relented when they asked me. Within seconds, they had each selected one. They sat either alone, or in little groups, or in pairs. Some were completely absorbed, oblivious to anybody around them; others tried to read aloud to partners, some with their arms around the shoulders of friends. Some could not read at all, but carefully turned the pages, inspecting each picture with great attention!
Teaching Grade 1 in South Africa was a challenge. The span of ability was vast. For many, Grade 1 was an entry level. And for Isi-Zulu speakers, English was a second language. There were moments of exasperation, of contentment and of sheer delight. Some children battled with learning difficulties, others with shyness or fear.
At times, they would tumble over their own words in their eagerness to formulate what they had seen, known or understood. The bond between us grew and so did trust. Unlikely friendships began to develop, and at times a determination and spirit that took my breath away.
What sustained us all, even in difficult times, was a sense of humour - and a sense of fellowship. I recall many occasions sitting up with Anisha Ramlaul, St James’s headmistress, until the early hours talking and laughing, but inspired by the breadth of vision she held constantly before her mind’s eye.
It takes time to go beyond cultural differences and to love and be loved from a deeper sense of being, but the place and the people that I first came to as a total stranger have become a part of me and the experience is one I shall not lightly forget.
Georgina Melville has been a volunteer teacher at St James Durban for 2008-9, sponsored by the ERT. We are enormously grateful to her.
These short articles about our work and the schools we support have been posted on the website over the past 20 years.
A Sanskrit Intern
Little Stars of Varanasi
Adventures in New Zealand
One good teacher can change the world
Study to be quiet
Pupil turning into teacher
4th International teachers conference
Nelson Mandela mosaic
An update from Durban
Giving fuel to the light
A New Teacher in Argentina
Teachers who have changed my life
Film Review
Teacher's Conference at Lucca
Two views from Lucca participants
An Ideological Miracle
Summer in London for South African teachers
Hungarian Teachers Learn New Skills
Georgina Says Farewell to Durban
The Powerful Pull of Africa
A Merger is Announced
New Heads and a Principal
Philosophical Enquiry in the West Indies
A teacher in New Zealand
The Little School with Great Spirit
Why does St James Teach Sanskrit?
New Heads
Thinking Through Philosophy in Grenada
Durban Story
Another Day, Another INSET
Thinking Through Philosophy
We Carry Each of These Children in Our Hearts
Bridging the Community Divide
Teacher-Training in the Squatter Camp
First ERT workshop in Johannesburg
Regenerating an Urban Community in Johannesburg
Among the most Inspiring Months Of My Life
The lifeline of a good education