Elise gained a greater appreciation for the impact of a school

For a while at my internship things were pretty slow. The school I was working in before had finished the course and for the most part I stayed in the office. Finally last week it picked up again and I got to work at another school called Kensington High. I loved it!

My previous experience at Lotus River High School was wonderful but also a huge challenge. The area has an issue with gangsters and just weeks before the school I started the school was in a crisis as a result of neighborhood violence. My days teaching the financial literacy course there were both fulfilling and stressful. I’ve never had any aspiration to go into education, so I found it a challenge to step into a classroom and get through the material. Often times, it came down to whether I could scream over them loud enough for the few who wanted to learn to hear me. Don’t get me wrong, my days at Lotus were some of my best. There were many students that I grew a soft spot for and got to talk to a lot, as well as many who engaged with me during the lessons. But for the most part the kids were very undisciplined, loud, and distracted. What made the experience worthwhile was the group of students in each class that clearly wanted to learn and was curious to get to know me. I definitely gained an appreciation for the impact of a school—good or bad—on the lives of people.

Visiting Kensington after this experience was incredible. In no way am I implying this school is wonderful. It faces many of the same issues as Lotus River, and the community certainly struggles with economic and domestic issues. However, the students are much better behaved and many showed such an interest in learning. My first day there was one class who told me I was better than the other seasoned Operation Hope volunteer who usually teaches them, another clapped for me at the end. I was so humbled by that, especially considering that I never thought I’d make a good educator. I sincerely doubt that many of those kids opened bank accounts or started making budgets but I get the sense that I at least exposed these ideas to students who were receptive to it and may do something with the knowledge in the future. I am so grateful for the opportunity to interact with South African students and get a taste of what their world is like.