How do you try to explain to students who have grown up all their lives
being discriminated against that discrimination was the cause of a World War?
What words can say "look you suffer each day but let's learn how their
story is different/worse/more intense/more publicized than yours"? I'm
struggling with these things as I am getting more comfortable in my role as a
"teacher" at City Mission Educational Services (CMES). So often, the
Holocaust is presented in such a way that nobody could understand or empathize.
It was such a tragedy that there is no good way to teach about it. For this
reason we often don’t. That's not my style. Starting with human rights and
moving through to the Holocaust I intend to shed light on the toughest parts of
our past and share the story that weighs down on so many people even decades
later. I want so badly to empower these young learners to take
charge of their education and appreciate the history of our world but sometimes
I feel like I can't even begin to teach them about the human rights violations
that plagued our past when they are still living in the repercussions of
Apartheid each and every day. I feel really silly. My students want to learn
but because of the situation they have found themselves in they are not able to
be vocal about their education. They can't learn what they really care about. I
wonder if they have ever been asked what they actually want to learn. This is
partially because of the national curriculum that prohibits creativity at all
costs but it is also because so many people have expected them to fail that the
minimum is exceptional. I've been grappling with a way to inspire and motivate
these students for a while. Thumbing through pages of research and trying to
engage them in this process has kept me quite busy. In fact I'm doing more
planning than teaching. I'm not sure if this is a good thing. Regardless
of the push back from the students and the system I'm determined
to succeed. I want to show them how easy it is for discrimination to become our
norm. I hope to explain that there is no simple answer to these complex
histories but there are things we can do to advocate for the future so these
injustices do not happen to any person ever again. I'm realizing there's not
enough time so I need to make my mark fast or I'll miss out! Time is
flying by faster than I can believe and I'm learning so much. The worst part is
that it's just becoming more clear that I'm never going to want to leave. I
already know that this is someplace I'll be dying to return. CMES is a crazy,
stressful, surprising, intense, throw something new at you each day type of
school and I LOVE IT! I couldn't have asked for a better way to experience Cape
Town. My students teach me something new every day and whether it hits me
instantly or hours later I am appreciating every minute I have to spend with
them!
 |
| Melissa and Allie with learners at CMES |
Just to
leave on a happy note, I have had some really unexpected, great things happen
since I've been teaching the students. I asked my students to submit a journal
entry on their thoughts on a movie we watched in class. The Holocaust is not an
easy topic so I'm encouraging the students to write their thoughts as we learn
to help them reflect on what they are learning. For once they can just write.
No length requirement or expectations and the results have been outstanding. I
could tell they really grasped some of the concepts. Some student took the
opportunity to write me separate letters as well which I will cherish and use
as guides for how I teach in the future. Last week I introduced the students to
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Many of the students did not
even know what human rights were but after a while they all
got really involved and we had a list of over thirty words or things
we knew were human rights up on the board. Next I asked the students to look
over the UDHR and categorize each thing as something they had seen or not seen
in their lives. I encouraged them to work with a partner and talk through each
human right until they both agreed. Those who took it seriously shared their
observations and experiences and as I listened I was learning so much! I
realized that there was not enough time for them to finish the activity and I
too quickly assumed that they would not finish it. I was surprised when I was
wrong. This morning when I came into the class the students were eager to show
me their work and present me a finished copy. Even those who had not finished
yet said they would do it soon. It made me so happy and I was proud. I am not
sure if I was proud of myself or them, probably both, but I felt like seeing
them complete the assignment on their own volition was a huge complement and
step in the right direction. Even on days that I'm tired I’m so
ready for CMES because I can't wait to see how these learners make me smile
each day. It might be something small or something big but I can tell they are
capable of amazing things. If I don’t teach them the exact curriculum I hope I
can teach them to be proud of themselves, to be respectful,
conscientious, and inspired!
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