Strikes...

I was back at Manenberg on Monday and Tuesday and life there is chaotic as ever! The students run around the classroom and it honestly seems like they don't do any work, I'm really not sure how and if, they learn anything. When I am there, Mr. Emmanuel often leaves me in charge of the classroom so I have been trying to work with the kids to make rules for them to follow when I am there. We've accomplished determining the important rules but have not quite mastered following them...

Usually when I am in charge of the class, the students continuously speak over me and silence in the classroom is very rare. For the first time on Tuesday I was successfully able to quiet them down all on my own, a small feat but a big success in my book! I've also found that the class really enjoys listening to stories read aloud to them and they are all very attentive when I do so!

The South African public sector is striking again - this time for an indefinite period of time. Because of the danger that the strike creates at the schools - cars being stoned, fires, and riots occurring in the townships, etc, we are not allowed to go at all. Its such a bummer to be here and not be in the school but it is also an important and interesting time to be in the country, I'm really interested to see how this will play out. So many people are effected by the strike - the students especially - and it stretches beyond the field of education as well, twelve patients died in one hospital last night due to a lack of staffing...hopefully an agreement can be arranged soon!