Having spent the past week rediscovering the city I grew up in, I revisited one of my previous homes. What immediately caught my eye was a lemon tree that we had planted a while before we moved to Canada. I smiled at the fact that I now look up to the tree instread of down to it. The lucious lemons hanging from the branches spoke to me of the legacy it is possible to leave. This to me, was a reminder of my commitment to live my life to plant trees under whose shade I never expect to sit.
On Tuesday, as part of my internship I travelled to one site of the programs that the organization I am working with - Tsebo Education Network (TEN) provides. I spent an afternoon becoming familiar with the challenges faced by learners who are preparing to re-write their Grade 12 exit exams. I was inspired by the perserverance of these women and men - some who haven't been in school for 30 years, yet are determined to get their high school diploma. Despite language, social, economic and familial obstacles they are persistent in their pursuit of an education. In this program, TEN provides teachers to tutor these learners in sessions to prepare for their exams.
I am going to be spending the next few weeks and days visiting more sites to gain a deeper understanding of the programs that TEN provides and how I can best add value. After that, I will be developing cross-curricular literacy material to be implemented as part of these programs. Increasing the literacy levels of the students is crucial to their success!
