First Day of School!

This morning marks the start of the third term and I think what a lucky time it is to visit the school as everyone is making a new start and so am I. After eating breakfast in the dining hall with the staff and students that are living at the hostel, we go to the admin block to have a morning meeting and to be addressed by the principal. The first thing I notice is how tightly knit the staff is, as we are directed by the principal to “know our neighbor,” and to “give a hug on both sides” of us, and I am amazed at how everyone quickly springs to life, embracing each other and additionally for me, introducing themselves. In South Africa it seems the word principal is synonymous with preacher, and he reads us a psalm he has selected about the contract of work we enter into and being rewarded for the quality of our work. He then introduces me and I say a few words after which I get applause?! and the principal tells me it takes “great courage to address those one does not know.” He says that I should feel at home, which of course I already do. We then go to an assembly to mark the start of the term. Students, wearing uniforms of light blue button up shirts, dark blue sweaters and dark blue pants for the boys and skirts and knee socks for the girls, file into the hall, (that has no chairs by the way), and listen to a chorus group on stage. As the group is singing, the rest of the students join in at the refrain. The principal again goes on stage addressing the students and reading and interpreting for them Psalm 33, the Lord is my Shepherd. He asks me and another new secretary to come up on stage. As he is introducing me, the students start whispering and giggling among themselves, and he tells me they are very curious to hear my accent! I then start to say a sentence about how happy I am to be at the school and they listen for a couple of seconds and are then overcome with wild laughter and just excitement. When they finally quiet down again, I say a few more words and when I leave the stage they are all cheering me as I exit – I feel like a celebrity! I am so excited now to see them in smaller groups and interact with them in the classroom. Next Victor tells me we are going to see his grade ten math class and we walk into the room and see around 32 students sitting on stools at high tables. After introducing me again, Victor says that this will be the class that is exchanging the letters that I had my students in Ohio and my mother’s students in New York write and they seem very eager to be pen pals. Victor then starts the lesson on graphing and I circulate to help them and also take pictures. Some students stop to ask me questions and are so warm to someone they just met. I am very impressed by their behavior and work ethic. I know that I am really going to enjoy working with the students here. One last thing, all teachers spent the day wearing their coats because it was so cold: one teacher had a colorful blanket wrapped around her attached with a safety pin; is it wrong to say I was very jealous? I wish I brought a winter hat too!