Day in the Life
Simon's Town School in Simon Town, by Matthew BakkoM
Host Community
Simon's Town is a really beautiful town with many interesting shops to visit. It would get boring for someone who wants to go out at night though. It was not very difficult to meet people from the community as many of the teachers and students at the school live in the community. Also, the
citizens of Simon's Town are extremely nice and welcoming in general.
Teaching Assignment
My roles at Simon's Town School were many. My primary role was assisting the 8th and 9th grade life orientation teacher in his classroom. We covered topics such as healthy relationships, self-esteem, and career guidance. My other primary role was as an Arts and Culture teacher. I took over the whole class with another volunteer, as the Simon's Town teacher was out of the school for an extended period of time. I would teach these classes for about 3 hours of my day, with preparation taking approx. 30 minutes per lesson. There were very few resources for Arts and Culture, but the school did provide excellent workbooks. After school on Mondays and Wednesdays I led a group of students in drama/singing lessons, because they expressed interest in the topic. This lasted from 2:15pm-3:20pm. We did vocalization, annunciation, projection, and warm-up exercises. I would also help out with study hall from 7-9pm in the hostel, helping with English and Math when I could. One of the integral resources I had access to was the copy machine. Lessons could have been very difficult without this resource.
Living Arrangements
A dorm-style hostel. I lived with one other volunteer and 2 students. We each had a locker to put personal items. There were also communal showers. The hostel has a dining hall. Breakfast in served at 7:30am. It is usually mealies or some wheat and water mixture. Lunch was at 12:20pm. It was either bologna sandwiches, grilled cheese, or eggs and mayo sandwiches. The quality was very poor. Dinner was at 4:45pm and it was little bit healthier, with a meat dish, some rice, and small serving of vegetables. Jaku Vissar (assistant principal) and Godfrey Schlemmer (teacher who lives at the hostel) were very accommodating, inviting us for tea and driving us places. Some of the other teachers helped with travel as well.
Greatest Challenges & Greatest Rewards
The most challenging experience was one the most rewarding as well, living in the hostel. While it was a very hard adjustment to living in a dorm setting again, with the lack of privacy and communal atmosphere, I built amazing relationships with the students in the hostel, and became extremely close to my fellow volunteers, in a way that other volunteers placed in host families did not get the opportunity to experience.
I loved my placement in Simon's Town, though I do agree that this placement takes a certain kind of person who is flexible, optimistic, and hard working.