Yes, that’s us on the front page of The New York Times!

Today’s New York Times article “New Schools in South Africa Serve the Underserved”, by Celia W. Dugger, highlights the tremendous success that Teach with Africa and the LEAP Schools are helping to foster.

“As an organization, we’re delighted such a collaborative exchange of teaching and learning has been covered by the national media,” said Teach with Africa’s Executive Director Amy Schoew.

“It’s about improving access to quality education for all students. The work we do is only possible because of the passionate educators who volunteer to work abroad and our South African partners. The New York Times article is a testament to the reciprocal learning between Teach with Africa Fellows and the LEAP faculty. The true success stories are the South African students.”

Here’s an excerpt about Gcobani Mndini, a 17-year-old LEAP student, who was co-taught by a LEAP faculty member and Teach with Africa Fellow.

Gcobani’s first class of the day was his favorite. This is his third year taking science from Ross Hill, 31, the son an Anglican pastor and a high school biology teacher who knows the privileges he had growing up white in South Africa and feels a responsibility to help tilt the scales back.

When Gcobani first stepped into class as a 10th grader, Mr. Hill said he knew of the boy’s reputation and braced for a fight, but there was none. “He loves science,” Mr. Hill said.

On this particular morning, the class began with a dull, theoretical review of the photoelectric effect. The students seemed virtually comatose. Then the interplay between Mr. Hill and Jamie Brandt, a physics teacher from Marin County, Calif., woke everyone up.

Mr. Brandt, 36, a Teach With Africa volunteer, pantomimed the photoelectric effect in action, pretending to walk through a laser beam and getting the students to describe what happened when his body broke the current.

Mr. Hill then instructed the class to act out the photoelectric effect. The photon students bounced into a piece of zinc (a swaying clump of teenagers), causing the electrons (more students) to pop out.

“Come on, photons!” Mr. Hill exclaimed. “Just a gentle bump! A loving bump!”

A photon girl nudged the zinc students. The class howled with laughter, and Mr. Hill said, “Oh, sweet.”

Jamie Brandt, 2010 Teach with Africa Fellow, works with students at the LEAP Science and Maths School in Cape Town. Photo by Joao Silva for The New York Times.

Read the entire article about John Gilmour’s LEAP Schools and the partnership with TwA here…

This summer Teach with Africa partnered with the Bayview/Hunter’s Point YMCA in San Francisco, CA, to run an academic camp for local, at-risk youth.

More than 75 students, grades 2-8, participated in Math, Science, Writing, and Life Orientation classes taught by former (and future) Teach with Africa Fellows.

“This camp allowed Teach with Africa to bring home some of the lessons we’ve learned in South Africa, ” said Geordie Brackin, Camp Program Director. “Knowing that summer learning loss is highest in low-income neighborhoods—and that this severely impacts the widening achievement gap for students—it was a great chance for Teach with Africa to address local educational needs.”

Change the world, fund a teacher.

Jeanette Long is a Life Orientation teacher and the Co-Founder of the LEAP 3 Science and Maths School in Johannesburg, South Africa.

We (LEAP3 en masse) saw the Teach with Africa fellows off [this week] at the Gautrain station nearby the school.

The farewell given by our students was a heartfelt expression of the warm feelings they had developed for the three teachers you had sent to us.

John, Marc and Pam [2010 Teach with Africa Fellows] had given so whole-heartedly of themselves during their time with us that they had touched hearts of all of us. Thank you very much for enabling this time of collaboration.

All three worked in tandem with the LEAP staff and really opened conversations throughout the school on classroom practice. Our task is to keep these discussions ongoing with the stimulus their visit provided.

John, Marc and Pam have each arranged to keep in touch with a member of staff in their subject area so that they can continue collaborating.  There were a number of ideas of where this might lead!

It was a very special time with three very special people.  Thank you.

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In this short video, Teach with Africa Executive Director Amy Schoew talks about the impacts of apartheid on the educational system in South Africa.

John Gilmour, Director of the LEAP Science and Maths Schools, replies:

“This is a very succinct and accurate description of the South African education crisis. Fewer than 20% of South African teachers are fully qualified for the profession. We value the Teach With Africa partnership enormously and believe that we need to do everything possible to take this relationship to scale to help to address the ongoing crisis in our country.”

*Brief Report on Teach With Africa 2009 Visit to Cape Town and Johannesburg *

The last two months has seen significant change in the LEAP Science and Maths Schools as the Teach With Africa Fellows have left a lasting impact on the schools and the communities that we serve. The impact of the involvement of the Teach With Africa Fellows has been widely felt and is the beginning of further growth and development in the LEAP Science and Maths Schools framework as well as in the partnership between LEAP and Teach With Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

Teach with Africa has partnered with Macy’s and is selling special Shopping Passes for $5 each. TWA keeps 100 percent of the proceeds! Contact Amy at 415-412-7400 or amy@teachwithafrica.org to purchase your $5 pass. Read the rest of this entry »

We are thrilled to announce this significant grant that has been accomplished through the diligence of our Rotary International friends in South Africa (Newlands), especially Janey Ball, and the US (Foster City), especially Larry Schlenoff. Deepest thanks and congratulations on this achievement that enriches the relationships between our countries, Teach with Africa, and the LEAP Schools.

Most warmly,

Margie

Support Teach with Africa while you celebrate life with an award-winning bottle of Windsor Vineyards wine! On the weekend of June 26-28, the Windsor Vineyards Tasting Room in Tiburon will be contributing 10% of your purchase price to Teach With Africa. (Read on to learn about the custom Teach with Africa wine label!)

Read the rest of this entry »

Hi Margie

I hope a enjoyed your stay in Cape Town. I’m sorry that I only saw you once- if I had much of a choice I would have been with you until your departure. You just don’t stop inspiring me with your giving and sharing spirit. You have created so much opportunities for my brothers and sisters in my beloved Leap school.

I’m doing quite well so far at Varsity. Wrote one test so far and passed it. This coming Friday we’ll have an Easter Break for a week and I’m writing two other consecutive tests when we go back to school on the 13th and 14th respectively.

Regards
Asanda

It would be hard to imagine a more relevant drama for all of us involved with Teach with Africa: against the backgrop of an education system in crisis, a hopeful African teacher struggles to lift his students above the strife and violence that is boiling in their black township. Current day drama or real-life scenario? Read the rest of this entry »