Students at LEAP 3

I sat in on a Sesotho Grade 10 language class at LEAP 3…the students were great tutors, instructing me in the (very) basics: hello, hi, how are you, I’m fine. “Dumela” they would say…”Age (Ah-gay)” I would reply. They made me do this little “greeting” routine…”dumela…age…okae…ke teng” with each of them, collapsing into giggles when I forgot the next line or when my pronunciation destroyed any meaning whatsoever. Finally I realized that they were running outside the class to bring in more students to “quiz” me, which explained why the line by my desk was getting longer and longer. They had just had their final the day before — I decided making a fool of myself in front of the entire Grade 10 class was the least I could do to let them blow off some steam. And did I mention that I loved every minute of it?

by Amy Schoew, Exec Dir Teach with Africa

Cafe COCOMO in San Francisco (voted 3rd best Salsa Club in the country!) has been kind enough to donate 1/3 of its door proceeds to Teach with Africa, on the evening of December 5th.

How to participate:  Click the link below and print out the flier.  Bring it with you to Cafe COCOMO (address on the flier) on December 5th at 7pm.  1/3 of your door cover will be donated to Teach with Africa.  It’s as easy as that.

We hope to see you there!

http://teachwithafrica.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/flierfordanceevent.pdf

By Amy Schoew, upon returning from S. Africa.

View across Alexandra from the construction site of the Nelson Mandela Museum

I visited Johannesburg for the first time, and was amazed at the incredible energy pulsing through this city. As I stood at the construction site of the Nelson Mandela museum on the corner of 7th Ave. and Richard Bayoli St. in the township of Alexandra, I looked out across the  rooftops of the homes of many of our LEAP 3 students. I had this realization, a “knowing,” that the people I am meeting during these days will have a profound impact on all of our lives. The work of transformation — educational, societal, personal — feels like slogging through mud, and sometimes it seems impassable. But other times, it feels otherworldly — full of air and light and joy, rising above. Hard, hard work — by the students, the faculty, the administration, the partners. But the successes are sweet. And so worth it.

The tentative date for the 2010 program is from mid-June through mid-August, 2010. The program will serve LEAP Schools in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. Read the rest of this entry »

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.”