Recent Highlights: Charlie, Remedial English, & Ultimate Frisbee

1- Charlie
As Facebook or Whatsapp may have already told you, we have had a recent addition to the Harper Kowalczyk family! No one is certain of the breed of any of the local dogs (ex: one teacher said that her dog’s breed is “greyhound”… literally…her dog is grey. Grey. Hound…). We think he is almost two months old, but we aren’t sure. So, he is our little mystery man! His name is Charlie “uMfanyana” Ninja, the Inja (Charlie “Little Dude” Ninja, the Dog).

Charlie!

Life with Charlie has been interesting, thus far. He is wicked smart; he was sitting on command by day two and is nearly housebroken after a week. What makes life most interesting, though, is the response from our community.

Dogs in Zulu culture are not held in high regard. Typically, they are treated like any other livestock—kept outside with minimal attention or guidance. Worst case scenario, they are feared or disliked. Because the majority of dogs simply roam, they often get themselves into trouble by eating chickens or biting strangers. Sometimes this contentious relationship leads to maltreatment of the animal.

Charlie Next to a Nalgene for Size Comparison (age: about 2 months old)

Enter, the two white US-ers, with their new tiny dog that they tote around on a leash. They talk to the dog and expect it to understand. They even pick up its droppings in plastic bags! This is very strange indeed…

The response is typically somewhere between intrigue and fear. Day by day, the community is getting more accustomed to seeing us around with him. I like to think that we are changing some of their perspectives on dogs, but I cannot know for sure yet.

2- Remedial English at Michelle's School
(Written by Michelle)

These first few weeks of school have been quite a roller coaster for me. I will tell you that NOTHING could have cheered me up more than witnessing four different learners seek me out for remedial English help during their break times. These learners are aged 14-16 in grades 6 and 7. Two are learning English as a third or fourth language, as they were previously living in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. All of them are struggling with basic phonics (they don’t know the sounds each letter makes), which impacts both their reading and writing.

It would be easy for these learners to feel discouraged and disengage. But, no! They asked my permission to come to get extra help. Not only did they keep the appointment—they brought friends!

Two Male Learners Studying Hard

The lessons are fairly simple: we practice letter sounds, we run through some sight words flashcards, then, we practice spelling simple words by their sounds. When they get a word or sound correct, I try to make a big deal about it. Then… they get THAT look. That look that says, “I did that! I can do this!” They get that look and my heart melts. I spent 4 years getting my elementary education degree all because of THAT look. That look makes anything feel possible: “If I can do this, what else can I do?!” That look brings motivation, resilience, and engagement into the classroom. I would sacrifice many things if only I can help these young men see their potential and keep finding THAT look… My heart is full…

3- Ultimate Frisbee at Joe's School
(Written by Joe)

On Thursdays, my school holds “sports”, which basically means that some of the educators organize soccer, cricket, netball, or chess. (Netball is pretty much basketball except only girls play and learners don’t dribble the ball. Chess, like any other extracurricular activity, is considered a “sport”. Another example, if my school had a debate team, debate would be considered a sport.) On the first Thursday of the school year, the educator that leads the sports committee turned to me, about five minutes before sports is supposed to start, and asks what sport I’m going to coach. At first, I didn’t know what to say, but I had to think of something fast. I wanted something that didn’t require much, if any, equipment and something that would be fun. Then it hit me… I could coach Ultimate Frisbee! A mentor volunteer offered to give me some Frisbees back in December, so I contacted him and everything was set. (A shout out goes to Shawn McDonald for the Frisbees – thanks Shawn!)

The first sports day was used as an introduction to the sports that would be held. The following week I was surprised to see roughly 50 learners show up to learn how to play Ultimate Frisbee. I showed them how to throw and catch the Frisbee, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon practicing those skills. Each week since, I have taught the learners the rules of Ultimate Frisbee little by little. There are three particular highlights about what I have observed so far:

1. Learners who don’t participate in soccer or netball because they’re smaller than the ones who do play have come to play Ultimate Frisbee. This is cool because it means they have a place of their own.
2. Learners have incorporated strategies from other sports, like passing in triangles or looking back for support, which means they’re picking up the game quickly.
3. The other sports tend to be gender-specific: the boys play soccer and the girls play netball. Last school year, there were a couple of girls who went out for the cricket team, but that hasn’t been the case this year. I’m excited about what’s been happening so far with Ultimate Frisbee because both boys AND girls have been playing together.