Impacting school policy

Taking a trip back through time to one of my previous blog posts titled 'exam week', you will see me talk about the difficulties we as volunteers found when it came to teaching the boys. At that time we had truly overestimated the boys' abilities, we were trying to teach them a syllabus involving topics such as photosynthesis when many struggled to read and write even the most basic English. It became clear very rapidly that if we were going to have a real impact on the boys' education then we would have to go right back to basics.

Before we broke up for holidays in November of last year we, the volunteers, wrote up a reading and writing program that we wanted to teach to the new standard 5 class that would be coming through. We aimed the program at the real problem areas (basic reading, writing and mathematics). We planned to split the class down into four groups and rank each group in levels 1-4 to more accurately cater for each boy's individual ability. Each volunteer would take a group which meant there would be a ratio between staff and students of 1-5. 

We proposed this to the staff and they agreed that it was worth trying, even if it was a complete failure nothing would have been lost when considering the boys' current abilities. In the weeks before we broke up for our christmas holidays we frantically wrote up a new school timetable in order to accomidate our program, we made it so we would have at least one hour everyday with the boys tackling either literacy or mathematics. 

For reasons known to all already I never made it back to Bana Ba Metsi for the start or the next term, I would be lying if I said I wasn't gutted not to see our idea come to fruition. But I was also quietly confident that the three brighter and better volunteers left behind would do an amazing job all the same. My confidence was well placed as on my return to the school I was given the good news, our program has been successful and the boys abilities have improved exponentially. So much so that the board of the school has said they wished for our program to become a school policy, so that all new children that will pass through Bana Ba Metsi in years to come will undertake the same program.

In the weeks before I returned to Bana Ba Metsi I had wondered a lot where I would fit into the schedule, it seemed silly to take over my science class again when their was already a very capable teacher in place. It is now clear, however, that since I was gone the boys were only split into three groups and as a result of this there are still students who are slacking behind the rest of the pack. My job now will be to try and help these boys improve in the last month or so before my time here is up.

Home coming

4 months to the day since my accident and I've come full circle, all the hours of physio have led to this moment. Its time for me to return to my Project and finish what I set out to do. To say that I've missed everything about my Project and Botswana would be an understatement, my constant day-dreams of life before the accident has been my key motivation in my recovery and without it I would be a long way behind from where I stand today.

I think I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous for my return, both physically and emotionally. Physically I was worried how my body would cope, firstly with getting to Botswana but also with the rigorous day to day life that Bana Ba Metsi demands. On the emotional front I was nervous about a lot of things, how would I fit back into the scheme of things at the school? How would I cope with travelling down the same road the accident occured, would it bring up any demons that I had not yet delt with? 

My worries were short lived however, it seems I am stronger than I think. Physically my back has given me little grief even though I had to endure a 6 hour bus ride sandwiched between two fairly large women. Even through this discomfort I still managed to sleep most of the way (no demons encountered). The bus ride was necessary in order to get from Maun to Shakawe where I was to be picked up by Peter Dow, the school director. 

After another hour of driving I could see it, the sign for home "Welcome to Bana Ba Metsi". I have envisioned this moment everyday since the accident, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little choked up, but I managed to hold it together. I couldn't have the boys first impression of me being a weak one.

I'm sitting here trying to think of the right words I should use to convey how happy and content I am to be back, but it seems an impossible task. As soon as I was with Tim, Paul and Justus it felt as if I'd never left. They were kind enough to put on a braii for my return and we eat like kings, something that won't last as the BBM diet resumes tomorrow.. ohh how I've missed pap.