Mar 3 - Professor Lungi

My Aunt Nikky works at an elementary school for physically disabled children who live in the “shacks”. Shacks are basically homes occupied mainly by immigrants to South Africa, rent free. They are made from wood, sheet metal and pretty much anything else that can be found lying around on the street.

Nikky asked me to join her at work to help out. The second grade teacher happened to be absent one day so they asked if I could fill in teaching a class of 9 kids aged 7 to 9 who barely spoke any English. Most of them were in wheelchairs and one of them did everything using only her feet. Considering I’ve never taught before, I figured I would go through the alphabet, do some drawing and some adding/subtracting using blocks. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I lack the toughness required to get the respect from a bunch of kids. They teased, imitated and laughed at me pretty much all day. Although it was at my expense, it was nice to see them having so much fun and enjoying themselves. I had to push my limits throughout the day and really step out of my comfort zone. The children require serious hands-on assistance, from picking up after them, to cleaning their drool and helping them go to the bathroom. Nevertheless, I am happy to have had this experience and I’ve definitely gained more respect for my aunt who deals with this every day. Maybe Jacob will join me next time...