You're Inivited!!
There's a RATA Teachers support dinner at Monavale Homestead in Cambridge on Friday April 24th at 6.30pm. If you would like to come along and hear more about RATA you are invited. I'll be there finding out more too.
RSVP by 19 April to Glenys Bichan - Email ratasupport@gmail.com and say you would like to come. The dinner will cost you $20. Cheryl Doig will be speaking on Educational Issues facing 21st Century Learners; Steve Horne will be sharing what RATA has done for him.
I already know at least one of my NI friends is planning to be there!! It would be great to see other friends too.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Visit to the Travel Doctor
I've now had my first round of shots in preparation for the trip. The Travel Doctor here in the city of Christchurch turned out to be a friend of mine... from our days at St Christopher's church. Debbie herself comes from South Africa and of course she had lots of good advice - such as reminding me not to eat any fresh salads or fruit, unless I could peel the fruit. But best of all Debbie spent time trying to work out why I am so violently sick whenever I fly. Her conclusion is that I have a middle ear problem, and she has prescribed accordingly. This is different to what my own GP had concluded (sinus problems). However, to be on the safe side I will take medications for both options and hopefully this will result in me being a much more pleasant travelling companion for Christine who has kindly offered to sit beside me. It's highly likely all these meds will just put me to sleep... so here's hoping. I always feel so sorry for those around me as they get such an unpleasant time too. So here I am flying again, when I promised myself my last trip from Frankfurt would be my last ever international flight. I didn't think I could go through that again. It was rather special to catch up with Debbie. I had to laugh as she considered me an aid worker and gave a 10% discount on all the shots - I hadn't even thought of myself as that until she pointed this out to me. I'll get to have a few more shots in a couple of months.
Team Building with the ARK teachers
Today I'm being asked to choose two activities to help build the team spirit with ourselves and the teachers from the ARK homeless shelter when we are together at AandKoor Guesthouse for the retreat. The idea is to use some of these activities to get to know each other. The returning RATA teachers have already established relationships with these teachers.
Today we need to choose from games like target golf, blind soccer, blind leading the blind, or the more adventuresome activities such as HUMAN FOOSE BALL where players are tied to each other and only able to move from side to side and try to score a goal. Then again there's the option of cooking challenges, INTERACTIVE MUSIC SESSIONS using a combination of selected common household items or DRUMMING SESSIONS using a variety of African drums and kudu horns, and definitely my favourite option is the possibility of TARGET SHOOTING AND ARCHERYusing air rifles for target shooting and compound bows for target archery activities. We as a team in NZ need to decide what we will do. It all sounds very exciting.
Ok this is an after thought - and thanks Anne for pointing out that I might like to rethink the shooting activity in a country where gun carrying is the norm and a an AK47 costs less than a loaf of bread!
Today we need to choose from games like target golf, blind soccer, blind leading the blind, or the more adventuresome activities such as HUMAN FOOSE BALL where players are tied to each other and only able to move from side to side and try to score a goal. Then again there's the option of cooking challenges, INTERACTIVE MUSIC SESSIONS using a combination of selected common household items or DRUMMING SESSIONS using a variety of African drums and kudu horns, and definitely my favourite option is the possibility of TARGET SHOOTING AND ARCHERYusing air rifles for target shooting and compound bows for target archery activities. We as a team in NZ need to decide what we will do. It all sounds very exciting.
Ok this is an after thought - and thanks Anne for pointing out that I might like to rethink the shooting activity in a country where gun carrying is the norm and a an AK47 costs less than a loaf of bread!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Working in the Shelter
After we have hosted the Retreat we will be moving from Betty's Bay over to Port Elizabeth and staying each night at Riverside Lodge. This accommodation is like a Youth Hostel and I am assured that there are plenty of bed bugs here to keep me company.
http://www.roomsforafrica.com/establishment.do?id=1146
During the day we will be going into the ARK school in the homeless shelter.
For the first two days we will be running a conference. This is for the Ark Teachers and others. We are hoping for 150 delegates. The Ark teachers are keen to show others what they have learnt from NZ teachers over the past four years.
Following these two days we will be spending time with the Ark Teachers. We will be modelling good teaching strategies and encouraging the teachers to take on some new ideas about education. Remember these teachers have no formal training, and are keen to learn how to better teach the children who live with them in this homeless shelter. At night these teachers are the house parents for the children.
http://www.roomsforafrica.com/establishment.do?id=1146
During the day we will be going into the ARK school in the homeless shelter.
For the first two days we will be running a conference. This is for the Ark Teachers and others. We are hoping for 150 delegates. The Ark teachers are keen to show others what they have learnt from NZ teachers over the past four years.
Following these two days we will be spending time with the Ark Teachers. We will be modelling good teaching strategies and encouraging the teachers to take on some new ideas about education. Remember these teachers have no formal training, and are keen to learn how to better teach the children who live with them in this homeless shelter. At night these teachers are the house parents for the children.
Ark Teachers Retreat
From 6 -11 July I'll be staying here at Aandkoor Guesthouse. I must say this looks pretty flash to me and not at all like what I had imagined. The teachers from the school in the Ark homeless shelter, will be joining me and the other Rata Teachers for three days and two nights - these teachers are sponsored to stay here with us. Contact me if you are interested in sponsoring a teacher to come to the retreat (It costs $120)
http://www.wheretostay.co.za/aandkoor/
http://www.wheretostay.co.za/aandkoor/
The path to Rata
I've been thinking about joining the Rata team for quite some time. You can read about the work of Rata and how it trains untrained teachers in developing countries by going to www.rata.org.nz
I'd heard about it through my good friend and teaching colleague Christine Dennis, who went to CapeTown in 2007 and 2008.
However, I needed to know this was something I was being called to do. Hence my months of indecision. In March I made the decision to go to CapeTown Flats after reading Psalm 91. It was suggested I read this psalm by a perfect stranger, Anne. John and I met Anne while walking to our local church, when she stopped and asked us for directions. It turned out Anne was travelling from Tauranga to Dunedin and was only visiting Lincoln for the weekend. What an inspiring person Anne turned out to be. She has been working in Papua New Guinea for 37 years, the last 10 of which she was lecturing at the university there. Anne was the ideal person for me to share my apprenhenisons and indecision with. After talking with Anne I felt really sure I wanted to join the small team of teachers going to teach in CapeTown in 2009. Having purchased my airticket the next step is going to Cambridge in the Easter holidays to plan the professional development for the teachers in the ARK.
I'd heard about it through my good friend and teaching colleague Christine Dennis, who went to CapeTown in 2007 and 2008.
However, I needed to know this was something I was being called to do. Hence my months of indecision. In March I made the decision to go to CapeTown Flats after reading Psalm 91. It was suggested I read this psalm by a perfect stranger, Anne. John and I met Anne while walking to our local church, when she stopped and asked us for directions. It turned out Anne was travelling from Tauranga to Dunedin and was only visiting Lincoln for the weekend. What an inspiring person Anne turned out to be. She has been working in Papua New Guinea for 37 years, the last 10 of which she was lecturing at the university there. Anne was the ideal person for me to share my apprenhenisons and indecision with. After talking with Anne I felt really sure I wanted to join the small team of teachers going to teach in CapeTown in 2009. Having purchased my airticket the next step is going to Cambridge in the Easter holidays to plan the professional development for the teachers in the ARK.
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