The School Corridor Tatler

Welcome to my new Youtube Channel, School Corridor

2018-05-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... this blog has been in hibernation for a loooong while.

I finally found a new way of reaching out to you. The School Corridor Tatler is really a super communication channel, but I have upped my game. I have taken the plunge and now I am the proud creator of... Drum roll please... The School Corridor Youtube Channel!

I hope you enjoy this very first video of the School Corridor Channel. I am super excited to have you there as well. Let's learn and have fun together! The School Corridor Channel is here to grow, inspire and empower you as leaders at schools or anywhere else.

School Corridor Youtube Channel Focus

The content will cover three streams:

Talks and presentations on leadership research, qualities of great leadership and how you can help yourself grow to become a great leader. Personal well-being will also be a focus.
The second stream will focus on Q&As, interviews and book reviews.
The third stream will focus on instructional videos on web tools, starting with the Google Apps Suite.

We want to Think fresh and Do Different.

Here is the link to the School Corridor Launch video. Have fun and let me know what you think of the School Corridor Youtube Channel:

Welcome to School Corridor Youtube Channel

You can drop comments ( uplifting and wonderfully constructive ones) and your brilliant ideas in the comments box on Youtube.

And if you really enjoy the channel, please consider subscribing or refer friends who can glean something meaningful from the School Corridor Channel.

Continue flying along the corridors, keep learning, keep flipping your staffroom and create the magic in all the spaces where you find yourself.

Till next time!

Learning how our amazing the brain works can help teachers learn to unlock their children's potential.

2016-07-07T04:40:00.000-07:00

Our brains are growing and changing all the time.

I have just watched the two TED videos on Doctor Lara Boyd's discussion of how amazing our brain is. In her informative and entertaining talks that I have attached below, Dr Lara Boyd will make anybody excited about the unlimited potential our brains have to change and how our behaviour shapes the extent to which our brain changes. Our brains are super plastic, amazingly adaptable and just waiting for us to reach great heights.

Our brains want us to work hard to become super-charged.

But, therein lies the rub: we have to do the work. Although our brains are super plastic and amazingly adaptable, we are responsible to develop our brains. We need to put in the long, hard hours to turn us into the brilliant writer, sportsman, scientist, musician, teacher, artist - anything we desire. The only thing standing between ourselves and our learning is whether we are motivated sufficiently to achieve our dreams. What ever you do, the brain will respond.

Our dynamic brain will embrace learning that you decide is relevant for your short term and your long term memory. However, if you want to develop your long term memory with ideas, knowledge and skills, the brain requires you to practice hard consistently for long periods of time. According to our brains, struggle is good.

That old age saying that if you want to learn something you have to engage in "repetition, repetition, repetition" is now an undisputed fact, according to the neuroscience research.

Neuroscience research about the plasticity of the brain is a tool of gold for teachers.

I believe that all school principals and their staffs should familiarise themselves with the research on the plasticity of the brain and its behaviour. If neuroscience research is telling us that our brains are capable of rewiring themselves, depending on our behaviour patterns, then this is good news for schools. That means that children with learning disabilities are not doomed forever! Teachers can prime the brain to optimize the learning for the children.

These are a few of the highlights I gleaned from the videos:

Our brains are dynamic organs that have the capacity to change as long as we live. This knowledge gives us hope when working with children with learning disabilities. We need to reframe our thinking and realize that these children, with the right interventions that target their needs, and with hard work and practice, will overcome some of those limitations.
If we want to change the brain structure and functions dramatically, we have to consistently repeat the desired behaviour intensively over a long period of time. The "use it or lose it" principle is non-negotiable here.
Regular, consistent, focused exercise is critical. Studies show that short bouts of exercise of about ten minutes enhance learning noticeably. When a task is given to somebody after doing exercise, the structure of the brain (with its grey and white matter) and the functions of the brain change. Children learn better and faster. Neuroscience has proved that it is this easy to improve the learning experience for children in a classroom or elsewhere. No wonder the Chinese teachers who have to incorporate a variety of practical movement exercises in their daily lessons, seem to be able to unlock children's brilliance!
Sleep is very important for memory consolidation. Even when you sleep, you are learning. Also, when you are asleep, the cortisol - the stress hormone - increases to levels that can help you manage stress.
Our general health is important because it can affect brain development and brain health. This raises the issue of nutrition, safety and security at home and at school, exercise and a host of other important dynamics that affect children's learning.
Of significance for School Heads and their staffs is that neuroscience proves that the school environment inside and outside the classroom, has a profound effect on how their children's brains are being developed and shaped for future greatness.

Staff development idea

Why not introduce your staff to these two videos and get the discussion about neuroscience and the amazing possibilities of our brain a talking point in your staffroom? Who knows, this may be just the trigger that teachers need to transform their classroom teaching as child-centred spaces.

Sun Valley Primary School is at the forefront of brain-based teaching. Visit their website and give them a call to request that they share their ideas and practices with your staff.

I would love to hear your views. If you are going to start your brain-based teaching movement at your school, I would be delighted to hear about it. If you are in the Western Cape, you can even invite me over to come and see.

My brain has changed since I started watching the videos, has continued changing while I wrote this post and will still be changing long after I had posted this blog post. This is such a "neat" idea, as Dr Lara Boyd, says.

The launch of Child Protection and Youth Month at Metro South EducationDistrict.

2016-05-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Social Worker component at our education district launched our Child Protection and Youth Month campaign.

The sad reality is that our children are extremely vulnerable and they are subjected to all forms of abuse, neglect and sexual abuse. We were reminded that our children are entrusted to us; that it is our legal and moral responsibility to protect our children against all forms of abuse.

Glen van Harte delivering his keynote address.

Our district director, Glen van Harte, said, "We need to recommit and reenergize ourselves to look after our children. We have to watch our language. Language has the ability to leave scars that are often far more damaging than physical scars. We have to mediate the language we use with one another and with children. We need to be mindful of the relationships we have with one another and with our teachers. It is also important to look after ourselves so that we can look after our children."

Lucinda Pelston, our Senior Social worker and Head of the Social Work unit at the district, delivered a powerful presentation on the legal framework that all those working with children, should know.

Lucinda Pelston (left) and Rachel, the Programme Director

Here is a summary of Lucinda's presentation:

You need to know the Children's Act 38 of 2005 and the Sexual Offences Act 32 of 2007.

District officials, School Management, their staff and anybody working at the schools, need to know the Children's Act 38 of 2005 and the Sexual Offences Act 32 of 2007. These Acts guide us on the protection of children.

The two laws, the Children's Act 38 of 2005, Section 110 and the Sexual Offences Act 32 of 2007, Section 54, anchor the reporting of children who are abused, neglected or in need of care and protection.

Children's Act 38 of 2005 (110) describes who must report the abuse. The list includes all staff at school, including volunteer workers.

The Sexual Offences Act 32 of 2007 (54) states that if you have reasonable belief or suspicion that children are sexually abused, you must report it. You cannot be held liable if you report alleged abuse if you report in good faith.

The Abuse No More Protocol of the WCED

The WCED has developed The Abuse No More Protocol to help schools and learners of the WCED to deal with the problem of child abuse. The Abuse No More Protocol contains reporting procedures and the responsibilities of the school principal to implement and manage this protocol at his (her) school.

Learners from Liwa Primary School performed a poem on Child protection

Corporal Punishment is unconstitutional and illegal

According to reports from learners, parents, teachers and other sources, corporal punishment is still being practised at schools. Most schools know that Section 10 of the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 states that it is a criminal offense to administer corporal punishment.

The challenge is that people often don't know that corporal punishment includes a range of acts.

The WCED subscribes to the following definition of corporal punishment:

"Any deliberate act against a child that inflicts pain or physical discomfort to punish or contain him or her. This includes but is not limited to, spanking, slapping, pinching, paddling, or hitting a child with a hand or with an object, denying or restricting a child's use of the toilet, denying meals, drink, heat or shelter, pushing or pulling a child with force, and forcing a child to do exercise." (see www.childadvocate.com)

The WCED circular on corporal punishment is WCED Circular 95 of 2002. There is no expiry date!

A few of our Social workers and other colleagues.

The role of the School Governing Body with regard to appointment of educators and the code of conduct for learners.

Educators who have been found guilty in a court of law, or who have been dismissed by the WCED, may not be appointed at WCED schools. SGBs therefore have to be aware of this provision when they appoint teachers in SGB posts. SGBs should check with the WCED and the South African Council for Educators (SACE) to ensure that child offenders are not appointed at their schools.

Snapshot of the audience at the Child Protection and Youth Month Campaign

The Code of Conduct for learners at schools can be in conflict with legislation on Child Protection. School principals and their SGBs should revisit their Codes of Conduct and make the necessary changes to be compliant.

Challenges for Schools in this rights-based culture

Schools struggle to enforce discipline in this rights-based culture and where children's rights are given priority in our country. Schools need sustained support to develop a restorative disciplinary framework that will help them manage the discipline at their schools.

It has become more critical for schools to build strong partnerships with their parents, the community and organizations that can help them transform their schools into disciplined, high learning spaces. Schools cannot do it on their own anymore.

If you want Lucinda and her social worker team to visit your school and run a similar talk, do contact our district office.

Thanks to the Social Work team for a brilliant, informative session. I left there refreshed and more knowledgeable about the scope of corporal punishment and the specific laws that compel us to report child abuse.

I would love to hear your views? Was this blog post helpful?

Dalin Oliver provides laughter therapy for teachers at our district today.

2016-05-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

As I have explained, our education district, Metro South Education District (MSED) has started our MSED Talks. Our director, Glen van Harte, has a nickname for the talks, MSED FLs. Before your minds race to wonderfully, crazy never lands, FL stands for Friday Lectures.

#Dalin Oliver and Glen van Harte, Director of MSED

Today we had #Dalin Oliver, a vibrant comedian, ex-teacher and a sports presenter on Goodhope FM radio station.

Crowd enjoying Dalin Oliver

The attendance was fantastic too. Many of our schools joined us and we had a large group of Metro Central district colleagues in the house as well.

Vanessa Berry, Head of Lantana Primary School and Andre Pretorius, Head of Heathfield Primary School enjoying the pre-talk snacks.

Dalin''s talk was entitled, I came. I taught. I left, a title drawn from his popular comedy show. Dilan's rapport with the large crowd was brilliant. Despite his youth, he knows how to engage a rather mature audience.

Colleagues, Cheryl Thomas, Carmen Niekerk, Johnny Freese and Warda Abrahams at the talk. The young man on the far left is an exchange student.

Daily took the audience on a humorous trip to his experiences in the classroom ( for a whopping five months) his colourful memories of growing up in the Retreat community and his experiences as a cricket coach for tween and teenagers.

Nick Sayser, Karen Dudley, Trevor Francke and Vanessa Berry catching up

This young man has a bright future. He is unpretentious and knows how to reflect on life's interesting tosses and turns. The audience loved him and laughed with abandon at his witty recollections.

Colleagues mingling just before the talk by Dalin Oliver

"What an afternoon with Dalin Oliver!" said Andre Pretorius, the Head of Heathfield Primary Scholl. "Aweh. Brilliant comedian in the South African context. We as South Africans make up so many words such as "ne" and double up names of games like "seet to seet` (when playing hide and seek), "housie, housie" ( playing house). Was great to laugh and just chill. Hilarious!

One of my colleagues sent a message saying: " Thanks for arranging some laughs. Really enjoyed it. " AWE. Ma se kinder!s"

Dalin, Sharon and Faldiela after the show.

Other colleagues said this is what teachers need. Teachers are tired of being bombarded with serious administrative overload and being stressed all the time.

" This is what teachers need", said another principal. "They need to be able to just sit back and enjoy being entertained. We need laughter therapy and other forms of fun for teachers who are bombarded with so much stress."

From Left: Lucia Petersen and Lorna Arendse with Dalin Oliver.

We definitely struck the right chord by having some laughter therapy.The MSED Talks series is proving to be a wonderful, relational medium to bring schools and the education district closer.

Let's keep meeting and inspiring one another...

Just love this kind of community building.

If you want to get Dalin to come to your school to inspire your teachers and learners, GO AHEAD. #DalinOliver's e-mail is dalin@dalinoliver.com

From Left: Glen van Harte, Mr and Mrs Essop, Dalin Olver, Sharon Lewin, Faldiela Chotia and Achmat Chotia, the principal of Glendale High School.

A few of our guests coming to the talk.

snapshot of part of the crowd.

Aspiring principals attend CTLI course

2016-03-31T02:46:00.001-07:00

I am always full of admiration for teachers who attend holiday courses. Today I loved engaging a group of mainly deputy principals who are putting up their hands and saying: i want to lead a school and make an impact."

If you create an environment for people to learn from peers, they share freely. During our session today, participants eagerly shared tried and tested strategies on how to build school libraries, how to manage safety and security at schools and so forth.

What I pick up during these presentations is that schools don't provide enough opportunities for SMT members to engage financial management issues at schools. Another oversight is that SMTs don't really study circulars and share their insights with the staff and themselves.

If we want to cultivate well informed principals and senior management staff, we need to expose them to the high level organizational and management structures and systems. This is what mentorship and sposorship are all about.

I hope that the participants are going back to their schools energised, filled with a few new insights and ready to make a difference at their schools.

Every South African should have the opportunity to visit the Iziko Slave Lodge.

2016-03-18T12:36:00.001-07:00

Every Capetonian, in fact, every South African, should visit the Iziko Slave Lodge near the Cape Town Company Gardens. Today, our education district, accompanied by learners from Aloe Secondary School, commemorated Human Rights Day by touring the Slave Lodge.

Listening to the Slave history

Be warned. The experience can be emotional as you confront our history from the the Cape's role in the Indian slave trade route to the bitter struggle to free South Africa from the clutches of Apartheid.

Aloe Secondary School learners with from left: Dhanan Naidoo, Annette Fella and Glen van Harte, Director of MSED

Our tour guides, coordinated by Nadjwa Damon, the Social History Educator at Iziko museums, ensured that the experience of our heritage was soul-enriching. Nadjwa narrated our slave history sensitively, enhancing our knowledge of our rich past and acknowledging those experiences which we have shared in our lifetime.

We were given time to absorb the information and to reflect on the journey into our past. We slipped into the world of our slave forefathers via the many original prison documents, birth certificates, private letters, photos and recordings. Deep sighs and tearful eyes told their own story as past met present.

Understanding the future by understanding the past

Experiencing the life of slaves in the Slave Lodge and aboard a Slave Ship

One of exhibits mimics the cramped, dark conditions that slaves were subjected to on the slave ship. We were herded in this area to experience the harsh, humiliating treatment that slaves had to endure. They were seen as cargo and treated as such. We were in this cubicle for a short while, yet colleagues couldn't handle the pressure and claustrophobia. Imagine what the slaves experienced on those long, dangerous trips!

Another exhibit creates the tiny spaces in which the slaves were housed when they were imprisoned in the Slave Lodge. There is also a room where visitors can watch animations and visuals on screen, recreating the horrors of slavery.

While these realities were related by Nadjwa, she stressed that the slaves who were treated like animals and cargo, were in fact, brilliant, knowledgeable folk. The very slaves were the ones who could teach their oppressors and their own community about many things, including science and medicine. Slaves were the teachers, doctors and the engineers.

MSED staff regrouping after the inspiring Slave Lodge tour.

The Slave Lodge is a tribute to the slaves. In an alcove, there is a column of white light that is inscribed with the names of slaves. This impressive column with its wide bands of names illuminated by the bright, white light, commemorates our slave ancestors and places them- rightly- at the centre of who we are today. The Slave Lodge intentionally ensures that we embrace our past and pay tribute to those who suffered greatly.

artifacts of the Carneson Family history

The Red in the Rainbow Exhibition

The Red in the Rainbow exhibition tells us about the Carneson family who was an anti-apartheid family. Through a montage of photographs, various documents and personal letters we relived the sacrifices families like the Carneson had to make to help bring about democracy in our country. The moving, handwritten letters written by the Carneson children to their mother, Ruth, while she was in prison, touch a raw nerve.

The column of light commemorating and paying tribute to the slaves

We need the Slave Lodge to remind us to fight injustices.

The Slave Lodge serves as our collective conscience. The Slave Lodge with its various exhibitions raise human rights issues that we have been grappling with through the ages AND it is a grim reminder that we are still faced with modern day slavery where millions of people still don't enjoy basic civil and human rights.

We must never surrender our fight for equality for all human beings in the various spaces we find ourselves in. We can't go down in history as the modern day slave drivers. That is why the Slave Lodge is there as our visual and physical reminder.

Go and spend some time at the Slave Lodge if you have never been there. The visit will be well worth the experience.

Colleagues and I play on ghoema drums made from recycled materials.

We need more women in top leadership positions in companies and at schools.

2016-03-14T10:07:00.001-07:00

Asnath Mahapa, first black woman in South Africa to become a pilot. She also runs her own aviation academy in Gauteng.

Cape Winelands Education District hosted a Leadership Conference for Deputy Principals on Saturday. I chose to focus on the role female leaders can play to eradicate the gender prejudice with its manifestations of gross violence, injustice and abuse against women.

Here is a snapshot of my talk that was entitled: Women in Leadership: It is time to bring gender balance in the top leadership structures in organizations.

My argument was premised on the following three key points:

1. We need women with positional power and influence in organizations to advance the human rights of women.

Globally, women are progressively being subjected to extreme forms of violence and abuse in all areas of their lives.

In this past week, we had two young women violently raped and brutally murdered. The one victim, Fransziska Blochliger, went for a jog in Tokai forest and within hours, she was a badly-battered corpse. The other victim, Sinoxolo Mafevuka, of Khayelitsha, was found dead, half naked, slumped over the toilet bowl with her body protruding to the door and her clothes stuffed in the cistern. Sinoxolo probably went to the communal toilet to relieve herself when her life was violently snuffed out.

In Paarl, a mother took her 4 year old child who was raped, to the hospital. She was turned away and told to come back the next day. I suppose the mother had to suspend her and her baby's trauma and then travelled home by foot or by taxi after being ignored by the hospital.

According to certain reports, a woman is raped every three minutes. During my 45 minute talk, I highlighted that according to this statistic, 15 women would have been raped as we sat there in the comfort of a lecture room. If we use the statistic of women's groups, who claim that about 100 hundred women are raped every hour, the horror is indescribable.

There are millions of women who are physically, emotionally and economically abused in South Africa and internationally. We need women who have the political power and the voice to fight for the vulnerable and the marginalized women. Women know what women need and will therefore be able to participate in making decisions that affect women's health, well-being, employment and other aspects of women's lives.

Statistics show male-dominance in top leadership structures in industry and education.

According to Census 2011, women constitute 51% of the population and 48% of the working population are women. Yet, according to Business Women of South Africa, only 4,9% of women are CEOs and 9% are directors of companies. In the Western Cape Education Department, seven of the education district directors are men while there is only one woman Education District director. At school level, 72% of principals are men and 75% of post level one educators are women. The number of girls in schools is slightly higher than boys.

There is a startling absence of women's voice at the decision-making levels at schools and in other organizations.

We need woman CEOs, directors and school principals who can help to change the misogynic attitudes, make women's rights a priority and fight to build a values-based human rights culture for everybody.

On Left: Lucinda Evans, who runs the NGO, Philisa Abafazi Bethu (Heal our women) received the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honour (Award of Knight in the Legion of Honor) from the Ambassador of France, Madame Barbier (Right)

2. We need a new leadership model to advance the human rights of women as a marginalized group.

We are now in the creative economy that requires fourth generation leadership. Leaders can no longer only depend on their basket of knowledge and skills to focus solely on productivity. Human lives matter and organizations exist because of the human beings who form them.

Leaders need to possess high interpersonal skills, be creative problem-solvers and be exceptional, experienced team players in addition to being functionally competent for the leadership position they occupy.

If we accept the notion that most men are left-brained and that the traditional leadership of command and control variations are the norm, then we can understand the limitations of the current male-dominated leadership to build a human rights culture at organizations, including schools. Women, who are regarded as being right-brained dominant, will bring balance at the top leadership structure.

Women, with their natural tendency to be intuitive, relationship builders and natural team players, will build the capacity of the executive team. The other challenge, of course, is that the few women who reach the top, assimilate the leadership behaviour of the men. If there are however, more women at the various leadership layers and more women at the senior levels, women will have greater support and better networking opportunities.

3. Women need to be part of the decision-making top leadership structures.

Leaders who have the power to make decisions, shape the strategic direction of the organization and shape the culture of the organization. If women do not have this positional power to influence these areas, their impact will be limited. Women need to get into the boardroom, whether it is in a private organization or a public institution like schools, if we are serious about transforming our organizations into spaces where human rights takes centre stage.

We need this gender balance in our schools, our work places and all spaces where we communicate and live with one another. We need gender parity to help us build values-based organizations where our children, mothers, fathers, family and community members learn how to care and respect one another.

If we are serious about ensuring that everybody enjoys human rights equally, we will transform our power structures, change our organizational cultures and exercise our political will.

The theme of International Women's Day is: Planet 50-50. Step it up for gender equality. We missed the Millennium development goal in 2015. Let us commit to the Sustainable development goal of 2030 for gender parity.

What are your views?

The SGB Forum in the Retreat-Lavender Hill area is going to be a powerful community structure.

2016-03-05T08:59:00.002-08:00

The SGB Forum in the Retreat-Lavender Hill-Steenberg area is going to be a powerful community structure. Today the EXCO of the SGB forum had a development and training session on Interpersonal Skills and Communication and on Drafting their constitution.

Team work

We were reminded again how important it is for leaders to have a high degree of self-awareness to enable them to become great relational people. Leaders need a high level of interpersonal skills and be aware that that they must first seek to understand others before they want to influence others.

Gail and David giving feedback. See the well-constructed word pattern in the foreground!

Our icebreaker word-building game helped the participants to see that collaborative work is far more rewarding because of the access to more brains, higher energy and better success. It was fascinating to see how the group moved from wanting to build their own individual words from a limited number of letter tiles to constructing an elaborate stream of words when they teamed up their efforts.

Gail Johannes, a teacher at Hillwood Primary giving the photographer a big smile while Sydney, the foreman at Lavender Hill High School and David, the SGB chairperson at Crestway High look on.

As a forerunner to constructing their vision and mission statement, Noel Isaacs guided the group through the process of understanding organizational design. The participants who are mainly parents and support staff at school, conducted deep discussions on the purpose and the need for the SGB forum to be a values-based organization. These are heavyweight issues that professionals don't even want to broach!

Ernst Esau, principal of Harmony Primary School reporting back.

For example, during one of the report back sessions, Basil Williams, the chairperson of the SGB Forum shared how their group discussed the need for new thinking and new mindsets. He spoke about how we need to question traditions that are blocking our growth and that now is the time to think and act differently. Loved it!

Basil Williams, the Chairperson of the SGB Forum doing some feedback during the workshop.

While the SGB Forum is shaping their structure, they will be hosting their first development and training session for 23 schools next week. Other SGBs are already showing an interest to be part of this SGB forum.

When ordinary people are passionate and committed, the sky is really the limit. Watch this space for more exciting news on this budding SGB forum.

We launched our MSED Talk Series 2016 in our education district today.

2016-03-04T11:29:00.003-08:00

Today was the day our education district, Metro South, launched its lunchtime talk series. We are super excited about the possibilities of this talk platform to energise our conversations in the district.

The idea is to invite speakers from education, other industries and all walks of life to share their stories with us. Through the exchange of ideas, we want to share research, knowledge, advice and wisdom with real people who like us, are striving to live a purposeful life, especially in our country.

A few of our colleagues relaxing just before the talk by Lorenzo Davids.

Our first speaker was Lorenzo Davids, the CEO of Community Chest. Lorenzo's talk " A country imagined - challenges born of hope", oozed with authenticity.

" Stories of who we are, are getting lost, " said Lorenzo. " Everybody must tell their stories so that we can build inclusive spaces. Dialogue must lead to inclusivity. We need to build relationships, play by the rules and live a values-based life. This is what responsible citizens will do."

Our director, Glen van Harte, said the MSED talks will help us take our conversations to the "doing" level.

"We must take the conversations to the next level. We need to have dialogues on all those difficult issues like race, charity and inclusivity. We need to debate the issues, challenge one another and then take the transformation to the spaces we work and live in."

Walton, the Deputy Director of MSED chatting to Lorenzo.

Mandy, one of our colleagues, said the following to Lorenzo, as part of her vote of thanks.

"You have made me realize that I must give back to the community I come from. I come from Kimberley and I have decided today, that I will start investing in my home town".

Powerful stuff, I'd say. All the folk who were there, came voluntarily. The MSED Talk Series is voluntary. We want the MSED Talk Series to grow organically and be shaped by the people who will be part of the MSED Talk community. The SMT of New Eisleben in Philippi and Cassy Dick, the principal of Steenberg Primary School joined us as well. These colleagues told us they will be there at the next talk, if this is what they can expect.

Cassy Dick and district colleagues with Glen looking on.

We are going to extend the invitation to all our schools so that they too can become active participants of the MSED Talk Series. And we know our principals and SMTs will join us because they thrive on community-building events.

Feel free to let us know if you want to join us on 15 April. We are looking forward to the talk by Marlene Le Roux, the dynamite CEO of Artscape Theatre.

Spine Road High School is a standard bearer in the Mitchell's Plain community.

2016-02-08T13:13:00.004-08:00

Spine Road High School in Mitchell's Plain is a standard bearer in the Mitchell's Plain community. The report card of this remarkable school belies the fact that it is situated in an impoverished area where there are all the social ills of gangsterism, unemployment and broken homes. Let's have a peek at the school's learner performance, the standard by which schools are measured.

Mr Najaar posing with three of his Grade 12s.

Academic profile of Spine Road High School

In the 2014 National Senior Certificate examination, Spine Road High School made history: they were the first school to achieve a 100% pass rate in the history of Mitchell's Plain. In the 2015 NSC Final examination 280 matriculants sat for the examination. The school achieved a 99,3% pass rate and an 80% Bachelors pass rate.

In the Systemic Test 2015, the grade 9's achieved an 84% pass rate in Mathematics and 96% in English. The national pass rate for Grade 9 Maths is about 22%.

The school attracts about 2000 applications for enrollment at Grade 8.

Mr Najaar, the principal of Spine Road High School

I visited the school and wanted to know by the principal, Mr Najaar, how they have moved their school from being one that was shunned by the community to one of the most sought after schools in the Mitchell's Plain area. Here is a snapshot of our conversation.

Tell us how about your school's journey to become a sought after, academic standard bearer for schools beyond the Mitchell's Plain borders.

"We needed to change the teachers' mindsets and show them what is possible. We knew we had to develop our brand and the school hall, a one-of-a kind institution, played a big role in helping us to see the amazing possibilities for our school," said Mr Najaar.

We used to be a school known as a school for gangsters. Children walked right past our school to go to other schools in Mitchell's Plain or to other schools further away. One day, I took my staff to stand on the hill (on the school grounds) and asked them to observe the school children walking home from the various schools.

We asked ourselves what we were not doing that children were prepared to travel far distances to attend other schools. Then we put in the hard yards to transform our school. We worked hard to create a brand of excellence and sustain a culture of high expectations.

My staff and I are passionate and dedicated to do only what is good for the children. I believe that you should not be afraid to confront anyone who comprises the children. If you don't want to work so that all our children succeed, then you don't deserve the children.

Choosing the colour of our school blazer was strategic. We chose our red blazer because it symbolises power and success for each of our learners. The color is uncommon and it makes a bold statement. When our children wear their uniform, their self-esteem is boosted. The uniform hides their poverty and everybody looks like achievers.

We raised the internal pass rate to 50% and we expect all our children to achieve at least 50% in their
subjects. Each subject has an annual expo to showcase the learners' work to the parents and to inform them about the subject. We also write four full scale examinations throughout the year so that learners are engaging their schoolwork all the time. Our matriculants have a longer school day that is non-negotiable.

What other structures are there at the school that provide the learners with a rounded education?

We have an extensive sport and extra-curricular programme at the school. Many of the clubs are run by the learners themselves. We don't spend time on athletics because a lot of time is wasted at the beginning of the year. Athletics is a sports code like all the other sports. If children want to participate in athletics, they must be at school at 7h00; if not, they forfeit their opportunity. We have extra classes for the entire school.

La'eeqa Martin, one of the coordinators of the MC club and Mr Najaar.

At this point, we are joined by La'eeqa Martin, a Grade 12 learner who is one of the coordinators of the MC² club at the school.

Tell us how MC ²started and what you do?

Three friends started the club when they were in Grade 10. They wanted to offer Maths and English to the students who needed help in these subjects. I was one of the tutors. When these boys were in Matric, they asked me to step in as a coordinator.

We recruit tutors from the top 20 achievers in each grade. These tutors will then assist the learners after school with their maths. We usually start in the second term and then continue until the end of the year. The club is run by the learners themselves. We do all the planning, recruiting and the tutorials.

( La'eeqa left and we continued our conversation)

Tell us about the Maths Olympiad that you run for the primary schools in Mitchell's Plain.

Every year our Maths Department hosts a Maths Olympiad for all the Grade 7s at the primary schools. They set the papers, mark and record the learners' results and then analyse each school's results for them.

I then hand all this data to the primary school principals on a one-to-one consultation session. Schools can then work on those areas where the learners are underperforming and strengthen the areas where they are doing well.

Proudly Spine Road High School: Three Grade 12 learners with their principal, Mr Najaar.

What drives you to raise the bar at your school?

It's all about giving our children the best they deserve. They do not have to travel out of the area in search of a good school. We are here on their doorstep and they can and will receive high quality education."

After the interview

I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation I had with Mr Najaar and La'eeqa Martin. What I noticed too, is that Mr Najaar knows his learners' names. As I left, three Grade 12 learners were on their way to class. When I asked each one of them what their goal was for this year, they said almost in unison:

" We are aiming for at least 80% and a Bachelors."

That clinched the conversation for me. If the head of the school and his learners boldly declare their goals for success, then a culture of high expectations is firmly rooted at Spine Road High School.

Mr Najaar is open to sharing the Spine Road Story. Why not give him a call and invite him to tell their story to your staff?

Let's celebrate and share so that we can all grow together.

Poor learner performance means there are serious systems issues at the school.

2016-01-31T09:08:00.004-08:00

A new school year marks joy or agony for schools

Another school year has begun. Again, school heads and their leadership teams confront the question: how can they lead and manage their schools so that they have inspired, committed staff that will deliver superior classroom teaching.

Schools that are delivering excellent learner results, will obviously look at ways to raise their game even more so. However, there will be poor performing schools that may repeat history if they do not take stock of their own reality. Poor learner performance means there are serious systems issues at the school.

Leave the children out of the equation to get to the deep systemic issues at school.

Many school heads and their SMTs that are quietly questioning why their school performance is poor when compared with schools with similar contexts as theirs, are already starting on the wrong foot. Everybody at the school knows deep down what the real problems are, but they are afraid to acknowledge their own culpability.

If schools want to raise their learner performance, they have to start with themselves and not target the children. Children depend on their teachers to help them learn well. Children also depend on their principal , SMT, teachers and school friends to help them build healthy relationships. If the children are performing poorly, then who is really to blame?

We cannot use children to mask the systemic problems at schools. In many schools, the deprived children already come to school, steeped in domestic and social problems that they have to own and navigate. If these children are then being blamed for the poor school-wide performance that is not even their domain, schools are courting disaster. Such a mindset is dangerously harmful to the children and it affects the school staff's psyche. Such a victim mindset also prevents schools from addressing the real problems that are preventing them from doing well.

Schools can start being brutally honest and fix what is broken.

Use TED and Youtube videos as part of staff development

Change is hard and messy but if it the process is managed well by the school head and the SMT, the whole school will lift. Sometimes the biggest obstacle is that schools do not know how to start the process of making deep, meaningful changes that will impact on learner performance. There are so many useful TED and Youtube videos available that can be used as part of the school's staff development programme.

I have included two TED videos that I find very useful. Simon Sinek speaks about how great leaders inspire action and Margaret Heffernan shares her research on what drives high-performing teams.

Be inspired. Be the change you want to see - Mahatma Ghandi.

Are there any other ideas schools can use?

Here are the links to posts about reading in this blog.

2015-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have decided to group the blog links for six posts that are dedicated to reading advocacy in our schools.

1. A case for a national reading campaign

In the post, We need an ambitious national reading campaign beyond the classroom, I reference the Cuban literacy campaign that was driven by the government of the day. I argue that we too, have the resources to promote and sustain a national reading campaign, if we are serious about lifting our children's performance.

2. Reading Programmes at School should be supported by a sound school and classroom infrastructure.

In Six fundamental elements that should form the backbone of your school's reading strategy. I suggest six elements that schools should consider when they embark on a whole-school reading strategy. These strategies are being implemented by schools where a good reading culture is established.

3. World Book Day is celebrated by schools.

World Book Day 2015 is one of the highlights on primary school calendars, celebrates school's efforts to highlight reading books.

4. The Reading 40-books per learner campaign

Besides providing an overview of the our advocacy to promote reading in the schools we serve, the post ( link below) also aims to show that building a reading culture at school takes an enormous amount of time and effort. Schools must be in for the long haul and commit to the process of establishing themselves as reading schools.

Reviewing the Reading 40 Books per Learner Campaign in the Lavender Hill-Steenberg Schools .

5. Sun Valley Primary School helps children and their parents find time to read more.

In the Sun Valley Primary School says no to conventional homework AND yes to a personalized homework policy post, the school heavily promotes independent reading.

6. Unpacking the complexities of reading comprehension.

The post. Help children to read more effectively: Expand their cultural experiences of the world, is part of a two-part series on discussing why teachers need to understand what factors are involved in comprehension so that they can help their children learn to become proficient readers and speakers.

I hope you enjoyed this series of links on reading.

Help children to read more effectively: Expand their cultural experiences of the world.

2015-12-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Teaching children to read fluently and with comprehension is a long, complex process that school heads and teachers need to understand. There are many factors that are involved in becoming proficient readers.

One of the factors that influences children's reading proficiency is the extent of their world knowledge. The greater the children's experiences of the world around them, the better are their chances to comprehend books more effectively.

Build children's cultural capital

Let us focus on how children's limited background knowledge blocks them from developing their reading and comprehension skills.

Children who come from poor homes, are often not exposed to a variety of experiences as children from middle class homes. Their world knowledge is generally restricted to the experiences in their neighborhoods. Teachers recognize these gaps, but they ascribe the children's lack of knowledge to laziness or an unwillingness to think.

"I was shocked when the children told me that honey comes from a bottle," said a Foundation teacher once. But, if I should ask those very children about the shebeens in the area or who fought with whom the weekend, they can give me detailed, animated descriptions."

This remark is characteristic of the kinds of comments that teachers make about children's limited general knowledge. If children don't pick up general world knowledge in their homes or in their neighbourhood, then the school should compensate via creative classroom teaching and school activities.

Teachers should work at bridging this gap if they want their children to learn better and faster. If the children don't know that bees produce honey, they should acquire this knowledge through their reading or during oral discussions in class. What we regard as common knowledge is in fact, acquired knowledge gained over the years because of our privilege and access to information. If we want children to engage our world, we need to help them.

Teachers should aim to broaden the children's view of the world by flooding them with experiences via a variety of written and audio-visual teaching material. Educational excursions to cultural sites, nature reserves, museums and other places have immense value for children who would otherwise never have these rich experiences. And, reading independently for enjoyment takes top priority as a window to the world.

When children read stories or have encounters with various experiences via other media, these experiences become part of their cultural capital. The information will be stored in their long term memory. When they read about similar experiences, they can start making the connections with the knowledge they already have. Instead of having to battle with foreign knowledge, and the language structures, they will then understand the story better, make meaningful deductions and enjoy the reading experience.

The role of the School head and the SMT to inculcate reading proficiency

What then, is the role of the school principal and the SMT to ensure that all the children at their school are improving their world knowledge? There are three points I wish to make.

Firstly, the school head and the SMT should understand how reading comprehension is dependent on the scope of children's world knowledge. The leadership team should actively encourage, monitor and build in accountability systems to measure how the school is building their children's broad knowledge base. The education district officials, particularly the subject advisers, can be asked to assist with reading comprehension coaching skills.

Secondly, the school head and the SMT should monitor the reading habits of all the children at the school. Individual children's reading should be assessed regularly, perhaps once per term. The children should read texts at their grade level to the school head and to the SMT members. This will provide the Head and the SMT with first hand information about the reality of the reading levels at their school.

Thirdly, the school head and the SMT should visit classes to see how the teaching of reading and the advocacy of reading are taking place. It should be the norm to have a well-stocked library in every classroom.

The school principal should take the lead to turn his or her school into a reading school. Parallel to this, the principal should understand what is involved in developing comprehension skills and how children can be taught to comprehend more effectively.

If the school head and the teachers do not understand that reading comprehension is a complex process, where thinking skills must be taught, the majority of their children will merely become masters at decoding texts.

The goal is to develop proficient readers; children who can critically engage texts or stories. Addressing the cultural capital gap that exists is pivotal in helping to lift the children's literacy.

What advice do you have to help schools encourage reading proficiency rather than helping children read mechanically?

Sun Valley Primary School says no to conventional homework AND yes to a personalized homework policy.

2015-12-14T12:32:00.001-08:00

Sun Valley Primary School SMT members and educators with Michael Hager, Subject Adviser

When you speak to Sun Valley Primary School teachers about their shift away from conventional homework, they are unstoppable.

Here is a transcript of our conversation.

Why has the school decided to stop giving homework assignments as we know it?

We felt that giving general homework was not helping to improve learners' performance. We wanted the homework that they received to be more focused and personalized. Not the 'one size fits all' activity that stressed both the parents and the children.

Children also have a full programme besides their classroom teaching. They are involved in sports and extra-mural activities. When they finally get home, they are tired of the long day. Most parents work and there are also parents who aren't able to help their children with the homework so stress levels rise. Parents need to spend quality time with their children. They need to bond with the children and have a family life.

What replaced the homework, if any?

We have replaced traditional homework with a more focused approach. Children are given homework exercises that are personalized. We call these personal performance tasks. When necessary, a child will be given homework that targets aspects of learning that he or she needs to consolidate.

Our children are also expected to read and prepare for their assessment tasks. Daily independent reading at home is compulsory. We have found that children are doing far more reading for fun and there have been noticeable improvements in their performance. Their vocabulary has improved, their knowledge has grown and they are just far more confident. We can also see the improvement in their writing.

How are parents responding to the new homework policy?

At the beginning the parents were skeptical but this didn't last long. Parents soon realized that they themselves were relieved of the burden of supervising their children doing homework for hours and they could now spend more time with their children. Now there is time to have normal conversations and they can encourage their kids to read more. Our parents are raving about this transformation on our Facebook page.

How were the teachers prepared for this radical shift that affected how they manage their classroom teaching time as well?

Naturally, there were teachers who were apprehensive, but they embraced the new homework policy. Any changes or strategies are mediated with the staff so that everybody understands the changes that are taking place.

We had workshops prior to introducing the new homework policy and had staff workshops during the change to share experiences. We also meet as grades on a regular basis. Here teachers can share their experiences and enjoy the support of peers and the Grade Head. The revised homework policy is one of the strategies to implement the curriculum effectively; it is part of our systems approach to classroom teaching. Every minute counts in the classroom.

Teachers understand that we have to maximize our teaching time so that we teach all the knowledge and skills to the children as required. Research is done during class time so that children are not compelled to spend hours researching information after hours. Should they need to engage in some research after school, it is limited and focused.

How is the staff responding to the media hype around your "No Homework" strategy?

We are thrilled with the interest the media and people have expressed. We didn't realise that the change to our homework policy would become a public talking point. What people need to realise is that our new homework strategy is part of a whole school curriculum delivery drive.

Gavin Keller, the school head of Sun Valley Primary School had this to say about the focus on the school's homework policy:

If schools don't understand that there are 200 school days for teaching and learning; and if teachers don't understand and ensure that all the knowledge, skills and competencies must be taught during classroom time, then any new strategy is fruitless. This mindset is part of what underpins our new homework policy.

It is about accountability and ensuring that the classroom is the main space where the curriculum must be taught. This is what we are all about.

Schools will definitely like to hear more about your school and your approach to teaching.

We are only too happy to share our experiences.

Well, there you have it. Why not contact Sun Valley Primary School's principal, Gavin Keller, to give your staff a talk? Or, why not ask if you and your staff can visit their school for a firsthand experience?

Go for it...

Vote for my blogs in the SA Blog Awards competition if you find them useful and entertaining.

2015-12-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Both my blogs have been entered into the SA Blog Awards 2015. If you like the content of the blogs, then please vote for my blogs.

Perhaps a brief profile of each blog will help refresh your memory of the focus of my blogs.

In my lifestyle blog, www.3 dreflectionsoflife.com, I generally write about all my experiences and encounters from breakaways, friendships, family life, to personal nuggets of my own life. Sometimes I ramble on about little things and at other times I am just giving you peek into the real me.

In my educational blog, www.schoolcorridor.com, I focus on school matters. I try to share stories of schools, give advice on management and leadership, human resource management and other school matters. I hope that The School Corridor Tatler will become a useful resource for school managers and their SMT teams. I wish I had more time to write posts but perhaps in the future, I will be able to generate far more posts than I do now.

If you want to participate in the voting process of the SA Blog Awards and vote for one (or both), you will see a SA Blog Awards Badge on each of the blogs. It really looks cool!

When you click on the VOTE badge, you will be directed to the SA Blog Awards website. To complete your vote, you should then enter your e-mail address . You will receive a confirmation e-mail that you have to respond to in order to confirm your vote. That's it!

One minor irritation: you will not be able to see the VOTE badge if you access the mobile version of the blogs on your smartphone. You will have to scroll to the bottom of the screen and then click on the 'website' version. You only have to do this in order to vote or subscribe to my blogs.

The voting period ends 08 January 2016. Do share the blogs with family and friends. Who knows, they may find some inspiration and add another vote.

Thanks for always reading the blogs. I appreciate your time and interest. Because of my readers, I remain inspired to continue sharing stories that will impact and help all of us grow in the process.

Happy voting!

School Prize giving ceremonies are always heartwarming.

2015-12-13T09:34:00.001-08:00

I was privileged to attend the prize giving ceremonies at Delta Primary School and Floreat Primary School during the second last week of this school year.

Delta Primary School's Prize giving ceremony

Delta Primary School's newly-launched choir sang at the Prizegiving ceremony.

This was the inaugural prize giving ceremony at Delta, one of the innovations that their new principal, Hilton Palanyandi, introduced. Another first for the school is their school choir. As a fledgling choir, the number of members is impressive.

"When the choir started, there were only thirteen learners. Now the choir mistress has difficulty keeping the choir a decent size because of the growing interest," said Hilton Palanyandi.

The school's cadet drill squad also showed off their drilling skills at the ceremony. The master of ceremonies thanked the group and then proceeded with the programme. He looked surprised that the drill squad was not moving off the stage. Eventually one of the drill captains whispered to him," we need to march off, Sir." So much for discipline!

Floreat Primary School Prize giving ceremony

Noel Isaacs, Principal of Floreat Primary school is flanked by three alumni of the school

The interesting feature at Floreat Primary School's Prize giving ceremony was that three past students were the guest speakers. The youngest Floreat Primary alumnus, Jason, had just completed his undergraduate degree at the University of the Free State. He was one of the learners whom Professor Jonathan Jansen had offered a study bursary to.

Long serving staff members - teaching and non-teaching staff - were also affirmed at the ceremony.

It is good to know that schools regard prize giving ceremonies as an institution. It is one school event where parents and their children can enjoy the fruits of their labour during the year.

When children from poor schools dramatize their lived experiences, they are not only entertaining us.

2015-12-13T07:38:00.000-08:00

The HIV/Aids Day and 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Arts programme at Levana Primary School.

The format of Levana Primary School's HIV/Aids Day celebrations was typical of school-themed festivals. There were drama skits, poetry reading, singing and dancing by the children. Because we also celebrate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, the school made this campaign part of their festival.

The impact of Levana's show was the delivery of the social message that was driven home by these young, unschooled actors. When these children dramatize their lived experiences, they blur the lines between fact and fiction. They are inadvertently sharing something far deeper with us.

Principal, Andre Lamprecht and teachers at the programme.

There is no doubt that the children absorb the traumas of their neighbourhood. The children effortlessly slipped into their roles as violent, domestic abusers, gangsters and aimless, drug-dependent dropouts who recruit and seduce boys and girls. They spat out their angry words almost from memory. I was gobsmacked.

Thankfully, the children directed the same intensity when they repeatedly sold their story of hope and healing through acting. They sounded as convincing when they sketched pictures of fulfilled dreams and success for those who fought back and stayed focused.

The entertainment factor of the performances was high and the message of the building strong, healthy communities was underscored. Yet, it is the deeper narrative of the psychological scarring in violent neighborhoods that we should heed. That was the unintended, powerful message that the children conveyed through their acting. These children sit in our classrooms. If we do not help them deal with these deep traumas sensitively and creatively, we are doing them an injustice.

Reviewing the Reading 40 Books per Learner Campaign in the Lavender Hill-Steenberg Schools .

2015-11-22T09:09:00.001-08:00

For the past three years, we have been actively promoting independent reading at our schools. In 2013, Colleen Diedericks, then the Foundation Phase Subject Adviser, and I implemented a Literacy Improvement Strategy in our circuit. The Literacy Strategy was designed to meet three objectives.

THREE OBJECTIVES OF THE LITERACY STRATEGY

Firstly, we wanted schools to explore and interact with research that sought to explain how schools themselves entrench low literacy levels because of organizational and classroom teaching problems.

Secondly, we aimed to help schools expand their peer networks so that they could have access to more resources and support.

Thirdly, we believed that a corporate book reading campaign would help to galvanize school's literacy improvement programmes and energise them to lift the reading levels at their school. That is how the Reading 40 Books Per Learner Campaign came into being.

Let me give you an overview of the build up to launching the Reading 40 Books Per Learner Campaign.

Year 1: Engaging the NEEDU Report, 2012: A Summary

During 2013, we engaged the NEEDU Report 2012 with individual school heads and their SMTs. We encouraged schools to be reflective during this process. One of the outcomes was to establish whether schools could identify with the key findings of the researchers about school functionality and classroom reading practice. The second outcome was to help schools see if they could apply appropriate NEEDU recommendations to transform their schools.

During our engagements at the schools, we tried to keep these conversations alive and relevant. As part of our own reading with schools, we also analyzed the ANA Diagnostic report and ran workshops on ANA papers: Error Analysis, at our SMT cluster workshops.

Year 2: Promoting peer networks

In 2014, our emphasis shifted to helping schools build stronger peer networks that they could tap into for ideas on how to build their children's literacy levels.

Colleen organized an interactive reading conference for all the Foundation phase Heads of Department and teachers. Most of the presenters were star teachers whose children scored excellent literacy results in the Systemic Tests of the Western Cape Education Department. These presenters shared their good classroom practices that many other schools implemented later. Other talks covered topics such as Cooperative learning, the Balanced Language Approach and South Africa's literacy performance in a global context.

We introduced the concept of getting all learners to read forty books each year. There are 40 school weeks in a school year therefore we coined the Reading campaign as such. Practical problems of insufficient books in classrooms and the absence of a school library made it difficult for schools to implement the 40 books reading strategy. By the third term, there was evidence that schools were getting more of their children to read books and many had started expanding their classroom libraries. Our advocacy was beginning to pay off.

Year 3: The 40 Books Reading Campaign

This year, we rolled out the 40 Books Reading campaign in earnest. We asked school heads and SMTs to monitor reading at their schools and to equip classrooms and their school library (if it exists) with books. About three weeks ago, at our SMT forum, schools gave feedback on their progress.

Schools reported that their Foundation Phase learners had collectively read between 12,000 and 20,000 books. Two primary schools reached the target of 40 books for all their learners across all grades. Generally, there was less reading at intermediate level and at the high schools, independent reading was non-existent.

We celebrated the success of the primary schools with great fanfare. The schools themselves were proud of their achievements. They had taken a leap in promoting independent reading at their schools in about a year. Teachers spontaneously started sharing their monitoring systems and the incentives they introduced to keep learners energized. I was thrilled to hear the good news.

A reality check

Of course, not all the primary schools embraced the 40 Books Per Learner Reading Campaign as enthusiastically as others. Colleagues expressed their reservations about monitoring an activity like independent reading. Others argued that higher reading volumes and increased frequency of reading have not translated in better comprehension skills at their schools. There was also a strong argument about the unfairness of expecting poor children from the "Flats" to read 40 books.

These are all valid, but flawed arguments that I will respond to in a follow up post. In short, reading proficiency and language development are complex, cognitive activities that cannot be solved by promoting independent reading only. However, independent reading is core to improving learners' literacy levels and therefore it should be advocated aggressively.

Having said that about the limitations of isolated reading campaigns, I can only express my admiration for colleagues who are willing to experiment with a focused, targeted activity like monitoring and measuring the number of books that all learners are reading at school. This is a powerful step, a good step to build on as schools battle to raise the literacy proficiencies of their children.

Well done to all the schools. I am SUPER proud of you!

What do you think of running specific reading campaigns at your school? Do share your own experiences so that we can grow as powerful as you.

Lavender Hill needs hashtag #Save Lavender Hill Community because of ongoing violence.

2015-11-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

Lavender Hill is a community that is under siege, but Lavender Hill will never be a trending favourite with mainstream media.

Yesterday, children as young as eight years old, who were on their way to school, saw once again, how one gangster was killed by another rival gang member. The shooting took place at about 8 0'clock on an open field opposite Hillwood Primary School.

School children use the very same open field as a thoroughfare to their schools. You will see children in their various school uniforms from Zerilda Park Primary, Hillwood Primary, Levana Primary, Prince George Primary and Lavender Hill High School, walking to their only real hope to help them escape the poverty and other evils of their neighbourhood.

When the shooting happened, the children were there on the field, caught in this crossfire.

Young children watched the shot man stagger across the field and then saw him jerk before finally dying. These same children are writing their final examinations.

Delegates at the Safe Schools meeting from Left: Lorna Engledoe, Principal of Zerilda Park, Fadia Abbas, Deputy Principal at Levana, Glen van Harte, District Director of Metro South, Farieda Abrahams, Deputy Principal at Levana, Ivor Nober, Caretaker Principal at Hillwood and Colonel Alexander of SAPS-Steenberg.

The Lavender Hill Safe Schools Cluster called an emergency meeting. The meeting was attended by SAPS, the education department, the Department of Sports and Culture, teacher union representatives, the schools in the Lavender Hill/Capricorn area and the CPF chairperson.

Many teachers shared their experiences of the escalating violence that has been plaguing the Lavender Hill belt for the past month.

"Our school was like a war zone yesterday," said the deputy principal of Hillwood. " Our children and children from the neighbouring schools came running into the school. Parents and other members of the community sought shelter here. It was scary."

Another teacher said, "We are emotionally and physically scarred by the ongoing violence that is taking place in the community. Our children witness violence on a daily basis. Our trauma is indescribable. We can't share our stories and fears with our own families because of the horrors and the effects the stories will have on them. Our lives are in danger and we live in constant fear. Who is going to be next?"

"What saddens us is that nobody is listening to us and helping to make our environment safe. Often it is our young dropout children who are the ones pointing the gun, hurting or robbing the next person. Many of those learners could not be placed in the only School of Skills in our area and now they roam the streets. We have failed those children," said another.

The Lavender Hill community needs urgent intervention before this community becomes a no-go zone. There are thousands of innocent folk who depend on all the parties - the schools and their parents, the education department, Social services, Department of Sports and Culture, SAPS, the CPF, the NGOs, religious organizations - EVERYBODY- that need to mobilize and help the Lavender Hill community take back their area from the gangsters.

Lavender Hill needs hashtag #Save Lavender Hill Community now.

Cape Town Opera and St Mary's R.C Primary school brought The Magic Flute opera to the Cape Flats.

2015-11-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday evening, Cape Town Opera in collaboration with St. Mary's R.C. Primary School staged Mozart's "The Magic Flute". The performance was exquisite. The school children held their own against the professional opera singers as The story of The Magic Flute unfolded on the stage.

The colourful stage

The children made the opera a magical, accessible story to the audience of doting parents, grandparents, siblings and friends. As Prince Tamino wins the battle to save his sweetheart, Pamina, from her evil mother, the Queen of the Night, the children danced, sang and acted like professional actors. They slipped effortlessly into their various roles as they transformed into birds, crocodiles, snakes, fire or the ocean.

The energetic opera created the ideal platform to showcase the talents of these young school children. The appreciative audience applauded the singing and acting throughout, creating a fun, enjoyable experience for those on and off the stage.

Cape Town Opera singers in action.

As a prelude to the opera, The Magic Flute, the young violinists and flutists entertained the audience with a beautiful piece of music. These students form part of the school choir that participated in the opera. Jill Eichler, a volunteer at the school, started offering violin and flute lessons to the learners a few years ago.

At the end of the show, each of the learners received a copy of book, The Magic Flute, that has been produced by Cape Town Opera.

These are the kinds of cultural experiences that our working class communities need to be exposed to. St. Mary's R.C, together with Cape Town Opera, is helping to debunk the notion that violins and opera belong to an elite class only.

Teresa Muller, the headmistress of St. Mary's R.C. Primary School and Jill Eichler, the volunteer who has initiated a group of violinists and flutists at the school.

Well done, Teresa Muller and St. Mary's R.C. Primary School. The Magic Flute Opera has opened the floodgates for many more collaborations with Cape Town Opera and more operas on the Cape Flats!

Spare a thought for many of the Class of 2015 as they fight back.

2015-10-27T09:31:00.001-07:00

Grade 12's at Ocean View High School

Yesterday the Grade 12's started their NSC 2015 examination in full swing. I monitored the English examination at Ocean View High School where 140 students were ready to write their first paper of the Grade 12 final examination. The untold stories of these resilient youth at Ocean View High school and all other schools across the country, can fill volumes.

Fourteen of these Grade 12's at Ocean View High School were relocated to homes in Ocean View over the weekend. These learners live in Masiphumelele, an informal settlement that has been raging with unrests for the past few weeks. On Sunday, the principal and teachers of Ocean View High offered to accommodate their learners from Masi. These vulnerable learners need a place of safety and a space where they can study.

The school heads of Bridgetown High School and St. Andrews High School.

Masiphumelele High School is seriously under threat because of the violence and instability in the area. The Grade 12 learners too, had to be accommodated at another venue, far from their homes, to enable them to write the NSC examinations.

I spoke to the principals of Bridgetown High School and St. Andrews' High School at a dinner meeting hosted by the Confucious Institute at UCT. These principals tell the same story. They have to find safe homes for a few of their learners who have no place to stay or to study. They too, tell me how they involve their own family members to assist with accommodation.

Last week a Lavender Hill High school Grade 12 student sat for her CAT examination even though she had just lost her father and brother. The father and brother were murdered in Capricorn, another informal settlement that also experienced a wave of killings, unrest and violence during the latest taxi wars.

This is the reality.

Showcase of the disciplinary drill skills of the cadets at Steenberg-Lavender Hill Schools

2015-10-22T14:20:00.003-07:00

The Drilling Squad competition of the Steenberg-Lavender Hill schools was held today on the sports field adjacent to Floreat Primary School. SAPS, who run these drilling teams as their outreach programme to schools, organized this historic Steenberg-Lavender Hill Drilling competition.

The trophies for the various categories

The schools that participated were: Steenberg High School, Lavender Hill High School, Sibelius High School, Hillwood Primary School, Levana Primary School, Sullivan Primary School, Lourier Primary School and Delta Primary School.

SAPS members and two of our school heads, Hilton Palanyandi (Delta) and Noel Isaacs (Floreat)

All the cadets were well disciplined. It was fascinating to watch the young drill squad captains taking their squads through their paces. The camaraderie was amazing.

Delta Drill Squad was the overall winner.

Most of the schools won various awards for best drilling, best dressed, exhibition and march categories. Delta Primary was judged the overall winner after taking first and second prizes in most of the categories.

Well done to all the schools for the spectacular display of disciplined drilling. Thanks to SAPS -Steenberg, for actively building stronger networks with the schools and for providing an important outlet for learners to learn skills and to build their self-esteem.

Levana Drill Squad.

Sibelius High School Drill Squad

Steenberg High School Drill Squad.

Heads of the school who came out in support of their Drill Squad teams.

Lavender Hill High School Tourism teacher wins the GTTP - SA / Travelport Tourism Teacher of the Year award.

2015-10-07T00:24:00.003-07:00

Annelize Robson, the Deputy Principal and Tourism teacher at Lavender Hill High School, has won the prestigious national Tourism Teacher of the Year Award. The Tourism Teacher of the Year Award was developed by Global Travel and Tourism Partnership - South Africa (GTTP-SA). The Award Ceremony was held at the National Careers Expo Gala Event in Bloemfontein on 02 October, 2015.

This award gives national recognition to Tourism teachers who make a difference in the lives of the learners, the school and the community where he or she teaches. The Tourism and Travel Subject adviser, Ms Sharmini Naidoo and the principal of the school, Faseeg Manie, must be on top of the world for having their nominee for the Tourism Teacher of the Year Award confirmed to be the best on a national platform.

Profile of Annelize Robson

Annelize Robson has been teaching at Lavender Hill High School for decades. As the Tourism teacher, she has received excellent results for her subject, Tourism, at the school. Her Grade 12 learner cohort often achieved 100% pass rate in the NSC examinations and many of them achieved a bachelors pass in the subject.

Annelize Robson's students have only high praise for her. One of her past students was working for an Italian businessman. This student shared the story of his passionate, caring teacher with this businessman. Then in 2007, the Italian businessman visited Lavender Hill High School unannounced, wanting to meet Annelize who had made such a profound impact on the young man. The businessman offered to sponsor ten of her learners to go to Italy where they could go for further training in tourism on the spot. Today those learners are working in the travel and tourism industry, where they are successful entrepreneurs.

Acceptance Speech

After Annelize had received the award as the Tourism Teacher of the Year, she made an acceptance speech that captures her passion for teaching.

"From an early age my parents made me understand that I need to always take care of the less fortunate, less privileged and the poor. So when the opportunity arose to join Lavender Hill High School as an educator, I grabbed it with both hands.

Lavender Hill High School is situated on the outskirts of the leafy suburbs of Cape Town. It is gang-infested, drug-ridden, with high unemployment and teenage pregnancy rates. My school would not be the school of choice for many people of Cape Town.

These learners are given little hope to succeed in the face of the almost insurmountable odds they have to face on a daily basis. Teaching in this area was a deliberate choice for me because I am blessed to have found my great passion in life. It is because of my passion, energy, enthusiasm, drive and commitment, that I have always seen these challenges not as burdensome, but as an opportunity to be the change my parents taught me to be.

This award will certainly serve as a vehicle to give a voice to the voiceless, through growing the subject, Tourism, not only at my school, but indeed throughout Cape Town, the Western Cape and my country."

Well done, Annelize. May you continue to inspire your learners, the school and the community. You are indeed a worthy ambassador for all your colleagues in South Africa.

World Teachers' Day deserves more than a mention on social media and the news.

2015-10-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

World Teachers' Day, especially in our country, deserves more than a mention on social media and as a news brief on radio and television. We should trumpet the invaluable role our teachers play.

When the children of the poor masses make their way to their schools, they find teachers who are ready to cultivate their vision of hope. When these same children, who are enveloped in the hideous traumas of poverty and crime, our humble nation-builders are there to build their broken spirits.

Teachers are ordinary folk with their own vulnerabilities and fears, yet they have committed to their calling to transform young people into responsible, caring, well-adjusted adults of tomorrow. They are the majestic eagles of our classrooms.

The theme of this year's World Teachers' Day, is appropriately on teacher empowerment and building sustainable communities. Although we have a long way to go to ensure that we build our teachers' capacity and to restore the dignity of their profession, we can start making a difference right there where we are are - at our workplaces and in our communities.

We need to make teachers feel valued and appreciated in their work places. We can do this by making small changes in the way we value their voices, the pride we reflect in their restrooms and the culture we establish in our staff rooms.

Then, we need to affirm our teachers when we communicate with our parents and our broader community. We need to celebrate their achievements with the rest of the school community in order to build their morale and their status in the very community they serve.

All of us are beneficiaries of a teacher's love and wisdom. I also witness firsthand the tireless outpouring of love, care and support that thousands of our poor children receive from our unsung heroes. For this double dosage of blessings, I can only say to all teachers:

"Did you ever know you're our hero?
You everything we wish to be
We could fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath our wings." (adapted from songwriter, Larry Henley's ballad)

Thank you for investing in our children and in our communities. We salute you.

It is never too late for dysfunctional school leadership teams to change.

2015-10-03T11:32:00.001-07:00

I wrote in a previous post that a school head with a dysfunctional senior management team, makes it difficult for a school to succeed. What then, do we mean when we say school leadership is dysfunctional and how can the school leadership fix their poor performance?

Let's unpack Dysfunctionality.

I like the definition of the word, dysfunctional, as described on the Urban dictionary website: to be very bad at something. This definition eliminates the temptation to be pretentious about what is going wrong at the school. Being "bad" at something means you lack the ability and the skill to do what you are supposed to do.

The complexities of dysfunctionality at schools

It is often difficult for outsiders to know to what extent SMTs are dysfunctional. The outward signs at school may mask the degree to which SMT members are not helping to manage and lead the school effectively. These school leaders may themselves compromise teaching, monitoring of the curriculum, their management portfolios and critically, the leadership body at the the school. Evidence of such poor performance and incompetencies will only be whispered in the school corridors.

Schools will often tolerate their meltdown and hobble along, UNTIL the learners' performance come under scrutiny by the education department and other stakeholders. Then the school blame game starts and everything under the sun will be flogged - except the drivers in the classroom, the school head and the school management team (SMT).

But, how do we get the school head and the SMT to start that important conversation about changing the way the school is being managed and led?

The reality is the principal and the SMT should acknowledge that they are dealing with systemic problems. Before they look at the external factors, they should start reflecting on their own leadership.

Starting the tough process of fixing your dysfunctional team.

The school head and the SMT should examine their own leadership behaviours and their commitment to upholding the strategic vision and the values of the school and its community. They should start with themselves and face the brutal facts about their inconsistencies, their lack of team effort and the absence of accountability.

According to research, the only way to change people is to tell them what they are doing wrong. The school head and the SMT must brace themselves because such talks will be intense and emotional. This is what is called courageous conversations. Name the problem directly and then together, look for solutions without dwelling on the past.

The ideal would be that the school principal should take charge of steering this leadership crisis turnaround process. If the school head shirks this responsibility, it is incumbent on the deputy principal or the other SMT members to initiate this discussion. The SMT cannot bury their heads in the sand. They must stand up and be counted as individuals who want to change how they operate and make a difference to the team as well.

Each SMT member should commit to becoming a better leader by doing the basics: set the example, be accountable and hold those he or she is responsible for to the same non-negotiable standards. Then, simultaneously, work at building the leadership team. Now is the time to start building an exceptional leadership team built to last.