When The Mouse Gets Stuck On Maslow Level 2

Day 6 of Lockdown in South Africa.

Today was a big day. Shopping for groceries day! Getting dressed in some clothes not representing pajamas day!  Putting shoes on day! Eyeliner-Mascara-Lipstick-Earrings- Perfume- Contact lenses day!

Grabbing the handbag, starting the car, driving OUTSIDE day! YAY!!

Right?

It all started off so well. A live music concert in the car. I’ve heard that singers are generally happier than non singers, so sing I did. Full volume , all the way to town. Just me, Karen Zoid and the open road. Fabulous!

So far so good.

Things went downhill quickly from there.

Town was filled with people NOT social distancing, NOT wearing masks, NOT following restrictions. No police presence. Africa, my Africa, what the *profanity* are you thinking???

I had three places to go : Grocery shop, pharmacy and butchery.

A mini fight broke out in the pharmacy when someone complained that someone else had jumped the queue. The assistant tried to explain where everyone should be standing. She eventually gave up. So did the manager of the butchery. There was much pointing to the green masking taped lines on the floor and equal ignoring of the system.

I got out of there because I could feel my teacher mode kicking in. “You! Stand still! YOU! You stand here! Stop touching things! Now don’t move until you are called. Which of these words I’ve said do you not understand?!”

Back in the car,  I looked at the 375ml Coke I had bought.  Sanitized the bottle with antiseptic wipes.  Sanitized my hands. Sanitized my handbag,  my phone, the steering wheel.  Looked at the wipe and wondered what to do with it. Keep it festering in the glove compartment? Throw it out the window? Find a bin in the street and dispose of it there? But then I’d have to sanitize my hands again , now wouldn’t I? Because I had touched the lid of the bin, hadn’t I?

(*profanity*)CRAZY ( *profanity*) STUFF.

Back home I took off my shoes at the back door, put my clothes in the bath in hot water and took a hot shower.

And promptly felt the need to take another bite out of the bathroom door.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs proposed that human needs can be organized into a hierarchy. This hierarchy ranges from more concrete needs such as food and water to abstract concepts such as self-fulfillment. According to Maslow, when a lower need is met, the next need on the hierarchy becomes our focus of attention. ( https://www.thoughtco.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4582571)

And THAT is why it is so very hard to be where we are .

Yes, lucky as I am to have enough food to eat and a ( relatively) safe place to live and sleep in, my soul is trapped on Maslow’s second level of human needs.

With lockdown, human relationships are now limited to artificial communication. Happening through screens, mostly.  Having social connections is related to better physical health and, conversely, feeling isolated (i.e. having unmet belonging needs) has negative consequences for health and well-being.

A huge part of what makes me ME has been removed from my life. Being a teacher, being a mentor, having a meaningful PURPOSE to each day. Contributing VALUE to society. It is all gone. For an uncertain amount of time.

And the challenge now is to find other ways of being .

Other ways of creating meaning.

Not easy negotiating the “new Normal”.

“Remember All Of The Beauty”

Yes, Anne Frank.

“Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that’s turning running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind”    –

The Windmills Of Your Mind  by Noel Harrison

So Now Let Us Proceed To Take A Bite Out Of The Bathroom Door

It is Day 4 of the 21 Day Lockdown in South Africa. Over here,  on the small piece of the earth we call our farm, we are trying our hardest to keep sane. Farmer man is fine, after all, he stays home most days to farm. Without shops , without seeing a lot of other humans for long periods of time, without online shops delivering a wee box every now and then to his place of work to make him feel rewarded. The “carrot in front of the donkey’s nose” I’m personally so very fond of to take me from a Monday to a Friday.

Me, on the other hand, I am not as fine. Solitude does NOT sit well with this brain. Sitting still makes me overthink things. I eat too much, sleep too much, swear too much. ( No, not in front of the kids. In the bathroom.)

So please excuse some overly dramatic imagery used in this post. I’ll probably read it in a few months’ time and wonder what the hell I was thinking, putting such a lot of  irrationality into words.

We are facing an invisible enemy. Little droplets of fatal corona virus floating wherever whenever from whoever to maybe…YOU? Such a pretty, flowery looking thing isn’t it? So unexpected, so absolutely out of the blue, such a slap on the human wrist . You made a mess of the world, now stay in your room and think about it!

It’s on the news, it’s on Facebook, it’s on YouTube, it’s on Twitter…IT. IS EVERYWHERE. ALL THE TIME.

Corona. CORONA. Coroooooooooooooooooooooooonaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Corona Coronaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOO!!! 

I’m scared. I’m scared for my school kids not hearing or complying with the restrictions. I’m scared for people living in townships, so close to one another, so absolutely cut off from what is expected during this time of lockdown.

The average South African township looks like this :

Social distancing? Staying inside? Drinking enough water? Sanitizing?

I just don’t see it happening.

And then there is the talk of “distance learning”.

How are my learners going to be taught without access to a desktop, laptop, money for data?

Data in our country is pathetically expensive. My network provider is charging me R199  ( around $18 ) for 5G a week. There is no way my pupils could afford staying online for hours at a time.

At the moment our world is a wobbly place to be. And it’s the uncertainty that’s getting to me.

How long until our country recovers?

How many lives will be lost?

Will we recover ?

Will we write off the 2020 academic year and have our children repeating their grade or their year at tertiary institutions?

This will become a mind issue as well as a health issue.

Anne Frank spent 2 YEARS hiding in one room during the German occupation of the Netherlands. Her advice was : THINK OF ALL THE BEAUTY

Brigadier General Frank, Belgium’s second person in space,  spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2009.

His advice for being isolated or in a small space with others for long periods of time :

• Create a daily routine
• “You have to adapt your behaviour to try to make sure you’re annoying others as little as possible. Some small habits we have that we find normal can be enormously irritating for others.”
• Stay connected to loved ones not with you.

And here is my advice from me to me :

Stop running away from the silence.

Slow down.

Learn to just BE. 

Give up control

( she says as she screams into a cushion)

The story of A

I first noticed her last year.

She was in my Gr 8 Afrikaans First Additional Language class. She sat quite close to me, always at the same desk, frozen. This child rarely took her eyes off me and she sat very , very still. And as I’ve said before, a still Xhosa child is a rare thing. By now you know that any of my classes can very quickly represent the kitchen after you forgot to put the lid on the food processor… there are bits and pieces of noisy  and moving child all over the place…

( time for THE RULES to be applied )

Back to A . She never asked a question, never looked around, never smiled.

In September of 2019 South Africa experienced a particularly horrific month of violence against women :

• School pupil Janika Mallo, 14, was raped and died after her head was apparently hit with a concrete block

• Student Uyinene Mrwetyana, 19, was allegedly lured into a post office’s mail room and raped and bludgeoned to death; a post office employee was charged with murder

• Student Jesse Hess, 19, and her grandfather Chris Lategan, 85, were found dead in their home

• Boxer Leighandre “Baby Lee” Jengels, 25, was shot dead in a car by her ex-boyfriend, a police officer

• Showjumper Meghan Cremer, 30, was found dead in a shallow grave, reportedly with a rope around her neck

• Body parts of sales coach Lynette Volschenk, 32, were found in refuse bags in an apartment block

Our school decided to have an assembly to honor the women of our country, to raise awareness of the violence against them and some of the girls spoke about their experiences. They spoke about abuse, rape and victimization.

There were many tears.

A was sitting right in front of me and at some point she started crying.

I spoke to her afterwards and tried to find out what her reaction was about. I always tread carefully with pupils when dealing with personal problems. Kids will remain kids and sometimes they fabricate stories of rape and abuse in essays. They are very aware of these crimes being committed  in South Africa . Of course, every case needs to be investigated and taken seriously. But there has been the odd case where we HAVE investigated and the evidence has been little or none. Also, as a teacher, your involvement can only go so far. Cases are usually referred to the social worker in town and then taken from there. It remains very tricky ground.

When speaking to A, she told me about her father’s alcoholism and how he treated them when under the influence. They were hit, kicked and sworn at. The usual alcoholic behavior. Resulting in this highly intelligent child living in frozen fear. ( She still is a top academic achiever)

I assured her of my support, feeling furious and helpless.

A has started smiling this year. She wrote in her transactional text letter task : “I love school. It is a safe place to be.”

A has left her “safe place” for at least three weeks as schools have closed due to the Corona Virus.

She remains in my thoughts and prayers.

And please, wherever you are, remember her in yours too.

 

What really went down at Charles and Diana’s wedding

At the moment I feel like this :

 

 

…and also a bit like this :

 

 

...and I’ve been told that I look like this :

 

 

 

Clearly it’s the end of term.

End of term means frantic test and assignment marking so that reports can be issued before the school holidays.

And this “clever” teacher gave the Gr 9 ‘s an English Comprehension Test with as the text an extract from “The Diary Of Adrian Mole”. Adrian describes the wedding of Charles and Diana with his usual honest and somewhat naive view on the ways of the world. I thought it was hilarious . And easy to understand. My Gr 9’s didn’t.

First of all we are in Africa. My Xhosa babies couldn’t care less about the Royals. They don’t know who they are, where they live or what the big deal is with them.

I made up a quick quiz today just to confirm that royalty might as well live on the moon  as far as they are concerned.

Who was Diana? Nope, don’t know.

Who is Prince Charles ? One or two knew that he lives in England.

Who is the Queen Of England? Blank stares.

Who is Harry ? And Megan Markle ? What did they decide to do?   Mmm…have babies, Mam?

 

The problem with my kids is that they are not exposed to magazines, newspapers and news reports.

Magazines are too expensive.

Newspapers are not bought or read.

They are only allowed to watch TV in the hostel over weekends. And I can guarantee that the news channel is not one of their favorites. Their world is small because of this. Their knowledge of World Events even smaller.

It is a never ending mission to bring them some understanding of what the world is really like. I see this often when they have to write about their future career choices.

Bongani gets 25% for maths and 14% for Natural sciences. He is going to study medicine.

Tafika gets 35% fro English, he fails maths and most other subjects. He is going to study Law.

Pumezo fails and has been doing so for the past 4 years. He “doesn’t need school” because he is going to have his own business one day. With his own office. What will his job be ? I’ll be in the office, Mam.

Okay, maybe I have over simplified these cases. But this is what is going on in many of my student’s minds. Our government is not innocent in the creation of these illusions. Jobs, houses, cars, everything gets promised before election day. Afterwards, once the party has received the votes, reality sets in and promises take years or forever to fulfill. But let me not expand in case I get banned from the internet.

Back to our Comprehension Test.

Question :

Why does Adrian say that Diana helped an old man down the aisle? What was really happening?

Answer : 

Diana was feeling kind. Even though it was her wedding day she decided to help this poor old man who couldn’t walk very fast and she showed him his seat.

Question :

Why does Adrian say Diana’s dress was dirty?

Answer :

Maybe she didn’t have time to wash it.

 

Question :

Why was Diana walking down the aisle?

Answer :

She was going to the stage where it was all going to happen.

 

Question :

Why was Adrian worried that Charles might have forgotten to take the price tag from underneath his shoes ?

Answer :

Because if people saw how much his shoes cost they would think he was waving his money in their faces.

Question :

The text refers to a Kiwi singer at the wedding who sang with a very loud voice. What type of singer do you think she was ?

Answer :

A good one.

 

Question:

Where do you think she came from?

Answer :

She is compared to a fruit, so probably Hawaii.

 

And there you have it. The real wedding of Charles and Diana.

 

Aaaaaand…ACTION!

Look closely at today’s featured image. Imagine yourself on that stage, under those lights. Imagine all those seats filled with students. There’s anticipation in the air because they are finally quiet. Ready for the show to begin. All eyes on you. On your every move. On your outfit, your shoes, your hairstyle. Is your heart beating a little faster?

Mine certainly is!

I am a socio-phobic extrovert. I was born a complete extrovert, easily talking to whoever, whenever. I sailed happily through primary school, a confident child.

In High School my little world came crashing down. I had gained some weight and by Gr 11 I was bullied daily about my appearance, my glasses, my nose, my “nerdy” long school uniform. I was the academic and music award type, not the party type. No boy ever looked in my direction. The bullying became so bad that I spent a week sitting in the school toilets in my Gr 12 year. I refused to go to school and eventually completed Gr 12 through a correspondence course. Social phobia, extreme anxiety and depression hit me full in the face. To cut the sob story short, I spent most of my twenties and thirties avoiding people and social situations.

Which brought me to my choice to spend the first 10 years of married life on a farm, having very little contact with the outside world.

But Extrovert me started rearing her head more and more …she was alive and well, it turned out!

Extrovert me was in agony. No people, no daily goals, no money of my own, no control over my own life! Enough was enough!

Enter…Mrs O, English teacher.

Teaching brought the personality I was born with out in full force. There are times when I almost have an out-of-body experience, looking at myself from a distance and thinking “Who is this person talking to 40 teenagers ??? ”

Ten years ago I would have run for the hills.

I am so grateful that I didn’t.

Yes, I’m tired after 9 weeks of the first term. I have been feeling under the weather for a week now, battling with what feels like flu.

Being “The One On Stage” takes it all out of you. Remember, you are a teacher from the moment you drive through the school gates to the moment you drive out. And being “The Teacher” means you are actress, mother, nurse, councellor, disciplinarian. For those hours on the school grounds you are “ON”.

You can’t show weakness, illness, tiredness. Embarassment, doubt or anxiety. You have your role, and you have to play it. That is your job. Projecting confidence. Showing control. Shoulders back, steady voice, efficient.

Does it take all you’ve got to give?

YES.

Is it worth it?

YES. Absolutely, 100 % worth it. Even for a scaredy cat like me.

SNOW WHITE AND THE 7 HUMAN TYPES

Once upon a time there was a princess called PERSON-SUPPOSED-TO-BE-IN-CHARGE. Who was she supposed to be in charge of, you ask?

Why, she was in charge of the 7 human types, of course. Year after year the princess watched as the 7 human types walked in and out of her room. One day, she had a lightbulb moment.

These humans are organizing themselves at their tables according to a specific formula. Yes! This formula proved to be 98% accurate. All she had to do was watch where her humans placed themselves in proximity to her, the PERSON-SUPPOSED-TO-BE-IN-CHARGE. Their choice could tell her a whole lot about them!

Here then is how the 7 human types organize themselves 98% of the time :

1.EDUCATIONAL GOLD 

This human is your super clever, super well organized, super everything type. He or she knows their stuff. Sometimes, they even know more about stuff than the PERSON-SUPPOSED-TO-BE-IN-CHARGE.  Here we have EDUCATIONAL GOLD. Prize winners. Placing themselves at the very front desk, to the right of the PERSON-SUPPOSED-TO-BE-IN-CHARGE. Ready, willing and eager. Gold. 

2. IN YA FACE! 

In Ya Face! is the irritation of all irritations. This human type wants attention. ALL. THE. TIME. Which is why they sit right in front of any room. Legs stretched out so that the PERSON-SUPPOSED-TO-BE-IN-CHARGE falls over their feet time and again. “Mam, I need toilet paper.” “Mam, I need a pencil.” “Mam, did you get a haircut???” ( no, I chewed it off, thinking of you) “Mam, he is poking me, pinching me, stealing my stuff. ” “Mam, Mam, MAAAAAM! You’re not talking to me today. Why aren’t you talking to me???”

3. SOLID CITIZENS. THE GOOD PEOPLE. 

Ah. Such a good bunch. Friendly, neat, listens to instructions. Offers to carry bags, go to the office, go to call higher authority in case THE DANGER ZONE ( getting to them soon ) need to be removed from the room. What a pleasure to have the solid citizens in any room.

4.MICE TYPE 1

These humans are quiet. They are much like the solid citizens, although they have the ability to blend into the wall when the PERSON-SUPPOSED-TO-BE-IN-CHARGE looks for volunteers of any kind. They don’t talk, they whisper. In a whole year,  MICE TYPE 1’s only ever speak when an ORAL presentation is required. That is, if they are able to stand up and move to the front. Often, they forfeit the marks, being unable to summon up the courage. They disappear,  no matter how many times they are nudged, encouraged or addressed. MICE TYPE 1’s are a concern.

5. MICE TYPE 2 

MICE TYPE 2’s are an even bigger concern. These are the ones easily swayed by the dark side. They place themselves far away from authority so as “not to be seen”. Dark characters can spot them a mile off and they pounce quickly, manipulating MICE TYPE 2 like the easy prey they are. MICE TYPE 2 will never be included in The Danger Zone though. Because, well, they are MICE after all.

6. PRE-CRIMINALS

Pre-Criminals also place themselves as far away from authority as possible. They struggle to focus due to The Danger Zone humans breathing down their necks. They would love to be included as members of The Danger Zone but lack some vital skill in the criminal department. Too slow, too short, too neat, too easily manipulated. Unwilling to drink or smoke or smuggle. At the moment, that is.

7. THE DANGER ZONE

O. KAY. 

APPROACH WITH CAUTION. AREA NOT SUITABLE FOR SMALL CHILDREN, SOFT SOULS OR WEAKLINGS. 

WHIFFS OF SMOKE / ALCOHOL/ something else ? MIGHT BE PRESENT.

NO BOOKS, NO PENS, NO ACTUAL WORK VISIBLE. 

MAJOR ATTITUDE, CHEEK AND AGGRESSION WARNING.

SCHOOL UNIFORM MIGHT BE ADJUSTED TO SUIT ABOVE ATTITUDE. CHECK FOR ARMBANDS, ROLLED UP SLEEVES, SHORTENED PANTS. HEADGEAR.

HIGH DISTRACTABILITY.

THE REASON WHY THE PERSON-WHO-IS-SUPPOSED-TO-BE=IN-CHARGE IS ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION.

 

 

And there you have it. The 7 Human Types found in the average classroom all over the world.

Final word: NEVER ATTEMPT TO REARRANGE YOUR HUMAN TYPES. The extreme resistance and seperation anxiety will  not be worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

Some days are diamonds

The week at school improved gradually.

I can honestly say that the Gr 9’s are trying to follow the rules I’ve explained and practiced ad nauseum. What more can a teacher ask for?

So I’ll just leave these here…

Somebody stole a pink star for her forehead.

… And then some more somebodies stole pink stars out of Mam’s pencilbag…

Attention…

Mam, take my picture!

Moments in a week. Priceless priviledge.

Onwards and Upwards

A Girl Walks Into A Bar (-like Classroom)

So, the joke goes like this :

A girl walks into a bar. It’s 23hoo and the place is rockin’. This vibe is good man! The noise is deafening. People are talking, jumping, dancing. The girl tries to get everyone’s attention because she has something important to share with the crowd. There’s a bomb in the room and they need to listen !  She’s up on the bar counter now, waving her arms. People think she’s inspired by the music and they start cheering her on…

No, sorry, it’s me. I walk into a bar. Wait, no. This is not a bar, is it?

Nope.

This is my classroom. These are my monkeys. 40 Gr 9’s have been left alone for 5 minutes because I needed to make extra photocopies of their worksheet. I had enough copies yesterday. But, as always, we have new additions to our ever-filling classes. They come from other schools who no longer want them due to behaviour problems. Their parents have been searching desperately for a school that will take the problem off their hands. So, tag, we’re it. We give them a second chance. Or a sixth chance. Most of the time those admitted in Week 3, 4 or 5 of the term turn out to be nightmares in the classroom. But we have them now, so deal we must.

Which now brings me back to RULE 1 . NOBODY TALKS WHILE I’M TALKING.

RULE 1 is the most difficult rule of all to enforce. Because humans want to talk. All the time. Teenage humans want to talk to each other. They have a lot to talk about. Love, rejected love, how-far-to-go-love. Justin Bieber. DJ Coffee. Soccer, rugby and where to buy cheap beer. Matric dance outfits.

Teenage humans DO NOT want to stop talking. Most teacher’s voices can not shout over 40 teenage voices so that they can hear any instruction.

What do you do?

This is what works for me :

1. Plant your feet firmly and stare them down. This will not get them quiet but somewhere in their subconscious minds they will sense that there is someone at the front of the room, looking stern.
2. Now use your “call and response” technique. There are plenty of these to choose from, depending on the age of your learners. “One, Two, Eyes on Me!” and they have to respond with “Three,Four, Eyes on You!’.  I use “FIVE!” .They respond with : “Eyes Open!”. “FOUR!” . “Ears Open!”. “THREE! “Mouth Closed!”. “TWO!” “Hands still!” “ONE!” “Feet Still!”
3. Once you have their attention , speak firmly and choose a few simple words to tell them what you want them to do next. “I want you to sit down, take out your book and your pen and then look at the board.”
4. Once they are ( hopefully ) settled,  explain the lesson plan of the day. This gives them a time frame and an outline as to what will be covered in the lesson. If you don’t give this time frame, the effect will be the same as when you’re driving somewhere you’ve never been before while following directions. The way there feels much longer than the way back, because on the way back you know more or less what to expect. If your class sees that you will be doing 3 activities in the next 30 min they will be less bored/ frustrated/inclined to yawn, knowing that the scenery will change within 10 minutes.
5. If they become restless at any time during your lesson, repeat your “call and response” technique.

It is extremely important to get Rule 1 right.

If even just one child is talking while you are explaining something, that child will not “get” the concept you are explaining. He or she will have a gap in their knowledge, almost like a missing brick in the bottom layer of a wall.

Address individuals lacking focus as the lesson goes on. And you can only do this if you know their names. I take a photo of each child at the start of the year and add their names to it. Xhosa names are difficult to learn , so I scroll through these photos often, picking a feature to help me remember the name. “Asavela” … wears glasses and is a high achiever. The double “A” in her name is fitting her academic success. “Sinokuhle” is always smiling. “S” for smiling. “Tawanda” has wide cheekbones and huge, “wandering” eyes. And so on.

It is extremely effective if you can say : ” Nolubabalo, stop talking!“. Much better than “You there, yes, you, no, not YOU, Stop talking!” ( which is a prompt for giggling).

Cheers to your quiet class, beautifully focused on their brilliant teacher!

And you are, you know.

Personally, today being Thursday, I can not wait for Friday to come.

Glass of icy cold Chardonnay, feet up, quiet, quiet farm…

The Day After Mam Popped

I drove away from school yesterday feeling like that piece of chewing gum you’ve stretched and streched and strrrrrreeeeetched so much it’s become soggy and limp. Loopy and useless.

And that, I’m afraid,  is the reality of teaching where I’m teaching. One day up, one day down, some days way , way down right back to the beginning.

When my son was a toddler, I learnt a lesson that has stuck with me : never assume that a ticked box will remain ticked when dealing with children.

Today your 3 year old  eats carrots like they’re his favorite food, tomorrow he spits them across the kitchen.

Today your classroom runs as smooth as silk, you triumphantly high fiving your brilliant disciplinary  skills, tomorrow you stand aghast as waves of noise and disrespect hit you in the face.

…..

YES, you supa teacha you!

So what is the solution to loopy , smashed up teacher feeling like all is lost???

The solution is simply this : RETEACH, RETEACH, RETEACH.

You can not continue with the academic program until you have retaught your Basic Rules poster.

You practice procedures until they get it. Even if that means them walking in and out of the classroom for one whole period. They soon learn that your rules are not going to change and that you are in control, not them.

And by “in control” it is not meant that you are the master and they are the slaves, so to speak.

It comes down to trust in the end.

If they can accept your rules and obey them daily it creates SAFE BOUNDARIES for them.

Feeling safe with you means they can settle down and get into the actual learning part.

 

So, what did I do the day after I popped? 

I retaught my rules. Practiced them. I stayed cool and I was calm.

I received a few smiles from the kids who are always ready to work. 

It was all the “thank you” and motivation I needed.

Tomorrow, we try again.

And again…

And again…

 

 

 

NOPE. NOT TODAY. POP goes Mam.

I’m quietly fuming as I sit here typing.

It is the Monday after “Out weekend” . “Out weekend”  means that all our learners residing in the school hostel go home for the weekend. Home can be anywhere. Nearby towns, townships or locations. Visiting a house, a flat or worst case scenario : a shack in a location built from cardboard boxes and everything and anything the owner could find. Township land belongs to the municipality. You are allowed to build a shack on it but not a permanent structure. Throughout South Africa, hundreds of thousands of shacks make dense townships which grapple with fires, floods and sanitation problems. Large families live together in one room. Not a healthy atmosphere for growing teenagers.

I find the kids extremely difficult on the first day back after “Out weekend.” Some are exhausted, most are hyper , most have forgotten how to control themselves in a classroom. Many have spent the weekend wandering around without supervision, smoking and drinking until the early hours of the morning. A big number did not see Mum or Dad or both,  as they are living and working in other provinces of the country. Granny or Auntie was ” in charge “of them and possibly many more siblings and cousins all thrown together.

So…MONDAY. After “Out Weekend”.

Gr 10’s were louder than normal, chirping more than usual, some were glassy-eyed, unable to respond to a simple question.

My first Gr 9 class of the day almost had me in tears. They simple could not calm down. I chose the “ignore it” route first and started the lesson. Every time my back was turned they talked, commented, joked around. I issued a warning to the first one I caught out.

He ignored me, so I sent him out with a punishment essay to copy in the passage where I could keep an eye on him. This , he couldn’t deal with, arguing all the way.

I left Mr Still Arguing outside and returned to the rest of the class. A few more unruly beings found their way to the passage.

NOTHING worked today.

I’m frustrated and concerned. It’s week 8 of the Term and my energy is at an all time low.

If I don’t get the kids back on track TOMORROW I won’t finish the prescribed tasks for the Term.

Days like these give me sleepless nights.