Today we visited NTSOELEMOLODI Primary School! We actually visited twice. The first time we went, we did a tour and gave oranges to all the students and staff! There were so many oranges. We started when Trygive picked us up and explained the school’s history.
We drove for quite a while, but we had to stop for gas. Before we stopped for gas, we went through town, and on the side of the road, there were so many people selling things. Among those things were oranges, and a lot of them. Trygive helped us pick a stand to buy from. It was run by a lady and she was SO happy when we bought ALL her oranges in on go. We piled them in the back seat which was where I and Bardez were sitting.
I and him got covered in oranges. It was actually kind of nice like a massage except one of my feet was bent in a painful position. When we got to the school I and Bardez started thinking about how we would get out when we were covered in oranges.
Thankfully others had a plan. As we went through a gate about 20 kids in uniform came out. There were also a couple of drummers! The children started marching in a circle around us. Mom told us to join them and as homeschoolers, we could not stay in the line very well. We eventually got into the rhythm but only for a short time because the principal signaled the students to stop. We got to meet the teachers and principal and there was a short welcome speech then the principal said there was going to be a traditional dance done by some of the girls. The dance was beautiful and I enjoyed it very much.
The principal took us into her office and talked about the school and grades. We then got to tour the school and classrooms. The classes were not small. Though they were organized. The school had grades kindergarten through 7. When the school had a huge garden with lots of vegetables and some bathrooms. It also had a new library except there were no bit chapter books for the older kids. It also had a netball court. Net Ball is close to basketball but pretty different.
I got to sit in the 5th-grade classroom with Bardez for a few minutes. It was a little awkward between the students and us but soon things slackened. After lunch, we played some violin and sang the national anthem of South Africa with the kids. Then it was time to go. None of us kids wanted to leave but we had to. We asked if we could come back for a day of school later that week. And we did!
The day at school was so awesome! I totally loved it! When we got there I went to the 6th-grade classroom, B went to 5th and Emmy and Zeb went to 7th. When I got in it was very awkward. I just sat at the desk in the front row next to a boy who had his book open. While the teacher was teaching I noticed a lot of whispering going on. I was okay with it. To them, this was a day at school where a new white girl was in their class and they were probably curious. Soon the atmosphere relaxed a bit.
They had been learning about electricity and how to save it. There was an activity where we had to get notebooks out. I had brought my notebook and I got it out of my backpack. I got good marks on my paper when the teacher checked it and I got high praise. I wasn’t sure if it was getting high praise because I was a guest or if it was the norm. At one point I started trying to figure out what one-third of 100 was. Then there was an activity where the teacher shared a poem he made then he asked me if I could write one. I told him about my little bear Poems. He asked me to write one. I was worried that I would not be able to write a good one but I did.
It took us a little while and in the end, when I read it the teacher asked the other students what it was about. I really enjoyed the rest of the class and I would love to go back. It was my first time in a classroom and my first day of going to a school (that wasn’t homeschooling). I really really really loved it!