Ah, end of term 1...

Well, this term has not exactly been what I expected, but despite the twists and turns it's been a really great start to my second year! The term started out as anticipated with school visits, a Window of Hope workshop, the kick off of Danie Joubert Girls Club...all went well.

One of the unexpected turns included being asked to teach grade 4 English and Environmental Studies for the last two months of the term. I stepped up to the challenge of teaching grade 4 in Namibia and it turned out to be a great experience! I have been missing teaching, so it was nice to have some practical experience in a Namibian classroom. My classes had 35 and 34 kids to whom I taught 30 periods per week. I was able to implement some of what I help other teachers with in terms of Reading instruction, learner-centred education, and classroom management. I feel that my two months of teaching will help boost my credibility as a resource teacher in the region.

Now that all of the kids' progress reports are written, signed, stamped, and sealed it is time to get back to work at the actual TRC. I plan to catch up on projects over the school holiday and map out the plans for next term.

In addition to work in Mariental, I was able to spend of couple of days in Windhoek at the Reconnect Conference for the group 26 volunteers who are mostly teaching in the north and in Kavango Region. I facilitated a session on LCE and classroom management as well as shared best practices ideas with the other TRC volunteers. I do enjoy supporting and assisting other volunteers. My experience in Namibia has been so positive that I also want to see others make the most of it as well!

Cape Town!

Wow, what a fabulous corner of the world! Megan, Jaco, and I drove
12 hours for a long weekend in Cape Town. We met up with Megan's
good friend Tara who travelled with us and is now touring Namibia.
For a long weekend we packed a lot in: Table Mountain, Cape of Good
Hope, penguins at Boulders Beach, Stellenbosch wine tour, Robben
Island, and for me a pedicure and manicure! Enjoy the photos.