3.2 Setting the scene: Unpacking and learning from the support I received from home
3.2.1 The Basotho traditional blanket object/artefact: On the importance of going to school
As explained in Chapter Two, working with objects or artefacts allows for a process of self- reflection through multiple ways of meaning making and drawing new perspectives. Naicker et al. (2017) affirm that working with objects serves as a mirror that reflects our own image and lived experiences. The photograph presented below (Figure 3.1) shows the Basotho traditional blanket. The word ‘Basotho’ is a collective name for Sotho-speaking people. It is common practice in my village for the Sotho women to wear their traditional blankets all of the time, although this is not compulsory. It is also to be noted that I live in a village that is a mixture of two ethnic groups, Sotho and Zulu. Both groups live in harmony and respect each other’s practices and cultures.
Our village and community are situated in rural areas characterised by poor socio-economic conditions, and many people and families depend on the Government’s grant for their livelihood.
I took the photograph seen in the figure because it reminded me of how my grandmother always emphasised the value of education while always wearing this blanket. My grandmother’s educational background includes attending and completing only her primary schooling;
presently, she is unable to read and write.
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Figure 3.1: Basotho traditional blanket object/artefact: My grandmother emphasised the value of education
My brothers and I lived with our grandmother because our mothers were away from home and were in neighbouring towns, working and trying to make a living for us. They only visited once a month or even every two months. I remember how my grandmother used to wake up early in the morning and prepare hot water for myself and my other two siblings in the rondavel (round hut) that was considered the traditional kitchen. The three of us were all boys, and she would leave us in a warm rondavel and tell us to scrub each other’s backs, because she wanted us to be completely clean and at our best when going to school.
By the time we finished preparing ourselves for school, she would have prepared us some breakfast. Ours was not an ordinary breakfast like that of everyone else; it was called umfudumezo. Roughly translated, it is the remains of yesterday’s food. By referring to it as not being an ordinary breakfast, I mean that it did not include bread, among other things; many believed that an ordinary breakfast would always include bread. We were so happy about our meal, and we enjoyed it! My grandmother even used to joke about it, and would say, “Bazukulu bami [my grandchildren], please work hard and dedicate all your time to your books. One day when the three of you have graduated and are working, we will no longer eat this breakfast; we will eat an ordinary breakfast just like everyone else who has a child that finished school and
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is working”. I remember these words vividly, as if they were said to me yesterday. They made me feel so motivated, and inspired me that my future was right in my hands. They sank deeply into my mind all the time. They would sink in deeply again and again in my mind and heart at school during my school days, as I pictured my grandmother wearing that blue Basotho traditional blanket, and repeatedly saying them to us before we left for school.
I was the eldest child among all my other siblings at home. Therefore, being the eldest child, I took these words as if they were directly said only to me, because I knew exactly what my grandmother was saying, and it was a goal to be reached by me first as the eldest child. These words rang in my mind throughout my basic education (Grade R to Grade 12), and by extension up until today. Moreover, our grandmother always prayed for us before we left for school, and that was one thing she would never forget. She would pray ‘Our Father, who art in heaven…’
to the Almighty God so that he guides and protects us during the day at school and blesses all the activities that we were going to do for the whole day at school and subsequently at home.
I recall that when I came back from school, I would see our grandmother from far away, going up and down the yard and doing the ordinary, cleaning the yard and taking care of her chickens and their chicks. Of course, I recognised her from the blue Basotho traditional blanket she was always wearing. As I always saw her in the yard from far away, I would respond by running home very fast to hug her, as my heart was always filled with joy and much excitement when I saw and was around her. Furthermore, we knew that our grandmother had prepared the traditional isijingi food precisely as we came back from school, a mix of maize meal and pumpkin. That is the food we ate most of the time when we returned from school. After eating, my grandmother would sit down with the three of us and ask each one of us to reflect on what we learnt at school and to tell her, in detail, about all the other events that happened at school.
After we had done some home chores, she would then ask us to do our individual school homework.
I also recall that during my primary school parents’ meetings, our grandmother was always there to support the three of us as her grandchildren. The parents’ meeting used to be held at around 11h00 in the morning. From 10h00 to 11h00 exactly we children would be outside, because it was break time for us learners. During that break time, if a parents’ meeting was being held that day, I remember how we used to hang around at places such as by the school fence and on the school grounds to see our parents as they made their way to the school for the scheduled meeting. I recall how, during that process, I used to recognise and spot my
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grandmother from far by her blue Basotho traditional blanket. This time around, she wore a different one in terms of print and design, but it was also blue in colour! This one was still new, as she used to wear it only on noteworthy occasions and events such as parents’ meetings. She always supported us as her grandchildren, and she not only came to the scheduled parents’
meetings, but sometimes would just show up at the school premises to check on our work and our progress. That is how my grandmother always emphasised the importance of education and valued education.
Therefore, what I learnt from my personal lived experiences concerning the abovementioned events of my grandmother supporting me together with my two siblings, is that parents and/or guardians can play a vital role in supporting their children in seeing the value of education.
This can be done by taking the initiative to sit down with their children and motivate them to see the value of education. It would be emphasised that education changes lives and that education is one weapon that we can use to fight poverty. Furthermore, I learnt that parents can play a vital role in planting a positive idea in their children’s mind: that education has the power to change their lives for the better. They can also encourage their children to believe that they have all the potential to make it in life with their parents’ support.
As illustrated in my grandmother’s words, as previously mentioned, she used to say to us bazukulu bami (grandchildren) that we must work hard and dedicate all of our time to our books. When we have graduated and are working, we will eat an ordinary breakfast just like everyone else who has a child who finished school and is working. Moreover, and more importantly, I also learnt that whatever the situation learners face at home and at school, this must not act as a barrier to prevent them from reaching their potential and goals; instead, they must use that situation as a stepping stone to a better life. A poor background does not necessarily determine where one’s life is and will navigate to.
I also learnt that parents and/or guardians can contribute positively to their children’s education by continuously participating in the process. Mokhele (2006) affirms that teachers who maintain supportive teacher-learner relationships involve parents, learner peers and other relevant stakeholders in the teaching and learning process. Also, like my grandmother, parents or guardians can take the initiative to fully participate in the parents’ meetings regularly held by schools to be informed on all matters affecting their children’s education. Likewise, in Pithouse-Morgan et al. (2019b), S’phiwe Madondo affirms that the role of schools and teachers in schools should include inviting parents to school meetings, where they can be appreciated
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and shown how valuable their general knowledge and the teachings they continuously instil in their children’s minds at home are. Moreover, he argues that even if they have limited formal education, parents and guardians at home can go the extra mile to develop their children’s capabilities. Furthermore, he argues that “this demonstrates the need for schools to organise programmes where parents would be empowered on how they can play their part as important partners in their children’s learning” (p. 140). Therefore, by extension, this can also be done through parents taking the initiative to voluntarily schedule regular meetings with and visit their children’s schools to check on their work and progress in various subjects. Such visits can also be used to track their children’s behaviour and participation in extramural activities, as well as all their other strengths and weaknesses.
As earlier described in my memory story, during break time on days when there was a parents’
meeting, I remember hanging around near the school fence and on the school grounds to see our parents as they made their way to the scheduled appointment. I recall how some of the learners used to stay in those places until the very last minute before the bell rang and we had to go back to our classes. If their parents didn’t make their way to the school, they were so sad;
you could see that their hearts were broken that their parents or guardians did not arrive to support them, unlike many other children. When this happened, you could see tears rolling down some of the learners’ faces. I learnt from this experience that unsupportive relationships with parents decrease children’s self-confidence and lower their self-esteem at school. I acknowledge that those unsupportive relationships might be caused by parents not completing their own schooling and therefore lacking knowledge and confidence about how they can support their children on school-related matters. It might also be caused by parents having experienced unsupportive relationships during their schooldays, and therefore they might have no idea how to do it. If learners are not supported by their parents on school-related matters, they might not recognise the value of education in a broader sense. However, it is argued that if learners are supported on school-related matters, by their parents and all other relevant stakeholders, this can increase their self-esteem and self-confidence (Mokhele, 2006).