4.3 Experiences that student teachers of English have about learning
4.3.3 Context and Schooling
The lack of text books in particular may create disruption within classes as students who are not on task might get restless and become chaotic in class which might attract punishment as a consequence. This was in contrast to Marissa who went to a resourced urban former model C school and who believes her school context helped her grow academically and otherwise, as according to her:
“Books were lent to us by the school but we had to return them after we were done using them and worksheets were also made by teachers ….to aid learning.”
Many resourced urban schools do not have issues such as those previously articulated by Lerato and Mthokozisi. They boast state-of-the-art facilities and competent, well qualified educators and management. Contexts such as this, like in the case of Marissa who went to a highly resourced school that had competent teaching staff and management, also played a vital role and helped her in closing the academic gaps she had: “We had text books, science lab, library, computers…set books. I had a good teacher….she played a huge part in my academic development…. where I am today.”This goes to show that experiences and contexts have a lot to do with what type of experience a learner has in high school. The situation was worse for Zama as her teacher was always absent and ready replacements were not available:
“He used to be absent….. Teachers were not enough…therefore we were robbed of what rightfully belonged to us.”
The sense of entitlement is not lost to the student but context can make it difficult to make demands even when one knows what his or her rights are. It was even worse for Zama who reminisces about her high school days:
“Our school was very under-resourced, lacking text books; as a result teachers were the only people with books. The school also lacked photocopying machines and projectors which led to students copying notes from the chalkboard whenever necessary. There were no libraries or laboratories, there wasn’t enough desks (priority was given to Grades 10-12). The school lacked sufficient classrooms and desks. We had to sit on bricks…”
Libraries should be a prerequisite if a school wants to train not just students who are equipped but life-long learners who are ready to excel in life. However, some
schools have libraries which are lacking in books, librarians and reading desks and chairs. Simphiwe understands the need for a library and highlights how unhelpful their library was in their high school. “There was a library but it was full of outdated textbooks and there was not enough books to use, so it was no longer useful to do work at that time.” Kevin’s school had no library and functional laboratory but only blackboards and textbooks which did not go round.
Smilo’s high school fared better as it had computers, a chalk board, sufficient desks, two libraries and a laboratory.
The ability of a school to implement the use of English as a language of teaching and learning despite the difficulty inherent in that remains part of the basic issues affecting learner performance. This might account for why children do not speak the English language accurately or are not able to use it convincingly in reading and writing tasks and situations. Orland (2001) believes the physical condition of the work place, teachers’ lack of motivation, the tradition of the workplace and the dynamics among teachers play a role in this, and Kamwangamalu (2003) brings in the language dynamics and role that the English language plays as a language of power in these situations. Mgqwashu (1999) and Balfour (2000) have shown that the teaching and learning of English in Black schools in South Africa still, and for some time, will remain a formidable challenge for the present and future governments. This is a situation not lost on a child schooling in a rural or township context, as Nompilo pointed out:
“There was a time we said let us speak English from the moment we enter the school gate so that we would be better at it, so they were like….. ‘no, why do you
want to make yourself look like you are better than others’…... That is the same language that our papers are going to be written in.”
This points to the fact that the use of English remains an obstacle to effective education in different school contexts while the absence of it can be detrimental
in the scaffolding and cascading of learning in and out of class. The use of English in high schools appears to pose a challenge, as highlighted by Lerato:“teachers did not even encourage us to love and practice speaking English," a case corroborated by Mthokozisi, who believes: "reading was not encouraged hence our apathy for reading,”and Nompilo adds: "our teachers were not proficient.”
Mthokozisi believes the culture of reading was lost on most Black people as they never valued it and it affected him adversely. Reading and the ability to read helps students not just in their study of English but other subjects as well as it improves understanding and learners’ ability to participate in class.