Appendices
Appendix 4: Extracts from Interview with Gladys
R. Good (sic), now when you were at primary school what reading did you do in the class can you remember, did the teacher read to you, did you read on your own, what happened?
G. I can say she read.
R. Did the teacher read books to you, did the teacher read stories to you?
G. Oh yes, she he read stories for us in Zulu and in English R. And in English as well?
G. Yes, maybe I was in standard three.
R. Yah, standard three you would have started. Okay, did you do any reading yourself?
G. Yes
R. Where did, what did you read?
G. I read a story about the girl whose name was Cinderella.
R. Aha, so if you think in primary school how many books did you read on you own? Can you think, did you read a lot you think? Ten, five what? Can you remember?
G. Maybe three or four.
R. You don't remember. Okay. Now writing how much, what writing did you do in Zulu?
What things did you write in Zulu?
G I write about my life and my future and my problems, yes.
R. So that's the writing you did in Zulu?
G Yes.
R. Okay.Did you write letters in Zulu?
G. Yes.
R. Okay. What sort of letters - friendly letters, letters to friends, aunts, what?
G. Yes.
R. And in English what did you write?
G. [inaudible]
R. Did you write any essays, did you write about your life or did you write any letters in English in primary school?
G. No.I write my my own letter in Zulu and in English.
R. You translate them?
G. Yes, translate it and [inaudible] not the [inaudible] what [inaudible] not at school, at home and ...
R. So you just did it for yourself?
G. Yes.
R. Not for school, the school didn't ask you to write those letters?
G. No.
R. Okay,so you didn't do, you didn't write any letters for school?
G. No.
R. Okay, you didn't write any compositions in English for school. In primary school?
G. I did.
R. What can you remember?
G. Mmm, it was so many.
R. There were many.
G. Yes.
R. Ah good. Can you just some just remember any type, was it was a letter, about a story or was it stories you wrote? Did you have to ask to write stories?
G. Not stories, just a composition about myself, about my school.
R. Mmm, so your letters your composition was describing things, you were describing yourself? You were describing, talking about your school?
G. Yes
R. Ah, okay, alright ... mmm ..
G. And about the journey I'll never forget.
R. The journey I'll never forget?
G. Yes.
R. Now did you write about a real journey or did you make up one?
G. I write about the real journey.
R. What was that journey?
G. Journey to [inaudible] to [inaudible] in ...
R. Mmm?
G. Yes, for netball games and football games.
R. Okay,so did you enjoy that writing?
G. Yes.
R. Do you enjoywriting?
G. YesIenjoy it.
R. Why do you think you enjoy it,what makes you enjoy it?
G. I want to write every time we, we ... sometimes when I at home I think of something that had happens before, then I keep on writing that thing.
R. Oh, okay. So do you travel everyday now?
G. Yes.
R. So what time do you leave home?
G. In the morning.
R. Yah.
G. Ah, six 0'clock.
R. Six o'clock. And the time you get home?
G. Maybe quarter to three,quarter past four R. Quarter past four.
G. Yes
R. Okay, okay. Mmm, now what, when you started in standard six was there any ...?
Alright, if you think from standard six up to now, what writing have you done? Try and think about what writing you have done in Zulu,what things have you written about?
G. From standard six?
R. Yes, when you wrote 'this journeyI'llnever forget', when was that?
G. I was in standard five.
R: Okay, so what writing have you done in high school? Can you think of the things you've written, what compositions letters have you written?
(Gladys confers with translator in Zulu)
T. They did them on reports on things they had read from books.
R. Oh from books. Okay, have you ever written something like an essay on ...Isaw a topic on the board yesterday 'Lobola should be paid, Lobola should not be paid'. Have you ever had to write an argument like that?
G. No we didn't.
R. Oh, okay. Now that, so now in Zulu or English you've only written things like reports, okay, and letters?
G. In English.
R. Yah,and in Zulu, what have you written? Did you write friendly letters, letters to friends or to relatives or did you write to a ... did you write to aaaa say ... a ... a company to say I don't like what you sold me,or something like that?
G. No.
R. None of that.
G. I've written letters to my friends only.
R. Were those your own letters?
G. Yes.
R. Not letters the school asked you to do?
G. No.
R. Okay,now lets forget about school for a while. What writing do you do,you say you write a diary, that's your own thing ... you write some things. Do you do any other writing,you write letters to friends?
G. Yes.
R. Oh, what other writing do you do for yourself, anything else? No? Itdoesn't matter if you don't,Ijust want ...
G. Nothing.
R. Okay, and now reading in the high school since standard six,have you done,been able to do much reading?
G. Ah, you know in school my mind is so ...Idon't know what is it maybe '" I don't know what is going on. Ikeep on ...I can say I'm just lazy these days,I don't know what is it R. Now you say it's this school why ...what's happening?
G. I don't know why... maybe it's high school ...I don't know ...
R. Okay. Now in your other subjects - what other subjects do you do? You do history and Biology.
G. Yes.
R. Ah,what else?
G. Geography.
R. How much writing do you do of your own?Do you do any writing for those subjects or do you just copyfrom the board, or what do you do?
G. I copy from the board and I ... I read the questions from that notes.
R. Questions from the notes.
G. Yes.
R. What questions?
G. That say history, andI read that notes and I [inaudible]
R. You answer questions that the teacher has set?
G. No. I do my own questions and I ah ...I keep on reading whenI understand and what what is it talking about, then I answer those questions [inaudible]
R. Okay, now I want to ask you now what, how teachers taught you how to write compositions or anything when they were teaching you in Standard six or standard seven or eight, nine. What has happened, what have they said to you.Did they teach you how to write compositions?
G. Yes, if! can remember she said compositions should be ...
R. Say it in Zulu if you want to. (Gladys speaks to translator)
T. She was doing it in different stages [inaudible] organised each and every part of the [inaudible] one main idea.
G. They said ifyou write a composition you mustn't write it as a letter ... you must write it (speaks to translator)
T. Each composition should have a topic and what ideas you put across should be in line with the topic, and then you write it sort of formally not like when you write it casually.
R. Okay, okay.Now in your other subjects have people,are you writing any compositions in other subjects? In history aren't you writing compositions?
G. No
R. Okay,in Geography or anything like that?
G. No.
R. Just a question. You said you were lazy about books, are you able to get books from anywhere to read?
G. Ah, yes at my old school
R. What,when you go home you can go and get books there?
G. Yes.
R. Okay, now you don't do that anymore?
G. (laughs) No.
R. Well maybe you should think about doing that. Let's see, we've talked about what's your early life, we've talked about high school. Okay, mmm ... so you are saying to me that you still enjoy writing, you like to write?
G. Yes.
R. What would you like to see happening in school about writing? Ifyou were to teach or if you were to tell the teachers what you wanted,what would you say?
G. (laughs) I don'tknow how I, how can I say to be done.