4.3 Interview with the Grade 1 Teacher
4.3.2 Extrinsic factors
He had a little brother, but the brother was taken away. I don’t know actually what the reason was, but the little brother lives with the grandparents in Port Elizabeth.
The mother said it could be that he misses the brother, that’s why the outbursts and the mother had a very abusive boyfriend and everything happened in front of him.
The children didn’t want to play with him because he had these outbursts or he would hurt them. He couldn’t even sleep at night.
Mrs Coetzee spoke to Lulama’s parents and referred him to a psychologist. She received a report from the psychologist with recommendations. Lulama was placed on Ritalin and sent to a free counselling centre where the psychologist recommended that Mrs Coetzee involve Lulama with the other learners and not seat him separately in the class. Mrs Coetzee said his emotional outbursts subsided. In this case, the successful implementation of a support plan for Lulama was confirmed by a visible improvement in his behaviour.
I asked Mrs Coetzee about having had any children on the autistic spectrum or any children experiencing Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in her class in the past. She said she had not been aware of any, but mentioned that FAS was prevalent in the Afrikaans medium classes.
Inadequate/inappropriate support services
Mrs Coetzee felt there was inadequate support from the Department of Education and the DBST.
Mrs Coetzee: For example, if you fill in all those thick forms (SNA forms) that you submit to the department, they don’t come back to you. They don’t screen the child – nothing.
That is why we would rather refer them to the [Psychiatric Hospital].
She expressed her disillusionment with the Department and its failure to implement any support plan for learners experiencing barriers to learning at Baobab School. She felt that it was preferable for the school itself to try and put in place a support plan of its own for a particular learner.
Mrs Coetzee stated that the DBST had given workshops.
Mrs Coetzee: Some were very helpful and some you would just sit there and you waste your time.
There were the ones who also showed us how to fill in the SNA forms and all those things. Ja because it is a lengthy process. You fill them in, but nothing comes from that at the moment.
The one that I remember is for the use of laptops and laptop training. This was quite useful.
…..training us in how to use email, internet, short cuts and all things like that.
Interviewer: Did they say something about introducing laptops to children?
Mrs Coetzee: No, only for the teachers and principal.
It is more administrative things.
All the information is sent through to them as to the class, how many are in the class, how many Afrikaans speaking, how many English speaking, how many isiXhosa speaking. Even now for next year’s intake, how many applied, how many were accepted, how many were rejected.
Mrs Coetzee stated that the DBST had provided some workshops on administration details in education. There had been no workshops, however, on the implementation of support for learners experiencing barriers to learning, from strategies for teaching of such learners, to providing resources or professional help needed by learners. There was also no computer training for learners provided by the DBST.
Poverty and underdevelopment
I asked Mrs Coetzee about the support for those children whose parents could not pay for school uniforms.
Mrs Coetzee: The past principal, ….. , would send money sometimes for needy children.
……. The teachers would identify the really needy ones, then they would use the funds to buy for the really needy children.
The school and teachers had attempted to put a plan in place for the families who were really struggling financially by utilising donations given to the school.
Lack of parental recognition/involvement
Mrs Coetzee felt the parents of her Grade 1 learners were involved and interested in their children’s school and education.
Mrs Coetzee: I think most parents are involved. If you request to see them, then they would come. They are very interested and involved.
Interviewer: Do they help the children with homework?
Mrs Coetzee: Not all of them with homework.
I enquired about the parent workshops that were held at the school.
Mrs Coetzee: Quite a few parents have indicated they want to attend the workshops – around 40, but at the end there were 14 parents that attended the workshops for the 8 weeks.
Interviewer: What do you cover in these workshops?
Mrs Coetzee: Like languages and Mathematics. Like more about how you teach your child informally at home. Like games you can play with your child.
Doing Maths at home – ask your child to take out 6 potatoes, let’s count the potatoes and see if you are right.
How to have good talking time with your children.
How important reading is. They even made their own booklets.
We write a checklist which we gave to them at the beginning of the workshop and at the end of the workshop, asking how regularly do you brush your teeth, how often do you read to your child, do you have good talking time?
And at the end of the workshop we gave them the same questionnaire and some of the parents there was an improvement.
And we encourage them to go to the library. You don’t have to buy books. You can sit in the library. They have story time at the library. Some of them have done those things.
An attempt had been made by the school to involve and educate parents through the parent workshops. Only 14 parents had attended. Some constructive suggestions were made at the workshops to parents for the stimulation of their children and to encourage using such community facilities as the city library.