4.3 The SL Projects Undertaken By Pre-Service Teachers
4.3.2 How Were The SL Projects Undertaken?
77 | P a g e
The pre-service teachers also in their narratives wrote on the project aspects from which they learnt how to make sense of their SL experience. The project made them explore the cause of community issues and find solutions to these issues, using their skills. The pre-service teachers also learnt to understand the community peoples’ life challenges through the service they (pre-service teachers) provided such as caring, cheering, supporting and listening to the people.
The project gave the pre-service teachers a strong connection to the community and a taste of a professional career:
“This project was very heartrending and made me realize that there is more out there than my own little world, it alerted me to the realities of the world, of South Africa and of our surroundings” (RD11).
“So, this programme made me aware of different context that are there in rural schools of ………. region” (RD4).
“This project is really cool. It kinda prepares us for the things that we will probably see as we graduate and go to work” (RD3).
Finally, the project helped the pre-service teachers to connect with their colleagues and the community people through team work on the project implementation. Through stories and information provided about the community members, e.g. project managers, the pre-service teachers got to develop a stronger relationship and empathise with the people of the community on their life struggles.
78 | P a g e
“I most times come in the morning at the time that happens to be the children feeding time, I help the nurses feed the younger children who can’t feed themselves and thereafter I help in doing the dishes” (RD 9).
“I help in the kitchen in washing the plates, spoons and glasses. When the food was ready in the kitchen, we went to dish up for the kids as well as for the old people” (RD6).
“I was so busy at the centre, I am always available to help the mothers carry their babies, I even help bath and feed the babies when the mothers are indisposed to do so” (RD2).
The pre-service teacher added that:
“Sometimes, I feel like their child as the mothers do not waste time to give me some advices, they even complain to me, when they have problems” (RD2).
“Being a shoulder to cry on was not what I expected to be to these women”
(RD1).
Though performing the above duties was definitely not what the pre-service teachers expected or bargained for, it made them realise that this is what genuine SL entails.
Some actually did and enjoyed what they planned to do as noted in this narrative:
“My partner and I did our part of service learning which is doing aerobics with the members of the community. I really enjoyed this section and I was greatly motivated by the enthusiasm that the community members had”. I really enjoyed my service learning because the people there enjoy taking part in aerobics”
(RD5).
Another group of pre-service teachers were jolted by the challenge of figuring out how to assemble a section of their project:
“…. the tunnel was not properly provided with an assembling manual. There are many pieces to assemble………it meant that we had to rely on using our own discretion in trying to assemble the tunnel” (RD3).
79 | P a g e
The reality of the hard work involved in projects such as this was overwhelming for one of the pre-service teachers who noted how exhausted he was at the end of one of the project implementation days. He stated
“Today marks the beginning of a very long period of hard work. On paper it looked easy but after today, I must say that I change my mind. Today we were removing the rocks and boulders that we found in the soil. I am very tired as I write this reflection, my hands are painful because I have blisters and my back is killing me” (RD2).
After expressing such pains, one would think that the pre-service teacher would consider opting out of the programme even though it is a compulsory aspect of the module. Nevertheless, this pre-service teacher went on to write,
“However, I must say that I am happy about doing so much hard work because it made me remember back home and realise how much coming to live at the residence has spoilt me” (RD2).
In the same spirit of resilience, other pre-service teachers wrote:
“I thought that even though this programme seems to be difficult, challenging and requires creativity and flexibility, but it is not impossible. Only dedication and hard work is required” (RD6).
“At first I thought of quitting the module because of the work I thought it will require from me. To my surprise I enjoyed each and every step of this module especially the service learning par” (RD3).
The pre-service teachers’ narrative of their farm projects reflected how proud they were in conducting and implementing their tasks. One pre-service teacher whose project was on community gardening remarked:
“I had to explain and demonstrate how to prepare the soil….in addition, I had to demonstrate on how to mix already prepared organic compost….” (RD4).
80 | P a g e
Another pre-service teacher wrote:
“Today we assembled 90% of the tunnel…… with the help of other participants, we planned the layout of the garden…. all in all, I can now say I have and I can assemble a tunnel” (RD3).
Another aspect discussed by the pre-service teachers in their diaries is the act of team play. Those that worked on the project as a group reflected as such,
“The overall assemble process went on successfully because all jointly participated in coming up with ideas on how to assemble the tunnel” (RD3).
“We jointly planned the layout of the rest of the garden. Which was an easy process because we had already made the bedding and the tunnel was complete”
(RD3).
“I was so glad to be working with someone as hardworking and understandable as (name withheld) working with me as a partner” (RD11)
For entertainment in the Drop In-centres, some pre-service teachers’-initiated drama, dance, and story bonding sessions aimed at lightening the mood and bringing about laughter and joy onto gloomy and despairing faces. The project did not go without disappointments in one way or the other. Statements that expressed disappointments are as follows:
“I was disappointed about the fact that some of the gardeners have been provided with information on gardening. I was expecting that I would start from scratch and teach them” (RD 4).
“……I had planned that I would show the gardeners how to prepare soil and how to plant sustainably. I was shocked that not even a single person came……...maybe it was caused about a hot weather. I was very disappointed”
(RD4).
81 | P a g e
“Today was disappointing, I realised that today we also had to work with very few (2) people because some of the initial participants seemed to have dropped out” (RD3).
In another statement, a pre-service teacher directed his disappointment towards logistics from the tertiary institution:
“My main concern is transport to and from ……. I am disappointed that the university couldn’t help us out here” (RD12).
While many students focused their SL projects on young people and community centres and assisting with educational related activities such as teaching about hygiene and diet in a primary school, others did a one-on-one individual project such as minding children in child headed homes, while the child home header attends to other activities such as going to school or going to buy groceries.
Although the experiences as narrated by the pre-service teachers affected their professional and personal lives, the reflection diaries were the avenue through which the pre-service teachers could portray what they exactly gained from the implementation of the SL projects.