By skatz14
My most recent volunteering experience was really different for me because I was the only volunteer in my classroom. It was the day before UCT’s spring break started, so the three other people who volunteer with me in my classroom could not attend, due to pre-break midterms and papers. Every classroom was really lacking in volunteers that day, so I learned what the schools must be like, since they tend to be so understaffed. Because I have around 15 students in my class, the beginning of the lesson was really difficult. SHAWCO aims to have a 3:1 ratio with students to teachers, so 15:1 seemed like the impossible. Eventually, I asked if one of the volunteers who had a much smaller 15-person 5th grade classroom could join me since it was too much, and she agreed. There was another volunteer in her class that day, so she was able to help me
My biggest challenge when working at SHAWCO, especially that day, was that most of my students are completely lost and confused with the Math material. For the most part, they need to be taught how to do everything that they should have already learned in school. As a student who has always had my own struggles with learning Math, I am definitely not the best at explaining it, but I had to do it because there was no one else. Being so understaffed is very difficult, as one student will raise their hand for help and five more hands will go up. Because of the nature of their loud and sometimes disrespectful behavior, it is impossible to explain something to the class as a whole. It’s hard for me because I know how much each student deserves to get one-on-one help until they fully understand something, but that isn’t an option, especially when it was just me and one other volunteer in the class.
It can be discouraging to volunteer somewhere where even the volunteers can’t give 100% due to the unfair circumstances that face South Africa’s education system. Even at the SHAWCO center, there is a lack of resources, learning materials, and sometimes volunteers. I feel badly that my students have to be victims of such a deficient system, and it has been my goal to help them as much as possible while I am in South Africa, even though the system makes that difficult. Although it can be challenging, especially when other volunteers cannot be there, I really enjoy the time that I get to spend with my kids. I have gotten to know many of them well, and my time spent at SHAWCO has become a consistent highlight in my week. I look forward to making the most of my upcoming SHAWCO time and doing my best to ensure that my students succeed.