How do you imagine a zebra if you’ve never been to a game park? Or the taste of a smore if you’ve never braaied a marshmallow? Seeing, hearing and tasting things we read about grants us exposure that enriches our experience of words.
How do you imagine a zebra if you’ve never been to a game park? Or the taste of a smore if you’ve never braaied a marshmallow? Seeing, hearing and tasting things we read about grants us exposure that enriches our experience of words.
Reading Camp is about giving this experience to 18 township children who show potential in reading but may not necessarily have the support systems to develop their abilities. The children, ranging from age nine to 11, got to spend a week at Assegaai Trails where they enjoyed a programme packed with word-related activities, games and outdoor excursions.
“It’s about giving kids the experience to connect with their reading,” said camp co-ordinator Kary McConnachie. “You develop language with life experience,” she said, noting informal conversation between campers and their counsellors at the dinner table as another example.
The highlight of the week for 10-year-old Anoncedo Ngcete from Good Shepherd Primary was learning how to write poems. The session was led by renowned poet Harry Owen, who encouraged the children to collect items of inspiration from the garden and learn a rhythm through clapping.
Nine-year-old Bradley Gysman from Grahamstown Primary said it was Owen’s jokes that made it the best event. The annual theme of wild animals, this year with a focus on ‘Zany Zebras’ – complete with stripy scarves and name tags, was enriched by visits to Kariega Game Reserve and Kwantu Elephant Sanctuary.
Not only did many campers see wild animals for the first time, they learned the names of plants such as aloe, strelitzia and prickly pear. “If the teacher asks about the flowers out there, I’ll be able to answer,” said 10-year-old Aphelele Jezi from St Mary’s about natural science, her favourite school subject.
Ultimately, McConnachie said, the camp is about giving children a boost of self-confidence. “It’s an opportunity to experiment and make connections,” she said about the many ‘light-bulb’ moments that occurred during camp. It also allows children to learn how to get along with people, added teacher and co-ordinator Matthew Kellen.
The daily chapel session was Makana Primary learner Aphelele Ribe’s favourite time for this reason. “I learned most things, like sharing and caring for each other,” said the second-time camper. Her favourite reading activities were Strategies where she could play games while making sentences, and, “because we find small words in a big word.”
She also felt she had progressed since the previous camp. “Last year I learned to put a full-stop at the end of a sentence. This year I learned to make paragraphs.” Evidence of improvement was particularly tangible in readers who benefit from the Molteno Project, a literacy initiative in several Grahamstown primary schools. McConnachie believes that mastering the basic skill of reading allows children to enjoy the benefits. “Once they’ve cracked the code, the sky’s the limit,” added Kellen.
After a week of experiences that connect pupils with the world of words, one cannot think that for the 18 campers who now have more potential to lead classmates through their skills, the sky really is the limit.
What’s in it for the volunteers? With a ratio of two volunteers to a child, Reading Camp has no shortage of individuals who offer a week of their time and energy to facilitate this week-long initiative by cooking, counselling, teaching or simply filling in gaps.
In addition to the Reading Camp committee, this year’s volunteers included Rhodes University Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students, students connected to the uMariya uMama weThemba Monastery and teachers from Anglican churches in Gauteng.
Not only do volunteers gain 168 hours of community service, many of them get exposure to different teaching methods. “The best you can do when going into the teaching profession is to observe different methods of teaching so you can apply what works best in the classroom,” according to PGCE student Permie Isaac.
She has benefited particularly from observing and teaching Reading Strategies, where campers learn to guess a word, skip a word, break it down or look at surrounding words for meaning when they struggle. Isaac would also like to use her experience to start her own reading camp by taking on pupils who are struggling with reading in order to close the gap between them and other learners.
Methuli Mfiliba from Lovedale College and Shaun Phiti from Lady Grey Arts Academy, who have volunteered at three camps already, were both able to contribute to other reading camps in Queenstown townships of Ezibeleni and Ilinge. They also felt that volunteering enriches their personal life because they enjoy working with children.
“I grew up very hard, so when I’m here, I feel at home with the kids because they have similar backgrounds to me,” said Phiti. He not only takes pleasure in teaching children to treat others with respect, but learns from them.
“When I’m teaching kids something, I’m learning new things in life, like how to be strong,” he said. Challenging yourself to give your best to the children is something Lindelwa Ncokoto from Boipatong has learnt.
“If they know they’re the best, they’re less likely to put up with abuse. My challenge is to remind kids that they’re the best,” she said. She has also learnt that the way a teacher speaks to children has a major effect on whether learning is encouraged or threatened, and aims to consciously encourage learners in her maths and English classes back home.
Along with four other Gautengers, Ncokotowas was sent by her bishop to learn the “nitty gritty” of Reading Camp so as to start new ones in her diocese. Camp co-ordinator Kary McConnachie said people often ask, “Why get involved with Reading Camp if you don’t get paid?” But “I get millions in love,” she said.
“Love is my payment.” To this she adds, knowing the magic of changing a child’s life, and drawing energy from the interaction with children and fellow volunteers alike make it worthwhile.
