Good morning Cape Town!!! We are staying in a hotel on the waterfront. We were greeted with glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice last night when we arrived. Everyone is very friendly. We are trying to learn the triple language of the Tsosa (sp?) tribe. Today is another early start. The sun rises at 7am in Durban; however, the sun didn't rise till almost 7:30am in Cape Town. When we boarded the bus at 6:50am it was still dark. We were all cold because there is no central heat in the hotel. The winters are short and mild; therefore, they do not waste a lot of expense on heating units. I have a wall heating unit in my room...no central heat here either. Everywhere I look I see Table Mountain. Wild monkeys run around near wooded areas; and tropical plants are plentiful. It was the same in Durban. Sigh....hopefully, the Twitter feed will load soon and you will see the monkeys on my video!! Breakfast has been included with the room fee at each hotel; and they are elaborate!! Remember the dilemma I was having about some of the fruit? Well, it seems they take apricots pretty seriously. We have stewed, steam, dried, and peeled apricots each morning along with traditional melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), AND peeled oranges and grapefruit. I stick to the South African tea and fresh fruit. It's just too early to eat! Did I mention that we didn't have heat on the bus either?
School #1 - St. Josephs K-12 Marist College - This is a 'brother' school to the Marist College we visited in Durban; but it's very different! When we arrived there was a power outage and we were all in the dark. We thought school might be canceled; but it wasn't. We had 4 ambassadors to escort us to the classrooms to make sure we didn't get lost, and to answer any of our questions. We divided into 3 groups: elementary, middle, and high school teachers. For grades 1-3; and 4-6 there are traditional and Montessori classrooms. The parents get to choose which path their child will follow. After grade 6 they all matriculate into the traditional classrooms through grade 12. They are getting ready for "holiday" after this week. They have 4 school terms that last approximately 3 months; and their school year is from January through December. It is very similar to the year-round calendar. All of the schools in Durban and Cape Town have the same type of schedule - public and private. The children were excited to meet us. Americans are held in high esteem in South Africa. Almost forgot - School begins at 8am. K and grade 1 students dismiss at 1:30pm. All other students dismiss at 2:30 pm.
School #2 - Milnerton High School - Public Class C School
By the time we arrived at Milnerton the students had left for the day; however, it was one of the best visits. We got a wonderful opportunity to hear from a public school principal. He was especially proud of his school and his students! They are all taking exams; and being high school students, they finish their exams daily at 12pm. All students that attend Milnerton are required to play a sport. There are 37 languages represented in their student body; and they are required to teach the students in the language they speak. It's unbelievable. While English is the 'primary' language in the country, there is no mandated language of instruction. Standing at the rugby stadium of the school it looked as if we had moved closer to Table Mountain! There are amazing views wherever you look!
Tomorrow we see the African penguins!!
School #1 - St. Josephs K-12 Marist College - This is a 'brother' school to the Marist College we visited in Durban; but it's very different! When we arrived there was a power outage and we were all in the dark. We thought school might be canceled; but it wasn't. We had 4 ambassadors to escort us to the classrooms to make sure we didn't get lost, and to answer any of our questions. We divided into 3 groups: elementary, middle, and high school teachers. For grades 1-3; and 4-6 there are traditional and Montessori classrooms. The parents get to choose which path their child will follow. After grade 6 they all matriculate into the traditional classrooms through grade 12. They are getting ready for "holiday" after this week. They have 4 school terms that last approximately 3 months; and their school year is from January through December. It is very similar to the year-round calendar. All of the schools in Durban and Cape Town have the same type of schedule - public and private. The children were excited to meet us. Americans are held in high esteem in South Africa. Almost forgot - School begins at 8am. K and grade 1 students dismiss at 1:30pm. All other students dismiss at 2:30 pm.
School #2 - Milnerton High School - Public Class C School
By the time we arrived at Milnerton the students had left for the day; however, it was one of the best visits. We got a wonderful opportunity to hear from a public school principal. He was especially proud of his school and his students! They are all taking exams; and being high school students, they finish their exams daily at 12pm. All students that attend Milnerton are required to play a sport. There are 37 languages represented in their student body; and they are required to teach the students in the language they speak. It's unbelievable. While English is the 'primary' language in the country, there is no mandated language of instruction. Standing at the rugby stadium of the school it looked as if we had moved closer to Table Mountain! There are amazing views wherever you look!
Tomorrow we see the African penguins!!