Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to school we go!

In August, we decided to enroll the kids in school and set out on new adventures.   We were excited to find in the schools here that God is still openly worshipped.   Many schools are based on the highly structured traditional British model of headmasters, uniforms, respect for authority, etc.  The kids go to assembly 3 mornings a week where they sing hymns, pray and discuss the Headmaster's goals for character and moral excellency.  Our school is currently studying the 7 habits of highly effective children with the school children.  I've always said if the kids could go to school for half the day and I could have them for the other half that I'd be happy with them being in school.  I found that here in South Africa!  

The school year begins in January and ends in December.  It's a year round program with 6 weeks off in the summer (Dec/Jan) and 4 weeks off in the winter (June) with a 2 week break in the spring and the fall.  School starts at 7:45 and the Kindergarten through grade 2 kids get out at noonish and the grade 3-7 kids get out at 2 pm.  

Getting geared up for school is very different from my memories of buying school supplies in America.  Everything is provided in the school's colors - from your pencil bag to your backpack.  I remember all the hours of fun I had picking out exactly what theme pencil case I wanted.  Every aspect of buying school supplies was an opportunity to make a fashion statement.  Although they have Hannah Montana folders here, you won't be bringing them to school -and not your own personal decorated 3 ring binder either.  In fact in South Africa, they only bind with 2 rings.  Most of your pencils don't have erasers, but instead you use a separate larger eraser called a rubber.  (No one giggles over here at that word - you rub out your answer when you want to change it.)  The kids were quite a hit with their decorated colorful pencils with detachable eraser caps!!  Shiloh's determined to make a profitable business out of selling the scented Smencils here.  What do you think you would go and buy if "Koki's" were on your stationary list?  Why colored markers of course!  

The kids were quite excited about their first day of school - wondering as all kids do - if they would make any friends.  Because they started in the middle of the school year, and because they were Americans, it seemed all 90 kids in each of their grades knew who they were!  When I asked W how it went at school that first day, and did he make any friends, he offhandedly told me - "Yes mom, it's exhausting, I'm such a celebrity!"  I thought he was exaggerating the truth a bit until I went to sit down in the pick up area with the other parents on the 3rd day and this mom heard my southern accent and turned to me and gaspingly said - "I know who you are - you're the new Americans!"  This got us much mileage and quick acquaintances.  After the second day, S came home and said - mom - I can't eat my lunch for people asking me questions.  I keep trying to be polite and answer their questions, but then I don't get to eat.  Guess all those worries about social integration of home schoolers weren't much of an issue for us.

A spent the first week dispelling the myth that all Americans dress like cowboys.  When the school had international dress up day, many boys dressed up as cowboys saying they were Americans.  You have to remember that one of the first tv shows on when tv came to South Africans in the 70's was Dallas.  

W started at the Pre-Primary (preschool) in the kindergarten equivalent called Grade R (for readiness).  Here the focus in this grade is on learning through play - there's lots of physical outside time, art, craft, blocks, etc.  They introduce letters and numbers.  It's much like kindergarten when I was a kid - you were just coming to begin to learn, you didn't show up knowing your full alphabet.  Being an active kid, W liked all the moving and shaking.  His teacher, Ms. Barrett, was fantastic in helping him with the transition.  It was nice for W to feel like the big man on campus since he'd spent the last 3 years being the youngest and feeling like the little fish who never knew enough in homeschool.  We now shared many conversations about individuality, humility and grace as he went about spouting off his times tables that he'd learned to all his new friends.  

A was due to go into grade 2, but since her birthday is at the beginning of their school year, she was a head taller and advanced in her studies, we decided to move her into grade 3.  She fit perfectly there like a pea in a pod.  Her teacher, Ms. Madgin, is the headmaster's daughter and Ani took well to her.  She was especially excited to find out her teacher was getting married in a few weeks.  How cool is that to be a little girl at your teacher's wedding?  

A was thrilled to find out that they would be learning 2 languages in school - Zulu and Afrikaans.  She loves the structure of her day and is thrilled to be going to music class, pe (swimming in the term 4!), etc.  She is very serious about completing her homework.  Here she is helping Wyatt with his homework.  He, on the other hand, is not so excited about it.  

S is in Ms. Gibb's class in Grade 4.  She is a remarkable lady who I quite respect.  When I asked her how she handled discipline in her class, she remarked, "I'm a calm and quiet person, I don't resort to shouting.  I find that they see what I'm doing and adapt to me."  Brilliant!  Exactly what Shiloh needed.  He is one of the youngest and smallest in his class.  It's funny how he never thought about his size until he got into school.  But he quickly found out he was one of the more clever (South Afrispeak for smarter) kids in the class and capitalized on that newfound asset.  He was thrilled to have a whole new library of books to ravish and the librarian made him prove to her that he really was reading all of those books he checked out 3 times a day.  Now he's one of her star learners (South Afrispeak for students).  He also quickly clued in to the merit/ demerit system that the school uses to encourage positive behavior.  This earned him great privileges such as wearing civvies (street clothes), extra library visits, no homework passes and special treats.

There are 2 breaks during the day - one at 10 for half an hour and one at 12:30 for 20 minutes.  There is no school cafeteria.  You either eat your lunch from home or something from the school Tuck shop- a place were things like sweeties (South Afrispeak for candy), crisps (South Afrispeak for chips) and all things generally malnutritious abide.  In the lower grades, the children are given a special money pouch to wear around their necks to keep their tuck shop money in for the one special day they're allowed to go.  In the older grades, it's totally dependent on how much cash you've got in your pocket.  S and the other kids are a big fan of tuck shop day.

Although it is a co-ed school, the boys have a separate lunch and play area than the girls.  They sit on these big cooler boxes outside in the field while they eat and play games.  They bring tennis balls and play hand ball, a game similar to four square.  S was happy to become caught up in the typical boy trading activities as well.  First it was World Cup soccer cards, then it was Gogo's - these cute little figures that they use to play games.  His backpack is now filled to the brim with his collections that he takes to school and trades. 

The second month of school, the 4th grade boys were asked to audition for the Drakensberg boys choir - a world famous choir from a boarding school about 2 hours inland. S was so excited to come home with the news that he had qualified to attend their school!  Unfortunately for his singing career, his mom was still processing through the whole letting go idea, so he wasn't sent off to boarding school - but what a great achievement! 

 Another brilliant thing about the school is that sports and extramural activities are held at the school each day.  There's no need to drive around to little league or soccer practice and miss family dinner hour.  Extramurals are held from 2-3pm each day afterschool.  Games are on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.  The main sports focus here differs by term - much like seasons of sports in America.  Term 1 and 4 are usually swimming and cricket, Term 2 (fall) is Netball (a sport for girls only with a basket and a ball, where you only move if you're not holding the ball), Rugby for boys,  Term 3 is Field Hockey, Athletics (like track and field) and Softball.  S chose to do tennis, chess club, General Knowledge quiz and swimming.  He also tried out cricket.  A enjoyed field hockey, baking class, and swimming.  W learned to swim this year and joined karate, but said he didn't think he'd continue it because it made him "too violent and want to kick other kids at school."

All in all it's been a great introduction to South African public school.  I'm impressed with how polite and well mannered my kids are in a culture that sets that standard.  They seem to have confidently gone into their peer worlds and are enjoying their new experiences.  I do miss all of the time I used to spend with them each day.  On break up day (South Afrispeak for last day of school) we took the photo below.  We're all looking forward to a summer filled with sleeping in, beach visits, no ironing or wearing of uniforms, no packing lunch boxes and lots and lots of lazy, relaxed days.