Today the Doing Great Team (in partnership with Taurus School Solutions) piloted their first reading and handing over of Oaky and the Sun books to a Grade 3 class of 40 children at Meadowridge Primary School in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain.
This was the first time that I have been to Lentegeur, one of the poorer suburbs in Mitchells Plain. We arrived at the Meadowridge Primary School and met with the wonderful principal Mr. Norman Daniels. He and the teachers do such a great job with the children, I was blown away by their love for the children and their dedication to teach them well in the best possible environment. We then went to a classroom filled with 40 curious, well behaved Grade 3 children.
The author of Oaky and the Sun, Athol Williams (who writes under the pseudoname AE Ballakisten), greeted the excited children and read to them the story of Oaky - who is a little acorn searching for the right direction to go. The wise Sun tells Oaky to come to where the bright light shines. Eventually Oaky who grows into a mature Oak Tree discovers that he is where he should be! Athol asked the children some questions about Oaky (which they answered very well!) and discussed what the message of the story was. It is a great story about finding your purpose in life. A lesson not only for children but for us adults too :)
I then spoke to the children and went through the different parts of a tree such as the roots, trunk, branches and leaves and then I taught them about how an acorn grows into a sapling then into a small Oak Tree and finally into a Big Oak Tree. They really were a clever group as they were very engaging and were eventually all shouting out in unison what they had just learnt, all correctly.
We then handed out a copy of Oaky and the Sun to each child in the class. Then we asked them to read the story and they did! Sure they struggled with a few words but they did a great job and hopefully learnt a lot today.
It was fantastic to see our very own book in the hands of those children. It was also such an honour for us to share the story of Oaky and the Sun with them and to give the books to them to take home and keep. We learnt that the school doesn't even have enough textbooks at school never mind a story book for pupils to take home.
It was such a humbling and heart-warming experience and hopefully we have inspired some (if not all!) of the children to read, learn and find their true purpose in life. Teaching can be one of the most rewarding things to do, I really do admire teachers, especially in areas like Mitchells Plain that face numerous challenges.
With help from volunteers, we hope that this will be the first of many occasions to give children in poor communities a copy of Oaky and the Sun. Please contact me taryn@doinggreatthings.co.za if you would like to be part of this great initiative. Let's keep doing great things in South Africa!
I leave you with one of my most favourite quotes- the words of Maya Angelou, 'When you learn, teach. When you get, give.'
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