Blog post 6

Almost into the last two weeks of my trip! It is going by so quickly I forget that I have to fly home in a few weeks, it seems like I live here now--others on the trip are feeling the same way. I have been teaching everyday different lessons with the students, using different tactics to get the student's attention (and keep it) I have been joking with the teachers that work at the school about the students and different ways to keep the class under control. For so many complaints that I had about the US school systems (particularly in MI) I have no complaints now. The school I am at with 40 students in the classroom those with learning disabilities and there are plenty of them, they cannot get the attention that they deserve. Many students in the grade 4 class cannot read, literally cannot read. Today I worked with a student one-on-one for about an hour on sound-letter knowledge, sight words, phonemic awareness and the poor student could barely read the word "went." My teacher has had psychologists come in, meetings with his mum but the schools just pass him along because they do not have resource rooms. It is tough to see the students struggle but positive times make up for it. This past weekend was a tour of the Western Cape again going to different beaches and staying at a bed and breakfast right on the beach, seeing white lions and having plenty of group bonding, I do not want the trip to end! This weekend we are going to watch a rugby game and I am meeting family members of my host mom- really excited!