Julia Grey visited an exceptional little school lost in the platteland
Ahe town of Verkeerdevlei, lost in the Free State, is almost as short of landmarks as it is of people. The patch of swamp after which the town is named is about the only distinguishing thing about it (it is known as “the wrong swamp” because the stream that feeds it has the strange behaviour of flowing back out of the swamp the same way that it flows in).
But while this dozy town has little to recommend it, the same cannot be said for the area’s dynamic primary school.
Perhaps a lot of the buzz around Verkeerdevlei Primary can be attributed to the principal, Frick Leonard, who has led the school for the past six years from an all-whites to black school. Well, all the pupils are black but the teaching staff remains white dominated, with only one black teacher on its staff.
But while this feature of the school may sit uneasily with the new vision for South African schools, Leonard has done remarkably in creating a school culture that put the needs of the youngsters first. “When I started here, I said to myself that I’m going to create a safe haven from racism and protect our kids from all kinds of vicious things lurking out there,” recalls Leonard.
One such harsh reality the students face is hunger. Coming mainly from families who struggle to live above the poverty line in the nearby township or farms, nutritional lacks often leads to exhausted learners, particularly on Monday mornings, says Leonard.
The solution is a garden and feeding initiative, which both supplements the children’s diet and serves as an educational project.
The school’s garden, with its organised patches of spring onions, carrots, potatoes and the like, was born out of the efforts of the students. Through its cultivation, they learn the ABCs of agriculture and plant life — and then, best of all, they get to eat their produce. The school has basic kitchen facilities which the students use to brew a nourishing soup (which gives them a glimpse of home economic skills as well). The soup is due to become even more delicious soon because the school’s reservoir is stocked with Orange River mud fish. And who knows what these youngsters will learn about fishing and aquatic life before they enjoy tasting them?
Sensitivity to the context of the learners’ needs goes as far as teachers digging into their own pockets to provide uniforms for those with the worst rags, and there’s a shower and soap at the school for those who get few other opportunities to wash.
But learning is still the life and soul of the dusty little school. Says Leonard, “Anyone willing to take on a stiff academic challenge will excel here. Some have gone as far as technical high school in Bloemfontein and are doing exceptionally well”.
Another effort from Leonard’s side that speaks of his interest in his learners’ world is his enthusiasm for seSotho. Having studied the language for seven years, he is the school’s Sotho teacher. But his commitment to understanding the language of his students has effects bigger than his classroom: “The school is really a bridge between different peoples in this town”, says Leonard.
— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, February, 2001.