End of an era.

All good things come to an end eventually. After nine years of teaching Drakensview Primary School, the governing body decided that all teacher 65 years and over had to go, well I was nearing the end of my 68th year so I was one of three that had to go. The first two years that I was there I taught English and History to grade 7, at the beginning of 2009 I took over the library. I have had no formal teacher training, lots experience though (been teaching since 1996) but I do have two library degrees a B.Bibl degree in Library and Information Science, a four year degree, and I have a post graduate Honours Bachelor of Library Science (B.Bibl Hons) from the University of South Africa, (UNISA) a distance learning institute. 

I enjoyed every day that I worked at Drakensview, I can't remember one day where I thought I'm not in the mood to face another day at school, work was a pleasure! Actually I can't remember one job in my working life that I didn't enjoy.

Come end of year and at the last assembly of the year for the Foundation Phase, gd's 1 - 3, I was invited to attend and given a certificate and a gift bag full of goodies.

Click on image to enlarge.

Above is the certificate I was given, if you enlarge the image and look in the bottom left hand corner you will see Worm Fixations and right at the bottom left Glow-worm. This refers to a comment I made in November. On the 3rd of December I had to go to hospital for what the medical profession calls a "procedure", in real English an operation. The "procedure" was Brachy-therapy, which is where they implant radio active pellets into the prostate glad to combat prostate cancer, (seems to have worked). Well before I went in for the "procedure", I told everyone in the staff room during tea time one day that when I'm radio active I will have a Light Sabre like Luke Sky-Walker in Star Wars, and at night when I go to toilet I won't have to switch on any lights, all I need to do is take out my Light Sabre and light my way. Someone muttered under their breath, "he means his glow-worm". Who needs enemies when you've got friend like that.

Above is the gift bag specially made for me, the fish and the lettering were cut out and carefully pasted on to the bag.

At our year end function at one of the posh Berg hotels I was presented with this clock. Here again all the letters and numbers were carefully cut out and glued onto the clock face. This was done by one of the school secretaries, Lindy Naude, in her spare time at home. To say that I was deeply touched by these tokens of affection would be putting it mildly.

I will write about my new career in a following post, just to say I'm now a member of the SAVF. What is the SAVF? The SAVF is an NPO (non profit charity organisation) that has almost 400 institutions under it's wing, old age homes, frail care centers, orphanages, creches, etc,. And what do the letters SAVF stand for? Suid Afrikaanse Vroue Federasie, translation South African Women's Federation, founded in 1903. Google SAVF South Africa for the whole history.

How come a man is member of a women's organisation, as I said more about that later just to say I'm still involved in education.

Organised chaos.

For the last three weeks I've been working in a state of organised chaos in the school library. It's annual stock taking, has been for the past three weeks. First comes the battle to get all the books back from the learners and the teachers, teachers are the worst. Although I remind every one weeks in advance that they need to return all library material each year it's the same story. A bit like pulling teeth without anaesthetic. 

During the stock take I make use of the opportunity to remove all old, tattered and out of date stock. Above old stock on my work table.


For a decade before I arrived items were only added never removed, when I took over 3 years ago it was almost impossible to take a book of the shelves they were so jammed in. First thing I did was have a big clean up. One of the rural schools just outside of town benefited and received about 2000 books, a few cartons went to a school in Mozambique.

More books removed from stock, mostly old non-fiction. During this year I've added more than 2000 new books to the stock. One third non-fiction and the rest fiction. Last year was slightly less. So space just has to be made.

Above mostly old fiction, my criteria for removing a book, is it old and unsightly and if it hasn't been read in the last 3 - 4 years. A lot of these books will go to class reading corners. I'll have a book sale and the rest will go to schools who have no books.

Shelves on the right part of the fiction section, all completed and neat. When I took over 3 years ago these shelves were all jammed with books, fiction going back to the 50's which no learner today would read. Strangely enough, Hardy Boys books, and Enid Blyton, remain favourites.  

Above part of the non-fiction section. The library has a very comprehensive non-fiction section.


Ideally I should have a lap top with a scanner, (all our books and other material are bar coded), and scan the books at the shelves. Unfortunately I don't have it so I start at one end pack a batch of books on the book trolly, wheel the lot to the PC and do it there, that finished I take them back and repack the shelves.


In spite of my drastic clean out the library still has more than 8000 items in stock.


Tomorrow I start the reserve section, after that teachers resource material. Teachers resource material gets messed more than the rest. Returned to the wrong shelf, put in back to front, upside down and all jumbled up, while they are browsing, looking for something not quite sure what. Will know when they see it.


When I've finished with the above it's the last lap, DVD's, videos & CD's. Then comes the problem of hunting down missing books.


All of this gets done by yours truly all on his ownsome.

Scenes from my school

The entrance to the salt mine where I slave all day-:)

 

The school badge with a Lammergeier in flight over the Drakensberg. School motto; Liber sed integrer. Freedom with responsibility.

Pedestrian entrance to the school. In the background, entrance to the school hall and reception area. Administration block on the right. Click on photos to enlarge.

Southern sports field, rugby, soccer and athletics. Net-ball courts on the to terrace next to the school.

Another view of the south sports field. If you look carefully when you enlarge the photo you will see part of the Drakensberg, unfortunately mostly obscured by cloud.

Southern sports field, cricket and hockey. To the left, half obscured by the tree in the left foreground, are our tennis courts and swimming pool.

View of the library taken from my work station. Right back, foundation phase library (Grade 1 - 3). This has just been added to the main library, hence all the boxes and no entry sign. About 1,500 books still to be put on the system. At the back and to the left out of photo non-fiction section. Middle shelf and to the right, and out of photo English fiction.

Left foreground, Afrikaans fiction. I have since had the TV and video recorder removed, the school has a separate  video room with large, wall mounted flat-screen TV with video and DVD player. Behind and to the left is the reference shelves and behind that the teachers resource library. The teachers resource library has about 2000 items.

View of the reference section, encyclopedias, etc., with teachers resource library behind. Between the two is where I prepare and repair books. Issue counter and entrance to the left.

The library is fully computerised and when I have completed the foundation phase section, will have +- 10,000 items in stock.

I do all the purchasing of books, preparing them, classifying and cataloguing, and entering new stock on the computer system. One teacher assists me with preparation and repair of books for one hour twice a week. I also have 5 library assistants, grade 7 learners, who help pack books and tidy up.

Furthermore I see all the grades from grade 1 to grade 7 every week, three classes to each grade. Grade 1 to 2 come for a half hour story reading. From grade 3 to seven they have a one hour library period where I teach them library use, research, etc. Learners also change their books in this period. Learners may change books at any time during the day, at break times, or after school from 2 to 3pm.

I usually get to school an hour before official starting time as I find this my most productive time to do administrative work and lesson preparation.

About three times a year I organise a Book fair where travelling book sellers bring their books and display them in the school hall. This Book fair is open to the whole community and other schools in the area.Local people and schools support the Book fairs enthusiastically. Once a year I get an organisation Called "Hooked on Books". These are drama students from the University of KwaZuluNatal, Pietermaritzburg campus, who present parts of books as a mini play. The learner's just love them. After these presentations I have to make sure that I have enough copies of the books presented, because they all want to read them.  Other schools in the area also attend.

I love my job and the days just fly by!