'Five little Speckled frogs'

Professional Week 10

NB:  I tried to upload weeks 10 and 11 before I left for Zambia, but as I'm Africa Internet connection tends to be an issue!

Competitors from all over the world converged in Port Elizabeth (PE) for one of the world's most physically demanding sports events -- Ironman South Africa. This is the only leg of the International Ironman Competition to be staged on the African continent consisting of a 3.8km swim, a 180km cycle and a 42.2km marathon.   The competition began very early on Sunday morning and after our visit from the police officer we could have possibly made the journey down to watch the beginning of the race.  As the competition ended as late as midnight; many locals thought of the competition as more of a social gathering or event, rather than a serious athletic competition.  Along the sidelines you could see numerous people drinking, braai-ing and encouraging those taking part in the race, especially those wearing funny costumes and flip flops to persevere to the end.

Adam running 1/2 way through 42.2km

It takes months of dedicated training to compete in this event and competitors have 17 hours to complete all three disciplines. We were very fortunate to know someone that was taking part in this gruelling challenge, a local South African called Adam.  He alongside 1500, other athletes from 37 countries all across the world put their bodies through physical hardship to complete this tough race.   We spent most of the day watching the various elements within the race whilst supporting and encouraging Adam as much as we could.

Supporters Club

Adam at the finish line!

The heat was too much for some

With such a prestigious competition the city saw an influx of people and as a result our accommodation was full to capacity due to its prime location to the beach and the competition itself. Unfortunately during the course of the weekend our flat was robbed and Paddy’s camera and wallet were stolen from the coffee table. From our understanding Paddy was at the beach and I was in the bathroom, when the thief must have slipped in and out without me or anyone else in the building noticing.  After the incident we made our way to the nearest police station and filed a case report, to cover the insurance requirements.  This was an enlightening experience.  On Sunday we received an earlier wakeup call that we would have liked to have imagined but alas a detective from the police station wanted to follow up the case at 6.40am in the morning.  Let’s just say neither Paddy or myself were happy at the thought of someone coming this early in the morning to look at the flat and talk to us about what happened.

On Monday we began our block placement in Cape Recife High School for children with special educational needs.  I have been placed in a Grade 1 classroom under the direction of Ms Jill Hoskin.  As this is a special school, the pupils’ all have some need that could not be catered for in the mainstream classroom.  My class consists of twelve children, with a wide range in ability.  Many children have behaviour problems; some have speech and language problems and other children suffer from a physical disability such as cerebral palsy and brittle bone syndrome.

My first lesson concerned the introduction of a new numeracy topic, subtraction.   After the introduction and explanation of this mathematical concept the children completed the class activity, which involved the children removing fish from their individual ocean scene.  The children were asked to solve various problems as a class and then individually, depending on their awareness and understanding of subtraction.  The children thoroughly enjoyed this resource as they had various textures to feel, keeping each stimulated and focused on the task they were given. After the children completed the worksheet that the teacher asked me to include, I asked the children to come to the carpet  to discuss what we had learned so far and to also teach them the song, about  speckled frogs and how it can help us with subtraction.  They thoroughly enjoyed this part of the lesson. 

Although I felt the children gained a lot from this lesson, I realised that I needed to spend some more time in future taking the children through each step of each activity together as a class, to avoid confusion and frustration.  I definitely recognised what I needed to improve after the teaching of the lesson and gained valuable insight into the various abilities within the classroom.  As the week passed by I gained the knowledge and understanding of what each child needed in order to progress and develop effectively in their own learning and would incorporate this in my further planning. 

'hard at work'



Matthew pleased with his work

Throughout the week I was met by many challenges namely tantrums, however I feel it has helped me develop the tools that are required to effectively deal with such issues that are becoming more apparent in the  mainstream classroom.  The lack of resources has also been a challenge; as it has taken a tremendous amount of time to construct and make individual resources for each child in your class.  However, the children did enjoy the resource and I used it in several other lessons. It did make me wonder about all the expensive resources that we at home buy from catalogues, and that perhaps we should in future, make us of our imagination and creativity and create our own resources for our classrooms.  Although this is a special school it does lack the necessary equipment and funding that is needed to provide a sufficient learning environment to cater for the needs of every individual child.

I have faced many challenges whilst being in this school; these experiences have highlighted the strategies needed to overcome these barriers.  Furthermore, I have had the opportunity to develop my professional competencies particularly in relating to classroom management and working with other professionals.  All of these encounters will better aid me in my teaching in South Africa and indeed when I return home to Northern Ireland.

Every Wednesday evening the local yacht club, situated at the docks, offer free trips to the general public to sail on the open sea.  Of course we jumped at the chance to experience a bit of sailing, South African style. The sunset was beautiful and it was absolutely spectacular experiencing the scenery out at sea on a yacht.  Our crew kept us well entertained and gave us a short education, giving us a taste for what exactly you need to know when it comes to sailing on the open sea.  The South African crew were extremely friendly and encouraged us to come back again to learn and experience sailing in the windy bay of Port Elizabeth. 

I will leave you with a few sunset views we experienced on the open ocean in Port Elizabeth bay! 

Picture Perfect...



Until next time,

“Baai” (bye)

Callum.