Hello 🙂 My name is Jessica Lew-Munoz and I am currently a senior at Santa Clara University majoring in mathematics and minoring in urban education. This summer I will be traveling to Cape Town, South Africa to volunteer at St. Raphael’s Roman Catholic Primary School as a teacher assistant. Here’s a quick Q&A to learn more about my host organization and to read my attempt at trying to put my pre-departure thoughts into words.
Q: Who is your host organization and what is their mission?
A: St. Raphael’s Roman Catholic Primary School is more precisely found in Athlone, a suburb that lies to the east of the Cape Town city center. Athlone is in what’s commonly known as the Cape Flats – a large flat section of dry land that was used as a “dumping ground” by the apartheid regime who used race-based legislation to force non-white people out of areas designated for white people and into government-built townships and informal settlements in the Flats. Social and economic disparities between races continue to exist in South Africa, which can be observed in suburbs such as Athlone, whose population is predominantly “coloured” (which is a term explicitly used in South Africa to describe those of mixed race). For example, according to the 2011 South African Census, only 59% of Athlone residents aged 20 years and older had completed Grade 12. Also, 31% of Athlone households had a monthly income of R3200 or less (which is equivalent to about 250 USD per month). Furthermore, 10% reported having no source of income at all. Therefore, after 22 years into the post-apartheid era, the community of Athlone still faces socioeconomic hardships on a daily basis.
St. Raphael’s is a private primary school that teaches grade R (which is equivalent to kindergarten) to grade seven. The school is a quaint building located adjacent to the St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church. Although the school is understaffed, overcrowded, and in desperate need for learning materials, the teachers and administration are devoted to providing their students with a quality education to the best of their abilities. The goal behind the school’s Catholic philosophy is to offer a values-based education to its learners in an environment that is conducive to their physical, emotional, moral, intellectual and spiritual development. Similar to Santa Clara University’s mission of creating a holistic student through competence, conscience, and compassion, St. Raphael’s is committed to teaching justice and compassion by offering a Catholic perspective on how to engage with society and work in solidarity with people who are most in need.
Q: What will you be doing at your host organization?
A: I will be volunteering as a teacher assistant to a multi-subject, seventh grade teacher. The details are still to be determined, however, my goal for this experience is to gain more insight on teaching preparation, various forms of managing student behavior, and the similarities/difference between the American and South African educational systems. The reasons being is that I am currently pursuing a career in teaching, therefore I want to use this opportunity to gain classroom experience working with students.
Q: What are you hoping to learn about your placement?
A: I hope to learn more about St. Raphael’s teachers and hear stories about their experiences working in challenging conditions. I want to learn more about what influenced/inspired them to pursue teaching, and to specifically teach at St. Raphael’s. I also want to find out what teaching preparation they have went through and if they continually participate in teaching workshops to continue to develop their skills. Additionally, I hope to learn more about the student perspective by listening to students’ experiences in school. Also, I want to gain awareness about the challenges students may face on a day to day basis, inside and outside of school. And I want to learn want to learn what they like about school.
Q: How are you feeling?
A: I’m excited because I have been waiting 8 months to return back to Cape Town. During Fall 2016, I had the opportunity to study abroad for 5 months at the University of Cape Town, and I have been waiting ever since to go back. One reason being is that, while I was in Cape Town, I was volunteering at St. Raphael’s and befriended many of the students. They were a highlight of my study abroad experience and I promised them that I would return. Therefore, I am keeping my promise and excited to be going back to work with them again… I’m anxious because I have been waiting 8 long months to go back hahaha. And I do not know what to expect. I am curious to see if things have stayed the same oor if things have changed. I am also interested to see if my students remember me or not. (I hope they do!)… I’m nervous because I have no idea who the principal will assign me to assist. I also do not know what my days will entail. There are many unknowns, but it is a challenge I am excited to take on!
Q: What are you hoping to learn about yourself?
A: I hope to learn more about myself as a teacher. For instance, I want to see how I will respond to spontaneous requests for assistance by the teacher and students. I want to see how well I can explain a concept to a student. I want to see if I really up for the challenge of becoming a full-time teacher.
Additionally, I want to see how well I do traveling on my own. I’ve been to South Africa before, however most activities, travel programs, and some other expenses were already organized by my study abroad program. This time I had to plan everything on my own. I had to contact and make arrangements with the school practically a year in advance, find accommodation, plan travel and food costs, and set money aside for weekend excursions and a cheap South African phone + data/minutes. All I can do now is wait and see if everything comes together in the end.
Q: What are you looking forward to?
A: First of all, I am looking forward to attending classes because this will allow me to observe how the teacher engages his or her students, uses different techniques to teach the material, and, more interestingly, accommodate for the diverse needs of his or her students. The reason being is that in the future, I want to work in diverse, low-income, high-needs schools because I feel like their students are the most neglected and they deserve more of the public’s attention. Therefore, working in schools such as St. Raphael’s’ will give me the opportunity to observe how it is to teach in a low-income, culturally diverse setting. Thus, as I analyze the classroom from an outside perspective, I want to use this experience to assist me in developing my own strategies of how to teach in my future classroom.
Secondly, I want to continue expanding my awareness and knowledge of the 
different cultures that exist in the world. I believe that it is important as a citizen of Earth to learn about and understand those who live alongside us on this planet we call home. Additionally, it is important that we learn their culture and their identity to understand their story. People are more than the color of their skin. Everyone has a unique mixture of language, beliefs, religions, traditions, food, song, clothes, and so on. They all have a unique story to share, and they deserve our respect to share their story no matter how different that person may be. For example, I enjoyed listening to the students’ stories last year, which gave me a sense of their identity and their cultural backgrounds. This also assisted me with understanding their educational upbringing and gave me a better idea on how I could accommodate their needs as a teacher.
Lastly, I look forward to creating more memories and stories that I hope to share my fellow family, friends, and beloved Broncos ❤
Stay tuned for more blog posts! Chat later 🙂
Jessica Lew-Munoz
Jean Donovan Summer Fellowship 