Yesterday marks the tenth week I have gone to Sinethemba to volunteer. Up until this week, and especially after last week, I was feeling especially down and pessimistic about volunteering. This week, I left Sinethemba still frustrated, still slightly sad, but this time I finally felt like I might have made a difference. I helped on of my favorite students, Lashay, with her homework. Lashay is one of my favorites because she is always interested in her homework, she listens and I can tell her school work is very important to her. She also loves art, and is very talented. Yesterday, as soon as she saw me she walked up to me and said that she wanted help with her homework by telling me she needed "materials." Unsure of what she meant, I asked her to explain. She said she needed materials to tape onto a piece of paper and then identity what they were in English. Still not quite understanding, she drew me a picture, and a really good one at that, with perfect detail to explain what she meant. Finally understand, we then went on a "scavenger hunt" for materials outside. We found wood, plastic, cardboard, paper, foam, rubber and yarn. While we were looking Lashay asked me questions again, about The U.S, and where I was from and I asked her several questions too, like if she likes sports, what her favorite subject was in school (art of course) and what her favorite type of music was. When we had found all the materials she needed, she started to glue them onto the piece of paper, and then write the names of the objects below. There were a few words she needed help on, but every time she seemed unsure, and asked for help, she insisted that I not give it away, she only wanted help sounding out the words, because she wanted to get it by herself in the end. This was surprising to me, because usually the kids beg to have answers given to them, but it dosent take much to tell Lashay is different. While she was writing and working on her homework, I asked her about her art. I told her she was really talented, and that she should go to art school someday. In my head, I thought this was a compliment and that she would like it, but her expression said otherwise. She looked shocked-stopped writing-and just looked at me for a minute. Then she said something I would have never expected, and something I dont think I will ever forget. "I cant do that." When I asked her why, she said: "Because Im poor. I wont get to do things like that." I honestly was so shocked I didnt even know what to say. She wasnt sad or upset when she said it, she just acted like it wasnt a big deal. I then asked her why she thought she couldnt do it anyway. This is what she told me: "I dont need to go to art school to be an artist. I know how to draw myself. I dont need someone to tell me how to do it. If I say Im an artist, then I am."
Up until this point, I thought I was the one teaching the kids, but I think this volunteering experience has been a lot more than me just teaching them. I have learned more in these ten weeks, about different walks of life and different lessons in life more than I ever will in a classroom. I think Lashay telling me what she did had a lot to do with me finally realizing that. I think education is extremely important and that is the solution to a brigher future for a lot of the children at Sinethemba, but Lashay is right-sometimes a degree dosent define who you are and sometimes you cant learn everything in a classroom. This is defiantly a week of volunteering I wont forget.
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