Dr. Kimberly Worthy opened my mind this week. She introduced the LEAP Science and Math’s School and how the children in South Africa are excelling. I was unaware of the educational opportunities in Africa before my Tuesday Freshman Seminar class. It was inspiring to hear of the kind of work these children do seven days a week in school and the conditions they then have to go home to at the end of the day.
Dr. Worthy said that the children who attend the LEAP Science and Math’s School “are simply allowed to be.” Their culture is very much a part of their education. It seems to actually help them open their minds. When Europeans came to Africa, colonized, and built their schools they would not allow Africans to practice their traditions and culture when in school. The LEAP Science and Math’s School is a victory for Africans proving their resilience at maintaining their culture.
Dr. Worthy asked us to define freedom. I would define freedom as the ability to pursue what you desire. Dr. Worthy introduced us to a book called Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freine where he defined freedom himself as “the struggle for humanization. I do believe a part of being human is to have freedom and an aspect of freedom is to be able to practice your religion and culture freely and wholeheartedly.
Ubuntu is a Zulu proverb that says “a person is a person through other persons. We affirm our humanity when we acknowledge that of others” (Worthy). This is a code that the students at the LEAP Science and Math’s School follow. I promise if the students of all schools followed this code then our relationships as well as our grades would be greatly improved.
Works Cited
Worthy, Kimberly. “Practices of Freedom & Justice: A Charge to Keep.” Howard University, Washington, D.C. 4 October 2011. 9 October 2011.
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