Two Minutes

Foundation phase does not have a regular break, as this time does not exist in real time. It is determined by the school nutrition programme, as learners get a break to eat and move around a bit when food is being served. At this point one would assume that this marks the first break. Depending on what you define as break, you might be on point.  However, when you spend your break inside the classroom because your seniors will bully you for your food, the definition ‘an intermission to relax’ does not suffice. Much like the generalise able condition depicted here, Mbongweni J.S.S fits the bill of such typology as food is served in the classroom because senior learners are said to take the food of foundation phase learners and they need to be chased around in order to get them back in class . To avoid this needed exercise, break is held for ransom. Excuse the paradox. The defiant are made to come back in.  I wonder when the imaginary friends come in….I mean, into the picture.
The closest thing resembling a break was the second break which lasted about 20 minutes. It is during this time that one saw both the limited resource (infrastructure) for the realisation of child development (physical education) and the innovation of rural learners in creatively making-up for inadequate spending on physical education. The school had a lot of trees, some of which are used strategically for play though inappropriate and unsafe for learners. Learners run on some of the logs using them as balancing beams. A simple plastic bag becomes a soccer ball or netball. Indigenous games like “uphuca”, etc seldom feature in home rituals for some learners because they spend a lot of time doing house chores. So when the last bell of the day rings, they stride home with some reluctant steps along the way, a few jumps and running around here and there to pre-occupy an idling mind trying to conjure up reasons for delay.
After 4 days of field work, installing a playground under the watchful eye of the eager learner who would secretly steal a moment from their ‘two minutes’ to peak at the progress of the patiently awaited playground, I came back to the office with my mind tightly gripped to the newness of the feeling of self-gratification that came with completing a life-changing task. Sisi Nobuntu, who was doing field work in Mbongweni J.S.S called Wednesday morning when school resumed after the long weekend, to let me know that the learners ran straight to the jungle gym after assembly period to try out the new the swings and stuff… She added that teachers say ‘two minutes’ is now too long. Oh by the way if you didn’t know ‘two minutes’ or ‘short leave’ refers to a request to be excused from class to go to the bathroom of something of sort. I am sure the meaning has changed .
I would like to extend a word of appreciation to the team that made this possible, from the Ginsberg student volunteers, the driver, NMI team that was there and those who were there in spirit sending texts to remind us that they are thinking about us and calling to check on how we were doing, and the invisible hand of administration that made all the logistical arrangement in the background and often go unnoticed when we are out in the field, the humble skill of NMI friend bhuti Thomas, the self-driven community of Mbizana and its warm reception of us, the school included. Enkosi.