Second Year B.Ed PUKKE Student-Teacher and Lebone alumnus reflects on the DNA of this space

What impact does a school such as Lebone have on the individual student or staff member?

In the ten days that I have spent at Lebone I have seen both positive and negative aspects of the school. I also have the privilege to have matriculated here and did my first teaching practical here in 2012. Because of my previous experiences here, I think that I have a deeper understanding of the DNA of Lebone than newer individuals would have. I will analyse what impact I think Lebone has on individuals.

Lebone is a private school in Rustenburg, Phokeng and consists of grades R-13. The school follows the IEB curriculum. I think that Lebone has a mostly positive impact on the individuals here and provides opportunities which ordinary schools cannot provide.

Students receive all the needed individual attention. They have special “cc” periods in which they can get help from teachers or complete their homework or tasks. Although the “cc” periods is a good idea in theory, I think that most students do not use the given time correctly. I recommend that teachers be stricter in checking that the students use the time wisely. According to Hayes Mizell, “Good teaching is not an accident. While some teachers are more naturally gifted than others, all effective teaching is the result of study, reflection, practice, and hard work.” Lebone has a special TLC centre where students with learning problems can go. The centre helps these students to gain the needed skills to perform better on their learning level.

Lebone focuses greatly on student and staff development. The staff attend regular meetings where they learn to develop new ideas and methods of teaching. The students go to many activities such as enrichment and the GEAR program which is a program that allow the students to choose between a range of activities such as choir and design which allow them to develop and grow into enlightened young adults. All schools should be places where both teachers and students learn. Most teachers of Lebone who constantly develop their own skills and knowledge create an example for students and show them that learning is important and useful. Their constant development creates an example of learning all throughout the school. It also supports the teacher’s efforts to engage students in learning.  A school such as Lebone that organises team-based professional development and expects all teachers and students to regularly participate- for different purposes, at different times and in different ways- enforces us that it is serious about all individuals performing at higher levels. As a result, the entire school is more focused and effective.

Lebone has many school values such as integrity and trust by which the students as well as the staff are encouraged to live by. These values guide the individuals of Lebone to live a better life. Through my experiences I know that all new individuals attend a candle lighting ceremony which is a symbolic activity symbolising their acceptance into the Lebone family. Truth bracelets are also given to all new individuals to remind them that truth is an underlying commitment by which they must live by. Even though Lebone has great school values, not everyone lives by it. I think that the tutor periods can be used to teach the students more about the values and why the school have them.

The extended hours at Lebone give individuals the opportunity to focus more on their work and develop the needed skills and attain more knowledge. In contrast the long hours at Lebone can also be tiresome at times and it can take a toll on the individual’s attention span.

Although Lebone is a great school, it can be very overwhelming. New individuals that go to Lebone for the first time will experience a totally new and different way of doing things which can be overwhelming at times. The IEB curriculum is also more challenging than other curricula. According to Marc Falconer, headmaster of the King David High School, the IEB is a different kind of assessment. “In the state system it is perfectly possible to achieve a good matric by drill and practice, while this is not true for an IEB candidate.”
 
The IEB curriculum is “cognitively more demanding” than the government curriculum and individuals are better prepared for tertiary education. On a negative note, most individuals agree that the IEB is a much more difficult exam. Individuals might find it harder to gain distinctions and gain university admission. Universities do not distinguish between state or private schools and therefore students could be at a disadvantage when applying at universities.

There is a language barrier at Lebone. There are Setswana, Afrikaans, English and many more languages that can make communication or understanding difficult at times. Language is also sometimes used as a bullying tool to exclude individuals.

The diverse cultures can sometimes create misunderstandings at Lebone as not all cultures have the same traditions or values. I recommend that all individuals should be made aware of the different cultures so that everyone is more understanding of each other.

In my time here I have felt inspired and gained a lot of experience. Therefore I think Lebone impacts individuals on a far greater scale than everyday work. Lebone is a lifestyle and I know that people leave Lebone a better person than when they arrive here.