Rahsaan Grissom

Their Confidence Did Not Match Their Brilliance

The acknowledgement of privilege is not an easy thing for most people to do; the lack of such privilege however is easily recognized by those who live without. The students at Mayville Secondary School know hardships that kids are not supposed to know. The school is situated in the township of Cato Manor. On the campus the lack of opportunity is constricting and there is an aura of hopelessness that emanates from the environment. It was a pleasure to teach the roses that grew from the concrete. The boys and girls that we encountered were so bright that they forced us to evaluate our own lives.

Mayville, like any school has its own set of logistical and administrative problems and that made the entire situation an interesting experience. Despite the roadblocks the students deserved our presence, our module and our will to work with them around all their complications. The students did not have a great capacity for English; their confidence did not match their brilliance. Though during the final part of the program they were burning to show everyone what they learned. By having a real dialogue and treating them as intellectual wholes they gained a confidence that is usually reserved for people with much more privilege.

The nature of Cato Minor does not allow people to ignore the realities of the world. The students all cared deeply about their situation and HIV-AIDS. They were community organizers and activists in the truest sense. HIV has affected everyone and they cannot afford to be apathetic. Teaching them the module was the closest I have yet felt to the epidemic and the most influential I have felt.

Rahsaan Payton Grissom – Teammate Pedagogy of Action 2009