Anton Harder
Hi my name is Anton Harder and I study Biology, Maths, German and Geography at
Dereham Sixth Form
I am interested in astronomy and enjoy looking at the stars and formations. I
go to astronomy club every week where we look at the science of the universe.
I am thinking of becoming a teacher of biology and am hoping to go to
university to study biological science.
I have a part time job at a supermarket and work on Thursdays and Sundays.
I was one of the
ten people lucky enough to go to South Africa to teach the learners out there a
little about astronomy and also to help answer any questions they had about the
United Kingdom.
I was part of the
constellation group that taught the learners about what the constellations mean
to us and then contrasting both constellations from each hemisphere. I found it
really rewarding to teach the children in the township schools because they
were really excited about what we were teaching and they were always asking
questions about the work and our country. I hope that the information that was
taught to the children will continue to be used in lessons to broaden the children’s
minds.
One of the most
interesting parts of the trip for me was taking a trip round a township. Before
hand I was a little scared but when we got there the people were really nice
and said they were really happy to see us teach there children and help some of
them become more interested in the science of astronomy.
The most
extraordinary thing I saw on the trip was when we went out one night and drove
to a road, away from any lights to observe the night sky. It was great, the
stars were so bright and you could see so many more then you could usually. I
also used the information I had been teaching that day to pick out the
constellations that were well known in the southern hemisphere for example the
Southern Cross and my favorite constellation Orion.
The South African
Large Telescope (SALT) was incredible to see because it was so large and I had
researched about it before going to the South Africa but the real thing was so
much better then the pictures. We were given talks by some of the people who had
worked on the project and also some of the people who would be using it when it
was fully up and running. We were also given a guided tour around the telescope
which was a privilege to see such a large telescope up close. By the end of our
trip to South Africa I had learnt so much both about the stories behind some of
the African constellations but also about the African culture which really was
an incite to another life. I hope that I have given some of the people that I
have taught the will to carry on learning and also to teach each other.
I would like to
say thank you the sponsors that made the trip possible and also a big thank you
to Mr. Cripps who helped organize the trip and those that made it all possible
to teach in the township schools. THANK YOU
