[Currently playing: 'My First, My Last, My Everything' Barry White]
Day 4 means the last day in Accra before departing for Cape Coast for the remainder of the trip to meet our host teacher and host school. Day 4 also meant a big day with big people.
But first...
MOSQUITO TALLY
3
MORNING SICKNESS
Every morning I don't feel quite myself. I get those sick waves in my tummy at breakfast, but my the afternoon it goes away. I wonder if this is typical of western travelers and if it is heat or humidity related.
SCHOOL VISIT
The 12 of us split up into two groups to visit a public school and a private school just outside of Accra. I chose to go to a public school. The school was called Abokobi Presby and as you can probably guess is a Presbyterian school. But remember, still a public mission school.
We were in a small van reminiscent of the Scooby Doo van or that scene in the beginning of 'Back to the Future' with the Libyans. We drove out of the city center for about an hour on wobbly dirt roads. I sat in the back of the van and quickly had to move up to the front because I was starting to feel car sick. We drove through many small towns where hawkers would weave in and out of the cars trying to sell water, bread, sponges, even new windshield wipers before the traffic light turned green. Most of the hawkers are women, older women. Some are men. Not as many children as I would have assumed based on my experience in the Middle East.
When we arrived at the school it was hard not be shocked by the conditions of the infrastructure. It's hard to see children sitting in desks with their heads held high, paying strict attention to their teacher leading the lesson in the front of the class, and having no lights. No windows. No doors. Having to ignore the chirping birds that have made a home between the boards of the ceiling. They just deserve better. No one is singing 'woe is me' and no one is seeking western charity. But a safe and functioning building is something that you want them to have so badly.
We had a roundtable discussion with the other teachers in the school. From what I gathered it was a primary and middle school. Most of the women were teachers for the little ones, while the men were teachers for the higher grades. This is a typical pattern we've been noticing here in Ghana. Men occupy the higher level teaching positions just like men occupy administrative positions more often in the US.
It is always amazing to have these conversations with our teachers and their teachers. The Ghanian teachers were really shocked when I dismissed the idea that teachers and parents in the States are okay with students wearing "daisy dukes" and "watching porn on the internet". It shocked me that they took what they saw in high schools depicted in our television shows and movies to heart. But there are many American who still hold stereotypes of the African continent as well. We are not innocent by any means. Lesson books that Ghanian teachers kept at this school were impeccable. They were neatly kept for each subject and each lesson by teacher. I don't keep a book like this and neither do many teachers as it's not usually required of us (though probably should be).
I sat in on an English and a science lesson. The English lesson seemed canned as the teacher began reviewing subject-verb agreement while the students notebooks showed they were actually far passed knowing what a to-do word was.
When I was then taken to the science classroom the students immediately stood as I walked into the classroom, welcomed me, and stood until their teacher gave them permission to sit down. I then introduced myself as I've now done many many times:
Hi, I'm Mariam. I'm from Washington, D.C. [sometimes I add "where the president lives"] and I teach secondary English to 17 and 18 year olds.
To be continued...
Day 4 means the last day in Accra before departing for Cape Coast for the remainder of the trip to meet our host teacher and host school. Day 4 also meant a big day with big people.
But first...
MOSQUITO TALLY
3
MORNING SICKNESS
Every morning I don't feel quite myself. I get those sick waves in my tummy at breakfast, but my the afternoon it goes away. I wonder if this is typical of western travelers and if it is heat or humidity related.
SCHOOL VISIT
The 12 of us split up into two groups to visit a public school and a private school just outside of Accra. I chose to go to a public school. The school was called Abokobi Presby and as you can probably guess is a Presbyterian school. But remember, still a public mission school.
We were in a small van reminiscent of the Scooby Doo van or that scene in the beginning of 'Back to the Future' with the Libyans. We drove out of the city center for about an hour on wobbly dirt roads. I sat in the back of the van and quickly had to move up to the front because I was starting to feel car sick. We drove through many small towns where hawkers would weave in and out of the cars trying to sell water, bread, sponges, even new windshield wipers before the traffic light turned green. Most of the hawkers are women, older women. Some are men. Not as many children as I would have assumed based on my experience in the Middle East.
When we arrived at the school it was hard not be shocked by the conditions of the infrastructure. It's hard to see children sitting in desks with their heads held high, paying strict attention to their teacher leading the lesson in the front of the class, and having no lights. No windows. No doors. Having to ignore the chirping birds that have made a home between the boards of the ceiling. They just deserve better. No one is singing 'woe is me' and no one is seeking western charity. But a safe and functioning building is something that you want them to have so badly.
We had a roundtable discussion with the other teachers in the school. From what I gathered it was a primary and middle school. Most of the women were teachers for the little ones, while the men were teachers for the higher grades. This is a typical pattern we've been noticing here in Ghana. Men occupy the higher level teaching positions just like men occupy administrative positions more often in the US.
It is always amazing to have these conversations with our teachers and their teachers. The Ghanian teachers were really shocked when I dismissed the idea that teachers and parents in the States are okay with students wearing "daisy dukes" and "watching porn on the internet". It shocked me that they took what they saw in high schools depicted in our television shows and movies to heart. But there are many American who still hold stereotypes of the African continent as well. We are not innocent by any means. Lesson books that Ghanian teachers kept at this school were impeccable. They were neatly kept for each subject and each lesson by teacher. I don't keep a book like this and neither do many teachers as it's not usually required of us (though probably should be).
I sat in on an English and a science lesson. The English lesson seemed canned as the teacher began reviewing subject-verb agreement while the students notebooks showed they were actually far passed knowing what a to-do word was.
When I was then taken to the science classroom the students immediately stood as I walked into the classroom, welcomed me, and stood until their teacher gave them permission to sit down. I then introduced myself as I've now done many many times:
Hi, I'm Mariam. I'm from Washington, D.C. [sometimes I add "where the president lives"] and I teach secondary English to 17 and 18 year olds.
To be continued...
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