There is so much to write and so little time! I really should be writing more often and
sincerely apologize for my lack of correspondence. I have two more spiritual reflections to
post, but figured before I post those you deserve an honest to goodness update
to how I’m doing here in Ghana. So here
it goes.
I’ve just returned from celebrating Thanksgiving in Accra
with the US Ambassador to Ghana, Ambassador Donald Teitelbaum. The travel to and from Accra from here in
the Northern Region was 12 hours in each direction and also cost 20% of my
monthly stipend. All for one meal! The Thanksgiving meal itself was very very
good. Being deprived of such a flavorful
food meant my brain tells me I could have eaten more, but with 200 guests we
all had our fill but were not walking away with doggie bags. That’s a convoluted way of saying there was
just enough food for everyone. And
honestly, some of the meals Kate and I cook up over our “camping style” stoves
have been equally delicious! However,
the Thanksgiving meal itself was just part of the reason for missing four days
of school and the travel. The holiday
also provided a perfect opportunities: to catch up with my other PCVs who
haven’t seen for two months, to grocery shop at the biggest foreign goods store
in Ghana, to meet and get to know our US Embassy employed host family – seeing
how the other half of international development workers live, to eat multiple
great “foreign” meals, and to simply take a break from teaching or lesson
planning each and every day. So in the
end I would say it was worth it, though a case could be made to the
contrary.
One reason I feel particularly guilty right now is that I
just finished grading a mathematics exam I gave to my Form 3 students before I
left and they all failed. All 31 of
them! The highest was a 55%. Now I know all the blame doesn’t fall on me
because I’ve asked the students before who is to blame of their poor
performance and they tell me that are the ones to fault. They admit that they don’t study, that they
copy from each other, and they don’t do the homework – even the little that is
given. Teaching mathematics requires a
lot of repetition and I’ve found it very hard to incorporate that into my
teaching. Although as I sit here
reflecting I think I’ve come up with an idea of how to give homework every
night. And it’s not just Form 3 math
that is doing poorly. My Form 1 and 2
integrated science classes are doing just as poorly. I wonder how much it’s me and my lack of
teaching experience and how much it’s the context I’m working it. There are no textbooks for the students. All they have are the notes they’ve copied
from the board – which puts an incredible pressure on me to concisely,
accurately, and quickly write on the board what they need to know and then
explain it. There is no hands-on,
visual, or engaging teaching/learning occurring. I really feel just like my Ghanaian
counterparts – just a note writing machine.
Although one thing I do offer above the Ghanaians is that I show
up. I’m there every period I’m supposed
to be, on time and prepared to teach. I
give tests and homework and try to ask critical thinking questions to my
students. However, they are conditioned
to memorize and regurgitate exclusively and they do so only because they fear
physical punishment. I’m not allowed to
cane (whip with a tree branch) my students and wouldn’t even if I could,
however this means that the majority of my student’s brains turn off during my
classes. Instilling fear wasn’t that big
of a part of my training. And let’s say
for a minute that I did command the attention and engagement of my students,
what will they be experiencing? The
answer is only white chalk on a blackboard full of divots and holes because
it’s just black paint on a concrete wall.
Believe me, I’m trying my hardest to do kitchen style science
experiments, to draw 3-D and 2-D diagrams, and to ask leading questions to
encourage critical thinking; however I don’t think these things make too much
of a difference in the long run. Like most
teachers and students around the world, are sole focus is on a test which is to
be given in the not too distant future.
In my case, it’s called the BECE and it determines whether my JHS
students can go onto Senior High School (or simply high school in US
terms). And what do most tests
test? Memorization.
So, I’m grateful to have had a Thanksgiving holiday, a week
away from school because for the next month (nearly exactly to the day) I’ll be
working my damndest to prepare my students for their upcoming end of term exams
and maybe even some will learn something in the process.
There is a lot more to write about: language/integration,
poverty/begging/westernization, Advent/homesickness, and the many ideas for
small development projects I’d like to tackle.
Alas, these topics will have to wait until another time because I have
to teach tomorrow and it is way past my 10pm bedtime. At least it’s gotten cooler overnight now and
I’m sleeping really well – and without a fan!
Godspeed. -Zachar
