Full time Teaching at Adumasa All Saints Junior High School

Friday, November 19, 2010

JS 2 (grade 8) class

 

It was another busy day at school. Although I only had 3 classes; one being a double period, I ended up teaching 5 classes in a row. It seems that when a teacher is in a meeting or not at school there is no protocol for replacing them or notifying the other teachers, it is just up to the teacher before to just carry on with the class to cover. This has happened this week twice already, today adopting a double period to cover for an absent teacher. It worked out fine as the students really need the extra practice. It would appear that they have the basic written “regurgitative” knowledge that comes from rote memory teaching (fill in the blanks, yes or no answers) yet little practical application transference that comes from real understanding. Here is where it is obvious the detriment of the class sizes and not being able to give individualized learning opportunity and confirmation. I also met with Julianna and Fei after lunch to go over the calendar between now and my departure. It turns out there is an exam week the 3^rd week of December, followed by a week of report cards and evaluations, after which I leave, so I asked that we schedule the rotary project visits after my classes have written their French exams (and I have marked them), so I don’t miss teaching days as there really only are 2 weeks before exams and I would like to work with the kids as long as possible. There is a challenge to balance the teaching end of this visit with the rotary one and it doesn’t seem to matter to Fei or Julianna if I miss classes, but it does to me. Anyway, this feels like it was a good compromise. I also requested that tomorrow be a day without commitments so that I could go through one class’s homework (61 essays!) and properly prepare, ideally, the 2 next weeks of classes and evaluations (including  4-5 science which starts Monday) or else I will end up with the schedule I had last week: long full days and very late nights (there are also visits from children in the evenings and I need to make time for this, not wanting to shut myself in, aware that this too is part of the experience I don’t want to miss. I am exhausted on this Friday evening and it isn’t even 8pm.  Fei is not a teacher so does not realize the work involved, especially with classes of this size and taking them on without any idea of the student abilities, what’s been covered (I borrowed student books to get an idea) or what to expect as far as teaching in such a different environment. it would appear the French teacher left for the UK, without a word, which is unfortunate for the students.

So, I head to bed early to give myself an early start to the day tomorrow (tomorrow afternoon Julianna is showing me how to make a special dish). Sunday is a write-off as far as teaching prep as there is a church anniversary service in Prince’s Presbyterian Church and all the surrounding rural Presbyterian churches attend. I know that Fei is hoping to set up a volunteer teacher program so that this sort of thing can be a regular occurrence in their project villages for teacher support as well as increased exposure. I think this is a terrific idea and definitely have a handbook idea to contribute (How to Prepare for Volunteer Teaching in Southern Ghana). I do find myself wondering how he would feel about teachers who weren’t so open to religion (I am not religious yet go along with the “God bless you”s and church services as part of the experience).  

Fei’s wife has loaned me some of, I assume, her daughter’s dresses to try on for Sunday. One fit and doesn’t look entirely awful on me (a pretty African-style dress on a black woman can, I have discovered, look horrendously garish and out of place on a white woman).  Fei wants to take me to the Kumasi market (the 2^nd largest in all of Africa!) Monday afternoon to pick out some fabric from his wife (she is a fabric vendor there) to have a Ghanaian dress made for me. I have mentioned already that most women here have hand-made dresses (actually cheaper than buying at the store); they’re dress-makers are craftswomen extraordinaire.

Julianna and I were talking about teachers’ salaries in Ghana and I was blown away. Starting salary is 200 cedis (about $150) to about 400. Did I happen to mention that the cost of living here is comparable to that of Canada? The gas here is more expensive however at $1.16-1.18/L. How can people survive on this with such large families like they have (6, 8 kids…).

I also found out that Julianna has her “grandson” living with her, basically a boy from her family’s village on the west side of Ghana who would have had limited education and stimulation there. She brought him back with her the last time she returned. He is in grade 4. That reminds me of the ways of the Inuit, where it is nothing for children to be handed over to another member of the community (often, though, it is within the family) to be raised, where they have more opportunity and/or a healthier living environment for their upbringing.

Did I ever mention the National Service personnel? These are individuals who have completed their college or university schooling. Before they can go into the workforce, it is obligatory that they volunteer for 1 year anywhere in the country (they can do different placements of no less than 3 months each). They are put in areas of public service where workers are most needed. Is this not a terrific idea? Apart from the fact, however, that they get minimally paid and, in many cases, don’t have lodging provided. It really is amazing how these people continue to succeed here faced with such challenges. There are 5 individuals here now, as teaching assistants.

Vocabulary:

Retraction- Hello: Ma akye apparently does not exist and I made it up

Correction: Num bwa achina: See you tomorrow

O cohe: Where are you going?

Knocking on the door : Amoo!  To which the person inside answers “Amee!”

A numre: see you later

The link to my latest pictures and video is: 

http://picasaweb.google.com/kpedicelli/EndOf2ndWeek?feat=directlink