Ghana Team Journal

Quote of the day: “You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

By: Daniel Chen & Jim Leslie

Over our usual breakfast of omelets and buttered toast, Jim and I discussed certain issues that impair student learning at the New Akrade Presbyterian School. Jim, with his extensive teaching experience, had not only provided suggestions to the headmaster and his teachers but also prepared a report of critiques, evaluations, and observations of the junior secondary school. I, with my limited experience in teaching, had no such report. I simply presented Esther with concerns in the primary school.

As we walked to our respective classrooms, we were taken aback by the lack of teachers. I asked my P2 students, “Where’s the teacher?” They shrugged, happily, I might add, and pranced away. As I headed to the junior school to find Jim, I saw a gathering of teachers surrounding the headmaster. I found out later that the headmaster was pressing the teachers to engage and challenge the students more.

I had my first experience of solo teaching when my teacher walked out of the room to talk with his wife. Not only did the kids fidget excitedly during math exercises, they simply refused to sit still while I was writing corrections on the board. They sat really still when I threatened them with a soccer-ball-less break. By the time break was over, I was thankful that the teacher had returned to restore order in the classroom. As we were learning about measuring lengths and heights, it was amusing to watch each kid stand against the wall to record their height. The shortest kid had a fun time escaping the hustling.

Jim had another quiet day at the junior high school. He had hoped to observe and perhaps co-teach a social studies class, but the instructor for that class did not arrive at school until the class was over (8:00 – 9:10). Thus, Jim continued to work with the P6 student from Togo on his English, and he corrected a number of simple English class exercises. Jim ended his morning by having a long conversation with Godwin, the religion and moral education teacher, about life in the United States and life in Ghana. He will be observing Godwin’s ninth grade religion and moral education class tomorrow morning.

We walked back to St. James at noon for my favorite lunch of sautéed chicken and French fries. Jim and I were slightly disappointed that Esther could not strong-arm Samuel in allowing us to use the library for reading that afternoon. Samuel had planned to use the library for entertaining the Senchi Ferry Methodist School administrators.

Thus we were left with an open afternoon. Jim finished up his detailed report while I was invited by the kitchen staff to try out fufu. Fufu is basically a hardened dough mixture of mashed plantains and cassava. It was delicious, especially with the spicy chicken and beef soup. The shocker: you weren’t supposed to chew the dough. You just swallow it. Confused but determined, I thought: Challenge accepted! Ghanaian food is certainly interesting.