Ghanaian Schools vs. Wisconsin Schools

In case the title of this blog post wasn’t clear, I will be talking about the differences I see between Ghanian schools and Wisconsin schools. For those of your who read this to hear about all the fun things I’m doing you might want to skip this one.

Teacher’s Responsibilities

I touched on this topic a bit before, but I have a whole new appreciation for teachers in Ghana now that I have experienced the day to day routine for 7 weeks now. Prep time doesn’t exist here. There are about 3 hours a week where my cooperating teacher and I don’t have to worry about the students, and only one hour the students actually leave the classroom. We also are in charge of students during lunch time and stay late to teach extra classes and help students with homework. Some students don’t leave the compound until 6 pm. 

In Wisconsin schools at least a few times a week teachers have a prep time or a break from students when they go to specials such as gym, art, and music. There are teachers that stay later to work on things, but don’t have to try to get things done with students running around waiting for their parents or drivers to come pick them up. If the students do stay later for extra programs or after school programs there are specific people that come in to teach those classes.

Lesson Planning and Attendance

At first I thought the teacher just taught from the book, because I didn’t ever really see her looking at any sort of plans. However, since I have been here longer I have noticed and learned how they do lesson planning. There is a large book that the teacher has that is turned into the headmistress one a week with all of the lessons in them. The teacher writes her lesson plans and example problems. Then afterwards the teacher writes a reflection on what she taught and how the lesson went. The teacher also has an attendance book that is brought to the office every day. The gate to the compound is locked, so students don’t really come late or leave early, the students are either in school all day or not at all. There are some occasions where students will come late or leave early the students pass through the office.

In Wisconsin the lesson planning is similar, but it is all electronic. You submit your lesson plans the Friday before the week the lessons are for. You then make notes on how the lesson went in order to know how to teach the subject better. Again technology is used for attendance. The teacher marks in the student is in school or absent for the day. The students who come late or leave early also pass through the office and the attendance change is noted there in the office.

Lunch and Snack

The way that money for lunch is taken is very different. In our school here the students go to the bookstore to buy coupons for lunch. Then they bring the coupon to the teacher to hold on to for them (well at least for the younger grades) until lunch time. While this system is pretty good, it can get confusing because students can decide to only buy one coupon for the day, five coupons for the week, or any number in between. This means that every morning you are collecting coupons from students, and have to be organized so you know which students have given you enough coupons for the week or have yet to give you a coupon, so they should not take one for the day. In the lower grades is can be hard sometimes because if the students have an other sibling they are in charge of buying the coupons for all of the siblings and sometimes the older students will just come whenever they want to deliver the coupons. Snack time is also an interesting event. Some students bring their own snacks, but some go to the canteen (lunch room) to buy their snacks. The snack includes something to eat and something to drink. Snack time is combined with recess, so it is common to see students running around with food in their hands.

Lunch money in Wisconsin all goes through the office. Parents pay a certain amount and then are given a notice when they need to pay money towards the account. The students have a number that they say or type in, so the school can record who has eaten and then the money is removed from the account for the meal. Snack time can be seen a few different ways in Wisconsin. Depending on the SES of the families that attend the school, the state may provide snacks for the students in the school. The students can choose to take these snacks, but are also welcome to bring their own snacks to school. There are some schools where the students bring their own snacks each day, too.The school that I went to as a child did snacks a little differently. Parents would buy snacks such as a box of cookies or crackers that the teacher would then share with the whole class for a few days until the snack is gone. We were also able to take a milk from the lunch room and it was recorded who took milk and what kind you too. (P.S. I miss milk)

Where Has The Time Gone?

I am wrapping up my 6th week here! Which means only 5 weeks left! I am over half way through my experience here and let me tell you, I have definitely fallen in love with the people, places, and culture. This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Homesickness, stress, love, anger, fear, and excitement are just a few in the range of emotions that have encountered in the past week. 

For those of you who know me, you know that that I am an introvert. I like being around people, especially people that I know and am comfortable with, but I also need time to myself. This week I have been busier than normal, so I have not been getting the “me time” that I need. I also think I am going through Netflix withdrawals. I think it is just because I want to be able to watch something that I know, more of a comfort thing. That goes into the homesickness. This week more than others I have had people I know well and people that I have just met ask me to take them home with me when I leave. While this is flattering and lets me know that I have made an impact in the lives of the people I am meeting, it makes me think about how my time here will soon come to an end, and that makes me sad. I will miss the people and the hospitality that I have received in my time here. Also talking about home makes me miss home. Usually the longest I go without a trip back home is around 4-5 weeks, so as I am finishing week 6 here I am definitely missing my family. Some days, I maybe even miss the weather a little bit. I more so miss the weather because I am tired of wearing dresses all the time, and wish it was a little cooler so I could wear pants. 

The more positive emotions are what keep me going. I love my family! Padiki is like the little sister I always wanted. I seriously could not have gotten any luckier with my host family. There are also people at the school at are always loving on me and strong in their faith, which helps me to do the same. My students may get on my nerves, and some of them their true colors are showing more and more, but I still love them. Even when I have a tough time making them understand or controlling them, at the end of the day, I am still grateful to have the opportunity to be their teacher. I am struggling with finding the right words to say right now, but did I mention I love it here?!?!? 

College Life and Traditional Church

Friday night I went to the University of Ghana to attend a dance performance. It was interesting to watch and next week I will be going to a drama production which I am also excited to see. Saturday I went to Osu with Doreen. While there were spent a few hours with her childhood friend that stays there while she attends University. I was very humbled by the experience. She rents a small apartment that she shares with another girl. It is a one room apartment. The beds are on the floor and I realized how many things I have that I don’t really need. I was also impressed by how generous the girls staying there were in offering me food and drink even when they have little. 

Also while in Osu I did some more tourist shopping, but more so window shopping. Auntie Agnes told me not to buy things there because it is a tourist trap and things are more expensive there. She said that I should find things I like and then tell her, so she can tell me where to buy them at a better price. Doreen encourages me to buy things, so I bought a few things. She also knows how to talk to the people to help them lower the price.

On Sunday I went to church with Sister Monica and Padiki. It was a little different than the other churches that I have been at here in Ghana. They dance a lot more, kinda like TCX worship, and the pastor definitely has a lot of passion. It was intense at times, but interesting to observe and be a part of. After church we stopped to visit with Sister Monica’s younger sister Teresa. I am always meeting people that are somehow related to the family. After that we headed to the seamstress!!!!! I was a little more than excited to go. I picked out two patterns; one dress and one skirt and top. 2 weeks until they are finished, and I am counting down the days! I am super excited for new clothes to wear as I feel like I am always wearing the same thing. 

Ash Wednesday

I have been a Catholic my whole life, so Ash Wednesday is nothing new to me, but this was my first time experiencing it as a teacher in a Catholic school. Today was the second time that we have had Mass at the school, but the first time was within my first week of being at the school so it doesn’t count. Controlling 35 kids in the classroom is hard, but it’s a different kind of hard to keep them quiet for Mass. There is no such thing as personal time or space, so you just say your prayers quickly and then attend to whichever student is asking for you next. Also Mass here is always at least 2 hours long, so thats a long time for kids to sit still and behave. Everyone received ashes in the school, but me having ashes on fair skin was shocking to my students. The ashes showed a little more on my light skin and all my students were surprised to see it. They also made a big deal about me going for communion as if they had never seen someone receive communion before. Life with 35 6-7 year olds is always interesting to say the least.

As I am in my 5th week teaching I am getting to know my students more and more. The students are beginning to open up more as they feel more comfortable with me. For some this took only 2 days, but for others it took a few weeks. If I didn’t know any better I would think one of my little boys has a crush on me.  I also get asked more and more questions about my life. One day I had a student ask me if I had parents, and then was really surprised when I said yes. I also had a student ask me if I put the clips together on my backpack if it turns into a jetpack. The questions come in all forms, but I love all of them!

Also, side note. I bought fabric at the market last weekend and will be bringing it to the seamstress to be made into dresses! I'm really excited!

The Struggles

I have been here for just over a month, and I am starting my 5th week in the classroom. While I am enjoying my time here, it is not perfect because life isn’t perfect, so I thought I would share some of the struggles that I have while being here. 

The time difference is hard for me because I am 6 hours ahead of everyone back home. This means that communicating with people back home can be difficult. When at Norbs I call my mom a lot. I call her almost every day and sometimes even more than once a day. That is difficult to do while I am here because I am going to bed when she is finishing work. On the weekends we are able to talk more, but we don’t always talk on the phone because it gets expensive. 

This leads into my second struggle which is getting homesick. I love being able to talk to my mom, but it also makes me miss home. I miss things that I thought I wouldn’t miss like my roommates; Sarah singing all the time, Brianna coming to cuddle with me even when I’m not in the mood for people, and Corie making chili and complaining about her “wife status”. I also miss the activities that had become regular things that I did. Some days I would hate how busy I am and the time and effort I put into serving other people, but I miss leading Bible study and going to Crulive meetings weekly. This past weekend has also been the weekend that I have gone to the rodeo with my best friend, Jaylea, for the past few years, so I am missing that and missing her a little more this weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I love my time here and the people I have met so far, but sometimes I miss home a little too.

Controlling a classroom with 36 students is difficult. It is even more difficult for me because I do not use the cane to punish students. My cooperating teacher will even say to the students, “You don’t respect the teachers, you just respect the cane.” It doesn’t take long for a room with so many kids to get loud, and some times they listen to my ways of getting them to quiet down, but other times it takes a little longer. While this is getting better, I still struggle with it some times. I am thinking about using some PBIS types posters and expectations to help them understand what I expect from them. I’ll let you know how it goes in the coming days.

A lot of people back have been saying that I will have a nice tan when I get back. However, because of Harmathan, I will not be as tan as some people think. Harmattan is what they call the weather we are experiencing here now. The sky is always hazy so while it is sunny, you can’t really see the sun directly. It is also very dry. I have been here for 4 weeks and it has rained only once. That rain shouldn’t even qualify as rain, it was more like a light mist for about 10 minutes. Because it has been so dry the roads have been very dusty, and sometimes the dust is a little more than I can handle especially when I am walking to school and there are also cars driving on the roads to bring the students to school. I love that the weather is a little cooler, but I hate the dust.

Everyday Life

This post is just about things that I think are normal now but you might think are some strange things. 

First off is running water. Running water exists in some places but not all. At home I have running water in the bathroom which is really nice. Sometimes if there is not water in the tank I have to poor buckets of water into the toilet tank before going to the bathroom so I can flush. Let me tell you I will take that over having to use an outhouse type bathroom any day. Also I have a shower in my house which is really nice. Because it is the dry season sometimes we do not have running water so I use a bucket of water and then use a smaller bucket to poor the water. It works pretty well and doesn't really add any time to the length of my shower. I also wash my clothes by hand. Padiki helps me a lot, but I am getting a little faster, or at least I think so. There are two soap buckets and a rinse bucket, so you scrub the clothes twice and then rinse the clothes before hanging them on the line.

I drink bottled or bagged water always. They call bagged water, pure water. This is what I drink when I am out traveling and at lunch in the school.

People here always eat with their hands. I eat with my hands sometimes, but I look like a little kid eating because I always manage to make a mess. Even soups they eat with their hands. They usually have some type of food like banku or rice balls that they eat with the soup and then they will drink the soup kind of like I drink the extra milk out of my cereal bowl in the morning. Breakfast is about the only meal that I always eat American food, cereal. Well almost always, my cooperating teacher has brought me coco, which is like a porridge. Also on Saturday mornings I usually have an omelet of sorts and oatmeal. 

I hardly ever take a taxi. I always walk to school, and whenever I travel on the weekends I usually take the trotro (bus). Every time I am walking somewhere or waiting for the trotro I will have a lot of taxis honk at me and try to take me to the place I am headed to. Even as Padiki and I were walking home from the supermarket which is not far from the house we had a man stop and try to convince us that for only a small price he would take us home. We were less than two blocks from the house, so we said no, kindly of course. I think it’s fun to take the trotro because I get to be more of a true Ghanaian.

The children have chores that they have to complete every morning before going to school. These include sweeping indoors and outdoors as well as bringing water into the house from the barrels outside. Michael also has to put Tiger back in his kennel and unlock the gate so I can get to school on time. I leave for school around 7 and sometimes I can hear them as early as 5 am around the house doing there chores.

Weekend Adventures

Weekends are when I have time to be a tourist and explore more of the Greater Accra Area. Two weeks ago I was able to go to the beach. The beach was a lot of fun, but you could definitely tell it was a tourist spot. One reason was because I saw other white people there. There were also a lot of people trying to sell the items they make such as beaded bracelets and necklaces. There were also a strip of restaurants along the beach, We sat a table in the sand under an umbrella and enjoyed a light snack. The place also had music playing so Doreen and her friends convinced me to dance with them. I am the epitome of the phrase, you dance like a white girl. We also took lots of pictures. There were many people with horses on the beach that would let you ride them and take nice pictures on them, for a fee of course. I had a lot of fun that day.

This past weekend I toured the University of Ghana, the Museum of the first president, and went to Madina Market. The University of Ghana is pretty big, well at least compared to St. Norbert. I enjoyed being able to see how their school is set up. I was also able to go to a small market on campus and try another Ghanian food. I tried bank with stew. It is kind of hard to explain but it is dough type food that you dip into the stew and then eat it. If you don’t eat it with the stew it is very sticky. I am not sure how much I like it, but I think now that I know how to eat it properly I will like it more when I try it again.

We also went to the museum of the first president of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. There is a monument built there with the tombs of him and his wife. It is a nice small park that is made in remembrance of him. Ghanians are very proud of him because he is the one who lead Ghana to it’s independence on the 6th of March. I am very interested in seeing how they celebrate their independence here. I also bought my first touristy item which is a bracelet with my name woven into it in the Ghanian colors,

Upon leaving the museum life became interesting. I received my first marriage proposal from a complete stranger, which is not uncommon. They think that since I live in the United States if they marry me they will get a free ride to the U.S. I know that they are going to say something about marriage right after they use the awful pick up line, “I like your body shape.” Nothing good ever comes after someone says that. Luckily I have a good attitude about it because I know that this is something that happens often. Usually after the instance has passed I just smile and laugh. 

On our way home we stopped at Madina Market for Doreen to pick up a few things for school. Saturday is market day, so it was very busy and everyone wanted to talk to me. Some people just want to say hi, and some people are shocked that an “obroni” or white lady is at the traditional market. I am hoping this weekend that I will go to the market with Sister Monica and maybe even buy some fabric to make a dress. My goal is to limit myself to only having 3 dresses made for me while I am here, but we will see.