Thoughts : Sixth Day in Ghana

Today was supposed to be our last, and in most ways it was. We had our last day with the kids and said our goodbyes.

The morning was a typical lesson. We got in a little late again because we were trying to work out how our airport transportation was going to work. Since our wired money had not arrived yet, our contact said he didn't have enough cash on hand to hire a van. That was a fun morning surprise. However, everything is possible in
Ghana, including us hiring a van by ourselves. We know the art of the tro-tro.

While that was not the most pleasant way to begin the day, we've had worse. (Like the day before when our contact accused us of trying to cheat him and that we weren't doing enough to get the money to him. Mike and Lisa then spent the next five hours putting in place a contingency plan.)

But we arrived at the school to focus on the kids. Sara is going to design a brochure for the Street Academy, and Stephanie is going to do the writing, so they interviewed one of the kids (who also happened to be very bright and competent in English).

I spent the morning with my P-3s (and only 5 of them - little Daniel wasn't there). They were studiously copying sentences when I arrived, and when they were finished, I showed them pictures of my family, a picture of my high school graduation, and a picture of Zoe (our dog). They knew all the words for mother, father, sister, grandmother, and so forth, so I tuning they understood what I was showing them. Then I tried to explain my graduation picture, and it got confusing. They thought I was 12 or in grade 12, but it gave them some context, maybe. One of the teachers did ask about the mortarboard.

We spent the rest of the morning on English. We tried to read a book. Three of the boys could read nearly every word. Hannah (who I incorrectly called Anna the other day, since they have a hard time pronouncing their 'h's) didn't even know the alphabet however. She was a good guesser, but could clearly not read a word. Jibris (who I called Dubris the other day - still not sure how to spell it, but this is closer) could do very simple words, but was no where near the others in the class.

I can see why kids that fall behind, stay behind. It is hard to justify spending time on a kid with not even the basics and neglect the others who are clearly just as (or more so) willing to learn.

I had another surreal moment or two as the boys danced to the board to read or write, and as the goats wandered by outside.

We worked on "by", "under", "on", and "in", both with drawing and physically with a desk and the eraser. I was starting to get desperate for ideas at the end, so began to write out the Lord's Prayer, which they recite every assembly (morning and afternoon). That only sort of sunk in.

We went back towards the marketplace during the lunch time, to finish up our shopping and our cedis. When we got back, the school was a bit chaotic, since we were interrupting their routine with a farewell ceremony for us.

While it was getting set up, we tried to prevent the kids from fighting. We have all realized this is a much harsher and more physical culture then back in the States, especially for these kids in disadvantaged situations. We broke up fight after fight (some with sticks, some with clothes ripping, some with punches). It was one of my sadder interactions with the school. Kids being disrespectful or uninterested is one thing. Kids finding violence an acceptable means of expression is difficult to handle, especially when it is pervasive in the culture (like learning to box or even the more hands-on physical approach of the teachers).

In between the fights, Sara and Stephanie and I did the Hokie Pokey a few times. (My parents would be proud.)