Oh my goodness, what a weekend! Rachel and I traveled to Cape Cost this weekend. It was about a 5 hour bus ride there but only 3 hours on the way back. Welcome to Africa I guess, but we had a great time! We met up with a guide person, kinda who was suggested to Auntie by a classmate of hers. We were very lucky to have him. We went to Kakum National Park. It's a canopy sky walk over the forest. Really cool! Hard to explain. But it was a fun experience.
http://ghana-net.com/kakumnationalpark.aspx
Then we had lunch at Hans Cottage. It's this restaurant surrounded by a big pond full of crocodiles! So cool. We then stopped at Auntie's High School, Wesley Girls. It's a boarding school. Very large. she was excited we stopped there. Next we were off to look at the University of Cape Coast. We didn't get to go inside at all but we saw the outside of a few of their buildings. It's very spread out but was very clean compared to other parts of the city.
One of our favorite parts of the day was Elmina Castle. This was one of the two castles that slaves were brought to before being sold to other countries, including, of course, the U.S. That was an emotional experience. We learned a lot. I had my slavery class last semester so much of it I had already learned but to hear the history of it and see where it was all started was unreal. Our guide made the comment that from their villages, they came to Elmina Castle where life was worse, then to the ships where life was even worse and then to masters where life was even worse. Hearing the stories about Elmina and hearing him say that was really depressing, but it was real.
After Elmina we went back to our Guest House, walked around Cape Cost with our guide, Seth, and had dinner at Cape Coast Castle Restaurant. Really great food! It was an exciting night. Ghana won their soccer game so shortly after we got back to our room everyone in Cape Coast paraded the streets. It was so awesome to see the unity over a game. Similar to Green Bay after the Super Bowl.
Sleep time and then Sunday was a day at the beach! Auntie's grandson met us at the bus station and we took a couple tro tros down to the beach! Fun day. The beach is beautiful! We plan to go back often.
I have to start wrapping this up but just a few fun stories to share about school. One day after school I was practicing spelling colors with a few of my 5 year olds and this little 3 year old strolls into our classroom, walks up to me, touches my face and goes, "Color white!" It was precious! Another one of my students asked if I was born white. lol How else to you explain why other than answering with a "yes, my dear. I was."
One more fun kids story. Instead of asking if they can go to the bathroom they ask if they can urinate or go wee wee. I have started to make a point to tell the kids to go right after lunch so they don't have to leave once they get into the classroom. I was asking one of the girls if she had released herself yet and she looked at me and goes, " Auntie Carrie, I tried to wee wee but my wee wee won't come out!" What can you do besides laugh!
Soooo with all of that, I am off! hope everyone is doing well at home!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The weekend and one exciting school story
This weekend we went to a Ghanaian wedding! It was interesting. It wasn't a Catholic wedding so comparing them to weddings back home wouldn't exactly be the same but it was unlike any weddings I have hear do of regardless. It was a very short service. We couldn't understand most of it since it wasn't in English but they groom gave gifts to the bride's family and they had to accept them and if they didn't then I don't know what would have happened but he accepted them. Then the bride came out and the relatives took turns putting cedis (their money) on the ground and she had to walk on the cedis to the groom and then she did the same back the opposite direction. They stand in the middle of the two families as well. The groom's family is on one side and the bride's family is on the other side facing them. It was outside under a tent in the front of a family member's house. After that family members take turns giving them advice. Like I said, it was hard to follow because it wasn't in English.
After our first Ghanaian wedding we went to the Accra Mall. The most exciting part was the ride there. We took the Trotro (?) which is similar to a large van. It's public transportation but is oober cheap! 50 peswas per person! it was like, maybe 30 US cents for this ride. There were maybe 15 people crammed inside. haha it was fun. Auntie Agnes sends her grandson Pati with us wherever we go (aside from the internet cafe and school). We all had fun.
Within the house we live in are 3 other families and then Auntie's grandson and grandnephew live with her as well but two of the families have multiple kids. Rachel started a nightly tradition of reading at night to the kids. We have come to find out that books are not very common but the kids LOVE hearing story after story. The kids range from 4 years to 11 years. We love the kids. We taught them the hand game where you cross your hands over each other and tap the table around the circle. If you double tap then you reverse. Fun game. The 5 year old asks us to play it every night. :)
My exciting school story. Caning the kids that misbehave is a part of the Ghanaian culture and something that I have struggled with because of the difference in beliefs about discipline. I have been invited to cane a child who was misbehaving but I just explained that in my country, we don't do that and gave other examples of discipline strategies. I have implemented the removal of a child from the classroom for misbehaving, and hitting others in the class, which is also incredibly common. The kids hate it because they happen to sit outside the classroom right in the sun. Behavior has improved with those who have had to sit outside. My teacher and the nun who helps in the classroom have both taken to this as well. Today my teacher told the students that if they were going to misbehave they could sit outside and not participate in the activity.
And! We used these color cards I made for the students to practice spelling their colors and they loved it! I am running out of time so I will explain that later.
<3 from Ghana!
After our first Ghanaian wedding we went to the Accra Mall. The most exciting part was the ride there. We took the Trotro (?) which is similar to a large van. It's public transportation but is oober cheap! 50 peswas per person! it was like, maybe 30 US cents for this ride. There were maybe 15 people crammed inside. haha it was fun. Auntie Agnes sends her grandson Pati with us wherever we go (aside from the internet cafe and school). We all had fun.
Within the house we live in are 3 other families and then Auntie's grandson and grandnephew live with her as well but two of the families have multiple kids. Rachel started a nightly tradition of reading at night to the kids. We have come to find out that books are not very common but the kids LOVE hearing story after story. The kids range from 4 years to 11 years. We love the kids. We taught them the hand game where you cross your hands over each other and tap the table around the circle. If you double tap then you reverse. Fun game. The 5 year old asks us to play it every night. :)
My exciting school story. Caning the kids that misbehave is a part of the Ghanaian culture and something that I have struggled with because of the difference in beliefs about discipline. I have been invited to cane a child who was misbehaving but I just explained that in my country, we don't do that and gave other examples of discipline strategies. I have implemented the removal of a child from the classroom for misbehaving, and hitting others in the class, which is also incredibly common. The kids hate it because they happen to sit outside the classroom right in the sun. Behavior has improved with those who have had to sit outside. My teacher and the nun who helps in the classroom have both taken to this as well. Today my teacher told the students that if they were going to misbehave they could sit outside and not participate in the activity.
And! We used these color cards I made for the students to practice spelling their colors and they loved it! I am running out of time so I will explain that later.
<3 from Ghana!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
My class
Hello all!
Well, finally, the reason we are here. The schools! Very different. The first couple days we were here I realized what I was doing. I realized that I was going to be teaching in a school system that I had never been taught in! I was really nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I was afraid of doing something the wrong way and failing student teaching!
But all has been well. It is a very different experience. We are teaching at Ancilla Primary and Junior High School. It is a Catholic school. The students range from 2 years old to grade 9. The first day, the Headmistress took us around and introduced us to all of the classes. Most of the classrooms look the same. The 2 and 3 year olds have some color in the room. I am teaching the 5-year-olds and some days I go to the 4-year-olds to teach writing their letters. The nursery wants me to teach in there too but I am trying to stay with the 4 and 5 years because that is more of the age group I am required to do.
I have 40 5-year-olds and 40 4-year-olds. Yeah. Big, big class. It's a lot of names to remember. I find it difficult because some of the students have what I call "American sounding" names and others have Ghanaian sounding names. Those are the names I am struggling with. And I can't pronounce them the same either so even if I know the student's name, he or she might not even give me their attention because they don't know I am calling their name. I am really trying. Also, with names that are "American sounding" they are not spelled the way I think of it being spelled. But, we are getting their. The students are patient with me and repeat their names for me multiple times.
So far I have done more teaching than I thought I would. The students practice spelling and writing every day. They have about an hour for each. They also have math every day which they have for an hour and a half or so. School starts at 7:15 with Assembly and classes start at 8:00. For reading, the students have a few different textbooks that they read from. One works more on word families and the other is just basic words the kids need to know how to read and spell. For writing, they usually have a sentence they have to read, spell, and write. Today they spelled their basic words for writing practice. It is a lot of repeat and memorize. It's difficult because the school and the students don't have many extra materials such as paper. The students have their small notebooks but they do not write in it unless they have an assignment, so things like extra practice isn't done. I made word family flash cards for them so that when they are done with their assignment they are not disrupting the other students who are still working. Math is done with chips to add. This was the first manipulative I saw in the classroom. They were to show their addition problems. We used these as well as their fingers to do the adding. It worked really well. Of course, it will all be repetition and practice but for today, it went well. Today I also read a story to the class. We read “Rumble in the Jungle” and I had the kids make the noise of the animals. Also a big hit.
Due to lack of resources the appearance and types of activities and lessons that I am used to at schools in the States are not often seen. The classroom has a few posters but otherwise there is not artwork or colorful posters on the walls. The classroom is small so it is hard to do movement activities and centers. The students sit two or three to a table and we are working on sharing and helping each other instead of distracting each other and poking each other. With a large classroom, my classroom management skills are being tested every second. The kids are funny though. My favorite is when they are given a sentence to copy in their book and a student will come up to me and say “Auntie, so and so is copying me!” I tell them that they all have the same sentence so no one is copying anyone. Auntie is our Miss. I kind of like it.
Time is running out. Until next time...
Well, finally, the reason we are here. The schools! Very different. The first couple days we were here I realized what I was doing. I realized that I was going to be teaching in a school system that I had never been taught in! I was really nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I was afraid of doing something the wrong way and failing student teaching!
But all has been well. It is a very different experience. We are teaching at Ancilla Primary and Junior High School. It is a Catholic school. The students range from 2 years old to grade 9. The first day, the Headmistress took us around and introduced us to all of the classes. Most of the classrooms look the same. The 2 and 3 year olds have some color in the room. I am teaching the 5-year-olds and some days I go to the 4-year-olds to teach writing their letters. The nursery wants me to teach in there too but I am trying to stay with the 4 and 5 years because that is more of the age group I am required to do.
I have 40 5-year-olds and 40 4-year-olds. Yeah. Big, big class. It's a lot of names to remember. I find it difficult because some of the students have what I call "American sounding" names and others have Ghanaian sounding names. Those are the names I am struggling with. And I can't pronounce them the same either so even if I know the student's name, he or she might not even give me their attention because they don't know I am calling their name. I am really trying. Also, with names that are "American sounding" they are not spelled the way I think of it being spelled. But, we are getting their. The students are patient with me and repeat their names for me multiple times.
So far I have done more teaching than I thought I would. The students practice spelling and writing every day. They have about an hour for each. They also have math every day which they have for an hour and a half or so. School starts at 7:15 with Assembly and classes start at 8:00. For reading, the students have a few different textbooks that they read from. One works more on word families and the other is just basic words the kids need to know how to read and spell. For writing, they usually have a sentence they have to read, spell, and write. Today they spelled their basic words for writing practice. It is a lot of repeat and memorize. It's difficult because the school and the students don't have many extra materials such as paper. The students have their small notebooks but they do not write in it unless they have an assignment, so things like extra practice isn't done. I made word family flash cards for them so that when they are done with their assignment they are not disrupting the other students who are still working. Math is done with chips to add. This was the first manipulative I saw in the classroom. They were to show their addition problems. We used these as well as their fingers to do the adding. It worked really well. Of course, it will all be repetition and practice but for today, it went well. Today I also read a story to the class. We read “Rumble in the Jungle” and I had the kids make the noise of the animals. Also a big hit.
Due to lack of resources the appearance and types of activities and lessons that I am used to at schools in the States are not often seen. The classroom has a few posters but otherwise there is not artwork or colorful posters on the walls. The classroom is small so it is hard to do movement activities and centers. The students sit two or three to a table and we are working on sharing and helping each other instead of distracting each other and poking each other. With a large classroom, my classroom management skills are being tested every second. The kids are funny though. My favorite is when they are given a sentence to copy in their book and a student will come up to me and say “Auntie, so and so is copying me!” I tell them that they all have the same sentence so no one is copying anyone. Auntie is our Miss. I kind of like it.
Time is running out. Until next time...
Saturday, January 14, 2012
I. Have. Arrived.
We are here! We finally made it after a flight cancellation and then a delay. It was a long few days of traveling but we finally arrived in Accra, Ghana yesterday morning around 9:00. Auntie Agnes was at the airport to pick us up and we made the 20 minute trip from the airport to their home in the community of Abogba, Accra. They have a large home that is surrounded by a brick wall. I believe there are four other families that live in the home as well. They each have their own section of the home. Rachel and I share our own bedroom with our own bathroom. We are able to lock our door as well. Auntie Agnes has made wonderful meals for us. She made rice and stew yesterday, eggs, onions and tomatoes this morning, and fish, fries, kiliwillie (?), and boiled cabbage tonight. Everything has tasted great!
Yesterday we slept, a lot, which made sleeping last night difficult. The bed is really comfy though. It's a foam type mattress. It's nice having our own bathroom. Yesterday the water would run sometimes and not other times but they did something so that it works all the time now.
Nerves have definitely been a constant lately. I keep thinking how I have never met my teacher, I have never learned in a classroom in Ghana and now I am going to be teaching in one? When I met with my teacher from Aldo, I was thinking of lessons that I could teach and I felt comfortable doing so. Right now, I know everything will be fine but I was so nervous about it, I couldn't sleep and now have a cold. Hopefully that will go away soon. Rachel and I expressed our nervousness to Auntie Agnes and she was great. She really calmed us down. I am definitely excited to be here. I came for the challenge, not knowing what to expect. Not having the same accessibility to resources. Our home does not have wireless but we were able to find the internet cafe. It's 1 cedi per hour which is about...I'm not sure but it's 1.6 cedi per dollar. It's only about a 5 minute walk from where we are staying. We also walked to the school today. That is not far either so that's nice. We went to the store today for food and at first we were going to walk, but then a Taxi drove by and we took that. It would have been a hike! Maybe about a 5 minute drive but in the heat, it would have felt much longer.
Until next time...
Yesterday we slept, a lot, which made sleeping last night difficult. The bed is really comfy though. It's a foam type mattress. It's nice having our own bathroom. Yesterday the water would run sometimes and not other times but they did something so that it works all the time now.
Nerves have definitely been a constant lately. I keep thinking how I have never met my teacher, I have never learned in a classroom in Ghana and now I am going to be teaching in one? When I met with my teacher from Aldo, I was thinking of lessons that I could teach and I felt comfortable doing so. Right now, I know everything will be fine but I was so nervous about it, I couldn't sleep and now have a cold. Hopefully that will go away soon. Rachel and I expressed our nervousness to Auntie Agnes and she was great. She really calmed us down. I am definitely excited to be here. I came for the challenge, not knowing what to expect. Not having the same accessibility to resources. Our home does not have wireless but we were able to find the internet cafe. It's 1 cedi per hour which is about...I'm not sure but it's 1.6 cedi per dollar. It's only about a 5 minute walk from where we are staying. We also walked to the school today. That is not far either so that's nice. We went to the store today for food and at first we were going to walk, but then a Taxi drove by and we took that. It would have been a hike! Maybe about a 5 minute drive but in the heat, it would have felt much longer.
Until next time...
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Caught up in DC
Sherton Hotel, Reston, VA.
So we got into DC at 4:00pm and our flight wasn't supposed to leave until 10:48pm. So, long time to wait. but I started clearing out my inbox AND started my resume. It's kind of a boring task. So we boarded at 10:05, we were waiting and waiting. 10:48 came and went. An hour and a half, two hours later we were told that there was a mechanical problem with the plane and we would all have to get off and take the flight at 5:00 tomorrow evening arriving at 8:00am Friday Ghana time. We were put up in the Sherton for the night. lol What are you going to do.
So we got into DC at 4:00pm and our flight wasn't supposed to leave until 10:48pm. So, long time to wait. but I started clearing out my inbox AND started my resume. It's kind of a boring task. So we boarded at 10:05, we were waiting and waiting. 10:48 came and went. An hour and a half, two hours later we were told that there was a mechanical problem with the plane and we would all have to get off and take the flight at 5:00 tomorrow evening arriving at 8:00am Friday Ghana time. We were put up in the Sherton for the night. lol What are you going to do.
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