Why Ghana?

Many people who don't know me well have asked me why I chose to go abroad for one of my student teaching placements and why Ghana of all places.  Most of the people that ask me this question are students who want to stay in the Green Bay area after graduation so they see the importance in making connections in this area.  I do not plan on staying here after graduation.  I don't need to make those same connections.

I wanted to study abroad while in college but because of all of my education classes I needed, it made it difficult to study abroad.  When I found out I could student teach abroad, I knew I wanted to go.  I also wanted to go somewhere where most students don't go.  This eliminated New Zealand and the UK.  I know there are positive reasons why preservice teachers go there but I wanted to do something different.  I also knew that I want to teach in a low income area in the United States.  I wanted a school with as minimal resources as possible to prepare myself for the worst.  Then, after visiting Zambia a year ago, I fell in love with Africa and my decision to go to Ghana made perfect sense.

I hope to gain much experience with little resources.  I want to learn how to be creative outside of using oodles and oodles of materials.  I am curious to learn what my teaching style will be like and how it will differ when I get back to the United States.  I am interested in learning how the schools in Ghana deal with classroom management.  I feel comfortable in my classroom management skills in Green Bay but I am looking forward to my Ancillary School Classroom Management skills.  I hope to have a pen pal relationship with any of the teachers I have worked with in Green Bay. I think that would be an interesting way to connect my students in Ghana to the United States and students in Green Bay, Wisconsin to students in a country outside of the U.S.  I want to experience many Ghanian cultural activities and traditions.  I am looking forward to the Ghanian Independence Day. I am interested to learn how they study this holiday and how it is similar or differs from the United States Independence Day.