Today is spent at St. Francis observing classes and having a meeting with teachers. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming.
Ghanaian class sizes are so large, 50-70 on average, that there is little opportunity for group or project based learning, particularly in the case of science labs. There is also very little technology available for Power Point lectures or similar formats. Consequently, Ghanaian teachers are often masters of the lecture. They are animated, entertaining, and focused. This chemistry teacher was one of the most energetic lecturers I saw. He always had this great smile on his face.
Meals are served at big tables in the outdoor assembly hall.
Cooks preparing meals.
Most of the kids are super friendly and ready to talk.
I had the opportunity to answer questions about the American education system and cultural customs.
The students had many questions including whether students in the USA are disciplined with caning. This is one of the tricks to the discipline you see here in the schools. One of the possible punishments for students who misbehave is to be hit with a cane, similar to the old American custom of paddling. The teachers assure me this is used rarely and only as a last resort. The students however expressed how much they don't like the practice. Student behavior at the schools in Ghana is remarkable and quite frankly I envy it. But although several people in our group commented that we need to bring corporal punishment back to US schools to achieve this kind of discipline in our schools, I don't think that is really true. I asked the teachers of the science department what advice they had to offer on instilling student respect, cooperation, and participation. Their number one piece of advice was to develop relationships with the students and gain their trust. Treat them with kindness and respect. None of them liked the idea of corporal punishment and several stated they outright avoid it. I think stating that caning is the important key to the wonderful student attitude and behavior at St. Francis is an oversimplification. What I saw was a community culture of respect and warmth with an emphasis on hard work, personal responsibility, and high achievement. These young people are required to work harder and accept more personal responsibility at a much earlier age than most US students. This logically produces young people with a higher level of maturity and appreciation for the education they are receiving.
It may seem that these students are thrilled to see us, and they do seem happy and interested most of the time, but the majority of their enthusiasm comes from the camera. The Ghanaian students go crazy at having their picture made. They beg for you to take their picture
