Reflecting

I’ve been processing the entire experience of our visit since we returned.  I find my mind constantly wandering back to Community Eleven, sitting on the bench under the tree in the middle of campus.  There was a sense of peace among the controlled chaos that is a school of one thousand students moving about, excited to finish writing exams and start their break.

From the outsider’s perspective, the kids had a lot of freedom.  There were students jumping rope and playing about the grounds.  They would amble towards the back of campus and the canteen, purchase a drink or snack and wander back.  Very rarely did a teacher question their motives or actions.  It appeared that they were trusted to do the right thing and be where they needed to be.  One time the headmistress questioned a group if they had finished their exams.  Their replies were respectful and honest.  “No, teacher”, and they returned to their classes.  Well, most of them.  It certainly may have been our presence and disruption of the regular routine that created this scene, but it had a very natural feel to it.

I should mention that I haven’t walked away with a feeling that this is some sort of educational utopia.  I just liked the way it seemed the kids were expected to do the right thing and be in the right place without constant supervision.  Within the classroom it had a slightly different feel.  I wish we had been able to see a regular day of instruction.  Instead we saw the kids sitting quietly and working on their exams.  Because of this, there wasn’t a lot of interaction with their teachers.  In some cases they were sitting at a desk scoring papers or doing other work.  In others the teacher walked through the room looking over the kids shoulders as they worked.  In at least one room, they carried a long stick with them.  

At the ceremony on the first day, the kids slowly filtered out of classrooms and made their way to the tents and few chairs that were set up.  There were no straight lines, no teachers barking orders, just kids talking, joking, laughing, being kids.  Azonto music pumped through the sound system luring them into the area.  They filled the seats, or stood, occasionally wandering away to the canteen or to investigate something going on in a different area of campus.

Once the program ended they really put the sound system to use.  We had walked to the other side of the primary building for the “adoring” of the new computer lab.  When we returned to the assembly area, the speakers were turned up to ten and every last one of those one thousand kids, from kindergarteners to junior high, was dancing.  It was beautiful.  It still gives me a little chill to think about it.  Unadulterated fun.  Smiles stretched across every face.  Robyn jumped right in and got a quick lesson in Azonto dance to the absolute delight of the kids who crowded around her.  The music was still thumping as we drove away and I couldn’t help but wonder why it seems that could never happen at one of our schools in the States.  

I also think about the speeches that were given during the ceremony.  Several of the speakers were politicians and with this taking place a mere four days before the general election, well, they were campaigning.  There were promises of major changes, a three to four story, “proper” school building, air conditioning for the computer lab and other such things.  It sounded wonderful.  It also sounded like politics.  As we spent more time at the school and heard of their needs, the lack of supplies, and saw the meager lunch that was provided for the students, it was hard to believe that anything like a three story school building could even exist.  

The classrooms had as many as sixty kids in them.  Most rooms had one or two bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling, not turned on, and maybe a ceiling fan or two.  Technology seemed to be represented by colored chalk.  There were a few posters on the wall.  The only ones that looked new were promoting a peaceful election. 

It all left me with a mind full of questions.  Was it really that different from our schools?  I don’t know.  We generally have better facilities, technology and supplies, but we’re constantly being asked to do more with less.  It’s all relative I guess.  (I should say that I have been amazed by what I’ve seen the kids have done.  The writings that they sent home with us were impressive.)  We certainly have the same goals and want the same thing for our students.  I do believe we go about it in a different fashion.  I can’t say for sure one is better though.

Where do we go from here?  Again, I don’t really know.  I’m excited to figure it out though.  There are seemingly endless options to be explored in this partnership.  Certainly, I hope that one day soon we will see CESC connected to the internet.  It would be very beneficial to be able to communicate directly with the school through email.  At this time, they have other concerns and needs that are more pressing and we’ll do what we can to address those first.  Maybe, just maybe, the government will decide to help a little as well.  The elections have passed and those making promises retained their power.  Only time will tell.

I think the biggest question that weighs on my mind is, when can I go back.  I want to visit again, and again, and again.  I want it to be a true partnership between Mendenhall and Community Eleven School Complex.  Most of all, I always want to be a part of that partnership.  I don’t see any way I could have walked away feeling any differently.

Update 12.17.12

Just a quick note, because I'm thinking about it.  I got to talk to Mr. Atta Friday.  He's still in Tema.  He says that they have managed to put together a committee to work on building a wall around CESC.  As we sat and talked about the things that they felt they needed the most, that was at the top of the list.  A list that included a place for the kids to eat lunch and educational toys for the younger kids.  I have to admit that selfishly I was a little disappointed that it wasn't Internet, but we've said from the beginning that this isn't for or about us.  So that will be the next project.  I can't wait to hear more about it.  Once again I'm on the other side of the ocean, waiting to see what we can do from here.

Day Two at CESC

Our time in Ghana was so packed, I didn't get to update this as I had planned.  Over the next couple of days I hope to catch up a bit.

We headed back to Tema and Community Eleven on Tuesday to meet with the faculty and visit some of the classrooms.  We were in for another interesting day.

Students were "writing their exams" on Tuesday as they were approaching their holiday break that began Thursday.  Friday was election day so school was going to be closed for that as well.  Needless to say we provided quite a distraction as the students were wotking, but it did not seem to be a problem.    

We started with some time sitting and talking with Gift, the Headmistress of Primary School A,  and Gifty (spelling?) who was Headmistress of Primary School B and two members of the PTA.  They shared information about their student population and the needs of the school.  They expressed a desire for a cafeteria spave where their students could all sit to eat, a wall to enclose their campus, toys for their kindergarten classes and a printer/copier.  The list certainly could have included much more, but these were the things they felt were priority.  

We got the full tour of the primary school starting with the youngest and working our way around.  In each class Gift addressed the class as we walked in with, "Hello class.  How are you?"  To which the class would respond in perfect unison, "I'm fine.  Thank you.  And you?" Very different from entering a class in the states.  She then went on to ask each class to sing us a song.  Each class chose their own song, some of them sang several.  All in English.  Well, except maybe one that had some native language mixed in.  Everyone sang.  Everyone.

We never made it to the junior high side of campus.  We kept talking about it, but in the end I guess we just ran out of time.  Or maybe they decided that we shouldn't really interrupt them as they were writing  exams.  In any case, we spent the day in the lower school.

Once we finished our tour they collected some members of their three soccer teams, two age groups from the primary school and one from the junior high, and had them put on the jerseys and let them play a bit.  According to our tour guides, they regularly win the cup in their area.  They were certainly good.  It was nearly noon and they were playing hard despite the midday sun.  The field was entirely dirt and many of the kids played in socks.  There were no lines and no nets on the goals, but it was still a beautiful game. 

After the game it was almost time for lunch.  Students who had wandered out to watch (there seemed to be a lot of freedom for the students to come and go) were hustled back inside to continue working on their exams.  We had a little time to sit and talk in the courtyard under the trees.  Robyn spoke to a few of the teachers about their required training and I walked across the street with the PTA leaders to meet one of their wives and the other's daughter who was in the upper school.  The wife was in a partially completed building across the street with another lady who was sewing on an antique sewing machine.  

We departed Tema about 1:00 with a lot to think about.  In some ways this visit was a culmination of our efforts of the last couple of years, but I also have to look at is as the start of something new.  I hope we can continue to work with CESC and find new ways to learn from one another.

Each class sang us at least one song as we visited.

English lesson on the board

Singing

I believe this was a grade one class.  Maybe grade two.

The master schedule.

Everyone wanted a picture taken.

More mugging for the camera.

Members of the two primarty school teams and the junior high team.

The boys were playing hard!

"Fans" gathered in the goal to watch.

This was the canteen on the edge of campus where students got snacks and drinks.

A vendor on CESC campus 

Jump rope time

The Black Star flying high above the Junior High School.

Lunch Time!

Students brought their own bowls to school.  Today they had beens with ground cassava.

Jerseys were washed and laid out to dry.

Robyn talking with the PTA leaders

A first visit to Community Eleven

What a day!  I finally got to visit Community Eleven Complex School today.  We met Mr. Atta at his home in Tema this morning before heading over to the school.  I had no idea what was ahead of us for the day.  Atta had continued to call this a "meeting", but hinted that there would be quite a few people there.  Turns out the entire school, their staff, PTA leaders, probably fifty parents, media representatives and seven or eight dignitaries from Tema Government were there for the celebration.  There was a sound system pumping out music, speeches from all of the dignitaries, kids doing traditional dance, contemporary dance, a skit about the importance of trees from the environmental club and poetry about the importance of computer education.  They even had a ribbon cutting for the opening for the computer lab.

It is hard to believe that this whole project started over two years ago.  It's been a long time coming and it was very special to see how much it meant to the school and the community.  We will go back tomorrow to talk more about how to continue the collaboration between our two schools.

The whole day had a somewhat surreal feel to it.  It certainly felt good to see the fruits of our labor.

The tree in the middle of Community Eleven School Complex

Mr. Atta and a member of the PTA

The crates from our shipment of computers.

The computer lab

An outdoor classroom

Kids waiting for the celebration to start.

PTA representatives

Kids of Community Eleven

Two students sharing a poem about ICT (technology)

Part of the Environmental Club's Skit (He was a tree)

The Environmental Club Skit about the importance of trees.

The dance group

Exchanging student work with Community Eleven Teachers

Julie Olson speaking with one of the traditional dancers.