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| This is the month to remember mom: Dec 17, 2007 |
Well, Merry Christmas in
Ghana. School is on vacation and I have
no reasonable excuse not to update my blog.
It is warm, dusty and dry
now. I often wondered where all the
smoke that comes from the behind of almost every truck, tro-tro or taxi on
every hill or climb goes. For my first
six months the skies were clear with scattered clouds that gathered to produce some
rain at least every other day. The result: no smog in the day and the night
skies that are a wonder to behold when the power is out. We haven’t had a drop of rain for two weeks
or more and, just like Seattle, a haze has developed and turned the sky to a
pale grey right to the zenith. The sun sets red and the moon only tries to
shine through the haze. It’s warmer in
the day but the air is dryer and the nights are cooler now.
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| Emmanuel: Top Score in District Math Exam, SA JHS |
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| Betty: A really good Math student at SA JHS |
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| Ophelia: Another really good Math Student, SA JHS Form 1 |
Enough about the weather: my
Form 1 students weathered their first set of district tests this month. I expected them to struggle a bit with math,
but was more than dismayed by both the difficulty of the test (many questions
went beyond the text or they syllabus) and their performance on questions they
should have mastered. I not only threw out three or four questions, I gave
pupils credit for answering them correctly.
If all questions were properly within the objectives, many of them would
have scored far worse. I have much work to do if they can turn math into a
subject that they can handle. Emmanuel
Fripong who spent the last four weeks of the term in hospital after being hit
by a car riding his bicycle obtained the best test score. Overall Betty and
Ophelia Owusu got the best grades, because Emmanuel didn’t do homework or
exercises while in the hospital. I
advised his class mates that if they did not improve their work by mid-term, I
would break all their legs and see if 3 weeks in hospital would improve their
marks (I may be kidding; we’ll see.)
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| Kukurantum Hub Language Trainers: Cecilia, Ida, Taj, Me & Moses |
Part of the problem is their lack of
confidence in their own thinking. More than one student
crossed out a correct answer and replaced it with an incorrect one that he
obtained from a neighbor. Another problem they have is with the English
language. I relate with them for that; my
struggle to bring my Twi up to a serviceable level makes me quite sympathetic. This month I had to go to
Kukurantumi to retake my language test.
I was sworn-in in August with the condition that I retake the test in my
first 3 months of service. So I returned
to the Kukurantumi Hub where I passed the test, but I missed the last week of
school. One of the difficulties for my
students was the number and length of my absences. 10 days in October at the
Kumasi Sub Office when my septic system overflowed concurrently with a case of
diarrhea. 10 days in November for Thanksgiving at the Ambassador’s residence
and then 4 days in Kukurantumi. Not good for continuity and remediation of
subject matter. A lot of good Peace
Corps is doing here so far, but I expect do
better next term. We have far to go in
math and science next term. It was some comfort to discover that most of my
fellow teachers experienced similar difficulties.
One of my hopes after “Wade in
de Watah” was to start an after-school music program. I thought I could teach a couple of African-American
Spirituals and Christmas Songs, and learn a couple Ghanaian songs from
them. I have discovered this week that
the largest denominations in my town make a point of not observing Christmas as
a holiday. Here children celebrate
Christmas by asking for gifts of money or food whenever you greet them. I faced the day ill-supplied. Esther my neighbor suggests that if someone asks for a gift to ask them what they have brought for me. I will give them their gift when they bring me mine
If I do something with music next term I will have to consult with my neighbor, Esther, she usually offers good counsel and her brother teaches music in a secondary school nearby. An after school math/science club is also a strong possibility for next term. I simply need to find what lies within the interest of the students and my ability to do something for it.
If I do something with music next term I will have to consult with my neighbor, Esther, she usually offers good counsel and her brother teaches music in a secondary school nearby. An after school math/science club is also a strong possibility for next term. I simply need to find what lies within the interest of the students and my ability to do something for it.
