One of the things you have to learn very quickly is how to fly by the seat of your pants. I am not really sure if this is true solely for VoH, Ghana, Africa, or just in life. Whether it is just coming up with a lesson or activity when you find that you will be covering third grade class five minutes before it starts, having your day interrupted by 10 unexpected visitors needing to talk to you, or being a supply officer for 150 kids, you pretty much have to be prepared to go with whatever comes your way. This last week has just reemphasized this point. As expected, things did not slow down after the recent departure of our visitors. A number of different factors compelled me to spend almost every day in the classroom last week. On one hand this frustrates me. Jessica and I had planned to do a lot of work this week while we were both here together but we haven’t been able to do as much as we had hoped as we have both been in the classroom. But on the other hand, I find that I really do enjoy being in the classroom.
Usually I am in the lower grades teach whatever subject needs to be covered. But this week I went subject specific. Mr. Abbeyquay, the principal was absent for a couple days and covered his remedial reading class. I don’t really have any training to make me qualified to teach this class, but I attended the training sessions held earlier in the year and I have been analyzing the English/Reading curriculum for the past year. And being in this particular classroom has been very eye opening. I will spare all of you the nerdspeak, but let’s just say that English is complicated so learning to read it is rather difficult especially if your pupils have an interesting accent and no prior knowledge of phonics. It makes teaching phonics very interesting. It also renews my desire to take classes on language acquisition and teaching reading. It is fascinating stuff!
The attendance wasn’t too heavy for the reading programme before the break between the second and third terms. But since the break, the library has been overrun with at least fifty children every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We have had visitors since term break so managing the chaos hasn’t been too bad, but now that everyone has gone, managing the room is quite the task. I like that the children enjoy reading and that they want to learn, but I would love to actually be able to read with some of them from time to time rather than be a traffic director. I think I am going to leave some suggestions for the next person who is the reading programme coordinator... By the time we ran into these issues it was really too late to implement any changes since I will be leaving very shortly but maybe someone will be able to benefit from my last-minute acquired knowledge.
Being so busy has just exhausted me and
I have had to be very intentional about spending time with the children. I am also acutely aware that I will leave on Tuesday week so spending time with the kids becomes even more top priority as my time is limited. But somehow I have been able to manage my time: continuing to play games with
Nicholas very week, reading books on the Prestoncrest porch, learning to dance, watching (and playing) football matches, learning to make Ghanaian dishes. Although things have been busier than I had hoped, I am very glad to be able to have a bit of "normal life" again before I go.
I have mixed feelings about leaving. Part of me wishes that I could stay here forever. These children have a very special place in my heart and I have loved my time here, teaching and learning. In this community, I have been taken as a daughter, sister, and teacher. They have opened their arms to me and I will miss them deeply. But the other part of me is ready to go – or maybe that’s the part of me that just needs a vacation. I think that I have become more confident in my abilities and strengths over the past few months and even more aware of my weaknesses. I know that I allow busyness to overwhelm me and I have a tendency to over commit myself. My fear is that after I leave I will again allow busyness and life to overshadow the relationships I have begun here.
I know this experience has been life changing and I am incredibly grateful for that change. So my prayer over the last week has been that I do not allow my reentry into the US to counterbalance that change, to make it as though living in Ghana had never happened. It may seem like a silly fear and I know not many people may understand the point I am trying to make. That's alright. I just needed to get it off my heart.
Although I leave Ghana in a couple days, I will not get back to the United States for several weeks. My brother and I will be traveling around Europe, visiting friends and seeing the sights. He has been to Mexico several times but this is his first time to fly into a foreign airport and it is also his first time to be abroad for more than a week so this should prove to be rather interesting. It will be a lot of fun and I am really excited about getting to spend so much time with him since he will start OC in the fall. I have no doubt that we will come to blows a couple of times in the next four weeks, but I also have no doubt that we will work it out and grow closer for you. Very few things in life can bring people together like getting lost in a country’s capital late at night or trying to sort out Swiss train schedules. (At least 5 of my readers should know what I am referencing here...) I look forward to seeing many of you in a couple weeks. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel.
Usually I am in the lower grades teach whatever subject needs to be covered. But this week I went subject specific. Mr. Abbeyquay, the principal was absent for a couple days and covered his remedial reading class. I don’t really have any training to make me qualified to teach this class, but I attended the training sessions held earlier in the year and I have been analyzing the English/Reading curriculum for the past year. And being in this particular classroom has been very eye opening. I will spare all of you the nerdspeak, but let’s just say that English is complicated so learning to read it is rather difficult especially if your pupils have an interesting accent and no prior knowledge of phonics. It makes teaching phonics very interesting. It also renews my desire to take classes on language acquisition and teaching reading. It is fascinating stuff!
The attendance wasn’t too heavy for the reading programme before the break between the second and third terms. But since the break, the library has been overrun with at least fifty children every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We have had visitors since term break so managing the chaos hasn’t been too bad, but now that everyone has gone, managing the room is quite the task. I like that the children enjoy reading and that they want to learn, but I would love to actually be able to read with some of them from time to time rather than be a traffic director. I think I am going to leave some suggestions for the next person who is the reading programme coordinator... By the time we ran into these issues it was really too late to implement any changes since I will be leaving very shortly but maybe someone will be able to benefit from my last-minute acquired knowledge.
Being so busy has just exhausted me and
I have had to be very intentional about spending time with the children. I am also acutely aware that I will leave on Tuesday week so spending time with the kids becomes even more top priority as my time is limited. But somehow I have been able to manage my time: continuing to play games with
Nicholas very week, reading books on the Prestoncrest porch, learning to dance, watching (and playing) football matches, learning to make Ghanaian dishes. Although things have been busier than I had hoped, I am very glad to be able to have a bit of "normal life" again before I go.I have mixed feelings about leaving. Part of me wishes that I could stay here forever. These children have a very special place in my heart and I have loved my time here, teaching and learning. In this community, I have been taken as a daughter, sister, and teacher. They have opened their arms to me and I will miss them deeply. But the other part of me is ready to go – or maybe that’s the part of me that just needs a vacation. I think that I have become more confident in my abilities and strengths over the past few months and even more aware of my weaknesses. I know that I allow busyness to overwhelm me and I have a tendency to over commit myself. My fear is that after I leave I will again allow busyness and life to overshadow the relationships I have begun here.
I know this experience has been life changing and I am incredibly grateful for that change. So my prayer over the last week has been that I do not allow my reentry into the US to counterbalance that change, to make it as though living in Ghana had never happened. It may seem like a silly fear and I know not many people may understand the point I am trying to make. That's alright. I just needed to get it off my heart.Although I leave Ghana in a couple days, I will not get back to the United States for several weeks. My brother and I will be traveling around Europe, visiting friends and seeing the sights. He has been to Mexico several times but this is his first time to fly into a foreign airport and it is also his first time to be abroad for more than a week so this should prove to be rather interesting. It will be a lot of fun and I am really excited about getting to spend so much time with him since he will start OC in the fall. I have no doubt that we will come to blows a couple of times in the next four weeks, but I also have no doubt that we will work it out and grow closer for you. Very few things in life can bring people together like getting lost in a country’s capital late at night or trying to sort out Swiss train schedules. (At least 5 of my readers should know what I am referencing here...) I look forward to seeing many of you in a couple weeks. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel.
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