Reflecting on my time in Ghana

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Looking back on my life changing experiences in Ghana, Africa, I remember each face, each smile and each unique quality that made me fall in love with the children in Abokobi and Accra. The extensive amount of education I was able to share with them was also an intense learning experience for me. Here is a list of all the fun teaching and learning experiences we shared together:

1. Created and implemented the first French curriculum for the school where I was teaching.

-- I also began extra help classes after school for French and for Reading

2. Organized field trips between my students from Kiddy Kare and 40 orphans from the Osu Children's Home (a total of 80 kids) to participate in a "field day" with lots of fun-filled events and prizes (all donations).

--The kids were split up into 4 teams competing ing 7 events (shoe kick, 3 legged-race, wheel barrow race, lime-on-a-spoon relay, crab-walk relay, water bucket relay, and tug-of-war).
--It took place on a Saturday from 10am until about 4pm. It was publisized and broadcasted on the public radio!

3. Started a community service program for the Kiddy Kare school where:

--The children and teachers pick up trash all around the community for 2 hours every Wed. morning singing a "Clean Up" song that I had taught them. I had T-Shirts donated and printed with the school crest on the front and on the back was each students individual name on the top and then "Keep Ghana Clean" underneath in the colors of the Ghana flag.
--The community was impressed and noticably cleaner when we were through!!

4. Collaborated with a 3rd grade teacher in Nevada so that her class and 2 of my classes could start a pen pal program (which was very successful).

5. Had bats, balls and baseball mitts donated and sent to me in Africa where I used them to teach the children baseball during P.E., we even used a "Slip N Slide" to practice sliding from 3rd base to home plate.

--I also taught them how to sing "We want a single, just a 'lil single" while they were playing!

6. Implemented extra classes during vacation days such as: computer training courses, sewing, painting, jewelery making, singing, French, Letter Writing and Reading.

7. Taught songs in English and a couple other African languages:

--I taught them "This is the day...", a song in Luganda called "Mukozese", and the American National anthem,

8. I had class to sew pencil cases for themselves with materials my father had set over, and gave each of them their own pencil, eraser, and sharpener to put in it.

9. I took a couple of students to the movies and one on a 5 hour trip to see a professional soccer game.

10. I taught the children the importance of reading comprehension by organizing the library w/ donated books so that the children could borrow books from which they had to create book reports with specific formats and present their book & report to the class.

11. Used donated money to buy French textbooks and dictionaries for classes 3,4 & 6.

12. Had an architect from South Africa come and estimate a price and draw up plans to build the school a new library- which I will be doing the fundraising for as soon as I'm legally able to.

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Comments

[Shanique Jones]

Your work in Ghana is amazing, you are truly being the change you wish to see in the world! You have truly inspired me, and i will keep you in mind once I am able to volunteer in Ghana.