Friday, March 9, 2012

Friday, March 9


(Please pardon the format.  My computer was acting quirky and I'm not in the mood to rewrite the entire text.  So pkeas

I spent the morning with a group of form 1  (freshman) biology students.  For the first hour they were taking a test on cells and osmosis.  In addition the test included protists such as paramecium and amoebae.  Jonathan, my host teacher, handed out the tests and the students got started right away.  Then he left me to proctor the test.   AT FIRST IT APPEARED THAT THEY WERE ALL WRITING WRITING WRITING DILIGENTLY AND KNEW THE MATERIAL FULLY.  tHEN AS i WALKED AROUND THE ROOM I REALIZED THAT THEY WERE WRITING THE QUESTIONS IN THEIR TEST BOOKLETS.  eVERY SINGLE STUDENT’S HANDWRITING WAS PERFECT AND PRINTED, B UT ONCE THEY WROTE THE QUESTIONS THERE WERE QUITE A FEW BLANK FACES AND EMPTY TEST BOOKLETS.  nEARLY EVERY STUDENT HAD AN IDENTICAL DEFINITON OF “eNDOCYTOSIS”, so they had clearly memorized the definition.  As the test time wore on more and more girls began to chatter among themselves.  When the time was up I announced that they had 5 more minutes and the room nearly erupted with surprise at my leniency.  Why not give them a few more minutes – especially since I didn’t have any clearcut instructions?  Eventually jonathan came back into the room and collected the test booklets.  Then we combined with another class and took the students to the biology lab to look at some slides of amoeba, paramecium, volvox and spirogyra.  The school has 3 light microscopes and some old reflective scopes from the 1960s.  They have one small box of prepared slides.  When I think of the resources  I have at my disposal  (although i complain about the lack of supplies at times) and the way my students mistreat those resources, it just makes me ill.  my students pour materials into the sinks and leave it on the floor and break things constantly.  these students have 10 prepared slides and 3 light microscopes for 1500 students to share every year. 
In the lab I had the opportunity to talk with some of the girls informally.  When i told them i had a son and daughter near their age, their interest level perked up noticeably. they were particularly interested in hearing about my 16-year-old son.  I found some pictures on my camera and soon i had the entire class of 60 students clustered around my tiny camera screen!  i think an all-girls school makes these young women insane for boys……a dangerous situation if you ask me.  however, they’re all lovely and well-mannered and seem to be very motivated to learn.
posted on the classroom board this morning was this saying that I really appreciate:

“if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.”


 I like it – especially in a girls school.  these girls seem very capable and empowered and confident.  I would be proud to have my daughter attend school here or my son date one of these girls – which i think would be a distinct possibility if he set foot on these grounds…..

8 comments:

  1. Anothony would like to know if any of these girls wish to know about him? (Quinton too.)

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    1. Yes, Anthony, several girls have asked specifically about you and are ready for you to come and get them and bring them to the US. Now remember that in Ghana the extended family is incredibly important, so you'll also be responsible for taking care of her 5 brothers and sisters, her parents, her grandparents and her 6 aunts who also think you're attractive.

      Quinton, there's a single 62-year old lady here that hangs out behind the washroom selling water bottles that I think has an eye for you. I showed her your picture and she's interested.......shall I give her your phone number?

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  2. What are their colleges like? And their high schools? (Nick would like to know.)

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    1. I haven't seen a college yet. From what I surmise there are about 5 or 6 in the country and each specializes in different fields of study.

      High school is called secondary school here. Most are boarding schools. Some are single sex, some are co-ed. Only about 25% of the students qualify to attend secondary school, so only those who are highly motivated go. Discipline issues are very minimal because if you misbehave they send you home permanently.....education is a privilege that they do not take lightly!

      They have a national curriculum that every school follows. They have uniform textbooks that every school uses. At the end of 4 years, every student takes the same exams to qualify for the university.

      I could go on and on and on, so ask me more details when I get home.

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  3. Hanad wants to know if they have a lot of homework.

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    1. School is over at 2:40. Most girls hang out, call home, play games, etc until dinnertime at 5. Then after dinner, everyone returns to the classroom to study until 7:30. It's required. No teachers are there, but the girls go to their classroom and work on preparing for exams every single night. They quiz each other and make up songs and games to study the material. Some read books or doodle, but this is a highly competitive process and only those who excel will be at the top of the game. The consequences for not being successful are pretty dire - poverty.

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  4. How long is the school day? School week? School year? (Abby would like to know.)

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    1. The school day starts with the convocation at 7 am (that was the meeting in the yard where the girls are all lined up). The last bell of the day rings at 2:40. They have 2 10-minute breaks in the day and a 30-minute lunch period. The school week is Monday through Friday and school year runs September through June. What's interesting is that their school day isn't like ours. Every day is a different schedule, depending on the specialty that the class is in. For example, today the science specialty students had 2 hours of math, 1 hour of core language, 2 hours of biology and 1 hour of core science. Tomorrow they'll have 2 hours of core social studies, 1 hour of math, 2 hours of chemistry and 1 hour of core science. I haven't figured out the rhyme or rhythm of the pattern yet.....

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