Travel Journal

It was finally here! July 13th, I set off for my flight from TPA to JFK to ACC. I was packed, felt (mostly) prepared, and was already worried about working on the capstone project. The game plan I had set for myself was to work on the flight out to JFK and then continue working in the Delta Sky Club during the six-hour layover I had until the next leg of the trip. You see, IREX paid for our flights out there (an amazing perk, really), and I decided to ~~*treat myself*~~. So, when we received our airline tickets, I called and upgraded myself to Delta One for the flight from New York City to Accra. While you might be thinking, “Kelsey... how bougie are you?!” But, I know myself well enough. It is an overnight flight, and we were scheduled to land at 7am the next morning (July 14) in Accra. If I wanted to function well, I would need to find a few hours of sleep somewhere. Having the lay down seat in Delta One was a game changer! Did I absolutely love the service and all the amenities that came with it? A very emphatic, YES. Do I want to fly first class again? Also, YES. Can I afford it? That’s a resounding NO. BUT! It was a great experience to have and one I will work towards to have again.

Now, let’s back track a bit, I’m now at JFK and trying to work in the Delta Sky Lounge. I get a few more parts of my capstone complete, I try to read for a little bit, I have some lunch and try to keep myself occupied for the several hours I am there. When there is an hour to go before the flight, I make my way to the gate and find all of my cohort members there. So many excited and friendly faces that I had met back in February at our conference in Washington, D.C. awaited me! To be honest, I had been feeling a little shy and nervous about seeing my cohort members again. I’m not really sure on why I felt that way, usually, I’m a very gregarious person. As I have had time to reflect, I am attributing that shyness to the unease and lack of confidence I felt on traveling to a country to which I had never been. However, I had nothing to be concerned about the flight was uneventful, we landed safely, no luggage was lost, and Anna and Gideon (our guides for the trip) found us without a problem.

The only interesting part of the flight pick up happened while we were all waiting for the entire group to convene after customs. I was waiting with a few others outside and everyone collected their things. A young girl, around 13, and her younger brother, who I later asked was 6 years old, came up to me and said, “My little brother wants to know if he can take a picture with you.” Here I was, looking… not the freshest after 13+ hours of traveling, but I am usually game for most things. I acquiesced, the boy and I stood next to one another and gave the camera a big smile. While I thought it was a bit odd to ask a stranger for a picture, I didn’t think anything of it. Blithely unaware of this phenomenon, I didn't realize this would be the first of many pictures I would take with people I didn’t know!

Accra. 

It's sprawling. It bustles. It hustles. And you will see so many new things that will leave you wondering. Accra is an acquired taste. My first thought as we were driving from the airport to the hotel, was 1) Holy cow. The traffic is so intense! and 2) Wow. None of these billboards and advertisements are for me.

Let's tackle the easy statement first. Their traffic and traffic patterns are intense. There is no distracted driving because, as the driver, your sole focus must be the road. Honking is a form of communication and not always a negative message. When people are passing you, or about to do so, they will give a polite, "beep beep," so you know they are coming up behind you. It almost feels like the equivalent of a bike rider or runner telling another person on the side walk "on your left. Obviously, there is also the more aggressive, negative honk, but that happens in most places with heavy traffic. As someone who is used to heavy traffic and traffic jams, driving in Accra is not something I would suggest. Unless you are a real adrenaline fiend, navigating the roads of Ghana is not for the faint of heart and I was duly impressed with the drivers we had throughout the entire trip! 

Next, the billboards and advertisements. As a white woman who grew up in the USA, every ad I saw was, generally, geared toward me. Now, you might be thinking, "Kelsey. You went to a different country. A country that is majority not white. What did you expect?" You are correct and I knew that, but it was the realization that there are so many populations in the US that are underrepresented in advertising that really hit me. It was a fact I knew about my own country, but it wasn't until I left it and experienced advertising that wasn't for me, did I realize the implications for the underrepresented populations of the USA. I like to think that the US's advertising has gotten more diverse since the 90's (when I was a child), but I still think we have a long way to go. My thoughts on this might not be the most succinct, but it was a thought that stayed with me through the trip and has stuck with me even as I make my way through my day to day back home. 

During the days I was in Accra, the cohort met with the following people, institutions, or programs to help us understand the education system in Ghana and some of the factors that influence it: 

• National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

• National Schools Inspectorate Authority 

• Teacher Exchange Alumni (Ghanaians who have been to the US)

• Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL)

• Accra College of Education

• Ministry of Education

• National Teaching Council

• Perbi Cubs (An entity that provide access to digital books, gives children lexile levels, and bolsters reading comprehension)

As I synthesize the information, I can't help but be astounded over the number of notes that I took and the information overload I experienced. It was no wonder why my brain was tired every evening! The first thing that was obvious, but a little difficult for me to put into words, were the unspoken norms that every educational facility had and upheld. It wasn't until a fellow colleague asked what the basic norms were did I feel that "aha" moment. For Ghanaians, they have five basic cultural values that are seen throughout most of their society: 

1. No fighting

2. Learn to share

3. Think about what the other person is thinking 

4. Seek to help others

5. Follow your religious training 

All of which were reflected in every school or place of learning attended. In fact, one of the first observations that I noticed, and was frequently commented on, is that in Ghana, education is a collaborative pursuit intended into uplift everyone. In the United States, it is an individual pursuit with the benefit only for the person who sought it out; clearly delineating the main difference in culture between the two countries. The ironic part of it, though, is what I trying to be accomplished in the daily classroom of the US teacher. Many US teachers have the same norms, at least, the first four, written down in a variety of way for their classroom. However, they are often undercut by the way we assess students. Tests are taken alone, your grades are your sole responsibility, the outcome of your education was driven by you, the learner. In the US, the only time there is space for things like "Gets along well with others" or "Thinks about his/her actions" is in the primary grades. Which, frankly, is a shame because many avenues of success for people are due to the fact that they found others who would help along the way. In Ghana, per T-TEL there is space for the "intangible" qualities like collaboration, teamwork, perseverance, and more on student's transcript. While I could keep typing about this train of thought, I will pause here to ensure there is space elsewhere to discuss education on its own. 

What I did find fascinating was the way teachers are prepared for their teaching careers and what the Minister of Education has planned for the Ghanaian Educational system. In 2016, corporal punishment was abolished in schools and is, as swift as change can be, socio-emotional learning training is being put in its place. T-TEL is writing the SEL curriculum so that they can adopt, or use, what is relevant to Ghana and its students. This attitude of using, or writing, what works for Ghana is seen in the Ministry of Educaiton, as well. For our time with the Minister of Education, he stated that "[they] are trying to reset the standars to demonstrate that West is not best but, the should be able to navigate the West." In other words, find the space and boundaries to keep your system and give space for others' systems. A simple example is the alphabet and learning the English letters. Often times we say "A is for Apple," but in Ghana, and Apple is not an indigenous plant so why would they use it to teach small children their letters?!

There are two visits that stand out the most in my mind and that is the visit with the Minister of Education and the visit to Perbi Cubs. While every person I met is doing worthwhile work, these two really had me awestruck. The current Minister of Education has grand plans for the children of Ghana and their education. He wants them to understand that "West isn't the best, but they need to learn how to navigate the West." This is a tall order for any country, but also speaks to the fact we need globally adept people to make the world move in a positive direction. 

The Perbi Cubs was founded by Mrs. and Dr. Perbi. Originally from Ghana, the husband and wife lived in Montreal for a number of years and, with their seven children, would make numerous trips to the library. For one extensive trip that they took to Ghana, they ordered over 1,000 books to be sent to their location. When Mrs. Perbi saw the need for a reading space and bolstering reading comprehension in Ghanaian children, she saw the vision and went after it to make it a reality. Currently, Perbi Cubs are serving thousands of Ghanaian children through digital access with eBooks, tests so children can understand their Lexile levels, and other activities to improve, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and reading levels. 

Overall, I can see that every Ghanaian is working towards bettering the place where they live. Whether it be through their work, with education, or establishing places for children to thrive and learn, it is a collective effort. Truly, the effort of a rising tide lifting all boats in action. 

The best possible thing that came out of this trip was that it reaffirmed my love for education. Seeing all the students, staff, and other educational members working towards a large goal was so uplifting. However, I also saw the struggles that Ghana faces to keep up with the rapid changes in education. 

When we met with the Minister of Education, it was the first time someone had stated the inkling of a thought that had been percolating in my mind. Ghanaian children go to a boarding school for secondary school not because it is better for them, though there are positive traits I will discuss, they go to boarding schools because housing and feeding the students is cheaper than trying to improve the road access and provide transportation for all of the secondary students. Go ahead. Read that sentence again. It is cheaper to house and feed students than to provide transportation. The Minister, his cabinet, and every Ghanaian, knows that this is not a sustainable practice but without proper funding for some many other things, this is the solution they have. 

There are just over 700 senior high schools in Ghana. With approximately 375,000 students taking the Basic Education Certification Examination (BECE) at the end of their last year in junior high (the US grade 9 is equivalent), only 150,000 will be accepted and move on to secondary school. Needless to say, the competition is intense. Ghanian society is keener aware that there isn't enough schooling for all those that get decent marks on the BECE. While there are trade schools and other options for those that do not advance to secondary school, the Minister of Education is keenly aware that is in not enough.  

Additionally, many schools operate without electricity, or with the minimal electricity or lights and fans, in the majority of their buildings. The administrative offices might have electricity, but the actual classrooms do not. For the average US teacher this feels impossible to fathom. How would we project our lesson, show students videos or demonstrations, use the internet to leverage the learning we want to impart? Yet, Ghanaian teachers do this every day and the students learn. With only wooden desks, whiteboards, and a few dry erase markers, teachers are helping their students master the content and pass their final examinations.  

Water, the gift of life according to Ghanaian tradition and culture, is another aspect of infrastructure to take into account, as well. While there is enough water, sanitation and availability sometimes can be an issue. At the boarding schools, there are giant reservoirs of water stored on campus. This water is used for bathing, washing clothes, and cooking. Drinking water is stored in small, sealed plastic bags for easy storage and disposal. However, having available water at anytime and in any place is expensive and extensive infrastructure. Even in the US there are places where you can't drink the water (Flint, MI and Jackson, MS are still in a water crisis). Everyone in the world knows without water there is no life, which is why the United Nations has the clean water and sanitation as one of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, as soon as we unravel one piece of the infrastructure, we realize how intricately all the pieces of living and society are bound together. It will take a great amount of working together to lift all aspects.  

What I learned about the Ghanaian education system, what it looks like in practice, where the Minister of Education wants to take it and areas of strength and weaknesses could take up an enormous amount of paper. However, I want to focus on some of the tidbits that I found interesting to me that, at times, produces larger implications for Ghana.

For every school, primary through secondary, there are required uniforms and a required hairstyle. At first, I though they all had short hair because it is easier to maintain but the reality is that it is a requirement for the school and is a hold-over from the time when Ghana was colonized by Great Britain. A few of us spoke with different district and school leaders about this but them seemed, simultaneously resigned to the fact and understanding of the fact that keeping the children with short hair is more cost effective. Because when everyone gets a number 2 cut from a barber there is no need for anything else. It’s a part of the system that I was both in awe of and questioned. When students have specific clothing to wear, and at the boarding schools’ specific clothes for specific events, and everyone has the same hair, how do students explore, and express, their individuality? I didn’t quite get an answer from my time there and the time I spent with the secondary students, but the thought still lingers in my mind.

Another interesting effect of having boarding schools that are very competitive is that students at one school can come from all over the country. Which means their native language might not necessarily be the same! There are over 80 native languages in Ghana, some of the larger groups are Twi and Ga. In primary school, you go to a school that is nearby, so the instruction is in the community language until grade 3 with a class added to learn English. At the beginning of grade 4, the language of instruction is all in English and your added class is a language class for your mother tongue. This language phenomenon coupled with a boarding school that has students from all over creates two things: 1) Every student is an English Language Learner and 2) boarding schools act as an assimilator for students. There are not held back from other viewpoints, languages, or religions because they are living and learning in the same facilities in the same clothes with the same hair style.  The larger impact that has on Ghana is that it is a fairly peaceful country. Along with their larger societal norms, the assimilation that happens at the secondary level helps ensure that there is little in-fighting in the country. There is so much emphasis on the collective in society that it is impossible to miss at the boarding schools.

Collectivism, for the secondary students, looks like shared and assigned chores, helping each other during their scheduled study hall in the evening, and sharing a common space for sleeping (imagine a large room with many bunk beds a la sleep away camp style). While in Begoro and going to Presby SHS, students were given chores based on age and gender. Males were given machetes (I repeat: MACHETES) to cut the lawn and weed whack, all children were responsible for their own laundry, albeit there was a specific day everyone did their laundry. Girls were expected to clean the yard while the boys weed whacked. There were more chores to do than I am remembering, but what stuck out to me is that the Ghanaian students were instructed and trusted to use tools with care and caution and for their intended purposes. Ghanaian students are specifically given a lot of responsibility, I saw the boys sharpening the machetes one day on the whet stone, but it also enhances their ease of problem solving in the real world. They know, from a young age, how to enhance the collective and take pride in a collected idea/space.

A small part of me laments that many kids in the US don’t have this experience anymore. My childhood wasn’t more unique than any others but what stands out is that my mother was a licensed contractor and from a young age, I was taught how to use, potential dangerous, tools properly and with care. I have a healthy respect for saw blades and nail guns because I can see the damage they can inflict on a person. This was the type of rearing and responsibility I saw in the Ghanaian children as well and it is what I see is lacking in many of the children in the US who are of a similar age to those I interacted with in Ghana.

This is not to disparage US children and their upbringing entirely. Many of the discussions our cohort had with the various education entities was around the practice of respectful questioning. From the Ghanaian perspective, they espoused that the students were really good at memorizing and replicating. But, as the Minister of Education said, memorization of facts won’t lift Ghanaians out of poverty. What they want their students to do is to learn how to question their teacher (respectfully), to ask why something works rather than if their answer is correct, they want their students is dissect and have discourse over the content that is being taught. This skill is a skill so many US students have in abundance! Every time I teach, I am asked, at least once, “when will I ever use this in real life?” Or I am asked a variation of the question, “why does it work this way? Can’t I do it another way?” What I find is that many US students are not afraid to push boundaries and ask questions. HOWEVER, this does not mean they are always on task and talking about the content. So, the Ghanaian education system and the US education system are tackling the same issue from different sides of the spectrum. Ghanaian students who are reluctant to talk and US students who talk to much about the everything else but the content. Together, I am hoping we can find the happy middle ground for our students. I’m hoping that, with a collective effort, we can help our students find the skills to discuss esoteric content (to them) and bring about and understanding of the value of questioning.

Even the Minister of Education in Ghana is keenly aware of this issue. As a product of the Ghanaian education system himself, he wants to see the students move from timid to assertive. To understand and utilize the skills of a leader that he sees are important: Patience, active listening, humility, honesty, and a deep sense of caring. To equalize the playing field in Ghana, the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), underneath the guide of the Minister of Education, created nationalized standards in the late 2010s and by 2019 they were in full effect. The NaCCA rolled out the training to teachers in three phases, K-6, 7-9, and 10-12, on how to use the standards, how to implement Professional Learning Communities in their schools, and to try and create data driven instruction. Ghana is making huge strides in the education department and I can only hope and pray that the funding they need to make it happen finds its way to them!

Returning to the US, everyone asked me how my trip was, and, even though I had practiced what I wanted to say, every time I froze. How do you describe two weeks of intense learning and unlearning? How can you condense an experience that reaffirms your passion for your career? How can someone detail the joy they felt when they interacted with happy, curious kids? What details could you give the person asking so they can understand the deep perfume of the tropical forest? Or feel the dust in their throat in Accra? Nothing I have said has sufficed. And I don't think anything ever will. There are some things I can't explain because they have to be experienced.

- Kelsey