Friday, our last day in Ghana, Peter (my son) and I went with Sonny from the Aya Centre to Tot to Teen School, where we spoke to some 200 junior high students.  As you can see, once Peter got rolling, he really got rolling.  He talked about what school in the U.S. is like and about football (soccer).  I spoke about my belief that students in Ghana and the U. S. generally know each other only through stereotypes learned from popular culture and that one-to-one communication would enable  the two sets of students to both learn more about each other and to care more deeply about what happens in distant places.  The school is located in Madina, just outside of Accra and not far from the University of Ghana.  It's a high-performing school that did a similar project several years ago.  Here, as elsewhere, Peter felt very welcomed.  We were both deeply impressed by the warmth of Ghanaians and hope to return soon!

Purity Preparatory School

Thursday Peter and I took our first tro tro ride (imagine a large and very full sardine can on wheels) with George from the Aya Centre to Purity Preparatory School, in the hills north of Accra.  The two hour journey ended with a walk down a hillside to a small, beautiful country school.  It's a beautiful setting and is another private school that does an outstanding job with meager resources.  I talked about the project, and Peter talked about what schools in the U.S. are like and took some pictures--and had his picture taken.  This is a small K-8 school that sends most of its graduates on to high school.  I'm looking forward to finding a good match for this special school and its bright students.

Ashesi University

It was a great pleasure to set foot today on Ashesi University's new campus.  Dean of Students Dr. Adzo Ashie picked us up this morning on the big Ashesi bus as it made the long journey to the beautiful site north of Accra.  I presented some thoughts on Ghanaian education to about two dozen students and staff who then had a lively discussion on how to balance innovation and tradition.  I then sat in on a writing class and was extremely impressed by the culture of the university.  The entire university works to encourage and inspire its students, who upon graduation are much sought after by West African employers.  The university is  profiled in The White Man's Burden as precisely the sort of African-led enterprise that those of us in the western world should be supporting in any way that we can, and it is a leader on the continent in inquiry-based education.
http://www.ashesi.org/

Anani Memorial International School Dancers

I had the pleasure of returning to three schools today, and the students at Anani Memorial International School treated me to an amazing dancing exhibition.  Pictured here is the beginning group--and they had a very hard time holding still and watching once the older dancers took the floor.  The older student's reward for their efforts was a lecture from yours truly on African-American history, which they sat through with good grace and enlivened with some very perceptive questions.  The subject of slavery is, understandably, a sensitive one in modern Ghana, which  has become a successful nation only by overcoming some daunting ethnic, religious, and historical differences.  It was a blessing to be able to speak to such attentive and impressive young students about how people from West Africa were brought to American involuntarily, under the most terrible of circumstances, but succeeded in creating a vibrant and strong society under horrible conditions and went on to gain civil rights for themselves and enrich the larger nation's culture and life beyond measure.

Hope Christian Academy

I got up very early this morning to beat the traffic and go west to Hope Christian Academy, near Fetteh.  After the tumult of Accra, it was nice to be out in the countryside.  I first learned of the Village of Hope and its school from Chief Operations Manager Araba Amuasi, an Ashesi University graduate who spoke about it a year ago at a World Council Affairs meeting in Seattle.  Hope offers a full range of services to orphans and other vulnerable children in Ghana, and its outstanding school attracts students from across the nation as well as serving the children of the orphanage.  In Ghana, as the rest of the world, it is rare for disadvantaged children to have access to an excellent education.  The students range in age from two to fifteen and are extraordinarily focused.  Araba, Managing Direct Roland Bulley, Head Teacher Michael Abbeyquaye, and other staff members were very generous with their time and are excited about the prospect of their students trading letters with those in the U.S.  I can't recall ever being at a place where everyone was so uniformly warm and kind.

A Busy Day

Today I visited four very different schools, all of which are very interested in forming relationships with schools and students in the United States.  Pictured here is the courtyard of Anani Memorial International School.  It is located in Nima, a slum where poor migrants and immigrants from across Ghana and West Africa congregate in search of a better life.  Just getting to the school requires a bit of skill, as one walks through a maze of narrow alleys.  I was honored to speak with both Headmaster Kofi Anane--whose father founded the school--and his very dedicated staff.  The school serves creche (toddlers seated around tables working on blocks) through sixth grade.  I'll have the pleasure of returning next week to talk more with the older students.  As in the rest of the world, there is a strong correlation between income and educational opportunities in Ghana.  Anani is an exception, as it features small class sizes and strong instruction for students whose families are struggling.  The staff of the Aya Centre have long worked with this school and have been exceedingly generous in helping me.

L & A Memorial Academy

I spent a long and exciting Tuesday at L & A Academy in Mallam, east of Accra.  Kankam Mensa Felix graciously hosted me after giving up half of his holiday to spend Monday morning with me, and I got to speak to several classes from second to seventh grade.  Kankam has started a Global Care Club, so they are already excited about learning about other places and cultures.  They had a lot of questions (why don't American students wear uniforms?) and swarmed me between classes and patiently taught me the classic Ghana handshake, which involves a mutual finger snap after you slide your hands together.  Their letters are clearly written, detailed, and thoughtful.  I know that their new friends back in the U.S. will enjoy them.  I am dead tired.  Teaching in Ghana is much like the U.S., only with much higher humidity.  I wouldn't last long in either set of classrooms, but it's a blast for a day here and there!

The University of Ghana

Today I had breakfast with Dr. Michael Williams of the Aya Centre, a great man and organization, then figured out banking and the phone and headed to the famed University of Ghana library, which is only about 10 minutes away.  It's a rambling, maze-like structure, but  with the help of a librarian I found much of the material I was looking for.  I'll be back for unpublished theses--the really good stuff that you can't get anywhere else in the world--later, as they are not available on week-ends. The Africana section is immense.  Here is a view looking out from the library's entrance.  It's an inspiring place to be, as it's long been known as one of the world's great universities.

Hopes for Trip to Ghana

Tomorrow I'll be leaving for Ghana, where I'll be living for three weeks.  I'll be doing some research on the history of education but also working to pair classrooms here, in the Portland Area and Oregon, with classrooms in Accra and Kumasi.  It's been wonderful to meet so many teachers and students who are excited about sharing letters or other student work across the ocean.  A Ghanaian teacher recently wrote to say that these efforts will further "global understanding."  The students I've talked to are excited about making new friends and learning how the lives of people far away are similar to and different from their own.  I look forward to what these new friendships will teach them--and the rest of us.  I know that we have much to learn from each other.  Above is a photo of my research assistant, who will be joining me for the last nine days of the trip.