I had the honor today of visiting several classrooms at St. Andrew Nativity School, where I started volunteering as a tutor nine weeks ago, to talk about Ghana. And I was soon telling the students that of the many classrooms I have visited in the U.S., theirs most reminded me of Ghana.
There are, to be sure, a lot of differences: temperature control; furnishings; number of books and other teaching aids.
But there are also a lot of similarities. The students at St. Andrew are much more respectful toward adults than are most students in the U.S. This is not just a question of wearing uniforms and being quiet--though that helps. It also seems to be internalized. The students at St. Andrew seem to view their school as a splendid opportunity. Indeed, the school is one of many Catholic efforts to provide an outstanding education to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. But across the U.S. there are students from all sorts of backgrounds who seem to view school as some sort of punishment. I recall students from my own childhood who seemed utterly devoted to driving teachers into early retirement. The students at St. Andrew, like those I met and observed in Ghana, seem very pleased to be in school and to take pride in their accomplishments and ambitions.
In chatting with one of the staff members today, we remarked that the American love for equality and freedom has often translated into a distrust of any sort of hierarchy or deference. But the students in Ghana and at St. Andrew seem pleased to show respect to their teachers in particular and to adults in general, people who are, one hopes, helping them to move from childhood to maturity, dependence to responsibility.
The website for St. Andrew Nativity School: http://nativityportland.com/
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