Monkey Sanctuary

On Saturday, after art week, all the volunteers took a trip down toward Ho to the Monkey Sanctuary.

Kites take Flight

The students were so happy to see their art in the air!
Success!

Kite Progression

Monday, students were sent to their various classes in accordance with their registration requests. For the kites class, I first met with students from stages 1-3 (similar to 1st-3rd grade) for 90 minutes followed by a second group of upper primary stages 4-6.

First, they measure kite string, 45 and 25 inches, attaching them to make 4 triangular faces, resulting in a tetrahedron, learning that "tetra" means four and hedron indicates that it has faces (or seats)... Greek.

In partners, students built 4 tetrahedrons using kite string and straws (compliments of the McDonald's restaurant of Arlington, VA). Then then folded tissue paper and trace a pre-made stencil with precision, cutting out a shape that would serve as a covering for two faces of each of the 4 tetrahedron.

Tetrahedron faces were then painted with temperas using leaves, yarn or fingers, avoiding course contact that would potentially tear the thin tissue paper.

After the paint designs were dry, students places each of the 4 tetrahedrons with faces in the same direction, then fastened them together, forming a base of 3 with one on top.

A bridal was then made by measuring string and centering 2 strings, tying a small loop into one, from which the kite will be pulled.

Lastly, a 3-foot (approx.) tail was made, using thin gift-wrap ribbon, with 4 pieces of tissue paper knotted along the ribbon to create bowes and slightly add more weight to give the kite lift and direction.

Art Week beginnings

Friday night we stayed in Kpando. Karly and I would now reside with the rest of the volunteers, leaving the Glover home. Rejoice, Forson Glover's wife, was so good to us during our stay with her family. She even made us delicious rice milk in place of tea in the mornings when she found out that we don't take tea. My favorite treat was hanging with them in the evenings... they are such a kind family. In their home, we got to spend leisure time with Albright and Kelvin who both attend Bishop Forson School, stages 5 and 2(?).

Saturday all the volunteers met with the teachers at Bishop Forson School Campus. Our time was spent getting acquainted with one another as Beth facilitated a conversation regarding some of the challenges they have faced and were seeking help with during out time there. Beth did an excellent job, of course, creating a productive discussion among local teachers and volunteers.

Following our discussion, we congregated under the mango tree for lunch. Red-red and dried kasaba... so good.

Monday was the start of Art week, "Painting Possibilities," which was the event put on by the 16 volunteers. Classes were prepared by many of the volunteers to offer the students at the Bishop Forson school an opportunity to discover talents and abilities they had yet to experience in themselves. These classes had objectives that included students creating customized wearable art, wire sculptures, paper mache, haiku poems, video editing, animation tools, music, geodesic dome construction, and kite making.

While all plans were not executed quite as we expected, we learned to be flexible and enjoy the unique situations we found ourselves in. Each of the objectives were met, despite the need for change in how we reached them.

Airfield School

After a few days in Kpando, Karly and I drove with Forson and Geshon to Ho, the capitol village of the Volta Region. There we reconvened with the other 14 volunteers only to learn about many unfortunate events that had taken place as they toured the greater Accra area (Capecoast and Kakum)... from inclement weather conditions to late nights with difficulty finding a place to eat and/or sleep, Karly and I were again grateful to have had the experiences with did at the school thus far.

In Ho, we visited a school on the outskirts of the village that Ellen has been working with for a while now. The Airfield school is built on what was to be an air strip. For years now, there has been no movement in the direction of building an airport, so the school leaders have been in the process of working with the community leaders to gain permission to actually build a school. Currently the classrooms are essentially open air sections with little to no separation between rooms, protected by roofs made of lashed coconut tree leaves. When it rains, the ground is so soft that it's nearly impossible to move around the school grounds without sinking in the mud. Nonetheless, its a beautiful setting, and they have made great progress in making the school what it is today. They are motivated to learn regardless of their given circumstances.

We were greeted warmly by the community and school leaders, parents and children. They performed a traditional dance and expressed their graditude for our visit.

While Ellen met with the community and school leaders regarding the building of the school, we taught decopaging art lessons to the children in their various classrooms.

After completing the art projects, Avery shared wooden airplanes with all the students. They assembled their planes and flew them in the field. They had such a great time!

They then offered us delicious cocunut milk and bananas before we departed to make our way back to Kpando before dark.

Classroom Observations

Eye-opening it was to observe the teachers and students in regular operation at the Bishop Forson School. There was certainly a reaction of "best behavior" on the students part as well as the teachers, but the realities of the struggles they face on both ends became more apparent as time passed.

Stage 5 (our grade level 5) class met in the only outdoor classroom currently on the school compound. It was one of my favorite classes to observe and spend time in. Not only because of the refreshing breeze and great lighting, but I enjoyed the general desire the students had to learn in this stage.
The classes were set up by stage, or level. Students stayed in the same classroom with the same group of students all day while teachers of various disciplines would come and teach 40-110 minute blocks of time. Students varied in ages in each of the stages, because they would only progress in stage if they passed a "standard" test which was given by school and country, depending on the level. Some students would not advance because a need for them to stay at home and work to support their family would arise.

This was an exciting day! I was observing Leticia, and she invited her students to explain their understanding at the chalk board! She then solicited student questions for further explanation.

Leticia had such a positive attitude that reflected in her students. It was refreshing to step into her classroom and sense the increased safety that her students seemed to feel in her presence. If they answered incorrectly, they were not degraded of made to feel lesser. They worked together to increase understanding.

The Math teacher of the JHS students was absent, so I had the privilege of sharing some lessons with them. Their enthusiasm of challenges was great. Over time, their familiarity with critical thinking and discovery increased. I appreciate their interest in learning and building transferable skills.

Kpando bound

Monday night was spent in Accra, Ghana (the country's capitol) with the other 15 volunteers at a comfortable hotel with clean sheets... nice welcome to adventures ahead.

The next morning, I got to go on a very short run while others were eating breakfast and getting ready for the day. Just outside the back road leading to the hotel, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint temple was on Independence Blvd., so that became my destination... a little breath of fresh air (I looked forward to spending time here in less than a month)!

While on the grounds, I ran into a member of the temple presidency, and he kindly instructed me as to how I would might go about finding the branch that I was hoping to search out in Ho village. Perfect!

Soon after a nice shower, Karly and I departed along with Mr. Forson, in the Ford with all the school supplies, having split ways from the rest of the volunteers. We would see them in three days.

Prior to getting on the road to Kpando (north east of Accra), we made some administrative stops in search of text books and cabinets for the classrooms. Nonetheless, we left the city with neither due to various disappointments. Try later.

Religion... my hunch was that Ghanaians were a religious people by the signs that we saw and names of every store such as this one...

The road was full of potholes and quite bumpy at times, but somehow we managed to both fall asleep as Forson drove at "efficient" speeds...

By evening, we found ourselves in Kpando and Torkor, enjoying delicious mangos in a slight breeze on the school compound, listening to the beats of the drums as children practiced a dance they would perform in 10 days... beautiful.

The road to the school compound (Kpando-Torkor, Volta Region, Ghana)

Mr. Forson Glover (director of the Bishop Forson School)

Grafted Mango raised and picked just for our visit!

Farms around the school