By Samuel Dela Awutey
What power do I have to make changes in an unfamiliar community as a new, male, young, single and inexperienced teacher in a town steeped in age-old culture and traditions?
My new school is in a town near Asutsuare in the Shia Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Although I speak four Ghanaian languages, my students and their families speak, Adangbe, a language I don't speak but one that has a familiar ring to it since it belongs to the Gã adangbe family of languages (Ghana has 79 languages). The culture and customs are different from mine. This and other challenges quickly started testing my idealism.
I teach 20 students in the 8th grade. There are nine girls and 11 boys. Currently, three of my girls are pregnant and another is a mother who, as to be expected, needs breaks to go feed her child. Most of the children I teach come from families who are not formally educated. The parents are usually bright, articulate but perhaps due to poverty, busy farm schedules etc, may not be able to help children with homework or school problems. Although education is free at the primary school level, some parents see the absence of their children from their farms as a financial challenge. I worried that the lack of immediate role models for my students would hinder their educational progress. The lack of progress would affect their self esteem and support their parents impression that formal education was not worth the trouble. It saddens my heart to see very young boys and girls with no one to encourage them or make them feel important.
Then one day, after spending time talking to my students as they tried to teach me their language sharing stories, I had an epiphany! It occurred to me that I could turn our roles around to boost their confidence in learning my way. We made a pact that I would teach them English if they would teach me their language! So began a journey I had not imagined.
One of the first things I gained was the trust of my students. I also tapped into the wisdom of their elders through proverbs the children shared. They seemed more confident anytime they taught me something. They have taught me songs, riddles, shared stories that informed me about the traditional values of the society – respect for family, elders and more. I, in turn, have gained enough confidence to visit my pregnant students at home, encourage the new mother to come to school, and give her the space and opportunity to feed her baby, without losing much lesson time. I continue to worry as I learn but that is the lot of a teacher, as I have come to find out.
I have tried to use anything around me to teach. One way I instill confidence in my students is to refer to the words of the school anthem as a moral directive and connect them to cultural values in their homes. I often refer them to the words of the school’s anthem they sing every school day which begins with words of hope. “Today I pledge to use my head responsibly. Yesterday is in the past, and today is a new day. I am unique, and I have something to offer the world…”
With these words as a foundation, I have also tapped into the creativity of my pupils. They can create games spontaneously, negotiate easily and organize themselves effectively. They make up songs, use natural objects to create art. They dance with beauty and grace. As I compliment them on their talents and skills, I use these games to teach. When I join the girls in the “girls game” called Ampe, the boys find it acceptable to join. I invite the girls to join the boys in their games too, and create a connection that is healthy and restful – a non-gender based competition often is the outcome. I have also used Ampe, for example, to teach about odd and even numbers, addition and subtraction and also division. Something the children already do instinctively.
I have taught them what a computer looks like, and how it works without having one in my classroom. I draw the computer and its parts and functions on the board – something I would never have gained the courage to do with the life lessons from my children who create imaginary worlds in their daily lives all the time.
I brought a sex educator to talk to students, and to encourage them to be patient in life so they don’t get pregnant until they finish with their education. In farming communities like my students’, the weather often determines attendance at school. Poor farm yields create poverty, and it seems the lack of money and care drives some girls in early age to find men who pay attention to them, and seemingly to ‘take care of them’. Hence they go in for older boyfriends and harmful relationships that sometimes result in unwanted pregnancies. The introduction of sex education experts to my classroom, I hope, helps. Some of the boys on the other hand sometimes seem rudderless – with no sense of direction as they grow. I ask them what they want to be, and try to give a sense of purpose and direction.
Last year I decided to launch an educational Non-Governmental Organization called DELLIZ Foundation as a way to help pupils in the community commit to their education, and to let them know that their ancestors have worked hard for them to exist, and that they stand on the shoulders of giants; that many expect them to share their best insights, talents and visions through hard work. With my NGO, we make time to do homework, the arts and stimulate their imaginations and talents to give them the confidence they need.
I am under no illusion that my task is still monumental as a new teacher. Like many young teachers in Ghana who are trying to develop their own identities and understanding of life even as they influence younger minds, I have developed a genuine caring and kindness for the pupils in my school and new community. My world continues to open up, giving me experience, fulfillment and pride in my teaching.
I used to reflect on my fear of errors and shortcomings. Now I believe they serve a purpose. As Michael Jordan, the American basketball legend, once said, "I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Through failures and challenges, we learn and grow. In experiencing and accepting a more humbling role, the presence of my students has changed my perspectives about teaching, my abilities and life as a whole. My dream is reflected in the lives of my pupils.