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Four junior high girls in Kumasi, Ghana
The girl to the right is teaching her friends algebra. She is a born teacher.—Photo courtesy of Martyn Chapman
Martyn Chapman, Whitecourt
The defining characteristics of Ghana are the warmth and hospitality of its people. We were met with open arms and made long-lasting friendships.
After an orientation in Accra, we spent a week in each of the three regional centres. Weekends were spent travelling and sightseeing. Typical workshop sizes were 20 teachers (plus the odd chicken and goat), each teacher possessing different qualifications and experiences. The teachers were eager to learn. It was interesting to hear about the challenges they face—large classes with 80 or more students and few classroom resources.
Despite several different local languages and two major religions, Ghanaians coexist. Meetings feature a Christian prayer and a Muslim prayer, and the unifying language is English.
This was a humbling experience that showed me the unity of teachers throughout the world and our value to the world. It brought home to me that we are fortunate to be teachers and demonstrated the importance of our teacher associations.
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