Ghanaians are notably and famously friendly and caring. Their culture of respect is so awe-inspiring, I found myself wishing my own culture was more like theirs in this regard. "Yes, please" is a common coloquialism used in many situations. Another common expression is, "You are welcome", but not in response to "thank you." They use it often to welcome you into a room, a conversation, or a situation.  Smiles abound and people just seem so comfortable in social settings. Ideals center on the collective good of society and others, and we found that upholding Ghanaian values and being a good citizen is often a larger goal for students in the school setting. 

Our group was delighted to hear from our in-country representative that Ghanaians will ask you all sorts of personal questions that may appear intrusive to us, and that we can always answer what we are confortable sharing. But isn't it wonderful that they want to know you, help you, and connect with you? Along with so many other questions, I was asked if I own my own farm, and if I could drive a car. The answers, for those of you curious-minded readers, is no and yes.

When visiting our host community, there was a high level of formality and ceremony when meeting with educational and community leaders. Titles were used, greetings were imperative. Greetings in the local dialect are a crucial part of connecting with Ghanaians. Aziza and I tried so hard, but continued to confuse commonly used greetings as they change throughout the day, or depending on whom you are addressing. Many times we found ourselves repeating the greeting back to the person, only to have them laugh good naturedly at us. We learned this was because we were doing the equivalent of answering "how are you?" if someone were to have asked us," how are you?" Our hosts were so magnanimous, they guided us with grace and even gave us a book on the Dagbani language when we left!

In the classroom, Ghanaian students appear overly respectful in relation to my experiences in the US. When asked why or how this is, a few Ghanaian teachers attribute this to an aspect built into their culture. Ghanaian people continually ask themselves, "How can I help?" They also shared their students get along well with others, learn to share, have religious motivations to do the right thing, and want to honor their parents and teachers by making them proud. Many of the Ghanaian teachers with experience teaching in the US as well agreed that students appeared calmer and more respectful than US students. As Ghana is a very collectivist society, the good of all people is always in their minds.  Courteous and respectful behavior is so prevalent it was quite a shock to fly back to NYC and NOT have everyone greet me, ask after my family, and help me with my bags. C'est la vie.

School visits were by far my favorite part of my field experience! Getting a glimpse into how teaching and learning happens tells you so much about a society. You can see values, goals, the present and future all wrapped up in these amazing kids, both young and slightly less young. Students amazed me everywhere I went. Ghana has a vision for education stretching from 2018-2030 focused on access, equity, quality, relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability. Being in Ghana towards the beginning of this movement was inspiring as teachers strive to bring change to the system of an entire nation. Their goals are lofty and worthy.

My favorite attribute of the learners were their attitudes and behaviors. ALL students were very respectful to their teachers and to fellow students. There was almost a reverence for teachers as students felt it was an honor to be in school. Especially at the high school level where students carry many responsibilities for caring for their boarding schools, I saw students set up classrooms, clean trash, tend gardens, cook meals, and basically do anything the teacher needs. I don't think I carried any of my own bags the entire time I was teaching there! This type of service in the US would need to come with some serious bribery. In the classroom students were on task, writing when asked, and listening with rapt attention. Students answered questions confidently and always stood to address their teacher when speaking.

Students seemed to light up the most when they were talking with each other. I witnessed students redirecting others in a kind way, taking care of needs within themselves, such as borrowing an eraser or giving feedback to their peers about the outcome of a problem. Teaching reforms are moving from more of a direct instruction/lecture model, to one based on student voice and collaboration. This process is starting with the younger classrooms and making its way to the older grades and levels, and this change will take some time to fully take effect. All classrooms we observed still followed the direct instruction model with very minimal student discussions or discourse. It was really fun to be able to present a few lesosns including student engagement strategies and lots of collaborative discussion protocols.

School improvement is an important part of teaching in Ghana. At one low-cost private school, we observed a coaching model for teachers where a school improvement coach would observe the lesson from a window, then come tap the teacher on the shoulder and bring them outside the classroom to provide in-the-moment coaching. I did see this work in one instance where the correct math terminology needed to be corrected mid-lesson. It did give me pause, thinking about how teachers in the US night react to having to step out of their lesson to be corrected. 

I saw other coaching and school improvement models based on personally-set professional goals. The teachers I talked with were very eager for feedback and wanted help, resources, ideas, coaching, anything to help their students. They had amazing buy-in and great self-efficacy. I observed other leaders such as department heads, coaches, administrators, or school improvement instructors provide pop-in support, formal observations, whisper coaching, written feedback, in the moment coaching, and co-teaching. From my observations, Ghanaian teachers are serious about the business of school improvement and they know that begins and ends in the classroom. Coaches/ leaders also had an emphasis on closing the feedback loop and ensuring next steps were in place.

Education up until the equivalent of 3rd grade is given in the local dialect, then in English at all older grades. Although students are instructed in English, local languages are what is prominently used by all in their communities. Anything public  (church services, advertisements, television, school) is presented in English, but everyone we heard conversing would do so in a regional dialect. In the classroom, to us this presented like every student is a multi-lingual learner. The English proficiency of students varied, even in the same school or classroom.

Teachers were continually bringing their expertise and passion to students in every school we visited. Although each lesson I observed was from the national curriculum, teachers didn't have teacher's guides to use as they were instructing. I saw teachers either working off their phones, or reading from detailed notes they prepared for themselves in notebooks. I did not see any computers or other tech in use during a lesson in any classrooms either for students or teachers (I saw one teacher computer used for a presentation during our host community experience.) I saw very few textbooks. Most students had a pen and notebook, and teachers had a whiteboard. Students copied what the teachcers wrote on the board. All classrooms also used natural night from outside. Many, if not all, teachers brought faith, morality, and values into the conversation in some way. It was not uncommon to hear in a science classroom how God made the toad with certain attributes. Our host school has a mosque and its Imam is a teacher and department head- very different than our US schools!

I am a huge nerd when it comes to learning about learning- I LOVE education and I agree with Nelson Mandela who said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Much of our experiences in Ghana centered on learning about their educational system from leaders at all levels and school visits. Some visits were a few hours of observations, and one week was spent at a host school for more in-depth learning.

One of the main differences that struck me was the way education is funded. In Ghana, the GES (Ghanaian Educational Services) has control over funding and curriculum, whereas in the United States this is left to local control, or sometimes the state. New national standards were recently adpoted in Ghana well. With 16 regions, 3 main religions, and 80 + languages, it might seem challenging to have a centralized educational system. 

One unifying factor is the use of boarding schools for 10th-12th grade. Students in Ghana take the BECE at the end of their 9th grade year, and their results determine their next educational steps. There are technical/vocational pathways after 9th grade as well. High schools are ranked A, B, C, or D and students can select three schools from the level assigned to them by the test, then are placed by the government. A majority of high schools are boarding schools, and students perfer it this way. The federal government funds all of the schools below the tertiary level. In my state, I have yet to meet a teacher or a student who values, respects, or takes seriously our end of year state testing. In Ghana, students and teachers view this test as very important, and believe that what is actually on the test measures the knowledge, skills, and understanding they will need for their next level. Students may choose a boarding school far from home, which was the original design, so students of different ethnic groups could be together as one Ghana. One educator described it to us as a way to ensure that citizens think and act more as a Ghanaian than as your group.

All primary and secondary schools are managed by the GES and they rate schools on a four point scale based on curriculum, tests, and grades. The GES wants teachers to be creative and innovation is highly encouraged- they are free to change the curriculum. They also regulate teacher prep colleges and place teachers at their schools after graduation. K-12 education is now compulsory for all students and is free, with tiered pricing for private schools. 

Some of the challenges teachers have identified are a lack of resources (textbooks are few), large class sizes, a lack of parent support, absenteeism among teachers, and a lack of support for diverse student groups and those with special needs. Educational leaders believe the school improvement support system helps schools set goals where the focus is on implementing recommendations, not shutting schools down. They also want to retain teachers by improving the teacher training system and increasing teacher awareness/comfort with technology.

The minister of education is championing STEM education and believes you can't get out of poverty with memorization. He also believes in updating facilities alongside instructional practices. When we met with him, the minister told us, "You can't educate 21st century students in a 19th century building." 

Ghana is named after the ancient Ghanaian empire and gained its independence in 1957. It is one of the most stable democracies in Africa and is considered a light to other countries for effective governing and leadership.

 Ghana is known for their kente cloth. People wear ceremonial dress for all sorts of occasions, including weddings and community events. Many use it as everyday wear as well. Smocks for both men and women are very common in the northern regions.

The WEB du Bois museum honored the man who claimed Ghanaian citizenship the last two years of his life. The museum housed many artifacts of his life and honored civil rights leaders in America and Africa. His remains are surrounded by pennants of US universities where he either attended or taught.

Ghanaians use adinkra symbols to reflect their values and beliefs, and to encourage each other with positive messages. I brought home a beautiful piece of art with the symbol for "God is sovereign."

Cocoa beans and shea butter are two popular exports. Ghana is one of the world's foremost cocoa exporters and home to the most delicious chocolate I've ever tasted. We learned all about the process at a tour of a chocolatier where we were able to smell, taste, and touch the chocolate from bean to bar. We were also able to see shea butter production at every stage on a separate tour. 

We often noticed what you may call a pace of life difference between the northern (more rural) region and the capital city of Accra. When we walked with groups on tours or at schools up north, we strolled at a leisurely pace that no one would ever confuse with exercise. It was peaceful and allowed us to be pensive and ask questions with meaningful discussions with our hosts. 

Ghana is a very welcome, open, collective society where people are always "most welcome." When in our host community, people joined us everwhere we walked so we were always in larger social groups for all visits. People welcomed us into their homes with grace and conversed freely. 

The village chief system provides for safety and sanctuary. It tends to be more patrilineal in southern Ghana and more matrilineal in northern Ghana, with the chief or queen mother acting as father or mother of the community where they bring development and stability. They also act as a local magistrate. UNESCO has adopted some areas as sacred to preserve them as they are.