Rough stuff...

Week 19

Now we have the help enlisted from the boys in the Culture Group we have the ability to really connect with the kids in lessons. They are so young and yet so keen (when they're not fighting over pencils that is!)
We have a whole repetoir of songs and rhymes that they all jump at the chance of singing.

We have been faced with one moral dilema with teaching and that is a huge cultural difference between our methods and the traditional Ghanaian way of doing things. The cane is an everyday part of schooling here. It is not that long ago it was stopped in schools in England, and I have no personal experience of being physically disiplined at school.

The view here is that it is so normal that we should be using the cane in our lessons when the children start acting up. Caroline, Charlotte and I have real trouble doing this. It just doesn't seem right to us.

Our punishments so far have included making the naughty one stand in the corner or kneel on the floor with their hands on their head. This creates the desired 'you've been bad' reaction, but it is quite unnerving when one of the guys come in with a cane to scare the kids into behaving.

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The Culture Group are practicing loads more recently because they have the chance to enter a competition, the winners of which will go to America to perform! This would be an amazing oppourtunity for everyone involved and I know how much work they put in already, I just hope they get shortlisted!!

More power cuts, rain and lack of tap water this week have become like normal now, its easy to get used to things when you are in the middle of it all. Everyone's sense of community spirit increases and the bonds are strengthened by the shared inconvienience.



(written by Lucie)