School Day

It was 9.20 as I parked Michael under the massive Baobab tree outside Kaleo Baptist KG after an almost uneventful journey. I nearly ran over a chameleon!

The children were all lined up singing "When the saints go marching in" followed by the Ghana Pledge, which I almost know by heart now. "I promise on my honour to be faithful to Ghana my motherland..........."

These children are considerably privileged. Money sent from UK pays for their smart uniforms, has furnished their classrooms & subsidises their lunch. The problem for their teacher is that she needs help with knowing how to use all the classroom resources that are also provided.
I had a wonderful day showing her and her team. The children were very responsive and demonstrated that they were able to listen and think for themselves. This is unusual in the schools I have visited. The emphasis is always on having the right answer. How you get it doesn't matter. Often the teachers tell their pupils the answers before they have had time to think. Answers, not methods or skills are learned!

So, 40 children "matched, compared, ordered, and sorted"  bricks and plastic frogs for about 2 hours.It was like old times for me.......with a difference or two. The children were a range of ages from 4 to 6. This boy, Abu, was older, more mature and took his responsibilities very seriously. He was desperate for me to take his photo.

 They had deserved their playtime.

I was treated to lunch, which today was Okra soup with green leaves and TZ. The TZ doesn't soak up the soup. You use it to scoop the soup which is slimy with the okra. and slides off!  It would be so much more efficient with a spoon, but that is not how you eat soup in Ghana.

In the afternoon we played games of Snap and Dominoes and they sang to me in Dagaare, beautifully.

I have my first Dagaare Reading Book which I shall be studying closely. I traveled home happily knowing I had definitely earned my allowance today!

My allowance, by the way, is 1000 Ghana Cedi every 3 months. (1 GHC = 40p)   It is plenty to live on here. In fact I even funded my weekend in Accra from it!