Teaching in Ghana - Michael Wicks

I have been teaching at a school in Abura, Cape Coast, for just over four months now, with two months still to go. It has been as enjoyable an experience as it has been rewarding. That's not to say that at times it hasn't been tough; my children do not even have a basic level of English and the facilities are very basic. However, the loud cheers and smiling faces that greet you every morning are more than enough to keep you motivated.

I must say, I was expecting the children to have reached a much higher level of basic education than is the case. Upon arriving at the school I had to throw my lesson plans away, since I had assumed much higher levels of English and mathematics. Whilst it was certainly very frustrating at first, if anything it has been much more rewarding to be more creative with my teaching methods. Now it is such a thrill to watch the children add large numbers or read whole sentences. I have seen that with a little love, patience and perseverance a lot is possible.

As with most volunteer placements, you get as much out of the experience as you put in. Nobody forces you to go in every day, if that is how you choose to spend your gap year, but by the same token there are no restrictions to what you can do. I have often taken my children to the library and once, as a special treat, to the beach, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Since my school's facilities are very basic - essentially a dirt yard with a few wooden benches - I have been actively involved in the construction of a new school building. I have created a website to help raise funds and I have visited the construction site on many occasions. It is often a slow process, but hopefully there will eventually be a proper school with classrooms and a playground for the children, which would allow the school to receive government funding and become self-sufficient - not dependent on donations from PA and its volunteers.

My Ghanaian experience has been so much more than just teaching though. I have made so many great friends here, both Ghanaians and other volunteers. It's a great feeling to walk down the main street in Cape Coast and without fail bump into more than ten people that I know. Whilst the friendliness can be a bit overwhelming at first, it becomes normal after a couple of weeks, and now it will certainly be strange to go back home and not be greeted by everybody that you bump into

You really are never short of anything to do in the evenings. We meet up once a week Mircea's (the country director) house for a quiz night and a Fante lesson (the local language), so you get to see all the other volunteers regularly. On top of this, we are all often out at a local spot bar or at the Oasis beach resort, right on the beach, which is a great place to either relax with a couple of beers or dance the night away with the locals.

My host family have been very welcoming and always extremely helpful with even the slightest problem. They include you in their daily routines, but only as much as you want them to. That is to say that they will invite you to events such as Sunday church, family weddings and funerals, but won't be offended if you decline. That said, I have really enjoyed such experiences and would recommend any volunteer to participate in them as much as possible.

Furthermore, I have been fortunate enough to indulge in my biggest passion, football, in two unexpected ways. Through another host family, I have gotten involved in working on a radio football chat show, where we discuss both local and English football. They really appreciate having an Englishman talk about the Premiership and the English national team, both of which are very popular in Ghana. I have also played a couple of times for a local seven-a-side team who play their games in front of crowds of 800 people - one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. It is also possible to get access to TVs which show Premiership football via satellite, so I haven't missed a kick from back home.

I have absolutely no regrets about my time here in Ghana and I am so glad that I chose PA and Cape Coast for my year abroad. I still have some weeks to go - and I intend to make the most of every last second here - but I will really miss so much about this place: the kids at my school, mine and others' host families, my new Ghanaian friends and the other volunteers, who have made my time in Ghana so memorable.


Michael Wicks

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