Sue: Summer Ghana Volunteer Travel Through Teacher Grants

Great write-up from our summer volunteer Sue Ron-Gonzalez, appearing in teachingtraveling.com.

The following is a short excerpt from article, re-posted from: http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/

Sue with a Ghanaian student on her last day at Bantuma.

TT: How did you start traveling?

S: Two years ago I started researching volunteer opportunities in Africa and found an amazing non-profit, Tomorrow’s Stars. Their focus is on breaking down educational barriers in Elmina, Ghana. I decided to volunteer with this organization at the Bantuma School in Elmina, Ghana. For two weeks, I stayed at volunteer lodging at the beach and read with kids at the school’s library. I had an amazing time, but two weeks just wasn’t enough time for me. I knew that I had to get back to Ghana somehow.
The following summer I went back to Ghana for three weeks to implement an international book club project. Working alongside an wonderful Ghanaian librarian, the students at Bantuma School authored books to share with each other and on the website bookclub.realelibrary.com. This website was started by Jonathan Thurston, from the International School of Art, Business and Technology in Ghana. He is dedicated to providing a platform for kids around the world to share stories.

Sue volunteer teaching in Ghana, students listening attentively.

TT: Thanks for these excellent resources. Now, tell us one moment from your travel that was particularly powerful.

S: One of my favorite moments of the reading club was the day I brought out the art supplies for the students to illustrate their stories.  Usually, these students had been so serious in class. The moment they saw the assortment of colorful markers and crayons, the students were beaming with excitement. One by one, each student came up to the desk to take one marker. I told them that they could take as many as they wanted. It was touching to watch these students try to hold on to twenty markers at a time with one hand while trying to illustrate their book with the other hand. These kids had the biggest smiles on their faces!  They all wanted me to take a photo of them with their brightly illustrated picture. For the first time since I began the reading club, each child came up to me after class and shook my hand. I couldn’t believe that something that we take for granted in our schools in the US could be such a joyful event for the Ghanaian students.

Lovely photo of one of Sue’s cheerful students in Ghana.

TT: Beautiful! How have your travels impacted you as a teacher?

S: My travels to Ghana have allowed me to create meaningful, authentic experiences for my special education students back home. I work with students who typically struggle in school and become discouraged easily with traditional curriculum.  The first time I showed my students pictures of the kids in Ghana, they became so curious and excited to learn more about the Ghanaian way of life. I saw a desire to learn that I just had not ever seen before. My students have now become experts of life in Ghana, and recently taught other students at my school about Ghana during our multi-cultural day exhibition. We have also started an African Friendship Club where they make bracelets from the beads that I brought back from Ghana, and sell them as a fundraiser for Bantuma School. Typically, my students with learning disabilities have great difficulty getting their thoughts on paper. Now, they love to write stories for the international book club because they know that the Ghanaian students will enjoy reading their work. They are always excited to see their books on the bookclub.realelibrary.com site.

Sue in a beautiful dress with her class at Bantuma, Ghana.

Please find the whole article online at http://www.teachingtraveling.com/2012/08/06/sue-summer-ghana-volunteer-travel-through-teacher-grants/