In the Classroom

It has been great to finally get into the classroom and start teaching here in Ghana. I teach economics to two groups of students - both in their second year of secondary school (equivalent to American high school juniors). One group is home economics students - they are generally preparing for careers in trades like sewing, cooking, and nutrition. Some may go on to become nurses. There are about 30 students in that class, all girls.
The other class is general arts (In Ghanaian education you join a "class" at the start of secondary school: science, business, general arts, visual arts, home economics. Then, as a group, you go through school, taking courses as determined by the class requirements. So a science class will take more science courses than, say, a home economics class). There are 53 students in this class - a mix of boys and girls. Each class meets with me three times a week. Two times it is for 80 minutes each, and the other time it is for 120 minutes. The two hour classes are very tiring.
The classrooms are in buildings known as "blocks." The blocks are generally divided up by subject area. There are blocks for science, music, home economics, and some are generic classrooms. Unlike the US, teachers do not have their own classrooms (which I'm perfectly prepared for since I don't have a classroom at Germantown). Instead the students, more or less, remain in the same room all day while teachers come and go.
Also, the students aren't supervised at all times as they are in the US. Certainly there are restrictions on the students - they can't leave campus without permission, and they can't return to the dorms during class hours - but for the most part they move about campus like you might see at a college.
The classrooms are not "climate controlled." They are cinder block buildings with open spaces in the walls for ventilation. My classrooms are equipped with a dry erase board, centered between two chalkboards. One room has electrical outlets, so I plan to use the computer and a projector there from time to time, assuming the LCD projector can overcome the brightness of the room. If not, I will search for an alternative location.
So far my students have been very respectful and a joy to teach. The most striking difference compared to teaching in America is the student's desire to learn. During one of my first days teaching I was reviewing the previous term's final exam, methodically going through each question making sure the student understood the correct answer. It had been a long day - both of my 120 minute classes are on the same day, back to back. The second class ends at 3:45pm, so it's right in the middle of the hottest part of the day. Every day here tops out at 94-degrees. It's so predictable that at times I think my thermometer must be broken. So, towards the end of the second class I had become a puddle of sweat. I also noticed the students were increasingly fanning themselves. So, believe that I would be the hero of the day, I announced my intention to end class 10 minutes early, and told the students we would review the final 10 questions the next day. Instead of the expected cheers I received silence.

Then, from the smallest girl in the class, a sheepish, "please sir, may we review the final questions so we can study them tonight?"

I was so surprised I thought my head would explode.

"Well, um, sure! Let's go over the remainder of the exam."

The class expressed collective relief. They WOULD have something to study tonight.

Brilliant!