On arriving at the school for the deaf in Tema,
I didn't know what to expect. As we pulled up, a few students came
outside and excitedly waited for us to come out of our bus. As we
came into the school they started asking our names in sign language,
which unfortunately I only know a tiny bit of, and not enough to be
of any help. I used the “L” sign and pointed to myself. I made a
mental note to take a class on sign language when I next get a
chance, whenever that will be. I wish that ASL was offered as a
language class in high school. Perhaps it's offered in some high
schools in America, but it definitely wasn't offered at mine, and
that is something that I would have loved to have learned.
We had an interesting lecture from the
director of the school. He spoke about some of the causes of hearing
impairment, and the services they offer to the students at the
school. He mentioned that they ask the teachers to either sign or
speak to the children because they read sign and lip read at
different rates and it can be confusing for them. But he also
mentioned that some of them were better at one method than another,
so to me it seems like it would be beneficial to do both. According
to him, some of the students have cognitive disabilities as well as a
hearing impairment, but he did not say how they determined that or
what they do to help those students learn. He also talked about some
of the professions that the students get after graduation such as
packaging things or working in the elevator. One of my classmates
asked whether there were any Ghanaian role models with a hearing
impairment, but from his answer it seemed as if there aren't. I think
it's important for people to have role models, and if a person can
find something in a role model that they can identify with, it makes
the role model seem even more inspirational. Having a hearing
impaired role model for the students could encourage them to have
aspirations beyond packaging things as a profession.
The schools for the deaf in Ghana are
spread out over great distances and it can take students quite a long
time to travel to get to them. In a perfect world there would be more
schools and more resources for students to get to the schools. But in
a country where the infrastructure is unreliable at times, I think
the schools they have are doing the best they can.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience
that made me want to stay so I could learn sign language and talk to
the kids at the school for days. I'm sure they have a wealth of
stories and information, and that is always the part I find most
fascinating about people. Unfortunately without the key of sign
language to unlock those stories, they remain untold (to me, anyway,
but to someone who can sign, that's another story). (Pictures will be posted later)
In our lecture from Dr. Sally Essuman
and Sakina Effuah we learned about the Ghanaian education system. I
found it interesting that they mentioned that a former president had
promised free school uniforms for all students in public school, but
that he had failed to follow through with that promise. Dr. Essuman
said that perhaps they should have held him more accountable, but
it's the failure of keeping such a simple promise that shows the
priority of education to the government. I do think education is a
priority for Ghanaians, but I think that in government and politics,
sometimes other things take the funding and attention away from
education, and I think that the same is true about America.
In the lecture it was also mentioned
that it is difficult to retain teachers in schools because of a lack
of up to date teaching materials as well as the lure of other job
prospects once they have their degree. This is really unfortunate
because having a committed teacher can make or break an education.
It's important for students to see the commitment of the teacher, and
feel like what they are learning is important in order for them to
value their education.
No comments:
Post a Comment