back to school

school is back in session, and it is nice to have a routine again.  

the second year of teaching is so much better than the first, because now i know what to expect.  i'm no longer surprised or frustrated when classes are cancelled for the day so the students can harvest the school farm.  i have a much better grasp on sign language, so now i can understand things after maybe just one "again?"  i know my kids, know most of their names, and most importantly, know what the abilities and interests are for the different classes.  

so all of that being said, i'm doing a couple things differently this year.  i've dropped my youngest two classes (P1 and P2) so i have more time to focus on the older students.  the young classes were huge and were difficult to control, and i felt the students weren't gaining any real education from it.  i'll still stop in from time to time and play with the kids or let them color, but now i can let them have fun with the projects instead of worrying that they weren't "educational" enough.

so now i have P3 to P6, of which all but one are small and very productive classes.  we are learning some color mixing and crayon resist there.

then JHS prep through JHS 3.  these are the older kids who are more responsible and self-motivated (they have to pass an exam at the conclusion at JHS in order to enter SHS).  so far, we are continuing with calabash art.  we are making scorched designs now, and i want to make some available for sale here in ghana.

and then, finally, i'm assisting in the vocational department.  this is a new role for me, so i'm still figuring out what it looks like and what the needs are.  at this point, i'm mainly an observer and supplier.  the items the students made last year have helped fund SUPPLIES finally in the vocational department, so the girls finally have beads for their arts and crafts class.  they already have a teacher for the class, so i am trying just to assist and see what the program really looks like.  once i have a better idea of what they are capable of and interested in, i'll try to steer them in a direction where we can find ways to sell these new items as well.  

so, that's about it!  a slightly different approach this year, but mainly i've just gained some very helpful familiarity with the school.