Since returning from Ghana and continuing in my program as a
2nd year doctoral student, I am looking at things through a
different lens. I’ve mentioned Ghana in multiple classes about the pervasiveness
of low cost private schools; I’ve spoken about teachers and the idea of
assessments; and I even spoke about the overall mockery of our presidential
race and how other countries are viewing us. All of these experiences has shown
me how influential my experience in Ghana has been to me.
What’s more
interesting is that most of the lessons I learned were not through education
per say but the day to day life of being a human being trying to see the
positivity in things. Most of my work was based in assessments and traveling to
schools but it was also based in relationship building. Yes, I did work in
education and there is something’s such as professional development that I
gained insight in, but overall it was my life experiences and view that changed.
I was a part of a community that made optimism out of nothing and children who
found joy in the small things such as the lunch games or seeing foreigners come
into their classrooms. I witnessed being a part of a team that was
disillusioned with the help from the “west” when their ideas were often not
taken into consideration. I myself had to check in where I would bring in ideas
that worked for my particular contexts in the states but did not adapt it to
Ghana or even think that maybe it could not work at all.
The thing about socialization is that you do
not recognize you are working off assumptions until you are either talked to
about it or you self-reflect. Being socialized into western ways of thinking
that everything we propose is the best is hard to disassociate from but it is
necessary. It’s a part of our own education that must take place in order to
see the strengths in other contexts that are quite different from our own. It’s
about recognizing that significant change may not happen right away but
celebrating the small wins such as greater enrollment by a percentage or
students increasing their scores marginally a celebrative moment as well.
I’ve
written about this in other posts, but learning about another culture and
taking their cultural norms as the lead is necessary when working in other
contexts. As educators and as consultants who work abroad, it is imperative
that one listens first and acts later. If I have learned nothing else, it is
seeing the strengths in a company first before I automatically focus on the
perceived problem. Part of the work is progressing things but it is also
learning from the environment itself. Not only for personal growth, but as an
important element that can drive your work within the new space you are in.
Overall, my experience in Ghana was fruitful in that it made me take a deeper
look at myself as an educator, researcher, consultant, and citizen of the
world. These learnings are priceless and I am so grateful for my opportunity
granted through WDI not only for my professional growth but growth as a human
being; that was the greatest experience.
