Day five marks the first day of the Training 4 Teachers training. The big show, what I was here for. This day also started off interesting as my professor had to deal with a sudden emergency and was unable to participate in leading the training this day. This was my time to shine. I have a desire to teach at some point in my life, but I never expected that this would be the first real experience. Nearly a year of hard work studying for and developing the curriculum paid off. I knew that curriculum well, and it was my time to test my knowledge. I led training day one and everything went smoothly. The attendees were engaged and participating, they were connecting with each other, sharing incredible stories and ideas, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt more confident in anything I’ve done in my life. Well, except for when I taught my kindergarten teacher that the platypus was a mammal, I was a pretty confident five-year-old, but that’s a different story.
In the grand scheme of things, this was the moment that could have gone terribly wrong, but it didn’t. This could have been the moment that completely deterred me from the idea of teaching, but instead it solidified that goal. I received incredible feedback from attendees telling me that I needed to teach this course in the correctional facilities and at the universities. I found myself in discussions about how to implement change when change happens from the top down. I found myself feeling incredibly fulfilled and rewarded - not because of the praise or feedback, but because I knew in that moment that I was able to use my influence for something positive. Whether the teachers and after school leaders remember or implement the things they learned, I know that they gained closer friendships with the people around them, they gained new tools, and they were openly discussing their thoughts in big-world terms, and that was rewarding. All it takes is one drop to cause a ripple and I hope they’re all causing ripples.
As my professor was still away dealing with the emergency, I was left to experience an Uber on my own. When I entered the Uber, I immediately recognized the song. It was a cover of “Let it Rain” by Jesus Culture. I can’t emphasize how much I love that song. So, I told my driver, Charles, that I enjoyed the music and that I had a connection to the song. We got into a discussion about how we’re both worship leaders at church and how we’re both involved in ministry. Charles asked me where I was from, which is always a nerve-wrecking question when you’re not “home” because you never know the person’s opinion of Americans. I told him I was from the United States and he then asked me one of my favorite questions, “How do you feel about Donald Trump?” Now, as many of you should know, I absolutely cannot stand the man. I respect his position, I respect his authority, and I pray for him. After all, if the ship goes down, I’m on it. I don’t want him to fail, but I have a hard time with the way he does things. I have a hard time with his policy and his disregard for humanity. I have a hard time with the way he only sees things from the perspective of the 1% and doesn’t understand lower-class, working-class, or middle-class perspectives. I explained all of that to Charles and then asked him how he felt about Donald Trump. His response was similar in nature to mine, with an added worry about how Trump’s behavior will affect Ghana in the long run (economically, politically, influentially, etc.). I can officially say I can cross that conversation off the list. The two things you should “never” talk about, especially in a foreign country: politics and religion.
Day six was the second day of the training, which was really focused on decorating and transforming the classroom spaces. It was encouraging to see the ideas and work each teacher and after school leader put into the classrooms. The classrooms were decorated with names of the students, ways to recognize the student’s hard work, and with various subject-related visuals. The classrooms turned out beautifully and I’m slightly worried how some of the adhesives will hold up through the remainder of the year, considering the school is by the ocean and Ghana is humid. The teachers had so much pride and joy in the work they put into their classrooms that I wish I could’ve seen the looks on the faces of their students when they saw the transformation. I’ve always been a sucker for transformation shows and the people’s expressions are my favorite part.
