Day 13 in Ghana

Today and yesterday morning at the Zo Simli School, I created a lesson plan of my own, which I was very proud of. The English Master instructed me to discuss with them, some of the elements of speech writing. Yesterday I taught them about informative speeches and today we covered persuasive speeches. Speech writing in itself takes a completely different perspective in Ghana than in the United States. In Ghana, there seems to not be much emphasis on conveying a message in a speech, but more so in the art of how it is delivered, and who is delivering it. However, the English Master and myself have been collaborating very well in giving the students both cultures of speech writing.
I had them repeat a phrase that happened to come to me while I was lecturing. "The best speech is an effective speech." Most American students at the college level are familiar with the differences between informative and persuasive speeches. They are also familiar with some of the structuring tools. Therefore we discussed the concepts of an introduction, main points, conclusion, and even a thesis statement- which they grasp more as the "theme" of the speech. They took notes on my lecture and then the English Master taught them from somewhat of a different angle. The biggest difference is the idea of the thesis statement. What is it that you want your audience to take away from this speech? In Ghana, this is not necessarily an important factor.
This has also been my first time experiencing tropical rain which comes down much harder than the rain I am used to in the states. I picture a giant bucket or water hose spraying the area. It rains so hard and loud, it can wake one up in the middle of the night, or make it hard to even carry on a conversation!
The Dagbani language is quite fascinating and I have been able to learn many of the standard greetings here. Generally almost everyone speaks English, however, you find that a vast majority when conversing with one another speak Dagbani. There is an English-Dagbani dictionary here at the palace that I want to read just for some more phrases. The culture here is remarkable in that its uniqueness is truly is moving.

Day 11 in Ghana

The most enjoyable part about being in Ghana right now (besides meeting all of the wonderful people) is working at the Zo Simli-Naa Junior High School. It is an all girls school, the ages range from about eleven to thirteen. I am assisting the English Master in his class. The girls immediately welcomed me with a very loud greeting in unison. They all had smiles on their faces.

The school is staffed by nice instructors whom were also very inviting. However, as an individual who has been an American student for about seventeen years, I feel as if I will no longer complain about the way classes are run, nor should I. American students often take for granted some of the things that the students at Zo Simli do not have. For example, it would be difficult for an American student to have class with no air conditioning. It's hard to focus when you are concerned about how hot you are. You need the wind to blow through the classroom, so both doors of the room must be open. This brings about a lot of distractions outside such as the many goats and sheep roaming around, people walking through the area, and children playing soccer outside.

Also as an American student, I have never thought about how a projector enhances one's chances of grasping the material being taught. It's a projector, nothing special right? Wrong. Imagine straining your eyes from the back of the classroom with about 10% of an electric light, the other 90% natural light, trying to read what has been written on the very used chalkboard. All that is seen is smeared chalk from previous lessons. Even as a teacher without a proper desk and chair, textbooks, and other learning equipment, there is much to be said about how quickly the students grasp the material. I wonder how easy it would be to find chalkboard cleaner in Tamale...

So the material I am teaching is indeed one of my favorite skills. English. When I begin a lecture in the class, I am always mindful of my enunciation of words. Ghanaians, and many Africans in general use very proper English with each letter usually enunciated. So my own pronunciation of words has definitely improved, the purpose being so that the girls can understand what I am saying. However, sometimes it is a bit of a challenge for me to understand their accents also. I have had to familiarize myself with the material I teach because much of what I am teaching was taught to me in elementary and was never revisited again. Proper use of adjectives, adverbs, verbs, pronouns and nouns, clauses, reading comprehension and punctuation. However, it is important to view this material with a wide lens incorporating a number of circumstances.

What I believe will be most interesting will be how well the students catch on to some American teaching strategies like singing songs for memorization, the pattern of writing papers with an introduction and conclusion along with three main points, and perhaps even doing more hands-on activities. I know I have some very helpful strategies to learning different concepts because they were taught to me, the challenge will be to identify the cultural differences between us and simply use the American strategies as tools, not as their foundation for learning the material. I look forward to seeing the results of my plan.

Day 9 in Ghana

I am very pleased with the way I have been able to adapt to my surroundings in Ghana- that was never my concern. However, I am a person who is very conscientious of my time as well as others' time. As Americans, we are people who value time management because we believe it helps ease some of the simple stressors such as miscommunication and waiting. However, Ghanaian time runs about 30 minutes to an hour later than usual. So if a Ghanaian says, "Let's meet at 9:00am," that gives me time to leisurely get up, prepare a breakfast, and be ready by about 9:30am. Many African Americans joke about such a time existing in the US within their communities as well. A sort of "cultural lateness." However, we still know as Americans that we are "running late." Many times in Ghana this does not exist. And as I predicted, that has become one of my greatest obstacles.
Today has been a good day. I had a brief meeting this morning with Chief about some of the new goals for Sister Cities of Tamale. I can clearly see the intersections between Sister Cities of Louisville and Sister Cities of Tamale, and I am honored to be an effective liaison between the two cities.
Today I ate jollof rice, another one of my favorite dishes in this country. It has a slight kick, which is perfect for me because I can't handle too many spicy foods. Tomorrow, I will go with Mariama (an outstanding cook and overall wonderful woman) to a Ghanaian Baptist Church, which I'm sure will be an experience all in itself. I look forward to it.

Day 8 in Ghana

With today being day 8 in Ghana, it feels as if I have only been here for maybe 2. This is my first time out of the United States, and what a wonderful choice. I have never met such a wonderful culture of people who were naturally kind, appreciative, accommodating, and overall had such "wonderful spirits," as my mother would say. Now that I have discovered internet cafes, I will have more of an opportunity to record the details of my experiences on this blog. At this very moment, I have been to Accra and am now in Tamale. I really like Tamale and its calming environment. The Chief's Palace is full of such a helpful staff and have made sure that my stay has been comfortable so far. The food is excellent, my favorite dishes are Red Red and Jollof Rice. It has taken awhile for me to get used to the heat, my skin is getting browner and browner. :)
I am now aiding the English Master at the Zo Simli-Naa Junior High Girls School, next door to the palace. The English Master has allowed me to lead the lectures in grammar and the next lesson will be speech writing. In my next entry to this blog, I plan on writing much sooner and providing many more details, but overall, I am enjoying my stay here in Ghana and adapting well to my surroundings.

Mayor Fischer meets with Local Extreme Skaters

Late yesterday afternoon, Sister Cities and 7 local Extreme Skaters and BMX riders stopped by Mayor Fischer's office. The group was about to leave for Louisville's Sister City of Perm, Russia for the opening of Russia's first Extreme Park-modelled on non other than Louisville's own extreme park blueprints (handed over several years ago during a visit from Perm's Mayor Shubin). Mayor Fischer wanted to give them an official send off; we were expecting a quick handshake, photo and "do Louisville proud" speach but what we got was entirely different....



Mayor Fischer showed a genuine interest, asking about the local Skate Park, what it needed and what could improve it. The group offered serious suggestions and recommendations and sited several local Skate shops as the unofficial representatives of the local Skate community. Two main concerns - shade and graphitti stood out (along with a lack of recycling bins) and the group had several great suggestions to tackle these issues.





Local politics may not have been a talking point down at the skate park but Mayor Fischer may have just changed that. Listening to constituents is something most good polititians try to do but showing a genuine interest and engaging individuals on the things that matter most to them is priceless and yesterday Mayor Fischer showed this group that they matter. At least to me, it seemed as though they left Metro Hall with perhaps a different view of our new Mayor than when they walked in 45 minutes earlier. Who knows, maybe we can look to the skate park for one of our future city leaders!

Middle School Debate Tournament

When Sister Cities of Louisville heard about the Middle School Debate League it was a no-brainer to become a part of it. The idea is to have students use the power of reasoning and debate instead of violent means to settle issues. The Sister Cities mission of using citizen diplomacy to promote peace and end conflict falls right alongside this. Sister Cities of Louisville, as one of the sponsors of the debate will, in the near future, host an International debate between schools in the Louisville Middle School Student Debate League and schools in Leeds, England.

HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE

The league began two years ago when Dr. Jeff Bile and Sylvia Bruton, both instructors at Spalding University, decided to initiate a pilot debate program targeting the middle schools, where few debate programs currently exist. The two succeeded in obtaining sponsorship by Spalding University's School of Communication and Sister Cities of Louisville in cooperation with Jefferson County Public Schools - Department of Diversity, Equity and Poverty Programs. The first tournament held in 2010 debated the topic: Jefferson County Public Schools should require 75% or more of its students to attend single-sex schools. With the 2011 Championship Tournament the league concludes the second year of its planned two-year pilot. In February 2011, a practice tournament, gave students a chance to practice their skills and test their ideas.

2011 CHAMPIONSHIP. . . and they're off!
It was a neck-and neck race and the winner . . . at the wire, with a photo finish, Noe Middle School!

The Louisville Middle School Student Debate League held its Second Annual Championship tournament Monday May 2nd. Participating schools included: Noe, Crosby, Westport and Nativity Academy of St. Boniface. Participants gathered at 9:00 am to hear Spalding University President Tori Murden-McClure welcome them. Round one of the three-round tournament began at 9:15 am, round three ended at 12:15 pm. Following the third round of debate, participants rushed back to the auditorium where a pizza lunch awaited them.

The awards ceremony began at about 12:30 pm. Two “Debater's Choice” awards were given for the outstanding advocates as chosen by their peers. These awards went to Affirmative debater Taylor Fisher (Crosby Middle School) and Andi Dahmer (Noe Middle School) for the Negative. Noe Middle School, under the tutelage of student teacher Laura Wicke, won the team championship by capturing 19 of 24 possible ballots. Each student participant from the four schools received a medallion. The debaters unanimously recorded that they “got smarter” and had fun. “It was a great day for everyone!” said tournament coordinator Sylvia Bruton. “Bravo to our dedicated teachers and these young leaders of tomorrow.”

WELCOME BY TORI MURDEN MC CLURE
Dr. Melissa Chastain, Chair of the School of Communication introduced President McClure who spoke to the audience about how hard work and staying in school can bring great opportunities. She mentioned that although she held degrees from two prestigious universities, Smith College and Harvard and was the first woman to row alone across the Atlantic; her most rewarding and life-changing experience had been at Spalding University where she earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing.

DEBATE TOPIC 2011

Prosecutors should have the power to try those 13 and older as adults for violent crimes was the debate proposition. The debaters had the mission of defending the Affirmative (agree) or Negative (disagree) position and working as a team. This was not an easy topic. It offered both challenges and opportunities for students to gain insights into a subject of interest to this age group. It also encouraged the participants to reflect, research, outline arguments and map out strategies.

PREPARING FOR THE DEBATE

The champion Noe Middle School coach—student teacher, Laura Wicke—expressed thanks to student teacher and assistant coach Ms. Sara Wiley and Mrs. Carr (eighth grade Math teacher) for their generous support. Mrs. Wicke commented: "Our Debate Team had a very enjoyable but competitive experience. We started with an interest meeting and an introduction of the proposed resolution for the debate. During our interest meeting, 40 students discussed and talked about the topic for the debate. Following the initial meeting, students prepared a two minute speech to audition for a spot on the debate team.” Mrs. Wicke and Ms. Wiley judged each student and decided who would be a member of the debate club. A total of 15 students made the cut for the Debate Club. Each student was made aware that only 8 students could go to the tournament and that only 4 students would be picked to compete.

“After the 15 students were chosen, each student chose a side of the debate (affirmative or negative). Together the students worked on forming opinions, discussing the topic, and gathering research. We met twice a week after school until 4:00 for six weeks. At each practice, the students evaluated and revised their speeches and evidence. Also, we watched several videos of debate via the internet. We were fortunate to have two students from Manual High School to critique our debaters. The week before the debate tournament, we held a two part mock debate. All 15 students had the chance to participate in the debate.” Together, Mrs. Wicke, Ms. Wiley, the two Manual students (Tyler Darnell and Jesse Schuler), and Mrs. Carr, made the tough decision of who would go to the debate tournament. “We wanted to pick students who were star debaters, but we also wanted to pick students who showed true potential and could benefit from attending the debate. It was a very tough decision, but all of the students supported their classmates and were very proud of their success. The Debate Club was a very rigorous, exciting, and encouraging experience. We thoroughly enjoyed competing in the debate tournament and the learning experience that led up to it." --Laura Wicke, student teacher, Noe Middle School

INVITATION TO JOIN LOUISVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT DEBATE LEAGUE

The Louisville Middle School Student Debate League began with four schools in 2010, had six schools participate in league activities this year, and plans to increase the number of participating schools each year. For more information about the league you can visit us at http://lmssdl.weebly.com or email Sylvia Bruton at scbruton@gmail.com. To indicate an interest in joining us, you can fill out a contact form at http://lmssdl.weebly.com/contact-lmssdl.html.

JUDGES COMMENTS
An impressive number of people from the business and professional community volunteered to serve as judges, they shared the following comments:

"The Middle School Debate Program is always a pleasure to be a part of. Students come well prepared and eager to win and seeing that enthusiasm is priceless. The best debaters are inevitably the ones who listen carefully to their opponents' argument – you could see the cogs turning as they planned their next responses. Sister Cities is proud to be a Sponsor of this great initiative, the skills learned here will serve these students well for the rest of their lives." -- Joanne Lloyd Triplett, Executive Director of Sister Cities of Louisville

"What a great way to start the day -- in the presence of such focused, intelligent, heartwarming middle schoolers. Clearly they had come prepared and eager to speak their truth. I'm still running on the energy they shared. Congratulations to them and to their coaches." -- Roz Heinz, Administrative Manager of River City Housing.

"Thank you for the time you are investing in such a worthy endeavor. I was very impressed by the arguments the children made to support and negate the resolution. I was also impressed by the community support via the quality and number of judges that invested in the event. I am excited about the great foundation I saw for the building of what could grow to be a great asset in the academic development of young people in our community." -- Tony Darnell proud parent of two debaters.

"My experience was wonderful. It is great to see young people, particularly middle schoolers, engaging wholeheartedly in such a worthwhile activity." -- Hunter Davis, Senior McConnell Scholar , University of Louisville

"As a graduating law student, the topic of the debate was an issue that I am familiar with and enjoy discussing. I was amazed with the enthusiasm, energy and level of excellence displayed by the debaters. Not only were they well prepared, but they were able to think critically on their feet and respond to the challenging questions that were asked by their opponents during the debate. I walked away from the competition knowing full well that the future is still BRIGHT for these kids in particular, and society in general. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of this great experience. I enjoyed myself very much!" -- Courtney L. Phelps, Student Attorney -University of Louisville Law Clinic , Black Law Students Association, President U. of L. Chapter

"It was a great pleasure to take part in the development of this fine program. The student participants are eager and wonderfully well-prepared. I have no doubt that the skills acquired and talents honed in this program will greatly serve their academic and professional futures. I feel privileged for being involved."--Michael Zeller, McConnell Scholar class of 2013- University of Louisville .

"It was an amazing experience to see the confidence of the middle-schoolers as they debated each other. I was so impressed that students at this level showed the courage and intellect to argue their points in such a nuanced fashion. The two teams in my second round showed incredible promise as court room attorney’s one day! I look forward to judging again next year." --Nichelle Anthony Specialist, Communications, Media & Arts Ballard, Fern Creek & Pleasure Ridge Park High Schools

Teacher Comment

"It has been an absolute joy to see students accomplish through debate what we as teachers want to see most in the classroom. That is to see students move from dependent learners to self-motivated, independent learners capable of researching to find information to add to what has already been learned, evaluating, synthesizing and transforming it into new ideas and thought processes. Listening as students verbalize the importance of listening to peers as a means of gaining new information and ideas, adopting what is useful and helpful and discarding that which is not. The sheer joy watching students learn the skill and art of learning, developing the ability to communicate ideas, being patient and open to the ideas of others and simply allowing me to fade into the background as a facilitator to keep the conversation moving rather than the source of new ideas. Learning to communicate and disagree in ways that allow everyone to remain intact physically, emotionally, and mentally." --Angela Allen, Assistant Principal Crosby Middle School

Submitted by Sylvia Bruton, Event Coordinator
Photo's by Michael Brohm, Red Square Portraits.

Local Sculptor Joe Autry provides a glimpse into Perm, Russia

My first trip to Perm, Russia..... it was my first trip out of the country.... it was my first ice sculpture competition...to take part in the #1 snow and ice sculpting competition on Russian Federation soil... was a very extaordinary..educational experience. I was participating with international champions in snow and ice sculpting...humbling and highly motivating. Everyone involved with this procees was so kind and generous... hospitaity in Perm was the best i have experienced in my whole life!!! I must say that knowing abit more Russian will help with conversation.....although the interpretors are very well spoken....the artist that work as ice sculptors that i met are masters of this material...i competed against all champions and they taught me so much about the ice andthe ice taught me something about myself...."this is a temporary form and it will change so we must enjoy this form while we have it, love it and make love to it".... The sister cities program is very important for international welfare of the peoples communities on all levels....as an artist ... i have grown triple fold, realizing the extreme importants of the arts and how much richer life becomes when you let it flourish and grow.....and through the sister cities program this has happened with me....to value our expressions and freedoms as artists and citizens of the world.

... not alot of ice sculpting going on here in Louisville.. so upon my returning I have focused my time with stone sculpting with my heart looking to return to ice sculpting this winter to some competitions around the U.S... hopefully to return in two years to Perm....I was embraced with open arms by many Permanians... a piece of my heart remains in Perm!

My Warmest Regards, Joe Autry