Februar 2025 – Tricontinental Teacher Training

Our second week in Winneba (17.02.-23.02.25)

After our second week in Ghana, we now feel settled and fully arrived in Winneba. Going to school every day has become a routine as well as the daily walk to the fruits stand to buy delicious mango or pineapple. By now, we’ve gotten used to the regular power outages that often occur after sunset – the Ghanaians always say “The lights are out” and then, later, “The lights are back”. Good thing we brought our flashlights, taking a shower in the dark is also an experience. Besides, we feel like we are getting used to the heat, but then again there was a thunderstorm at the weekend that brought two nice cool days (only 23 degrees in the night!!). We even got goosebumps on the beach, it’s hard to imagine.

Our schools are very different from each other. As for me, Aleyna, I go to primary school where I visit a different grade every week. I observe lessons in the same class the whole day: Fante, Maths, English, History, Science, Arts… The children come to school at 6:30 to clean the classrooms and the campus. At 7, they meet for the assembly every morning where they get instructions for the day, sing the Ghanaian hymn and then march to their classrooms. This week, I took part in the class by correcting their assignments. I found it really interesting that the level of the content is quite high, for example, the first-grade students can already read and write in English. As for me, Merle, I go to a senior high school where I observe different classes. I observe Physics, Social Studies, Food and Clothing, and Agricultural Sciences. I have a different timetable every day and find it interesting to see as many different teachers and subjects as I can. In most classes, the teachers dictate and explain something, and the students just write everything down and don’t talk much. However, things are changing now in Ghana, they are introducing more student-centered methods to their classrooms and the teachers get schooled in that now. It is really interesting to discuss with the teachers their perspectives on school and lessons.

We keep trying out different Ghanaian dishes – some are delicious, others take some getting used to. Our breakfast usually includes some cornflakes or other cereals and fruits, and you can buy Ghanaian bread, and they even have a good chocolate spread. After school, we often go to our favorite fruit stand to buy a snack for lunch and then we meet up to chat, to go to the beach, or to explore the market. It is huge and you can get everything there, but you should come on market day, which is Tuesdays and Fridays, because it’s busier. This week, we went there to buy some fabrics for dresses. After my host mother had introduced me to her favorite seamstress Regina, we had to come again and have more dresses made because Regina is such a warmhearted person. The dresses aren’t finished yet, but maybe we’ll post a picture next week!

On the weekend, we met up with some of our buddies who happen to love the card games we brought. It was such a fun afternoon! Friday night, we met the DiCoT-people for the first time and some other Germans who are here for different projects. It’s nice to exchange about our experiences here. At night, one of our buddies took us to a Jama Night on campus. Groups of students were singing gospel songs and dancing, it’s fun to watch and dance along, although we can’t move as nicely as the Ghanaians can. But they always encourage us to join them. We spent most of the Saturday doing some chores or preparing our lessons for school, and then we went to the beach – of course, it’s the best place of all. There’s always a nice cool breeze and listening to the waves is very calming. At night, we went to the campus again because there was a live band playing. We enjoyed the music and dancing. The night was short because we wanted to go to church the next morning at 7am. We loved the gospel; everyone is so cheerful and happily dancing and enjoying themselves so we could not help but dance along. It was so much fun, and we felt very welcome! In the afternoon, we went to Royal Beach and played a card game. There was a really pretty lagoon. We are looking forward to visit other places around Winneba in the next weeks and to get to know more of the Ghanaian way of life.

By Aleyna and Merle

Our first week in Winneba (08.02. – 16.02)

For our flight to Ghana, we met at the airport at 5am. We were all a bit excited and nervous: despite all our preparations we knew that whatever is expecting us would be a completely new experience. When we walked through the security check many backpacks needed to be controlled separately and guess what: two card games were tested for explosives  But all in all, our flights to Brussels and the next one to Accra, the capital of Ghana, were good. We also passed immigration without trouble and finally walked out into the tropical humid heat. Beatrice, one of the Ghanaian buddies, and the TTT coordinator Dr Frank Twum surprised us with a nice Akwaaba (Welcome). The road to Winneba and to our host families was under construction, so it was a really bumpy ride. But when we safely arrived in Winneba the second welcome was expecting us from our host families.

The next day we finally met all our buddies for a fresh coconut at Sir Charles beach. During the next two days our buddies showed us the three different campuses (North, Central, South) and other parts of Winneba, e. g. the market. We learned how to get a taxi (equivalent to the German public transports) and that you shouldn’t pay more than 5 cedis if your way is on the main road. On Tuesday we had our official orientation at the North Campus student center where, after another warm welcome, we learnt something about cultural shock, the UEW and security. After lunch we were taken to our different internship schools.

Our first official day at school started for all of us at 7 or 8am. The two of us are at a Senior High school for girls. Here, too, everyone welcomed us very warmly and our mentors explained to us which lessons we can observe and teach in our respective subjects. We were also told that interns are expected to be present for the whole school day but aren’t expected to be in class all the time. So, we used this requirement as an opportunity and completed our timetable with additional subjects we were interested in, for example Jewelry, Food and Clothing, Music and Literature. The classes we have observed so far are different from what we know. The teacher is mostly teaching in front of the class and usually the students are listening, taking notes and answering the teacher’s questions. The class sizes vary between six and 36 students, who all wear a school uniform. It is hard for us to understand everything in each lesson because English is not our native language, we are not yet used to the Ghanaian accent and there are often background noises. Still, the lessons are really interesting and filled with new topics for us. Funnily, there are many other interns at our school who are a big help with all our questions. We often sit with some of them under a big mango tree at school.

Generally, the people in Winneba are really friendly and open-minded. As a greeting, you always ask “How are you?” even if you don’t know the person at all. Another form of politeness is the phrase “You are invited”. You say it to the people around you before you start eating something. Not only our host families and buddies, but everyone we’ve met so far, are incredibly hospitable towards us. People or children, if they don’t know us and want our attention, sometimes call us “Oburoni” (Fante term for a white person). This is still a bit unusual, as well as the concept of “Ghanaian time” in which a “soon” or a starting time can be very vague. At the same time, we enjoy that everything seems to be more relaxed here. Another thing that we enjoy is the Ghanaian food. We have already tried Jollof rice, GobƐ and fried plantain. You can also buy fruits at some of the many shops and stands along the streets. When we walk around, we notice for example chickens and goats (also cute baby goats!), some colorful dresses, trash in the gutters, coconut trees, and people carrying goods on their heads.

Most of our afternoons we spent at Sir Charles Beach, one of the places where you are not continuously sweating. Sadly, because of the current it is dangerous to swim in the sea, but we enjoy sitting in the sand, collecting shells and watching the waves. On Saturday, some of our buddies even took us to a beach resort close to Winneba, where we enjoyed more beach, good food, took pictures and played the card game “UNO”. All in all, it was a really good and exciting first week full of new impressions and cordial encounters.

By Imke and Ida

04. bis 16. Februar 2025 – Erste Woche in Chapel Hill-Carrboro

Am 8. Februar 2025 reiste unsere Gruppe, bestehend aus Michel, Laura, Sara, Tharchis und den beiden Lisas, von Hamburg nach Chapel Hill-Carrboro, um am sechswöchigen Austauschprogramm „Tricontinental Teacher Training“ teilzunehmen. Dieses Programm wird von der Universität Hamburg und der University of North Carolina Chapel Hill organisiert und bietet Lehramtstudierenden die Chance, das US-amerikanische Schulsystem kennenzulernen, interkulturelle Erfahrungen zu sammeln und eigene Ansichten kritisch zu reflektieren und sich aktiv in Unsicherheiten im Kontext Schule als Lehrkraft zu begeben.

Alle Teilnehmende wurden von den Gastfamilien sehr herzlich empfangen. Wir (Michel und Lisa) wohnen bei einer sehr aufgeschlossenen Familie, mit der wir besonders anregende Diskussionen über Politik und das Bildungssystem in North Carolina führen und dadurch tiefe Einblicke in die gesellschaftlichen Strukturen vor Ort erhalten können, was total bereichernd ist.

Die ersten Tage waren intensiv, da wir sehr viele Eindrücke erhalten haben, und durch ein umfangreiches Programm begleitet wurden. Beim Willkommens-Event im Education Center der UNC lernten wir unsere Programm-Buddies der UNC, die uns im Mai 2025 in Hamburg besuchen werden, nach sehr vielen Digitalen Meeting-Points endlich persönlich kennen. In entspannter Atmosphäre mit Snacks und Getränken tauschten wir uns mit ihnen, den Gastgeber*innen, den Koordinator*innen, Host Familien und Lehrkräften aus.

Am nächsten Tag nahm sich Taylor, unser Ansprechpartner an der UNC, sehr viel Zeit, um uns die Studentenstadt Chapel Hill zu zeigen. Wir entdeckten die besten Cafés und Kneipen, besuchten Merchandise-Läden der Universität und spazierten über den beeindruckenden Campus der UNC. Besonders interessant für uns war die die kritische Auseinandersetzung mit der kolonialen Geschichte der Universität, die einige Studierende an mehreren Stellen durch kreative Projekte sichtbar machten. Und natürlich, dass Michael Jordan an der UNC Chapel Hill seinen Bachelor in Geographie abschloss.

Ein weiteres Highlight war unser „Buddy Day“, an dem alle Buddys der UHH und UNC einen Samstag miteinander verbrachten. Nachmittags hatten wir Mittagessen im beliebten mexikanischen Restaurant „Los Tres“. Sie hatten eine große Auswahl an mexikanischen Gerichten und wunderbaren Cocktails (Margaritas!!!). Anschließend verbrachten wir den ganzen Abend damit, Spiele zu spielen, was uns die Gelegenheit gab, uns kennenzulernen und über das Programm, unsere Kulturen, Normen und Werte zu diskutieren – all dies dauerte bis in die späte Nacht.

Einblicke in das US-amerikanische Schulsystem

In unserer ersten Woche begleiteten wir unsere Buddies an ihre Praktikumsschulen und erhielten Einblicke in verschiedene Schulformen. Lisa besuchte die Morris Grove Elementary School, wo sie mit ihrem Buddy die vierte Klasse an Valentinstag besuchte. An diesem Tag war der Unterricht weniger von Inhalten, als von Bastelaktionen und dem Verschenken von Süßigkeiten geprägt, was zeigt, wie sehr kulturelle Rituale im Schulalltag integriert sind. Michel konnte die Carrboro High School besuchen und auch dort sehr interessante Einblicke in den Schulalltag gewinnen.

Ein weiterer spannender Besuch führte uns zur Central School in Durham, einer Charter School mit einem projektbasierten und kreativen Unterrichtsansatz. Diese Schule gehört zu den finanziell besser ausgestatteten Bildungseinrichtungen des Bezirks. Die Schüler*innen identifizierten sich stark mit ihrer Schule, waren motiviert und nannten ihre Lehrkräfte beim Vornamen – eine im US-amerikanischen Kontext eher ungewöhnliche Praxis. Zwei Achtklässlerinnen führten uns durch das Gebäude und präsentierten stolz ihre Klassen, Lehrkräfte und Projekte zur „History of the Month“. Dies zeigte uns, dass es in einem politisch konservativen Bundesstaat wie North Carolina alternative Bildungskonzepte geben kann, die Kreativität, kritisches Denken und individuelle Entwicklung fördern.

Unser erster Tag an der Culbreth Middle School, die Placement Schule von uns, hinterließ einen bleibenden Eindruck bei uns. Hier wurde uns klar, dass Themen wie die Geschichte der indigenen Bevölkerung, Sklaverei, Gender Studies und aktuelle politische Entwicklungen oft nur oberflächlich oder nicht ausreichend behandelt werden. Ein möglicher Grund dafür könnte die Befürchtung der Lehrkräfte sein, durch kontroverse Inhalte ihren Arbeitsplatz oder die Finanzierung der Schule zu gefährden. Diese Einsichten vertieften wir im Reflexionsseminar mit Taylor. Gemeinsam diskutierten wir, ob das amerikanische Bildungssystem mehr auf wirtschaftliche Effizienz als auf Demokratieerziehung und Mündigkeit abzielt. Insgesamt hatten wir eine großartige erste Woche in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, mit vielschichtigen Einblicken in die politischen Strukturen und das Bildungssystem North Carolinas, und begleitet durch tolle Menschen, die wir hier kennengelernt haben.