GIFTS

I wrote about Ama (a fictional character), there was an interest in her secondary school life. This slice shares a snippet of Ama’s learning experience at her boarding school in Ghana.

Ama’s secondary school (middle/high school) felt like a powerhouse. This boarding school deep in the thick, tropical forest was a setting that stood out. Built by the colonial leaders at the time, its character had a feel of being on a foreign land.

It was at Ama’s school that she experienced true friendship. At her boarding house, her classmates were her anchor. They carried out their house chores together, walked the mile for lessons and supported each other in the practice and revision of new topics.

As Ama’s school was really test results oriented the teaching and learning was extremely competitive, teachers competing with each other for fervent results, students against each other to prove that they can achieve the top marks and an endless battle for fame on the sports grounds.

Ama’s needs were not obvious, a visual learner she needed to see and draw models to help her understand the reams of notes they had to copy. Her learning strategy was not common at her school and was told many times she was wasting her time. Nobody understood her plight, she was seen as an introvert. She was quietly battling with her needs and secretly found a way to overcome her struggle, by revisiting her work in the evenings, to present them in a way only she could understand.

Although her friends seemed caring, she would have endured the snide comments that would have reduced her confidence even more. Ama hid her predicament and carried on with the strategy that helped her not only excel but catch up with her friends.

The su