Day 3 - First Day Teaching
Today was our first day teaching, and it was everything I hoped it would be.
After breakfast we made the five-minute walk to the school. Before we’d even left the accommodation, children had gathered outside to walk with us. They absolutely love the volunteers, and having a little group escorting us to school every morning is something I’ll never forget.
Although it’s currently the summer holidays, many children still attend the holiday school because it provides an opportunity to keep learning. In Ghana, education isn’t completely free. School fees are around 50 Ghanaian Cedis per term (around 150 Cedis for the year), which is affordable for many families, but still out of reach for some. The summer programme is free, giving more children the chance to access education.
Because of this, our class today ranged from around 2 to 8 years old, all learning together. It was a challenge trying to teach such different ages at the same time, but the children were fantastic. We recapped fractions and times tables in the morning before spending the afternoon playing games together.
One of the most emotional moments of the day came during the donation stall. Volunteers had brought clothes, toys and stationery from home, and watching the children patiently queue to choose one small item was incredibly humbling. The excitement over a packet of crayons, a toy car or a notebook really puts into perspective how much joy can come from the simplest things.
One thing that has made us all laugh is the children’s fascination with our mobile phones! The second any volunteer gets a phone out, you’re instantly surrounded by smiling faces wanting to see themselves on the screen. Before you know it, they’ve taken the phone out of your hand and are snapping selfies of themselves, their friends, and us! 
One little boy completely amazed me today. Yesterday he’d watched me unlock my phone just once, and somehow he’d memorised my passcode. Today he wandered over, picked up my phone, unlocked it without me even noticing, and proudly filled it with the most wonderful selfies. It was impossible to be annoyed when I opened my camera roll and found dozens of photos full of huge smiles and cheeky grins. Those unexpected pictures will probably end up being some of my favourite memories from this trip. 
Tomorrow I’ll be leading one of the lessons myself. We’ll be revisiting fractions, introducing the 4 times table, and I’m planning something much more interactive for the afternoon. Today the younger children were expected to sit for long periods, so I’d love to get everyone moving and learning through play.
After school, I had one of my favourite moments since arriving. A local mum showed me how to carry her baby traditionally on my back using cloth. Within minutes he had fallen fast asleep. It was such a special experience and one I’ll treasure.
We finished the day at the beach, where the local children proudly showed us around and most children gather to play football! Later, we swapped football for dancing, with the locals teaching us some Ghanaian moves while laughing at our attempts to keep up. Safe to say they were much better than we were!
The evening ended with a traditional Ghanaian barbecue, sharing food, music and stories together.
Every day here reminds me that education isn’t just about classrooms. It’s about relationships, community, culture and creating opportunities. The smiles, resilience and kindness of these children continue to amaze me, and I’m so grateful to be sharing this experience.
Thank you to everyone following my journey and supporting the fundraising. Every donation really does have the potential to make a lasting difference for these children. 
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