Project Search 2- HIV and Education

http://www.actionaid.org/main.aspx?PageID=117

This article is about the effects of HIV/ AIDS and it's impact on education both teachers and students alike. Research says that countries are not responding very well to teachers who are suffering from AIDS. The program known as STAR is helping to educate teachers working in Africa about their own risks to AIDS and to help them get rid of the negative stigma AIDS portrays.

Interview- Felix Steiner

I chose to interview Felix Steiner from Lichtenfels, Germany. Felix came to my high school as a part of a Sister Cities program for my sophomore and part of my senior years. We communicated via Facebook and here are his responses to my questions!

From the left: Felix, CJ and Kevin. 

These are my friends from high school and Felix at an OSU game their Freshman year. I think these boys and Buckeye pride are the reasons why Felix thinks sports and American education go hand in hand haha :)

1. Where are you from?

 I'm from Lichtenfels, Germany

2. What level of schooling have you completed?

 Highschool degree

3. What is/was your life like growing up in Germany?

Educational wise I went to Kindergarten until i was 7, when I was younger I spent most time with my friends from my neighborhood playing soccer both on soccer fields but most of the time in the streets.

4. Describe the type of government in your country.

Germany is a democratic republic with Angela Merkel as it's chancellor. The Chancellor is the head of government and is therefore the executive power as the parliament is the legislative power. The Chancellor always gets elected for 4 year terms but can indefinitely get reelected.

5. What is the structure of the educational system in Germany?

1) The Gymnasium: after grade 12 pupil finish with the final exam the Abitur what prepares them to attend university
2) The Realschule: final exam is the "Mittlere Reife" after grade 10. The school has compared to the Gymnasium a broader range of emphasis for intermediate pupils

3) The Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education: final exam is the "Hauptschulabschluss" 

What type of school children can attend is all depending on there GPA of the "Grundschule"

6. What motivated you to come study in the US?

Well as you know I didnt study there yet but for me the motivation is or would be more for social than for educational reasons. First of all I always wanted to study abroad and since I'm so much into sports I like how sports and education are combined in the U.S.

7. What are your views on American education?

For me being used to German education I think the American education (Highschool!) is not as strict and easier to get through considering tests. I think it's a good thing sports are appreciated as part of the education but with the US having college sports in my opinion lots of kids invest way too much time into sports instead of their studies, i think for me this is one big weakness educational wise because when people don't make it far enough to make sports their living they end up having a bad educational level.

8. What are your views on American culture and social life?

Socially I feel like Americans have a very strong company as a community if needed. Americans obviously are very patriotic what I personally like a lot since patriotism is still such a big problem in Germany because of its history. What i recognised most about American culture is how people are very religious and appreciate life. Also sports play one important role in most Americans lifes.

9. What were some challenges you faced adjusting to American student life?

 can't really think of serious challenges that i faced. If there is one I would say that sometimes it wasn't always easy to have people understand how Germany is like and how certain things work in our country.

 10. What were some strategies you used to adjust to American learning and culture?

I think the best way to adjust to any culture is to just be open minded and leaving own cultural values behind. When I came to America for the first time I always tried to be open for new things to experience and tried to talk to people a lot. For me it was the easiest way to understand what people think and how they feel about life in general.

Female Ritual Servitude Reflection

Female Ritual Servitude The Trokosis in Ghana by Wisdom Yaw Mensah and Francis Ebenezer Godwyll is the first book read in EDCS 205. After reading this book it brought to my attention the major differences in cultures of the non-Western world versus a more Westernized society. As I was reading I wondered what accommodations I would have to make in order to live in this type of society. This book made me feel very grateful for the privileges I have today as an American citizen and student.

            I understand that our culture as American’s and that of a non-Western country differs greatly; however, I found the Trokosis hard to accept even though it was apart of their culture.  The idea of sending their virgin daughters to these places because of the acts done by someone else is completely unfair. Why should they have to suffer because of the wrongdoings of another family member? I was pleased to read that there are several relief agencies helping the people of Ghana and providing rehabilitation and counseling to the women and families affected by Trokosis. As a future teacher I am immediately drawn to the educational portion of the emancipation of the Trokosi girls. I admire the people that help these women and their children. Teaching in a culture that is completely different than my own would be one of the biggest challenges to face. I think teaching the Trokosi women trades that they can use to make a living a great idea by ING. These women need to be able to sustain themselves and their children that have been abused for so many years. ING also supplies them with the tools needed in order to implement their chosen vocation upon graduation, which I believe is a very effective way of assuring their survival after Trokosis. As for the Trokosi children, I questioned whether or not it was effective to mainstream them into basic schools. I believe they should be exposed to a culture that is safer than what they have previously known but I wonder if this exposure to a new environment is too much at first. Will the children obtain some sort of grief counseling while in these basic schools? I think it is just as important to educate the children as they have with the women when “dealing with the psychosocial, emotional and vocational needs and traumatic past of the…Trokosi women” (Mensah and Godwyll, 58).

            The most amazing part of the Trokosi women’s emancipation was the emphasis that ING and other relief helpers placed upon it. I thought it was sympathetic to the culture to trade livestock for women, lifting the fears of the curse off of their families. If they would have merely said the women were free then the people still may worry that they had curses upon their families. I also liked that they made the emancipation public by broadcasting it through the media, making it harder for the priests to go back to their old habits. Also providing the sustainability programs for the women and their children really demonstrates how much ING cares about their freedom.

            As an American college student reading this book I think about how grateful I am to have all of the resources that I need. I cannot imagine my family sending me to be a sex slaves for the crimes of someone else in my family. These women gave up their freedom in order to break a curse for their family. I think as a student in a Western culture, I never realize how good I really have it until I read something like this story. These ideas and beliefs seem so inhumane to me, I wonder why the people had not fought against these ideas sooner. I am forever thankful to live in a free society where I can make my own decisions and choices.  As a teacher in the Western world, I know I will deal with many disheartening situations, but none as severe as the Trokosi survivors.  I would be nervous to teach and help a Trokosi child or woman because the amount of trauma they have endured is so great. I am not sure I would be able to provide the resources they need in order to overcome the experiences they have been through.

One of the main lessons I have learned from reading this book would be to respect other cultures. Although I do not agree with the Trokosi practices and what the families made their virgin girls do, I must understand that what they did was the best solution for their situation. They obviously did not have the resources or belief system to do what I think would have been the right thing to do. If I have students in my classroom that are from different cultures I must respect and make an effort to understand what they believe. This will help me create a harmonious classroom and further educate one of my students effectively.

            

Project Search 1

Recruiting in China Pays Off for US Colleges

This article is from a February edition of the New York Times and describes how Chinese applicants to American colleges has been on the rise due to a spiking economy. I found the process of choosing applicants interesting when dealing with international students because their grading scale is much more difficult than that of an average American school. Many Chinese students receive nearly perfect scores on the SAT and ACT, but their GPA is much lower than that of an American student. I think being on the board of admissions for any school would be difficult because it would be challenging to chose between so many applicants with different talents.

Female Ritual Servitude

While reading Female Ritual Servitude I could not help but be in shock at the treatment of the women in Ghana. To me, the idea that families must give a virgin in order to break a "curse" seems wildly superstitious, although I understand it is a way of life for these Africans. I thought about placing myself in the shoes of those women and I cannot imagine being so brutally and unwillingly mistreated. As I read further I was happy to see that so many people were willing to help create these organizations such as the ING in order to free these women. I found it interesting that they made gaining their freedom so public and I thought it was respectful to the beliefs of the people in Ghana. Instead of merely allowing the women to be freed they publicly emancipated them and traded for the virgins in order to relieve the curse upon the families. If this did not happen many families may still fear the curse upon them and never stop Trokosis. Another thing I liked about ING was that they not only set the women free but provided jobs, counseling, schooling for the women and children and support programs. I thought bringing in Planned Parenthood was very necessary because of the distorted views of sexuality these women must have. I thought that these programs did a good job of not only freeing the women but helping with their sustainability within the outside world.