TGC photo in Washinton DC

Mr. French is going with program called Teachers for a Global Classroom.

   “This blog is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented are the grantee's own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State.”

Hello,
I just got a quick note letting me know who I will be working with in Ghana. I will copy their bios below and then you will all know what I know. The two American teachers I met last week in DC and we are part of 11 teachers going together to Ghana. I left my bio on there too for your amusement.
Randy

Melinda Bennett, Biology Teacher

Minneapolis South High School

Minneapolis, MN

Melinda has taught introductory and Advanced Placement Biology at South for her entire 22 year teaching career.  She is particularly interested in developing progressive teaching practices that encourage students to think creatively and drive their own learning and assessment.  She is currently working on an interdisciplinary team that develops thematic units where students delve deeply into subjects incorporating World History, literature/writing and Biology.  She feels very strongly that students are motivated to learn more deeply when they can see how the subject is directly related to life and their own personal passions.  She recently took a group of interdisciplinary team students to Greece and was invited to present and teach in China.  Melinda earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Oklahoma where she grew up and earned her Masters at the University of Minnesota.   She is married to a fellow biology teacher and they have two teenage children who are very active in sports, theatre, friends and school.  Her primary motivation for seeking this opportunity with TGC is to broaden her international experience and perspective to continue to bring new ideas into the classroom.  She wants to continue to be a lifelong learner and model that value for her students and family.

Randy French, Science Teacher

Geneseo Central School

Geneseo, New York

Randy French teaches science at Geneseo Central School in Geneseo, a small rural school in western New York state.  He teaches general science to mainly middle school students ages 12-14, but also teaches labs in Earth Science, Chemistry, and Biology to high school students ages 14-18.  Often, Randy runs workshops at school in technology.  He enjoys making movies for and of his students as well as helping students create movies.  His interests at school include getting students outdoors to generate curiosity and to develop dreams.  Outside of school, Randy runs, bikes, cross country skis, paddles, and generally enjoys most outdoor recreation.  Hios primary objective for participating in TGC is to help students from a small school realize there is a big, exciting world beyond their doors that they can access with technology, hope, and hard work.  He would especially like to develop ways for students to learn about different ecosystems for a new course his school administration has asked him to create.

Jeremy "Pete" Peterson, Chemistry Teacher

Oconomowoc High School

Waukesha, Wisconsin

Jeremy "Pete" Peterson has been a teacher for the past 10 years. He began his career working in schools in Utah, Texas, and in an international school in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He has been teaching high school chemistry and physics for the last 6 years in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin --- a community of about 12,000 people just outside of Milwaukee. Pete's classes average about 25 students ranging between 15 and 18 years in age. Along with many leadership roles at the school, he sponsors a popular community service program called Students-4-Service. Pete is a National Board Certified Teacher who graduated in 2001 with a B.S. in biology from Gonzaga University and later received a M. Ed. degree from the University of Notre Dame. Pete is currently finishing a second Masters degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2010 Pete was awarded as a Kohl Fellow for Excellence in Teaching. Pete is married to a beautiful doctor who he says will always be his better half. In his free time he enjoys running, cycling, grilling out with friends, and playing Scrabble. Through participation in TGC, Pete hopes to better challenge his students to think more globally about how their actions impact the world.

Osman bin Umar, Social Studies Teacher

Accra Girls' Senior High School

Accra, Ghana

Osman bin Umar has been teaching history, social studies and government for the past 4 years. The age of his students ranges from 18 to 20 years. On average, there are 46 students in his class. Osman is an active member of his school's parent-teacher association, where he has played a role in promoting effective parental involvement in student education. Osman received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. His primary objective for participating in the TEA Program is to explore new methodologies for engaging students in a more participatory and active classroom setting.

Jonathan Mpete-Lah, Biology Teacher

Accra Girls' Senior High School

Accra, Ghana

Jonathan Mpete-Lah has been teaching biology and integrated Science at a public high school for the past 25 years.  His students range from the ages of 16 to 19 years old with an average of 48 students per class.  Jonathan is an active member of his school’s parent-teacher association and the 50^th anniversary planning committee where he has played an effective role in getting parents and students to participate in student education and celebrations.  Jonathan received his bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Ghana, Legon in 1979, a post graduate degree in Education from the University of Cape Coast in 1999 and a master’s degree in Administration and Management from the University of Education, Winneba.  Jonathan is married with a son and a daughter and his hobbies include traveling, reading and playing squash.  His primary objective for participating in the TEA program is to explore new methodologies for engaging students’ interactive and participatory learning.

Back home and preparing ....

I am back home from Washington DC and about to send out emails to people to let you know to check this site out. I leave on March 3rd and arrive on the 4th. I should be able to post an update from Accra, Ghana on Sunday the 4th. If you have any questions for me before I go post them on this so I can practice with the blog before I leave. For example, are you curious how I got selected to go, what I am supposed to do there, what will I do when I come back? Once I am there you can think about questions that might help you understand what the difference in life is like in Ghana. Think about questions about food, houses, school and transportation and I will answer them. I hope to be able to skype too, if you are interested in Skype, let me know and I will try to connect with you.

February 17th, 2012 Mr. French Lincoln Monument

February 16th, 2012- I am in Washington DC getting ready to meet 65 other teachers from across the USA as part of a Teachers for a Global Classroom grant. It is a program run by a government agency called Irex. In 2 weeks, from March 3rd to March 18th I will be going to Ghana. I will try to post daily but I do not know if I can get on a computer there. Below is a short overview of Ghana. I have not used this blog before so offer me some tips if you have them. It will be fun to hear from people especially while I am traveling. I will try to answer questions, so ask away.

Here is a brief description of Ghana.
Ghana is located in West Africa. Within the country is the latitude and longitude of 0 degrees N and 0 degrees E/W. One edge of the country is coastal with much of the country described as sub saharan. I would expect daily high temperatures to be about 90 degrees farenheit with lows in the 70s farenheit.  Formerly called the Gold Coast this country was liberated from Great Britian in 1957. English is the language for business with more than 60 other languages spoken. I will be staying for several days in the capital city of Accra.

Although the economy is rated as one of the fastest growing in the world, average per capita income is still low by USA standards, between $1200-$3000 depending on the source.  The currency is the cedi and the country is on Greenwhich mean time. Flight time from Washington is about 10 hours although I will have to fly home via Germany making my return flight about a 2 day affair.