This week marked the first time I’ve gotten to
work in education outside of my World Harvest Team. I was overjoyed to finally be interacting with S. Sudanese
teachers during a week-long teacher training series. The week’s focus theme was “The Love of Jesus,” and our team
of trainers strived to show the forty teachers how they could demonstrate the
love of Jesus Christ in the classroom.
We were blessed to have the help of five remarkably gifted young
teachers from Philly with us. They
lead all the S. Sudanese participants through interactive lessons, reading comprehension
activities, and critical thinking discussions. They were such joy to watch! Each of these young teachers reminded me of why I love
education and why a strong lesson is well worth all of the hard work and energy
that goes into it.
I quickly connected with the S. Sudanese
participants, hearing their stories of how they started teaching and what
obstacles they are currently facing in the classroom. None of the teachers had gone through formal teacher
training. Many started teaching the
youth in their villages during the wartime, when they fled to the bush. It is surreal to imagine spending my
first year as a teacher hiding under large African trees and running from nearby
bullets. Education was a necessary
distraction and way to provide the children with some form of consistency
amidst crisis. Forget activities
or assessments or even copying from a small chalkboard or book. When survival is the number one
priority, pedagogy and materials fall along the wayside.
Even today, S. Sudanese teachers are without
materials. Many do not even have
chairs or workbooks for their students.
Throughout the week, my mind wrestled with the contradictions of teaching
effective American methods to African teachers, who face class sizes of upwards
of eighty students, many of whom have obligations to work on the family land
and look after younger siblings.
Some of the teachers at the training center did not even have
buildings—they simply met under the spotty protection of trees every morning
and prayed against strong rain.
Even so, the teachers were gracious and open to hearing the creative
ideas of the trainers, who brought the best of what American teaching methods
have to offer.
One of the most eye-opening concepts of the
week was that of various learning styles.
The trainers provided examples of rhythmic, kinesthetic, visual,
auditory, and logical learners and let the teachers think about activities that
would work for each style. The
teachers were amazed to see how helpful a simple song or competitive game might
be for their more rowdy or inattentive students. They reflected on their biggest concerns with classroom
management and made a plan of how to adapt their lesson plans to include all learning
styles. Relief swept over the
burdened teachers’ faces, when they realized that changes could be made to
their classroom environment. What
a joy to see that!
The whole week, my mind
was racing, comparing and contrasting my life as a teacher to the lives of
those S. Sudanese participants. How
much did we have in common? Was a
simple profession enough to connect two people groups from opposite continents
and cultures? I don’t know if that one commonality is enough. However, I was relieved to remember
that the S. Sudanese and I have one more vastly important thing in common—our
faith. Whenever I felt
disconnected from the teachers, I would share scripture that has been an
encouragement to me as a teacher.
I could see their eyes light up in understanding and my heart would warm
from the peace that only God’s word can bring.
Of course, the Sudanese
teachers were the ones giving the real encouragement. They all face overwhelming obstacles, and yet have bold
faith with each new day. They persist
through set backs and then give God the glory when their schools have any
success—what a change from what we prideful American teachers do! At the closing ceremony, I became
teary-eyed at watching each participant receive his/her certificate of
completion. Not only they, but also
I had learned so much that week.
Thanks be to God for meeting us there and working through a group of
such needy teachers as we!
As for you, you meant
evil against me, but God made it for good. Genesis 50:20
No comments:
Post a Comment