Teaching

It occurred to me that many of you may not know what I do on the mission field and how that supports Bible Translation. Hopefully you will get a glimpse into my every day life...well at least the working side of things.

Tucked away in the valley of the Eastern Highlands lays Ukarumpa. We have two schools, a primary campus for prekindergarten- sixth grade, that is seconds away from my house, and a secondary campus for seventh-twelfth grade. I am currently working at Ukarumpa International School at the Primary Campus (UISPC). I am the Grade 2 teacher (that's second grade for all you Americans reading) and I love it! Last year I was co-teaching in the kindergarten classroom until I was asked if I would move up to second. It has taken a bit to adjust and I certainly do not know everything (or will I) but I continue to learn and appreciate where God has me for this time. Just a side note, does ANY teacher every REALLY know what they are teaching? I have not yet been blessed with having the same grade or curriculum for more than one year in a row, and this is my fifth year teaching. Every year I have either had to change schools, grades, or curriculum. It certainly keeps me on my toes.

Change is not uncommon at this school. Flexibility is a must. A couple came to visit a few days ago and a few of my teacher friends had dinner with them. They are recruiters for Wycliffe and they asked us this question: What do you like and dislike about teaching at UIS? We thought about this for a few seconds but none of us had any trouble thinking of something. We said: kids are excited to learn. Kids thank us for teaching them. Kids have two parents who love them, love the Lord, and work hard. Kids are disciplined at home and work to stay in touch with what is happening at school. Parents trust that their children are getting a good education. The cultural diversity of both teachers and students makes life interesting. There were many other responses but I won't continue.

Our responses to our dislikes varied a bit pending on the campus we work at. Being the only primary school teacher at the dinner table I mentioned the struggle with the village program. Let me just add here that preparing things for the village program takes a lot of time but I REALLY do enjoy the role I have in Bible Translation through preparing materials for village families. I will talk more about this later in my blog. I also said it is difficult to meet the needs of students who are coming from a wide variety of previous educational experiences.

This is what I am facing this year. Missionaries are encouraged to take furloughs (trips back to their passport countries after a certain amount of time to refresh, catch up with friends and supporters, or for a variety of other reasons) meaning their children are removed from our school system and are educated at home or in a school system in their home country. This year I have: six students who were here for 1st grade but not necessarily for Kindergarten, four students who are Papua New Guinean (they have been in our school system since prekindergarten, but English is not their first language so they are still working to catch up with their peers in some areas), four students who missed 1st grade here and were either home schooled or went to a school in their home country, three students who are new to this country and the school, and one child who has never been in a school setting before and who is new to the country. Can you see my struggle? How do I teach new materials when I am not sure what each of them has mastered the year before? I continue to struggle with this but thankfully it is getting easier as I get to know each child.

In addition to this, my classroom is constantly changing. When missionaries arrive they attend a Pacific Orientation Course (POC) in Madang Province. This  course introduces them to the culture, language, and climate of Papua New Guinea, and equips them with tools they need to survive on the mission field. These courses currently run in August and January. This means that the teachers are responsible for providing materials for students who attend POC. This year I have four students attending the August POC and one (as far as I know) attending the January POC. When we are informed of students who are going to POC or to the village we begin to make a "village bag". You can see in my picture above what all might be included in a "village bag". I make sure there is a folder with our curriculum map, weekly plans, student parents, lesson plans, math manipulatives, student workbooks, students readers, pencils, etc. Once everything is put together I make sure to meet with the parents to explain what I have put together and how it will, hopefully, make their teaching experience run smoothly. This is all done in addition to my normal teaching week.

Please don't read this and think I am asking for pity. I am writing to inform you of what all my job requires and also to show you that as a teacher, I am directly helping Bible translation. I am honored to be helping make a parents load lighter while they are living in the village. I also very much enjoy being able to encourage my students and their parents by speaking with them each day on the radio. When asked How do teachers help make your time in the village more bearable? one translation family replied:

" This (having a village program) made home-schooling so much easier, making Susan's load bearable when basic living was so much more difficult and time-consuming in the village. It also kept the kids on task with their class, making the transition back and forth between the village and Ukarumpa smooth and easy. Our kids looked forward to talking to their teachers and friends on the radio each week. Our kids' classes would be praying for them while they were in the village and would sometimes also sends notes of encouragement to them. All of these things helped our children to feel they were still part of the class, even when away from them.  When we are in Ukarumpa, having our kids in school frees Susan to concentrate on other work. We are often able to bring national men here and make progress on translation work and training."

I am honored to be able to assist parents who are translators in preparing materials for their children. 

Hopefully you have a better idea of how God is using me here in Papua New Guinea.

Next week I will share some oh so funny stories from my two little boys who are currently in their villages. Stay tuned!