What God Is Teaching Me: How To Live Simply

This post is a tough one for me to write, because I’m still not very good at this lesson—at all. However, this topic has been rolling around in my head since we moved to Mwadui, so I figured it was time to put a few of my thoughts down in print. It’s a struggle for every missionary: “How ‘Western’ do I live?” There are large variations in the answers, and there is no “right” answer.

·   Some are naturally adaptable and live exactly as the people in their community. I admire these folks, and there are significant advantages to this lifestyle as it allows them to better see through the eyes of the people and understand the needs. However, these people are rare, and there are unique challenges to this lifestyle. For example, what do you do when your health or the health of your children is in jeopardy? How do you maintain financial support without modern conveniences?  How do you successfully adapt to the culture shock, which is extreme in general, but even more extreme when giving up all familiar experiences and technologies that keep you in touch with family and friends in other parts of the world? If you plan to return to a Western environment, how do you readjust?

·   Some recognize how difficult living in extreme circumstances can be, and they try to make their home a refreshing haven for themselves and their families. This allows them the emotional health to continually reengage in a draining ministry. For example, a family we came to know and love in Nigeria bought a standing pool for their children. They lived in a city where bombs went off regularly, and sometimes their children had to stay home from school for days due to various real threats. The pool gave their children a sense of normalcy and fun in the midst of trying circumstances. Even in less extreme circumstances, some missionaries recognize that certain Western conveniences and hobbies help stabilize their emotional health and make them better people and servants.

·   Some buy Western conveniences so that their time is more efficient and they can give more time to their ministries.

·   Some buy Western conveniences to be shared and used by the local community who would not otherwise have access to such things.

·   Some utilize Western conveniences because they know their children will someday live in/receive education from Western countries, and they want to familiarize their children with this other world.

·   Some use their resources to become a retreat center for those who are live more simply. 

·   And for many, their decisions are a mixture of these principles.

I have found that each situation, culture, and missionary is unique, so to place judgment on others without having walked in their shoes is both hurtful and unjust. However, on a personal level, this topic has been both challenging and convicting for me. “How ‘Western’ will I live?”  

I recently read a book called “Missions and Money,” talking about the complexities of wealth among missionaries. I’m not recommending the book, because it is intensely law-oriented and put me into depressive tailspin of “I’m a terrible missionary, and I should just give up on being here, because I might be doing more harm than good.” Thankfully, a good infusion of gospel brought me out of that, and though I don’t agree with everything in the book, there were many passages that provided food for thought. This passage gave a label to some of my tendencies:

“The word that perhaps best sums up the plethora of secular values which influence all North Americans – including missionaries – from infancy throughout life is consumerism, the way of life established upon the principle that the great goal of human life and activity is more things, better things, and new things; in short, that life does consist in the abundance of possessions.”[1]

Consumerism. Our entire economy in the U.S. is built around it. If everyone in our country was content with what they had, I fear that our economy would crash. Can you imagine a Christmas where everyone decided the gifts were not necessary to celebrate our Savior’s birth? I did not realize until I moved here how much a part of my psyche this is.

I understand that sometimes buying something new can be better than something used. We have been in a three-month battle with our used refrigerator that sometimes refuses to cool. And sometimes, we all buy things for the same reasons as mentioned above—to be used so that we have more time for ministry, to be used in our work and ministry, to be loaned to others, to give us a space to emotionally, spiritually, and physically recharge, to create a retreat and safe space for other people… Yet in Tanzania, I am learning the value of living simply. And though I don’t always succeed, the quest to live more simply is one worthy of undertaking.

In the Bible, Jesus gives just warning to the rich that we can put our trust in things instead of God. Physical wealth can lead to spiritual poverty. In 1 Timothy, we are warned that the love of money (and not just money but the things which it can buy) is the root of all kinds of evil. And yet, in the Bible we also see some examples of the “righteous rich.” In the story of Abraham, God told Abraham that he was blessed to be a blessing for others. The primary meaning of blessing in this context is spiritual blessing, but at the same time Abraham was by no means poor. His resources could be used to help others. The resources in and of themselves were not evil.[2] So how do we keep greed at bay and use our blessings to be a blessing to others? It’s not easy, especially for those of us who have grown up in a materialistic culture. For me, one helpful tool has been when I buy something to ask myself, “What need am I trying to meet in buying this?” “Can I meet that need with something simpler or with something I already have?” “What impact will this purchase have on others in my life and on my ministry?”

Like I said, I’m a work in progress. There have been many times that Eric and I have purposely bought the simpler item or not bought something because we decided that the alternative, while nice, was not necessary. And yet, we also recognize that we still have a lot of things that our Tanzanian friends don’t. We pray that through the financial blessings we have received, we can be a blessing to others.

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[1] Jonathan J. Bonk, Missions and Money, (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books), 34-35.

[2] Thanks to this blog http://reports.heartcrymissionary.com/coordinator-blogs/the-righteous-rich-can-wealth-be-used-to-glorify-god-part-2/ for the insight about Abraham

What God is Teaching Me: How To Let People In

One of the first pieces of advice we received from staff at Global Lutheran Outreach was “try not to be as independent as you are used to.” That advice has been repeated many times since then.

It’s true that independence is greatly valued in the United States. Our infrastructure illustrates this value.  I recently came across this quote from the book In Pursuit of Loneliness as I was reading Jonathan Bonk’s Missions and Money:

“We seek a private house, a private means of transportation, a private garden, a private laundry, self-service stores, and do-it-yourself skills of every kind. An enormous technology seems to have set itself the task of making it unnecessary for one human being ever to ask anything of another in the course of going about his daily business. Even with the family, Americans are unique in their feeling that each member should have a separate room, and even a separate telephone, television, and car, when economically possible. We seek more and more privacy, and feel more and more alienated and lonely when we get it. What accidental contacts we do have, furthermore, seem more intrusive, not only because they are unsought but because they are unconnected with a family pattern of interdependence” Slater, In Pursuit of Loneliness, 7.

I’ve always been an extrovert who enjoys getting to know people, but lately I have realized that this quote bears some truth in my life. I am accustomed to a lot of privacy and doing things for myself. Thus you can imagine what it was like when we first moved here and we had to ask for help with everything-- transportation, meals, medical care, washing clothes, shopping, and language. Moving to a new culture in some sense requires becoming a child again. Suddenly you are not the independent adult you thought you were. You are the dependent little kid who has to ask someone how to do… well, everything. As we learn and begin to figure out how to do these things for ourselves, it is tempting to say, “No thank you. I don’t need your help,” but we’ve realized that when we do, we deny ourselves the opportunity to build a relationship.

Hiring someone to help with time-intensive chores has also proven to be a significant shift in our lives and perspective. Over time, Omary has become like a member of our family, and yet having someone consistently in the house was and continues to be an adjustment. When someone is in your house for many hours a day and shares every meal with you, a great deal of vulnerability is required. It’s hard.

When Omary first started working for us, every time I would leave the house, I would lock the door to our bedroom. Somehow having someone in our private room seemed too personal. However, one day I asked him to wash all the windows. When I returned, I realized I had forgotten to lock the bedroom door, and there he was washing the windows. The boundary had been crossed. I don’t regret it. Omary has proven himself trustworthy on many, many occasions. However, letting a person who is very different from me into my life and personal spaces feels risky. What will he think of me? Of my various habits? Of the messy parts of my life?  I want to only show the good sides of myself to Tanzanians, but by letting someone into my home, I have removed the possibility of hiding my darker moods. Omary, more than any other Tanzanian, has seen both Eric and me at our best and at our worst. He can tell when I am angry or sad, when I am obsessing about something I shouldn’t be obsessing about, when I am sloppy, when my perfectionism takes over, when I am being a control-freak… He sees it. And he takes it in stride.

In the U.S., we also seemed to have more control over our social sphere. If I wanted to visit with someone, generally we would set up a get-together in a restaurant, coffee shop, or sometimes my home. If someone was invited into my home, it was generally at a prearranged time. I also generally knew how long the visit would last and could graciously excuse myself if I needed to continue on with my other activities of the day.  People didn’t tend to just stop in, and no one, outside of our immediate family, had daily access to our house, our own private sanctuary.

And yet, with a change in culture, we too must adapt. I wish I could say that I’m comfortable with friends just stopping in to say hello, but it still remains difficult for me to lose that sense of control, to shift gears from what I was doing to the relationship at hand. Tanzanians are known for their sense of hospitality. As a cultural norm, guests are considered a blessing—no matter whether they were expected or not. My parents got to see it first hand as twice during their visit, we stopped by a friend’s house to introduce them-- with no prior warning-- and our Tanzanian friends welcomed them warmly, with juice or soda and even a snack. Tanzanians also have the custom of accompanying the guest part of the way toward their home, as a sign of wanting to spend as much time with them as possible. We try, but I think many Tanzanians have realized that we are not as skilled at hospitality as they are. Yet they treat us with grace, knowing that we are learning and growing in this area. We continue to learn from the people who have let us into their homes and lives.

What God is Teaching Me: How To Go With The Flow and Love In The Moment

Very often here the days don’t go as planned. Today was case-in-point.

My plans for today included:

o   hymnal translation

o   errands around Mwadui

o   take our night guard, Peter, to pick up his wife and new baby at Kolandoto Hospital

o   get the car to the shop to have our wheel repaired after it was punctured yesterday

o   make some calls regarding an entrepreneurship seminar for villages around Maganzo

o   prepare for the class I am teaching on Friday

o   go to choir

My plans changed when:

Omary was sick, so we went to the doctor and waited 2.5 hours.

Eric called me to let me know he had misunderstood the time for picking up Peter, and we discussed a new timeline for the day.

The pharmacist was at tea, so we had to come back for the medicine.

I had to make an unexpected stop by the school, because at the hospital, the accountant asked me to drop off the bill for some other students.

I returned home with two kids because their parents, staff members at the school, wanted me to drop the kids off at home (very near ours).

The phone calls were impossible because Airtel, our phone network, was down.

When I took Peter to pick up his wife and baby, I discovered that they don’t live in Mwadui, but rather in a nearby village. Instead of the careful, tarmac-driving I was expecting to do with our spare tire, I ended up driving cross-country. I am not talking about “the roads were so bad, that it felt like no road.” I’m talking about literally driving over grass and avoiding rocks. Those who know me well know that I was not blessed with a natural propensity towards driving. This excursion was WAY out of my comfort zone.

About the time that I felt like I should let Eric know what was going on (if Airtel was working again), I discovered that I had accidentally left my phone at home. I had no way to communicate with my partner in life.

After making a pit-stop to pick up a friend of Peter’s family, we finally made it to Peter’s house. Knowing that I needed to get back, Peter decided to take a “short cut” to Mwadui’s back gate. I, however, was completely unaware of this plan. Peter speaks no English, and somehow the information got lost in the language barrier.

After more off-roading and minimal-roading, we arrived at the back gate. Even after we found the guy with the keys, we discovered that one of the locks was broken. The gate could not be opened.

We started driving the road around Mwadui, which was a treacherous, mud-covered mess. We got stuck, twice. The first time we managed to get out with just a little maneuvering, but the second time we were really and truly stuck. Naturally, it was the last big mud puddle before the front gate.

I found out that Peter had the number to Gasper, the school’s driver, so we asked him to come out and help. Twenty-five minutes later the car was out, but not without added damage. Something had been knocked loose and was dragging on the ground. Gasper fixed it enough to be able to drive it to the shop.

I would like to say that I was gracious and loving throughout this whole ordeal, but by the end of it, I struggled to keep back the frustrated tears. It was all I could do not to take my frustration out on those around me, and accept Peter’s thanks for my help.

I did get the final thing on my list accomplished, but only because Eric was able to borrow the school’s truck to drive me to choir. Our vehicle was still with Gasper at the shop. Some good news out of all this was that our tire repair and whatever other repair they made only cost us $6. Sometimes Tanzanian prices are a beautiful thing.

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This is an extreme example, but the changing of plans is a common occurrence here in Tanzania. Changing of plans is also common in the U.S. I think the difference is that Tanzanians expect it and handle it beautifully. I do not. According the Myers-Briggs personality test, I am a J, which means that I like to have order and structure in life. I can handle a lot if I know what to expect, if I am “emotionally prepared” for it. However, there are times when you can’t prepare in advance. I continue to pray that as I acculturate, my “P side” (flexibility) will flourish, and I will be able to be more like my Tanzanian friends. I want to be emotionally present and loving at times when things simply don’t go as planned.

What God Is Teaching Me: Giving Thanks On The Hard Days As Well As The Good Days

You may have noticed on our Facebook posts that we will often share what we are thankful for that day. We do this for good reason. Before we left for Tanzanian, my mom handed me (Linda) a book that she had been reading with her small group called A Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are written by Ann Voskamp. I read it over the course of my first month. While I don’t think the book fully addressed the problem of pain or the process of grief, it did provide some deep beautiful insights. The premise of the book is that a friend challenged the author, Ann Voskamp, to write down 1000 of the gifts in her life. As she began to take note of and thank God for the little things, she experienced a remarkable change in her perception of the world and her perception of God. She chronicled her journey and revelations about God in this book. In the book, Ann encourages the readers to recognize the gifts that God has put in our lives as exactly that, gifts. She observes that in many of Jesus’ miracles, before the miracle occurred, Jesus gave thanks. She believes that the “Eucharisto” (thanksgiving) is directly linked to the miraculous ways God works in the world. Alternatively, she observes that “non-eucharisto, ingratitude, was the fall— humanity’s discontent with all that God freely gives.” (p. 35). We can find great joy if we take the time to notice and give thanks for all the little things in life:  the color of the bubble floating up from the dishes, the full round moon, the freckles on a child’s cheeks, jam on toast, mail in the mailbox… She also discovered in her journey that when giving thanks becomes a daily practice, we are more prepared for the hard times— the times when we wonder if we have made a terrible mistake, the times when it is difficult to believe that God could possibly use this for good, the times when God seems silent, and the times when it’s hard to believe that God loves us. The lists of ways God has visibly made His presence known can remind us of His presence when ugliness and pain invade our lives. We can come to God, not as a being who is required to give us all that we want, but as the Giver of all good gifts. God knows the whole picture, and we know only a part. This is not to say that we should never feel hurt, sadness, or anger at injustice in this world. Ann Voskamp encourages that we come to God with our raw emotions, honest and vulnerable. She makes this helpful distinction: “Lament is a cry of belief in a good God, a God who has His ear to our hearts, a God who transfigures the ugly into beauty. Complaint is the bitter howl of unbelief in any benevolent God in this moment, a distrust in the love-beat of the Father's heart” (p. 175). So how does all of this intersect with my life? Life has not been easy since we arrived in Tanzania. If you have not heard the term “culture shock” before, it is defined as “the psychological disorientation that most people experience when living in a culture markedly different from one’s own.”[1] Another definition of culture shock is “the anxiety that results from losing all the familiar signs and symbols that help us understand a situation.”[2]  Some of the potential symptoms of culture shock are homesickness, loneliness, depression, anxiety, irritability, excessive sleeping, lethargy, withdrawal, compulsive eating or loss of appetite, and stereotyping of or hostility towards host nationals. Symptoms typically peak around the third or fourth month of being in a new culture, though they can reappear at any time. Since our first three months in Tanzania were spent in language school surrounded mostly by expatriates, our timeline was slightly altered. Around the time we left language school, we were starting to feel the effects of culture shock, and it has been a gradual incline since then. Thankfully, Eric and I have not experienced all of these symptoms as we step away from the familiar, and like children, learn how to speak, live, and interact with people. Yet, culture shock is a present reality. As my body adjusts to a new setting, sometimes I am sick of being sick, whether from mouth sores, malaria, intestinal parasites, chest cold, or some other unknown malady. Sometimes I’ve wondered what else could possibly go wrong with or further delay fixing our house and making it our home. Sometimes I get weary of not being able to understand what people are saying to or about me and weary of not being able to get across what I want to say. Sometimes I feel very lonely when a room full of people laughs, and I don’t understand the joke. Sometime my plans go out the window due to unforeseen complications, and I feel like I am simply treading water. Sometimes I crave the familiar foods of home and the ability to cook dinner in less than an hour. Sometimes I desperately miss family and friends back in the United States and grieve that I am not there to share in their big life moments. To be perfectly honest, there are days when if I didn’t know that culture shock is completely normal…if I didn’t know that there are people both locally and internationally that love us, care about us, and are rooting for us…if I didn’t know that this is where God wants us right now… then I would toss in the towel and book a flight back to the US. BUT, I do know all these things, and as we look back on our day each evening, even on the toughest days, we can see how God has blessed us. We are grateful for the people He has placed in our lives, for the beauty around us in both the simple and grand, for progress in our journey, for the opportunities God gives us to minister to others. We have found that giving thanks to God— on the days when we feel like it and on the days when we don’t—is one of our best weapons against the advances of culture shock. I recommend the book A Thousand Gifts, but more than that I recommend the act of writing down thanksgivings. It can reframe a whole day—perhaps even a whole life.

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[1] http://www.oired.vt.edu/cesa/currentstudents/cs_culturalshock.htm

[2] Kalvero Oberg, “Culture Shock: Adjustment to New Cultural Environments,” Practical Anthropology 7, no. 4  (1967): 177.

An American Educator in Tanzania

It’s about time that I (Eric) spend some time writing my own reflections of what has happened here in Tanzania. I’ve realized that I have not let myself think much about what has been happening, because I have been just focusing on moving forward. Life has been very busy here. It seems that every moment that we can, we catch our breath, only to dive back in. It has certainly been that way with my teaching so far. However, reflecting is something that all people should do on a regular basis, and I need to do it also.

The Students

Teaching here in Tanzania has many similarities to teaching in the United States. The students are the same age. They struggle with mathematics. There are strong students and weak students. Some students like to talk with me a lot, while others don’t say a word. Some students fall asleep in class. In other words, teenagers are teenagers no matter where you are on the globe.

One difference is that here the students don’t speak unless I prompt them for an answer. This has caused me to change my teaching style a little. I am used to having students state short answers or complete my sentences for me in class, and I balanced this with raising hands. However in Tanzania that generally does not happen. Typically, it is very clear who should be talking in class, because when they want to ask a question or state any answer any question that requires more than a single value, they are expected raise their hand, wait for the teacher to acknowledge them (similar to the US), and then stand up to ask or answer (which was the new for me). However, the students are started to adapt to my style and speak more in class, and I am adapting to theirs. Thus far, there has been almost no unruly behavior in class. :-)

I’ve noticed that the students in Tanzania also love being able to use technology. They will gladly forego their other school work to sit on the computer and learn how it works, play a game, click some buttons, etc. Some of my students are learning how computers function very quickly. Unfortunately, their curiosity has also led some of them to accidentally change key system files. This meant I had to spend a few hours re-installing the computer operating system and programs on a couple of the computers. However, I am thankful for their curiosity, because curiosity causes students to enjoy learning.

The Staff

I have found that the Tanzanian teachers are especially committed to educating their students.  Most are willing to come to school in the evenings or Saturdays to teach and tutor the students. At some schools Tanzanian teachers just use teaching as a stepping stone to get a government position. However, the teachers at our school see teaching as more than just a job. They know that educating children is extremely important to the improvement of this country, and they want their students to know this as well. Several of the teachers have also been extremely supportive of us personally, even spending their weekends helping us shop in Shinyanga. I am grateful that my work colleagues are also my friends.

I also have a lot of respect for Reverend Nzelu, my principal and next door neighbor. When a student is sick, he will take them to the hospital, night or day. He’s always on call and genuinely cares about his students. He recently withdrew his name from an election to be assistant bishop, because he felt that God has called him to this school. When a former student was struggling to find work to care for his ailing mother, Rev. Nzelu hired him to do work at their house. He is always willing to sit and talk with the teachers about what is going on and the problems they are facing. I have made the most of his wisdom on several occasions.

The Curriculum

Tanzania has its own national curriculum that I must follow when I teach. However, the Tanzanian curriculum is easy to understand and apply (from my perspective even easier than the U.S. curriculum). It follows a logical pattern stating exactly what the students should know, how the teachers can teach the material, and how much time for each topic to complete the curriculum in one year. I have truly liked the way the curriculum is organized and used.

Students take many different subjects every year – 11 different classes. This includes taking Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics each year while they are in Forms 1 and 2 (Freshmen and Sophomore years). These classes give the students a basic knowledge of all core subjects in the sciences, which I believe is extremely important. During their Form 3 and 4 years (Junior and Senior years) they are able to choose between the science classes and other classes such as Commercial Sciences. However, their choice depends on their grade from their national exams at the end of their Form 2 year. If they do not get high enough scores in mathematics and physics, they are not allowed to take physics as Form 3 students. I have only 24 students in Form 3 physics, compared to 80+ in Form 3 mathematics.

The Computers

The school computers are both a joy and a challenge. This school is one of the few in the country that has a computer lab. What a blessing it is for the students and faculty! However, the computers I am using are OLD. I have six computers from 1997 with 32 MB of RAM, 166 MHz Intel processors (the original Intel, and yes, that is megahertz, not gigahertz), 3 GB hard drives, and can only run Windows 98 operating system. I have five computers (I had dropped down to four since one computer’s power supply seemed to have failed two weeks ago, but now I’m back at 5 since that computer decided to start working again) that are from 2005 with 120 MB of RAM, Intel Celeron processors, 20 GB hard drives, and do manage to run Windows XP.

It took hours and hours of work to get them to function and to find programs that would work on those computers (and I am still trying!). We considered finding donors for new computers, but we wanted to see the level of interest in a computer class and make sure that it is sustainable beyond our time here. We would hate to buy new computers only to have them sit in a corner for 5+ years until someone with computer knowledge pulled them out again. This was the situation before we came.

In the meantime, the students and I have managed. Yet, even the kids who never had seen a computer before know that these computers are SLOW. I’ve decided that I don’t even want internet access at the school, until I can find an anti-virus program that will not slow the computers down even more. The students are learning how to type and use programs similar to Microsoft Office (we are using OpenOffice.org software, which is a free alternative to Microsoft Office, though not without its own problems). Linda reminds me constantly that even with the frustrations, my students are getting more computer time than almost all of the other students in Tanzania.

Grading

The grading scale is much different than what I am used to. Whereas students must get a 60% to pass in the U.S., here 21% is a passing grade. The Tanzanian grading scale (which I do not like, but I’m sure many of my former students would!) is 0-20% F, 21-40% D, 41-60% C, 61-80% B, and 81-100% A. As a result, students are not expected to know as much. Therefore, it’s difficult to encourage all of the students to learn more than 21% of the information.

Teaching Style

Mathematics is feared here among the students, and their national exams demonstrate this. The class that I am teaching had a class average of 16% on their national examination in mathematics last year. That’s right— 16%. So my challenge is that I am supposed to teach the national curriculum, but I also have to teach the foundational concepts that many students have not previously learned. It is quite a daunting task, but I keep reminding myself that any improvement is good. I cannot teach them everything, even if I want them to know it all. I can only pray that I reach more students than have been reached before.

Most teachers here use lecture and notes as the primary, if not only, teaching style. Most of them learned through lectures and notes during their education as well. Therefore, other methodologies, such as the use of group work, projects, hands-on laboratory activities, and research are unfamiliar concepts. Generally, the students are given the material and told to copy and memorize it. These notes are often extremely organized! But many are not learning the material, nor can they use it to problem-solve in math and science. I am beginning to use laboratory exercises in Physics, and have been giving group-work in mathematics. However, being able to understand a concept and apply it can only happen if you have a good foundation.

Language Barriers

Language barriers cause a problem here.  Secondary school teachers are required to teach in mostly English, which isn’t a problem for me, since my Kiswahili is quite limited. As expected, some students are better at English than others.  However, many students are not fluent enough in English, and I know at times some information is lost. If they are struggling with English, it makes it even harder for them to learn math and physics. Recently, I asked my students to write what they wanted me to do differently in my teaching. Several said, “Teach in Kiswahili.” Even if I could do this, I’m really not supposed to.  I do look up words in my Kiswahili dictionary occasionally and incorporate them into the lesson. The students get a big kick out of it when I try to speak in Kiswahili.

When the language barrier is combined with their fear of mathematics, it is easy for students to become overwhelmed and give up. I can understand this, because there are times when I really try to understand what people are saying in Kiswahili, and then there are times when my brain is tired, and I zone out. Because of the language struggles, many students do not do their homework or take notes consistently. Sometimes students cannot follow what I thought would be simple directions. Again, I can empathize, because sometimes I cannot follow what Tanzanians think are simple Kiswahili instructions. To make sure that the students are trying to keep up, I am now beginning a weekly check of their notes and homework every Friday morning.  

Class Size

So, one of the big questions I get often is, “How many students do you have in your class?” Well, the answer is… 80. Yes, my math class has 80 students. My computer classes also had about 80, but I had to split them into two classes. Thus, they only get half the time on the computers, but at least they can see a computer. Of course the numbers vary if students are sick, working with another teacher, skipping class, etc. The classes are so large that I have had an extremely difficult time learning their names, and still don’t know them as well as I would like to. I do not have the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with them, which is how I learned names in the US. Amazingly, even though the rooms are crowded, the students generally are very focused on what I am doing.

With such crowded rooms, cheating is especially problematic. I have made multiple versions of exams to avoid this, but it still happens. It is pretty easy to spot though. A couple of students have managed to have the right answers…for the wrong version. Of course, that means they generally don’t get many (if any) questions right, and we have a talk about it later. On their midterm tests, I made 5 different versions of the test to completely eliminate cheating. The ones I suspected of cheating previously did worse, but many of the students did better. Even though the class average remained the same, I consider this progress.

Discipline

My biggest struggle at school is with the widespread use of corporal punishment. It has been discussed many times in staff meetings and in my own conversations with teachers. We have talked about the need to counsel the students and to find other means of discipline. However, as one teacher told me, it is just easier to use a stick to punish the students than to discipline them in other ways. Again, for most teachers, this is how they were taught, and they have had little to no experience with alternative forms of discipline.

One teacher even suggested that I would not be able to teach my students without using a stick in class. My response: “I take that as a challenge. If my students have learned by the end of the term, I win.”  I hope that the teachers will be able to see through my example that it is possible to teach students without using corporal punishment. One of the fall-outs of using corporal punishments, especially when it is for a genuine mistake, is that students are afraid to try. It also can damage the relationship between a student and teacher if it is overly used. If students are hit every time they make a mistake, you can imagine how many times they will be hit in a math class. Instead, I have modeled more positive discipline, such as encouragement through rewards, and have used other forms of punishment, such as standing up if they are sleeping in class, writing sentences when homework and notes are incomplete, and not being allowed to use the computers (which is a big one, since the students really love to use them).This is one of my biggest prayer requests – that God will use me as a light for change at the school.

Whew! This grew very long very fast. I suppose I have had a lot of things on my mind. I don’t know yet how the school year will continue and how it will change. Yet, I do know that God has put me here for a reason – to be humbled, to learn to be grateful and thankful in all circumstances, and to be His servant for His plan, not mine.