57 Push Pins - 10/20/06

Every morning, my class and I pray together. Some days they’re into it, other days I have to really encourage them. We take turns, one day I’ll pray, the next day a student prays, then me again and so on. I thought that by praying every other day I could help model for them how to lift their petitions up to God. We have a prayer request board in the corner of the room where the students can post a request for our daily prayer. Every time a student reports an answered prayer, they push one pin into the board to give God the credit.

We have had all sorts of prayers answered, from safe travel for family members to sicknesses healed and cheap plane tickets for relatives. By the last day of the first quarter, we had 57 push pins on the board. That’s at least a prayer answered a day. By the end of the first week of the second quarter, we are up to 64 push pins. God is so good! I love how this board acts as a testament to God’s power as well as how He works in our lives. It’s a good faith builder for my students, too.

It’s not the only thing we’re building, though. Bible is just one of the subjects I teach. Unfortunately, many students were not doing so well by the onset of midterm exams. So, I decided to host a study session in the open room by our apartments for any students who wished to get extra help in Science and Belizean History (their two most difficult subjects). I had 15 students show up, including two kids who weren’t even in my class. It was a big success! We played some review games, and the kids who brought their own ingredients got an espresso to help keep them awake to study. Note to self: Junior High students need no additional energy at any time during the day. Overall though, it was an incredibly helpful evening for the students.

So, the first quarter of my teaching job in a private school has come to an end. Here are some things I love about teaching here and some things that continue to challenge me; the yin and yang of Linda Vista School:

Yin

• I get to talk about God with my students
• The community is incredibly welcoming and supportive of teachers
• I live in a tropical country, two hours from paradise
• The other teachers are friendly and supportive of each other

Yang

• I teach 9 subjects every day in only 7 periods, to grades 7-12 (since I also do High School Spanish)
• Food is our biggest expense because we are in a 3^rd world country and everything is imported
• I have incredibly limited access to internet, and my classroom has no access to newspapers, a library, a principal, or classroom technology (overhead projector, VCR/DVD player, computer, etc.)

As you can see, the yins outweigh the yangs. I would not trade this experience for anything, I have learned so much and Melissa and I have grown even closer through it all. Thank you God for bringing us to Belize!

And now, for your reading pleasure, an un-ordered list:

Reasons why I’m crazy … CRAZY!

• I once ate an habañero
• I hate cheese but love pizza
• I moved to Central America during summer, 60 miles from the cool ocean breeze.
• I teach junior high on purpose