Balance

I have a hard time maintaining balance in my life.  Work can easily take over, and time for me is moved to the back burner.  One of my goals this year has been to be more intentional about maintaining a better balance.  I decided to map out some of my goals this year and put them on my wall – a balancing act between work and life.  That way, as I approach my tasks each day – I can reflect on how well they fit into the goals I have set for myself and where my priorities should be.  It also reminds me of the things I haven’t yet tackled.  Let me share some things I would like to put on the “front burner” this coming year:

I am looking forward to tackling some books – I have a list of ones I hope to get through this year… “professional development” books include Drama of Scripture by Goheen and Bartholomew, Advancing Differentiation by Richard Cash, and Beyond Control by Al Bandstra.  I have also been going through some of the CBC Canada Reads selections for this year.  I love being able to connect with Canadian thought and culture.  Story and its importance are something I talk about in my work, but also something I love to delve into for pleasure as well. 

Self – care is also part of my plan!  I have added exercise to my life – working towards jogging 5km!  I have succeeded in making it to 3.  I have found that exercise give me more energy, even though it takes a lot of work to get out there in the morning.  I enjoy setting goals and gradually working towards them.  I miss playing volleyball though, and hope I will be able to find a group to play with here in Abuja.

Jabi Lake - a beautiful park to jog in the morning

I enjoy learning.  I wonder if I should learn a new skill this year too…Indian dance?  Cooking class?  Photography?  Let’s see what the year holds. 

Some things have suffered.  I usually spend a lot of time “getting organized” and writing “to-do” lists.  Which I am still doing – but have tried to lower that as a priority.  As a result my side desk is a disaster!  It makes it hard to work some days.  So as I type this I have turned my back to the piles in order to concentrate J

Will you join me in praying for balance in my life?

#GTTP2015

In February I was able to participate in a program that is becoming one of my favourite parts of my job: walking with teachers in the Graduate Teacher Training Program (#GTTP2015)! 

GTTP Class of 2015

Finding a job is hard work in Nigeria.  So much depends on who you know rather than what you know.

Finding good employees is equally hard work.  Applicants often do not have the skills employers are looking for.

Meadow Hall is a school in Lekki, an area within  Lagos, that is seeking to bridge this gap.  In 2013, they started a program for teachers who are young graduates.  These applicants either have teaching degrees or are passionate about education and planning to get their post-graduate diplomas in education. They participate in a 3 month program that seeks to upgrade their skills to make them more “marketable” to other schools and seeks to bridge the gap between what is being offered in teacher education programs and what schools are looking for.  This training program covers topics like school culture, writing lesson notes, communication skills, classroom management and 21^st century learning practices.  Speakers are recruited from nearby universities, education consultants, and staff within the school.

Since this project began, I have had the privilege to lead trainings each year. Two years ago I met Daniel, a graduate trainee and colleague (put blog link) through this program.  Last year I was in Canada, I wasn’t able to participate at the program in person – but I was able to present a lecture over skype.  This year, I was encouraged and challenged in my vocation as an education consultant for West Africa.  Let me share with you how.

Over three days, we covered a variety of topics germane to education challenges in Nigeria; classroom management and discipline, 21^st century learning, and classroom instruction and delivery. Our days were packed with icebreakers and starters, with active learning strategies and action plans.  The group was engaged.  They were open to new ideas and reflecting on how they can put these practices to use in a traditional Nigerian classroom setting.  They had many questions.  From small group discussion to dramas and tweets, I loved every minute of it.  These teachers were learning and growing.

One thing that is refreshing about these young graduates is their openness to trying new things, something that is more difficult for experienced teachers to branch into.  And it has been fantastic to see the results.

Chika – graduate of the program two years ago – called me last week to say, “Miss Sheila, I have been using the active learning strategies you taught us in my classroom.  The administration wants to know where I learned them so all the teachers can benefit.  Will you come to our school?”

Daniel – graduate of the program two years ago – was hired on by Meadow Hall.  He had expressed concern then about teaching younger students.  “Miss Sheila, how will I engage them?”  He came beaming last month to report how much he loves his job – and that the young students are now his favourite!  He is also preparing to lead a training program outside of Meadow Hall for the first time!

I am dreaming about how this program can be adopted by other schools to bridge the gaps in Christian Education in West Africa. I have been talking about it with every school I can think of that might have the capacity to do so.  What a great way to transform teachers…and a nation!  This vision is both challenging and encouraging for me. Please join me in praying for Meadow Hall and other schools that would take on such a program.

Please join me in praying for young graduate teachers – for meaningful jobs and the zeal and ability to bring about change in lives of students across this nation.

Snowflakes are Special

 I met Ann Williams in 2009.  She was teaching at Westwood Park School located in Jos, Nigeria.  She was part of a training that CRWM was putting on for teachers with Ko Spyksma.  One training was entitled “For the Love of the Child”.  The goal of the training was to deepen teachers’ understanding of the potential for Christian education in the West African context .  One point that struck many teachers was the idea that each child that is taught is created in the image of God.  This challenged the typical teacher-student relationship.  Ann was one of these teachers for whom this training left a lasting impression.

I have had the privilege of getting together many times with Ann since that time.  She has attended more trainings and talks about the impact of Christian education strategies on schools in Nigeria.  The discussion of timely topics like corporal discipline and classroom management have brought about changes in how the today’s teachers relate to students.  Each child is valued for their uniqueness and creativity.  Each child is an image-bearer of the Creator. 

Last week I had the opportunity to visit Ann again in Jos.  I hadn’t seen her for a while, so it was great to catch up.  As I stepped into her office the first thing that caught my eye was her bulletin board.  There was a snowflake.  The message next to it read:  “Like snowflakes, every child is special.”  This was a focus during one of the trainings Ann had received some time back!

We got to sit down and chat. Ann has been doing trainings of her own too.  She takes what she has learned and “steps it down” to take the information to the other staff at her school. But other schools have also called her.  She has been asked to help with school improvement and quality assurance.  She takes what she has learned, resources recommended to her, and passes on what she is learning to others. 

I am reflecting on that message on her wall – each child is indeed special.  And every teacher is special too!  I am thankful for the variety of teachers I have the privilege of working with.  And I thank God for their uniqueness and how God is using them to share His love with other teachers and children.  Thank you, God, for the work you have given me, to spread Christian education initiatives on fertile ground.

Even if it takes 20 years...let's start!

“Many teachers keep asking us, is there a Christian curriculum? ”

As a teacher of teachers who serve Christ in Nigeria, I explore with my students what is means to teach Christianly.  At seminars and workshops that I lead, this is a common question that comes up. Is there a Christian curriculum? My answer to that is YES and NO. When we look at what is means to teach Christianly, we are talking about having a Biblical worldview.  We are talking about what it means to put on the eyeglasses of scripture – a prescription which allows us to see the world more clearly and make sense of it. 

As we look at the story of God and his people through these lenses, we see the unfolding of its chapters: creation, fall, redemption, restoration.  Our passion for teaching is reflected in this story. 

What does this have to do with curriculum?  Our eyeglasses challenge us to see this world from God’s perspective.  Learning about this world means learning math, science, English, and history.  It also means learning much more.  These subjects give us the tools to explore God’s created intent for cultivation and creativity, for relationships and ratios.  These subjects give us the tools to explore brokenness - how our world has been broken and what our roles and responsibilities are as children of God in restoring the brokenness we encounter.  We are empowered to ask questions like: “What is true?” 

 Here in Nigeria we have a “curriculum” put out by the ministry of education that we are expected to teach.  And so we ask…how can we view that curriculum in light of God’s story?  Or better yet, how does God’s story shape this curriculum?

We have a long way to go in thinking about these questions.  Our dream is to work with teachers to develop a “curriculum” that will assist teachers in this task.

Last week, I met with ACSI Nigeria to start developing an action plan for how we can make this happen.  Mrs. Akinyemiju, the director, shared: “We have a long ways to go in understanding and developing such material.  But even if it takes us 20 years, let’s start!”

There has been a teacher resource developed by ACSI Africa to assist teachers and schools with this process.  It’s called “African Occupation: A Manual for the promotion of Biblical Integration”.  We have decided to start there.  Last week we had teachers come together to reflect on Biblical integration in the area of English and Literature.  We expected about 35…and we ended the day with about 70! 

Teachers exchanged ideas and engaged in dialogue about biblical worldview;  teachers shared God’s story; learners talked about truth, about  God’s purpose for reading and writing, for listening and speaking. 

I was encouraged by this ‘start’.  Please join me in praying for teachers to continue to be challenged to think about how God’s story can be taught in their classrooms.  Pray for leaders in ACSI as they develop an action plan for tackling curriculum. Pray for me as I have the opportunity to train and walk with these leaders. And thank God for this beginning.

Called Home.

Today I want to remember with you a missionary who impacted my life.  His name was Joshua Adah. 

I first met Joshua here at my office in the Daniel Centre in Abuja about 6 years ago.  He was training to be a missionary at the Missionary Training Partners International program that has its office and classes here in the Centre. In the years that followed, I learned that Joshua was working as a missionary in a remote village in Taraba state.  He was working with an organization called WayMaker Mission.   WayMaker has a vision for holistic ministry for unreached communities.  Joshua reached out to the Kona people, in a remote location outside of Taraba state’s capital of Jalingo.

Joshua always had a smile on his face.  He was encouraging.  He would come into my office and share with me his ongoing missional work.  I was particularly interested in the school his ministry had started.  This was the topic of many of our conversations. Joshua and his team had secured funds to start a school and offer free education.   A seed took, grew in leaps and bounds, and now the school has 400 students!

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to lead a training for MTPI on Christian Education.  Joshua was there, and I had the opportunity to catch up with him and talk about our shared passion for Christ-centered education.  Joshua helped to remind me that a village school of 400 children who wonder where their next meal is coming from is quite a different learning environment than a school in the city.  He sought ways to apply the biblical worldview I teach to the work he was doing for his school.  I also had the privilege of meeting his wife Ngozi, and they were able to come to Abuja to attend a leadership conference for teachers organized by ACSI Nigeria. 

I loved his passion for reaching for the unreached.  He was willing to sacrifice the world’s idea of a successful life to seek God's kingdom.  His actions followed his passion.  He moved forward in faith trusting that God would provide.  His life birthed amazing testimonies.  His passion brought people alongside his vision, brothers and sisters who support his vision and sustain it.

On January 23, God called Joshua home.  He was on his way from Jalingo to the village where he was living when his car broke down.  We don’t have details, but I understand that his body was found off of the roadside.  He had been attacked and killed.  A senseless act. 

I am deeply saddened.  I have many questions.  I must rest in the knowledge that God’s ways are higher than mine.  Please join me in praying for the Adah family – Ngozi and their two young daughters.  Pray for comfort in this difficult time.

Pray for the WayMaker Mission established among the Kona people.  The face of missions in Nigeria is changing.  Nigerian Christians are catching a vision and heart for missions.  Most of the front-line missionaries today are Nigerians themselves.  It is far more effective to have Nigerians with a heart for their fellow brothers and sisters serving in remote areas.  But it is not a call readily taken up by many.  Especially those who have graduated from university and have the potential for a successful career that promises wealth and comfort.  Pray that God’s vision that began in the Adah family’s heart would continue.  Pray for people who will rise up to continue the work.  Pray that more people would come to know God’s love for them – in word and in deed.

Pray that each of us will make the most of the time God has given us here on earth.  May we be seekers of His kingdom first.

Ebola Happenings

Sarah is a graduate of Calvin College who spent a year teaching in the CRC School in Kabala, Sierra Leone.  She loved teaching class 3 – and fell in love with Sierra Leone.

Schools have been closed this entire school session, and the Ebola crisis has kept her from returning this past school year.  So she spent this last fall in limbo.  In January, she joined us in Nigeria.

And so I have a fellow educator here for a few months! 

School visit and chat with principal

Sarah’s goals include:

* learning as much as she can from the Nigerian school setting through classroom visits.

* learning more about teacher training.

* learn more about what is happening in literacy in schools here.

  We have been able to dialogue and reflect on her observations.  She has noted that many challenges teachers face here are ones she also faces in Sierra Leone.  She has been encouraged by teachers she has met.  I have been encouraged by her presence and have recruited her to share her experiences in SL during my trainings. We are working at planning some literacy workshops and professional development material that she can take back to the teachers she works with as well.  She is Jos now – and will join me again in Abuja in a month or so.

Thank God with me for the opportunity Sarah has to come and learn from Nigeria’s education system.

Pray for a meaningful time for her and that good connections are made while here.

Pray for those who have been affected by Ebola across West Africa.  Pray also for the eradication of the disease.

She is writing on her blog as well:  http://sarahkluitenberg.blogspot.com/

Discussion group during a training

Joining Hands in Prayer

During my home service, one question that came up often was, “How can we help you in your work and the teachers you are working with?”

One of the responses to this question was reiterating the importance and value of prayer. And many of you wrote prayers for me to bring back to teachers and students I work with.

Well…here are some of your prayers!  I have posted them in my office so that teachers will be encouraged as they come and can take home one of the prayers you wrote as a reminder that people all over the world are praying for them in their calling as teachers.

Thanks for praying!