Friday, May 11, 2012
Dear Fellow Workers in Christ,
Excitement flowed through the air as the bus arrived on
Monday. Nearly forty children peered out the windows, smiling and waving to the
teachers below. With so many children
and a packed classroom, we are doubly grateful for our new teachers.
Kate must surely be a mercy by spiritual gift. Whenever
there is a crying child, she can be found comforting them. She is usually the
first to see something happen between children, and goes to mediate the issue. In
one English class this week, Jo talked about her home and family and explained
how long we have to wait before going
home. Then she encouraged them to stick with it- Friday comes fast. As she
dismissed, one of the girls burst into tears. Kate drew her close, gave her a
hug, and encouraged her until the tears disappeared. She is truly a blessing to
the children, and dear to the rest of the team.
Nick is an amazing great help with the boys. One night
after work, those of us teachers that live here were all relaxing in the
office. All of the sudden, the boy’s dorm erupted in noise. It sounded almost
like a riot. Nick quietly got up and went to help the teacher in the dorm.
There were a couple of very active boys in class. Without disrupting the class,
Nick would quietly talk with them, or take them to the back to deal with them.
Most of the children do not have great fathers, and it is good to have such a
positive (and Christian!) role model for them. (Oh, and a bonus, he lived in
the States and speaks fluent English.)
Jen is great with the kids too, playing with them, taking
pictures, and on more than one occasion, encouraging their character. She is a
cheerful presence who loves to tease, and is a always complimenting someone for
something. However, I particularly appreciate Jen for another reason. We are
TESOL certified to teach English, and Jen has a similar certificate to teach
Mandarin. I will say something to her, and she will nod, and then say “Now tell
me in Chinese.” It is such a help to force
me to use the Chinese I know with someone who can understand what I’m trying to say in English. Praise the Lord
for Jen’s servant - teacher attitude.
On Monday, we all prayed hard for this group of kids. What a group! They were inattentive, loud, and boisterous. Perhaps that’s what made their change seem so dramatic. Even as soon as Tuesday, they were more attentive, and obedient in class. Outside of class, they adored the teachers, and would race out into break time yelling our names. Yes, they still will loud and sometimes hard to control, but they were quick to listen and change to show character.
Several of the children wanted to play violin this week. They said “Laoshi jiao women!” Most of these kids are too poor to own a violin much less pay for lessons. They may never have a chance to touch a violin ever again. So, three girls learned to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and a few others learned how to hold it and play it. What was neat was how, after I taught one, she taught another, and they taught other children. That is the way teaching should work! Teach them so that they are able to teach others. It's times like this that make me wish I had 3/4 violins to give to them in reward of their hard work.
Happy in the Service of the King,
Barbara J. Sutton
(I suppose you are wondering "Have you really been their for 210 weeks?" The answer is, it's my filing system. The two is for second semester, and the 10 is for the camp week number. It's week 10 of the 2nd semester.)
Comments