本網頁最近更新︰2008-05-06

          A Piece of Pi

March 31, 2007

"Poor Miss Pi, she's surrounded by lunatics" – Josh Quiroz 

Although I wouldn’t put it quite this way, it sure has been an interesting journey so far on this wild ride as teacher to the Team Spain MKs. It has been such a blessing to have this bright group of students to work with. They have learned to ban together and become one another’s siblings, friends, and moral support during the past one and a half years. They know each other so well and offer an incredible amount of support to each other. For example, when asked to describe 13-year-old Mark, Priscila is quick to explain: “Mark is the type of person who is easily amused by the weirdest and most random things. He has a very peculiar sense of humor, has a REALLY contagious laugh and is known for his main role in generating laugh attacks...he's good comic relief.” That is so true—there is never a dull moment in the classroom with these kids. Each day is an adventure. Coming in the middle of the school year has been somewhat of a challenge because it is hard to break some of the bad study habits that the students have formed. I often find myself stressing like a parent over their performance and worrying that they’re not meeting their full potential. My position is unique in that I spend so much more time with them than a conventional teacher does. I know their families, have dinner with them multiple times a month, go on outings and serve as a teacher, counselor, mentor and hopefully friend. This is quite a large role to maintain especially since I’m still trying to establish myself in a brand new country and culture. Added on to this is the new experience of being a part of a small missions team and understanding my role within it as a support to fellow Christians. Yet regardless of their foibles, the MKs are a fun-loving, kind, tenderhearted group of children, and one can never be down for long when around them.

School generally starts at 8:30 and we work until 2:30 with a half hour break in between for recess. Then the older ones come back for an additional two hours of tutoring two or three times a week. It has definitely been quite a challenge keeping up with all their classes. Five students in five different grades, each with six or seven subjects to learn means a whole lot of work for their teacher! I’ve been asked if I need to prep for classes. Well, I try to prepare the most I can, but it is almost impossible to review every single child’s work for every single class for the whole week simply because there is so much coursework to cover. In one morning, I will be asked to solve Geometric proofs, diagram a sentence, find a prepositional phrase, teach the difference between a homonym and a homograph, explain what an electromagnetic wave looks like, and teach how to multiply fractions—all before recess!

Our classroom is located in an apartment complex, which also doubles as the Team Spain Office, guesthouse, and church. It has become quite a “multi-purpose room” as the kids are fond of calling it. Indeed, this apartment complex has served us well as Team Spain has been using it for different spatial needs.

We recently started having art classes after school once a week as well, and our first project is painting posters to decorate the walls. Our school is trying to make the place look more like a classroom and imbue it with some our ‘own personality.’ The art class has added yet another dimension to our busy curriculum and I definitely have my hands full trying to balance it all. However, it is part of my continued lesson in faithfulness and grace as I learn to relinquish control of my own expectations and learn to rely fully on God.

Spending so much time with the kids is great, but I also miss having peers around. I am the only person of my age on our team and it has been hard to meet new friends who are at the same point in life as me. Many of my struggles and joys go unshared simply because there is no chum to have a conversation with. However, I am learning to enjoy my alone time and know that God will provide exactly what I need.

Thank you for your faithful thoughts and prayers. Without them, we would never have gotten to where we are now. Please continue to pray for the students: that they will understand the value of hard work and finish the year strong. There is a lot of coursework left to cover before many of the MKs leave for the summer. Pray that I will have the wisdom in knowing how to help each of them effectively. Also, please pray for the church-planting work that the team is doing here in Spain. The Spaniards are a fairly closed group of people, not willing to open up freely to others, which makes it difficult to form friendships with them, and I think the missionaries are frustrated with the lack of cooperation from the locals. Pray that they will have wisdom in knowing how to reach the people here. Thank you for your support – I am learning much out here in Europe about leadership and maturity. Every day is a challenge, but this has also definitely been a time for reflection and thanksgiving too.


Blessings,

Rebecca