Teacher or a student?



Abraham, Tanishka, Jesse, and Folashade



             I was talking to the art teacher the other day and she was telling me that she has been teaching for the last 20 years!  As I thought about it all I could think of was that I have been teaching for a whole month now, and I count that as one of the major accomplishments of my life.  I can’t even imagine what it must be like to look back on a 20 year career knowing that you have faithfully served for all of that time.  It’s crazy and completely inspiring at the same time. So, those of you that have done that, I’m amazed!  Thank you for your example!

We have had some great days and some rough days in my class over the past month, but I am really loving getting to know my kids and I already think they have taught me more than I will ever teach them.  Abraham and Ademiola are brilliant and if you don’t keep them busy they can get a little mischievous.  Joel, Jesse and Samuel couldn’t stay in their seats for a whole lesson if you paid them a million Naira, and my three little Indian girls, Tanishka, Nayanah and Anupama are just about the sweetest little girls you have ever met.  Missy and Folashade want to be superstars when they grow up and everything they own, besides the light blue uniform t-shirts that all of my students wear, is pink!  Also, I think soccer is the air that the boys in my class breathe and I’m pretty sure P.E. is what gets them through the day. Altogether I have 19 students in my class representing eight different countries.  It’s quite an interesting mix.

We had an exciting addition to our class this week because we are studying fish in science and I was given a gold fish to have in our classroom as a pet!  My kids were absolutely thrilled and by popular vote her name is now, Miley.  I can’t imagine where they would have gotten that name from! J  (The boys were out voted, but they are getting over it.)  She has brought up some great questions too, like: Do fish breathe water?  And does a fish turn into a shark when it gets older? I guess we’ll have to find out next week!  The best part of our fist day with the fish was when the class was pretty wound up and as I was trying to quiet them down to dismiss them, when one little girl said, “Shhh… you’re scaring our fish!”  The room went silent. It was quieter than I had ever heard before, and then somewhere in the back one little first grader said, “I’m sorry Mr. Fish, we didn’t mean to make you feel afraid.”  Soon the whole class chimed in with sweet little apologies.  It was absolutely adorable. 

            We have lost teeth (thankfully only from natural causes), had pants that can’t stay on and a million little shoes to tie.  One of my favorite things is how ever is how eager all of my students are to jump in and sing or dance.  There is absolutely no concept of self-consciousness and I only wish that freedom could go with them forever. For now though, our favorite songs are Hillsong’s “Superhero” and the “Waka Waka” song from the world cup last year.  They love playing “Little Sally Walker”, heads up 7-up and addition around the world.  Amelia Bedelia is their favorite book and I’m thinking Frog and Toad might be our next read aloud!

            My students are so patient with me, and even though Moody taught me a lot about teaching, I can guarantee that have learned more in the last month that I ever thought possible both about teaching and life in general.  The best thing happened when little Tamilore got too many letters for shouting out in class and had to stay in for recess to write lines.  Now, you have to know that not being able to play soccer at that moment was pretty much the end of the world.  So, he is sitting at his desk, miserably copying, “I will listen to my teacher” as many times as he can before the break was over.  Then out of the blue, he looked up at me with the saddest eyes and said, “Ms. Katie, I am so sorry.”  And that was it.  I melted.  It was completely sincere and in the innocence of that moment I realized what genuine repentance looks like.  It was God’s way of showing me what he wants from me and I don’t think He could have explained it more any more clearly than that. 

            Another day, we were memorizing 1 Corinthians 13 because we were going over what love looks like in our devotions and I was helping the class come up with actions to help us remember the words. I asked them what they wanted to do for patience and they held out their hands like a stop signs.  That seemed like it would work and then I realized that is something I say to them all the time.  “Just relax and be patient” and I put my hand out like that. Maybe they really are listening!  It was encouraging to know that they were picking up on little things and also a great reminder of the responsibility of being around kids.  There’s nothing like lots of little eyes to keep you on track. 

             Friday was one of our particularly hard days and I was lecturing them about their behavior, not a good teacher move, but it was what I was doing.  By the end of the day I felt like the worst teacher on the planet and I just wanted to go hide.  Then one of my little girls came up gave me a little flower that she had picked from the bushes and said, “I love you, Ms. Katie”  I didn’t even know what to say.  She couldn’t have known that I completely didn’t deserve that or that all day I really wasn’t that great of a teacher.  It’s love that I didn’t deserve   So, in everything from the courage to dance and sing, to repentance and unconditional love, I’m convinced that my students are teaching me more than I could ever teach them.  God has used them in my life already and if this is what teaching is like, then bring on the next 20 years because I have a lot to learn.        





Just a little bit of Nigeria...





The road outside of our compound.

Nigeria as a whole has been growing on me.  I haven’t felt so completely out of place and as we begin to get to know a few people I’m relaxing and settling into life here. As a whole, Nigerians aren’t crazy about having their pictures taken, but here are a few pictures that I took from the car driving on the way to the market one day.  I promise to put up more pictures very soon! 

Hello Nigeria!

It is officially day 12 in my African adventure and Nigeria has been so much more than I expected in so many ways.  Take all of the pictures that you have seen of African cities, stretch them to become three dimensional, add West Virginia humidity, huge bugs and lizards, interesting accents, brightly colored clothing, interesting smells, crazy traffic, strange food and finally add in a dash of unpredictability and you have Ibadan, Nigeria.  Sometimes people show up, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes we have hot water, and sometimes it is just wet.  Sometimes we have power, and sometimes it goes out.  Sometimes the market has what you need, and sometimes it just isn’t there.  It’s amazing how much of an adjustment it can be when absolutely nothing is familiar and what a comfort little things can become in those moments.  The first couple days that I was here were very hard.  Nigeria is way more “Africa” than I thought, and culture shock was way more intense than I wanted to admit.  I was up for a two week mission trip, but the thought of living here, was a little more than I could handle.  Things like my ipod, with familiar, American music on it and notes from all of you back home were a huge encouragement to me last week.  Thank you for being there, it really meant the world to me and I needed it way more than I expected! 

            Teaching has been way better than I ever could have imagined.  I have a busy class that keeps me on my toes. I can’t wait to see what happens by June because after one week, I can’t imagine loving them any more than I do right now!  I finally have all of my curriculum and I am beginning to find my way around the school and its systems.  The other teachers and especially the principal have been wonderful and so helpful. I know there are some “kindred spirits” among them! =) The days have gradually gotten better and better.  I am settling in, feeling more comfortable and beginning to fit into life here. I can honestly say that I am glad to be in Nigeria, something I could not have said a week ago.  I love knowing that the Lord is changing me, even if it leaves my heart a little sore, and it’s great to be a part of what he is doing.  I am so thankful to live on a safe compound, where all of my needs are met, and where the people honestly seek to honor God with their work and their lives.  Also, just so that you know, I never want to tell stories about the need or difficulty of life here to make you feel guilty about the way that we live in America, or to make your problems feel small.  The struggles in your life are just as real as Africa is for me.  I only hope that the Lord shows up in the middle of your challenge as real and close as He has here and I know He will!

Right before I left, a friend gave me this verse to remember, and it has been one to cling to during this transition time.  “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’”  (Isaiah 41:13) I found out that I am not nearly as tough as I thought, and I wasn’t expecting that.  I was expecting to find God faithful again, but I wasn’t ready for the amazing way that he would carry me through this.  He has blown me away, far beyond all of my expectations.  Just the image of him holding my hand is enough, all by itself.  I have always known that my only comfort and security can come from Him, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so hard to give up the other things that I have found it in for so long. So, for being just over a week into this crazy adventure I only want to say that I’m humbled, thankful to not be alone, and I’m raising my expectations, because I know that the Lord is just going to blow them away. 

"The Next Right Thing..."

Have you ever heard a little kid talk about what they want to be when they grow up? It’s wonderful to hear the excitement of their dream and we smile and say something like, “You’ll be so great at that!” Then, somewhere in the back of your mind, you know that their dream will probably change next week, and the next movie that they see could be the deciding factor in their future. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a missionary teacher.  Except for a short time in seventh grade when I when I got sidetracked by wanting to be an astronaut, I’ve never wanted to do anything else.  It’s the dream that I believe God planted in my heart from the time I was a little kid and now He is beginning to make it into my reality.  I have spent the last four years training at Moody Bible Institute and in a couple days I will be moving to Ibadan, Nigeria to be a first grade teacher at American Christian Academy!  

Back in January, as the details and colors began to fill in the outline of my dream, I talked to a few trusted friends and family members about Nigeria and the position there. Their advice was so helpful in my decision and one wise friend explained it this way: “Accomplishing God’s will is really only as complicated as doing the next right thing.” Teaching in Nigeria is consistent with what I know about God, how He has created me, and His plan for my life so far.  I don’t have to know it all. I don’t have to fearfully question His will for my life. I just have to do the next right thing.  As I seek after Him, He will match my heart more and more to His. I will follow after Him one right thing at a time.  I sit here humbled and grateful for the dream that God has given me and the way that He is fulfilling it.  I have absolutely no idea what is in store for the next two years of my life, but I choose to trust Him. Recognizing that the significance and security of my life is based in who He is, I am stepping out to do “The next right thing.”