April 4, 2011
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Teaching
I think I have always liked teaching. I used to make my dog sit and listen to me teach when I was little. Really. I think we have pictures. Teaching is passing on something to someone else. Because life is too short to keep the good stuff to yourself. It is meant to be shared. Woof.
I started teaching–or at least helping–in sunday school when I was 12. My mom did a teaching class for all of my friends. It was scary stuff. It was then I found my love of props. Something, anything–so that if I lost my train of thought, I could at least stare at whatever was in my hand in contemplative silence until I got my thoughts back…and no one would know better.
The first time I was really teaching on my own was in a rough part of Naptown. We were doing VBS in an overgrown parking lot. The verse we all learned was “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” I was the only one there who knew the lesson. It was me or nothing. I had information in my hands that was good stuff, and I knew it. It was exhilarating.
Move on to being a Junior in high school. Being homeschooled had its benefits, and I had mine teaching at an alternative school when I was 16. Teaching there opened a new door to me–questions. They had so many! And I didn’t have the answers. But I also learned how we could find the answers together. Teaching is discovery–for the teacher as well.
At 19, I met this place called the Good News Ministries Youth Center. We go way back. Teaching, counseling, tutoring, riding in the car, mentoring, checking in, visiting homes, calling–all the way to visiting in jail or the hospital, going to funerals of loved ones, getting midnight emergency calls–Being a teacher means wearing many hats. I learned something of the dedication and perseverance that real teaching requires. It is outside the classroom as well. And just about anywhere can be a classroom. I learned to let go of the titles and embrace the lifestyle of teaching. And learning.
I began a love affair with a country when I was 21. Brazil. And quess what people in Brazil want to do–in fact, it helps them get a better job and more opportunities? Speak English. So Rachel, the horrible speller, who had to read “Grammar for Dummies” (I kid you not. It is on my shelf), became an English teacher. And the beautiful Brazilian people taught me that teaching is mutual. It is a two way street. Because there is nothing like being in another country to show you that you have a lot to learn.
Last year, this group called Supercamp took it all to a new level. Yes, because it is SUPER. Thank you for asking. The best teachers from all over the United States learning state of the art teaching methods and strategies. It blows my mind. I look at them in awe. REALLY. And in a funny story I stumbled into an interview with them–and was accepted. They showed me the ART of teaching. They provided me with tools and then said “Hey, go for it–we believe in you.” I learned I had what it takes. I felt the feeling of “Man, I nailed that–I taught/presented/facilitated that the best I could–and it was GOOD.”
It has been a long time coming, but today was another big day for teaching and I. And really–it took every lesson I had learned before to get to this point. At Cajueiro Claro, the kids were going to start practicing a mime presentation for Easter. But when asked about Easter–they could not give one soild answer–not even something like “Chocolate.” Nothing. Raissa and I agreed we needed to have an Easter explanation lesson.
My very special family (Thanks Aunt Robin and Uncle Roger!) provided me with an attic (grandma Coombs) gift before I left–it is a dozen plastic eggs–each with a little “part” of the Easter story in them. I printed out the verses in Portuguese and put them in their respective egg. And today, I taught a class in Portuguese. I must explain that these children are A.D.D., live outside most of their lives, hardly ever wear shoes, and don’t sit still. Let alone for a 12 part story.
It was amazing. And a God thing miracle as well. Everything came together. I have been in Brazil for over three years now, but it has just been these last couple months that i’ve really been able to communicate from my heart without stumbling over my words and sending the children to one of the other workers to understand the “important stuff” better. At the end of the class I could see the connections the children were making: “So that is why we sing about resurrection in that song!” “So that is why it is called Good Friday…” When I asked “So what does Easter mean?” at the end–every child had an answer. And it wasn’t “Chocolate.”
I just recently found out that I will be getting another opportunity with Supercamp this summer: in Hong Kong. I will be teaching there this July. Teaching opens doors. And not just for the student.
