My past few weeks have been great, but SO BUSY! Now that 2nd term examinations are finished at the school and holidays are over, I am very full time at Elim School. Allow me to tell you the different jobs the school (and God) has given me.
I am an English teacher for 7 classes. My classes consist of the refugee/international students during the Nepali students’ Nepali language class. I have grades 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and young adults. The classes are small and I love it that way. It’s much more one-on-one work, so I can direct the class in their specific needs and also help tutor them with other classes. The school teaches in English, so it’s very important that the students have good English skills to be able to succeed in their other classes. When I first was offered this placement, I was actually not thrilled about being an English teacher. I was unsure how this was a way to serve God. But I’ve come to a great realization and peace about this placement. In 3rd world countries education simply is not up to par like developed countries. Many students who want a good education will usually go to a western country for college, in which English is necessary. Also, the refugee students are only here in Nepal temporarily-ish and will be displaced to U.S./Canada eventually where they will finally be able to work and go to college. Again, English is necessary for this. So by teaching them proper and good English, I am helping shape their future possibilities. I am incorporating a lot of material that I think is important to learn- such as environmental concerns and poverty. I have the opportunity to help them develop into adequate English speakers with global knowledge that will help benefit the world. Teaching 7 classes though requires a lot of outside work, mostly for two reasons. First, 3 of the classes have books to follow. However, students and teachers have the same books here, meaning the teachers are not given answers. This means that I have to try to figure out the answers on my own. It also means the consistency of the answers could be different from teacher to teacher. Second, my other 4 classes do not have books, which means I am coming up with ALL the material every single day. It gives me a lot of freedom to base the classwork on the students’ needs, but it’s also pretty overwhelming constantly coming up with lesson plans, especially in a country where there’s really no materials available at all. So, in conclusion to my 7 classes, I am really enjoying teaching them and working so closely with the students.
I am the Professional Development Trainer to the school staff. Once a week I am training them in whatever topic I think is necessary. Being around the education system for about 3 months now, I have discovered many topics that I think will be important to cover throughout the year. I also want to work on staff bonding so they work better together for the school’s mission.
I am the worship leader with guitar and singing at daily staff morning devotions. Tabea, my German friend who is also a volunteer at Elim’s, compliments the guitar by playing violin. We play the songs sang a capella before we started, such as “This is the Day,” “Lord I Lift Your Name On High,” “More Love, More Power,” and My Life is in You, Lord,” while also trying to introduce to them new songs from our home countries, such as “Enough” and “Amazing Grace” (That’s all for now. It’s harder than you’d think!).
I lead morning devotions once every few weeks. The teachers and principal take turns every day. I love hearing the different ways every one experiences God and what they learn from Him.
I play keyboard in the church praise band on Saturdays (Yes, church here is on Saturdays. Most schools have classes on Sundays! But ours doesn’t : ) ). Most musicians here play by just hearing a song. Oh my, I’m so jealous! I have always needed chords or notation. So this is proving to be a frustrating challenge, but I also really am hoping to develop my playing-by-ear skills this year! Tabea and I will also share special songs some Saturdays (This means I’m singing solo! Wow, so many things I never imagined myself doing!). And some Saturdays I show up but none of the band does, so guess who leads the worship music for the service! Haha! Nepali time is so “flexible” (as they like to word it) that little planning goes into things, even church worship music. It’s definitely been something to adapt to.
I am given administrative tasks. So far, this has mainly been two jobs. First is being in charge of all the exams. Now, this may not make sense to the Western mind, so let me explain. Here in Nepal, there are important exams every few months. The teachers hand-write the exams and then someone in administration (that’d be me) collects them and types them up. That person also photocopies enough for every class, and makes sure that all exams have been finished and turned in (not all teachers keep track of what exams they’ve done and what ones they haven’t). Then on exam days they hand them out. This was my job before holiday and it is my job starting tomorrow for the exams before Christmas break. So not only will I be making up my own exams, but I’ll also be preparing everyone else’s! Second, I am in charge of the school’s Fete (festival) raffle tickets. I keep tally of those being handed out and collected. It doesn’t require much work, just a lot of demand from the students. Those are my administrative tasks thus far.
I am co-leading the Christmas production. Tabea and I found a German drama, translated it to English, re-translated it to Nepali-style English, and then added music into it. Tabea will be leading the acting with my help. And I will be leading the music. The sad thing is that I will be in India when they perform so I won’t get to see the final product!
I am assisting in developing part of the school for autistic children. Most Nepalis are unknowledgeable on autism and disabilities/disorders, so there is a huge lack in education for a person with a disability. There is one secular school, Autism Care, in Nepal that has teachers with special training. We visited the school last week and it has about 5-10 children total. There is one boy with autism at Elim School because his parents wanted him to be in a Christian environment. But he is not receiving needed one-on-one teaching so he basically is just being babysat. The need for specialized schooling is desperately needed here. Tabea was very moved by the potential of Elim’s school helping this boy, so she decided to help establish part of the school specifically for students with autism. I am at her side throughout the project, going to meetings with her, visiting schools, talking about ideas, planning ideas, editing written English papers and proposals (since she’s German), and trying to help in whatever way possible.
So in conclusion, you can see why I am so busy! The need is great here, so they surely take advantage of anyone willing to give their time. It’s incredible being surrounded by so much need. You truly learn to look past the areas you don’t feel confident in and just give what you have. After all, it’s not me doing the work; it’s God. You’ll notice that when I was describing my jobs I kept saying “I, I, I”… but what it really should say is, “God is doing this through me.” I truly mean that. The things I am doing are way out of my comfort zone. But God brought me here and I’m just His tool to fill needs. God is so glorious and is doing tremendous works in this country. The need is great, but God is present. The harvest is plentiful… and God is working.
