Bigger Vision

Tom with workshop banners

Sometimes it is easy for our vision to be too small. We focus on what seems small and achievable without dreaming big.

This past weekend I did something I’ve never done before.  I lead 3 session of an English teaching workshop from about 9am-2pm.  As exciting and challenging as this was for me, my own role in the workshop was not nearly as exciting as the very existence of the workshop itself.  As most people in this line of work will tell you, recognizing a problem or need is not very difficult.  Discovering a solution is only slightly more difficult.  But implementing and imparting ownership of a solution to the local people—that is very difficult indeed.

Coming to the islands it was easy to see the felt need among the people to learn English.  It was even easy to see that part of the problem was the way English was being taught.  English is taught like all other subjects on the island— with low interaction, focusing on memorization rather than comprehension, and using avoidance of shame as the primary motivator. There is a sense that this is how islanders teach and this is how islanders learn and that’s just how it is.

But finding a solution to that problem?  Changing society?  These are giant tasks.  Tasks that take a great deal of man-power and cooperation.  We could not expect change like this.  It was too big. So initially we focused small.  We taught English classes and as students developed their English we trained teachers.  Some of these teachers organized themselves into organizations and now these organizations are teaching English classes.  These organizations are taking English all over the island.  We support them with curriculum and training and teaching, advising and even substituting, but we are not in charge of these organizations.  We support and encourage and see new English classes starting up all the time.

At workshop observing teacher

A few months ago one of these programs asked if we would help them with a workshop in a village on the other side of the island.  Their goal—to encourage a new and more effective way of teaching among teachers in the public schools.  This is a shift.  Not only are they teaching people English, but they want to improve education within the system itself!  As they shared their vision with the teachers in the room, I couldn’t help but think how amazing this was.  A great vision, for great change, directed and organized by islanders, to encourage other islanders.

For the final session of the workshop the teachers watched an islander putting the teaching techniques into practice with a real class.  As we watched students responding with enthusiasm and engaging with the teacher and speaking a lot of English, one of the teachers observing next to me leaned over and said, “This man is a great teacher.  I don’t teach like this.  I need to learn to teach like this.”  What a triumph!  If he felt this way, maybe there were others there as well with a similar feeling.  Maybe change is possible…

We don’t know that we can accept too much credit for the success of these classes. Perhaps we just catalyzed the right islanders, giving them a vision that they were well-equipped to take over. Because not all islanders have caught the vision, even as one program is expanding and growing another seems content to stay in its one location, offering its single set of classes to the people of that neighborhood. Their vision is small and they are sticking with it. So maybe the key for our big dreams for change on the islands is about finding the right people, the ones who only need a vision, a catalyst to set them off and running.

At village ceremony

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our teammate is back after 6 weeks away! We are thankful that her travels went smoothly and to have her back with us! Things have been coming together well for our new teammates arriving the next week! We are very thankful to have our 2 “veteran” teammates around to help with these preparations. Tom’s workshop went well and was well-received! Tom has been studying with an islander who is really thinking about things— they are meeting weekly and have had very encouraging interactions so far. We went as a family to a ceremony in  a village and we were encouraged by how we were welcomed there.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our new teammates leave the States on the 16th and arrive on the biggest island on Sat. Nov 18th. Megan will travel to meet them and bring them to Clove island on Sunday. Pray for their travels and transitions. It is hot now. So pray for their transition especially to the heat and the time zone. For the first week they will live with us and have an intensive orientation week. Pray it all goes well and that as a team we start on the right foot. Talked to Ma Imani on the phone— no conclusive word yet on her daughter’s condition, so keep praying!