After teaching three grades of English classes my first year in the Finca and six grades my second year, I wasn’t able to teach in our Finca school last year due to my new job as service coordinator, which I started in October 2023. I desperately wanted to return to the classroom last year, but, especially since I was the only missionary at the Finca for the majority of the year, there just simply wasn’t enough time in the day to cover all of the normal missionary responsibilities. Although I was a normal attendee at the 20-minute recess in primaria (1st grade through 6th grade), I missed teaching SO, SO, SO dang much last year!
Since Teddy, Theresa, and Rachel arrived in September of last year and will be at the Finca for 2 years, we, as a missionary community, are able to teach kindergarten and all of the English classes in primaria this year. Teddy is valiantly doing kindergarten and also teaching 1st grade English. Theresa is teaching 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 6th grade English, & I am teaching 5th grade English. I AM BACK IN THE CLASSROOM!!! LET’S GOOOOOOOO!!
My service coordinator job here at the Finca is a REALLY busy one, but, in my conversations with Profa Dania (the director of our Finca school), we deemed it necessary to teach English this year for all of the grades in our school, which is 1st grade through 9th grade (a Honduran teacher that knows English teaches 7th, 8th, and 9th grades). We firmly believe that having English classes every year without pause will set up each of our Finca kids and kids from the outside communities for success at high school in Trujillo, at university, and in their future career. Theresa and Teddy could not take more than their current work-load, so I decided to step in and teach 5th grade English this year. It will take being creative with my schedule at times to fit in all of my job responsibilities, but I AM SO EXCITED TO BE IN THE CLASSROOM AGAIN!!
One of the most special parts about being a teacher is the personal relationships that are able to be formed in the duration of the school year. Although I was still an almost daily participant in the soccer and toca-toca games that always broke out at recess, my time last year with the school kids was lacking a very important element to have flourishing personal relationships: intentional, quality time spent with the same group of kids for a significant amount of time every day. I now have the opportunity to be with my nine 5th-grade students for 40 minutes Monday thru Thursday, and it is a special gift that I will never again take for granted!
It is a special gift to be able to stand in front of that classroom 4 days a week and intentionally choose to love each child in front of me and get to know them on a deeper level. It is a special gift to be able to work with the same group of students nearly every single day and be able to watch their progress as the year goes on, both in English class and as beloved children of God. It is a special gift to be able to love and be loved by the same group of students every day! & THE KIDS LOVE US SO DANG WELL HERE! Praise God!
It is a special gift to be able to encounter the students exactly where they are and help them to grow in their weaknesses and struggles as students and as human beings. It is a special gift to be able to be fully and authentically Nate every day with my group of 5th grade students. It is a special gift to be able to laugh, have fun, and play MANY, MANY games in my classes every week. My mindset regarding teaching has not changed much over the years: My job is to ensure that each child knows that they are eternally loved by God, and, if they happen to learn some English along the way, that is a cherry on top! That job is always a work in progress, and the kids inevitably test my patience and force me to encounter my weaknesses and opportunities for growth every single day. Thankfully, anything is possible with God’s grace and constant presence.
All in all, what an incredible gift to be able to return to the classroom this year to teach 5th grade English!! It will certainly not always be easy with all that is demanded of me as service coordinator, but it will 100% be worth it!
Please pray anyone that is currently discerning service with the Finca, either for the summer or the long-term program, that they may be able to hear God’s voice and discern His will.
Please also pray for all of our Honduran teachers at our marvelous Finca school and colegio, that they may be able to continuously improve as teachers and simply love the kids in their classrooms for the well-being of our Finca kids and the kids from our outside communities.
Please let me know how I can pray for you!
God Bless!