Perspective

I work with some of the most loving, passionate teachers I have ever met. Our school may  be little, but the hearts of our teachers are great and are overflowing yet with compassion and care for our 158 at-risk children. I often complained about having one or two major “problem children” in my classroom in America. Here, every classroom has at least 10. It takes a lot of heart to work here. Our school has 12 teachers and 14 staff members (from the kitchen, to sponsorship, to the library, to the office staff and administration). Once a month, those of us who are teachers meet for an evening staff meeting which is half Bible study and half administrative meeting. I walked into our last meeting feeling a bit disappointed and discouraged. It had been one of “those weeks” where you feel like nothing is going right, nothing is being accomplished, and you’re moving nowhere, except maybe backwards. I mentioned earlier that our teachers are loving and passionate about serving our students. However, they themselves are products of a failing public education system here in the Dominican Republic. In case you think I’m exaggerating when I use the word “failing,” let me show you some statistics.

The Global Competitiveness Report ranks 148 countries according to different indicators, including education. In the 2013-2014 report, the Dominican Republic ranked 146^th (remember, that’s out of 148 countries) in math and science education. In fact, here are a few startling statistics for you from the most recent study:

Out of 148 countries, the Dominican Republic ranked:

106^th for Quality of Management of Schools

146^th for Quality of Math and Science Education

140^th for Quality of the Education System

146^th for Overall Quality of Primary Education

"Quality of Math and Science Education Rankings"
Compared with Canada's 17th ranking and America's 49th ranking, the Dominican Republic falls towards the very bottom

Here you see Guatemala and the Dominican Republic falling in the 136-146 range

This chart shows the comparison of math and science education rankings for 9 countries in the Western Hemisphere over the past several years. Remember, a lower line means a better ranking (you want to be towards the bottom of this graph, not towards the top). You can see the Dominican Republic's dark green line at the very top of the graph.

Does that shock you? The Dominican Republic was the lowest scoring country in the Western Hemisphere for math and science education and overall quality of primary education. The worst. Including Haiti (which scored worse than the DR in almost every other indicator besides education).

The problem seems overwhelming. I so often ask myself “What in the world am I doing here? It’s not like I can teach the whole country math.” I so often wonder if helping teachers for a couple years will make any sort of lasting impact. I so often question whether or not my skills are useful here or if I should just go back to AZ and work at a low-income school where there’s actually a light at the end of the tunnel.

Let me go back to the beginning of this blog post. Remember those 12 teachers I was talking about? They are the products of #146. They have grown up here, learned here, studied here, and graduated here, all within schools that are ranked the worst in this hemisphere. So although they are considered “proficient” according to the standards of this government, they would be the first to admit that they “just don’t understand math.” They humbly ask me for clarification on what their 3^rd grade math curriculum standards mean. They come to me admitting that they don’t know how to solve a problem in their students’ textbooks. And when your very best, most compassionate and well-intentioned teachers are products of #146, it is easy to look around and believe that there’s no way we will ever produce students who are capable of being successful professionals who can be part of the solution for their town and their country. As I entered our last staff meeting with this discouraging attitude, the Lord began a conversation between a few of our teachers about their parents. The teachers began sharing stories about where and how they grew up. I learned that our school coordinator’s parents only finished 1^st and 3^rd grade and advanced no farther. I learned that our 1^st grade teacher’s mother was illiterate and signed her own name “+++xxx” because she didn’t know how to spell it. I learned that one of our middle school teachers’ mother decided to learn how to read at age 70. I learned that one of our teachers’ fathers went his whole life knowing only how to read and write the few letters in his own name. Almost all of the teachers shared similar stories. I, now the humble one, listened in awe and reverence. You see, my perspective was completely backwards. I wasn’t sitting among a group of people whose education system had failed them. I was sitting among a group of people who were first-generation literate. I was sitting among a group of people who, despite all odds, had learned to read, write, add, subtract, multiply, and divide although there was no one else in their house who could do the same. I was sitting among a group of people who somehow were able to complete homework when they didn’t have electricity, clean water, paper, pencils, or an adult in their home who could help them read directions or write their own name at the top of the page. These teachers are not worthy of my pity. These teachers are worthy of my admiration and respect. These teachers represent one generational step closer to #145, then to # 144, then to #120, then to a ranking in the double-digits. We hope and pray that the future children of our current students are able to say “My parents can help me with my basic math homework. My parents can read me a story before bed. My parents can write a letter to my teacher that is legible.” And we work every day with the Lord’s help, although sometimes we feel like we’re working backwards, to give our kids a quality, holistic education that will enable them to grow into the Christian leaders that #146 this beautiful country needs. 

(If you are interested in supporting our teachers as they strive to better the state of education in the Dominican Republic, please visit my Amazon wishlist for a list of items that our teachers could use in order to be better educators. Thank you to all of you who have already supported our school and our teachers so generously!)

Where should I look for You tomorrow?

“Profe, te busqué.” I was surprised, to say the least, when Sam* opened up the door of the fourth grade classroom and walked in. Sam is one of our “frequent flier” 7^th grade boys who is commonly in trouble with one or more of his teachers, suspended by our administration, or angry with his classmates. He also happens to be my neighbor, from whose home I consistently hear degrading comments being shouted between family members. Two days earlier, he and I had a bit of a “battle” at our school’s Honor Roll assembly that started with him not getting to sit in the seat that he wanted and ended with him sitting alone in a chair next to me, trying to get up and leave without permission multiple times, and finally choosing to be completely disruptive and defiant towards me and another staff member. It was decided that his consequence would be to spend recess with me for the rest of the week (3 days) and that it was his responsibility to come and find me each day at his recess time. For each day that he didn’t come to find me and chose to go to recess instead, two extra days would be added onto his punishment. He was a bit angry with me when we left the office, to say the least.

The next day (and not surprisingly), Sam didn’t come and find me at recess. After his recess time, I went and pulled him out of class. I made him come with me and sit in the corner while I taught fifth grade and I repeatedly made him sit up straight the ten times he tried to put his feet up on his desk. At the end of class, I told him that by not coming to find me during recess, he had chosen to add two extra days to his punishment, which now meant that he wouldn’t have recess for the next five days. I also told him that if he didn’t come and look for me tomorrow at the beginning of recess, I wouldn’t wait and come get him after recess but would find him in front of his friends during recess and make him come with me in front of everyone – AND his day with me would not count towards his five days – PLUS we would add two more. Finally, I told him that his time with me during recess did not have to be anger-filled and boring. I told him that I would help him with any assignments he had or that we could just sit and talk. He’s a seventh grade boy, so I knew that the second option (and let’s be honest, even the first option) wasn’t appealing. Nevertheless, I hoped, but didn’t expect, to see Sam the next day.

I was teaching addition of fractions with like-denominators in fourth grade the next day when there was a knock on the door. There he was. “Profe, te busqué.” “Teacher, I looked for you.” I was shocked. Although I had threatened him pretty well the day before, I still did not expect him to actually come and find me on his own. I masked my surprise and casually said “Hey, Sam. Thanks for coming. I’m teaching fractions. Can you help me?” Then I went right back to teaching as he tentatively entered and closed the door behind him. He walked past me and I whispered “You can help the kids who are having a hard time.” He looked at me with confused eyes, as if to say, “You want ME to help?” I paused in the lesson and said “Kids, Sam is really intelligent. I know because I’m one of his math teachers in 7^th grade. He’s going to help us today.” And then I taught more fractions. And Sam knelt down next to and put his arm around a struggling boy and helped him add fractions. Let me repeat that…

SAM, the boy who is always fighting, yelling, disobeying, and getting suspended knelt down next to and put his arm around a struggling boy and helped him add fractions.

By the end of our class time, Sam was correcting students’ independent work and putting up the correct answers for me on the board. When it was time for him to leave, I thanked him for his time and told him what a great help he was. I also told him that because he not only came looking for me but also had a good attitude and was helpful and not disruptive, I would take a day off of his punishment. So instead of four days left of detention, he only had three.  “See you tomorrow,” he said as he left. I saw him later that day and he asked me “Where should I look for you tomorrow? What class will we be in?” I smiled as I told him that I wasn’t sure where I would be, but that I would be waiting for him wherever I was.

We are all more like Sam than we think.  We screw up, we are defiant, we are disrespectful, we so often disrupt God’s plan, oftentimes the sake of gaining more attention for ourselves. When natural consequences come along, we frequently make them even worse in our defiance and refuse to learn from our own mistakes. But sometimes, we look for the Teacher. And when we look, we always find Him. And He is always waiting for us, not in anger, but in love and mercy. And not only is He merciful, but He is also gracious. He chooses to involve us, sinful hearts and mistaken priorities included, in the work He is doing. So often I find myself asking God the same question that Sam’s eyes asked me. “You want ME to help?” God, are You sure you want to use me? There must be someone more qualified. There must be another more equipped. There must be a more effective, less clueless person You could send. But God says “You, Kristin,” and so I choose to enter into the Kingdom work that He is doing all around me. I choose to kneel down and put my arms around those who are struggling, even though I myself am struggling as well. And at the end of the day I choose not to ask God for comforts, nor for security, nor for the plan for next year. Instead, like Sam, I simply ask “Where should I look for You tomorrow?”

*Child’s name has been changed to protect his privacy.

Update: The following day, Sam didn’t come to find me at recess and I went looking for him. I don’t want you all thinking that he was magically transformed overnight. He’s back up to 5 days without recess. But hey, we’re all thankful for forgiveness and second (and third, fourth, fifth…) chances, right? 

Valentine's Day Festivities (An incredibly long blog post...oops!)

Like in most countries, Valentine’s Day (known here as El Día de San Valentin, El Día de Amor, or El Dia de Amistad) is a pretty big deal. Valentine’s decorations and candy have been on sale since the Christmas season passed, and I knew that our girls were eagerly looking forward to the day’s arrival. High value is placed on relationships here, including romantic relationships at an early age in secular culture (from which most of the girls at our school come). I knew that this Valentine’s Day presented a unique opportunity to spend time with our girls and share something special with them from God’s word.

We started with a slumber party at my house last weekend. All 8 girls from Casa de Fe plus the Casa de Amor house-mom’s daughter piled into our ministry’s little green “camioneta” (pick-up truck) and arrived at my house on Friday night. We whipped up some sugar cookies for which my mom had sent the ingredients. With cookies baking and girls snacking, we sat down for a little Bible study. I chose to share about Ephesians 2:13-22 since our girls have recently been challenged with the tough decision of how to respond in love and respect when you disagree with other Christians and/or authority figures. This passage , describing the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers, perfectly applies to the cultural and generational differences that have the ability to either divide our ministry or beautifully “reconcile us both to God in one body…killing hostility (verse 16).” I absolutely love the implications for foreign mission work in verse 19 when Paul says “you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens.” We had a great discussion on how to love our “fellow citizens” even in disagreements and what a privilege it is to be “built together into a dwelling place for God (verse 22).”

After Bible study, we crowded around my kitchen table and decorated our cookies with pink frosting and as many sprinkles as each little cookie could hold. I was touched when a few of our girls asked if they could save one of their only two cookies for their house-mom in the morning. We ultimately calmed down and watched The Sound of Music in Español to end the night. The movie ended at around 2:30 am and as the VonTrapp family crossed the Alps into Switzerland, 9 girls in Monte Plata finally snuggled in to go to sleep. 

Let's get the party started!

Making cookies

Almost all of our sweet girls

Cookie decorating

Watching Sound of Music

A picture Nicol (our 2nd grader) snapped of me on the way home Saturday morning

Our littlest boys at Casa Monte Plata (Casa de Amor)- acting super cool before I took them for ice cream for their Valentine's treat

Ivan at the park

Angel Gabriel - notice his telescope hooked to his shorts

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I eagerly planned and prepared for Wednesday’s Clase Biblica with our 6^th-8^th grade girls at school. I debated on whether we should study “God’s love” or “loving our friends” for our Valentine’s lesson, but finally decided that a lesson on boyfriend/girlfriend relationships was worth the awkwardness that it might initially bring to the class. How thankful I am that the Holy Spirit led me this way. In October, I began to read the book of Matthew as part of my personal Bible study. Something in the first two chapters grabbed my attention in a new way – the life of Joseph. I read and re-read what the Bible says about this man several times and was able to infer a list of qualities or characteristics that Joseph had. 

Matthew 1:19 “Her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” – Joseph was just. Joseph was unwilling to shame others.

Matthew 1:20 “But as he considered these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” – Joseph considered decisions and didn’t make decisions based solely on emotions or personal preferences.

Matthew 1:24 “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” – Joseph was obedient. When God spoke, Joseph listened and followed.

Matthew 1:25 “He knew her not until she had given birth to a son.” - Joseph respected purity.

Matthew 2:13-14 “An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt…’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt.” – Joseph led his family.

In summary, Joseph was just. He did not put others to shame. He was considerate. He obeyed the Lord. He was pure. He was a leader.

I talked with the girls about the idea that if God chose this man (although he was not perfect) to be the earthly father of Jesus, Joseph must have been doing something right. And if God chose Joseph for such an important role, I think that this man probably exemplified some of the characteristics that I should be praying for and looking for in a future husband. At the mere mention of husbands the girls began to giggle. I told them, however, that all husbands begin as boyfriends, and all boyfriends (should) begin as friends. So even though the 12-year-olds think marriage is years and years away, they can begin now to be wise about the boys they choose to spend time with and can always be praying that God is using things in their future husband’s current life to shape him into a man of faith. The girls began opening up and asking all sorts of questions about relationships, like…

What if the boy I want to date isn’t a Christian?
What if the boy who wants to date me says he’s a Christian but doesn’t act like it?
What if I like a boy but he doesn’t notice me?

What if my parents say that I can’t date yet but there’s a boy who wants to date me?

What if my friend’s parents don’t know that she has a boyfriend?

What if my friend’s boyfriend didn’t start as a friend and she started dating him before she really knew him?

We talked about their questions and the Lord gave me and the other leaders wisdom as we tried to answer them with scripture and Biblical truth. Many of our girls do not have Christian mothers, grandmothers, or older sisters to talk to about these important questions. Finally, we took heart-shaped pieces of paper and wrote down a prayer to the Lord for our future husbands.  I told the girls that even more important than praying for God to make their future husbands into men of faith, we should all be thinking this Valentine’s Day about whether or not we are allowing God to shape us, through His love and grace, into women of faith and women of Godly character.

The girls in Clase Biblica with their projects, candy, and gifts (thanks Mom and Grandma!)

On the left is a list of characteristics the girls want in their future husbands - sincere, friendly, hard-working, honest, admirable, respectful, caring, loving