It's the Saturday after my second week of school here in Nairobi.. and I'm beat! :) Really, I couldn't be happier. Teaching's a challenge, for sure, but my students are such a trip- they're a delight to teach. There's so much to tell.. but I'll just post some highlights here:
- First day of school: It was a half-day and so I only had my high school students for about 25 minutes per class. I followed Harry Wong's "First Days of School" plan as best as I could, even shaking kids' hands as they entered the room, which wasn't as awkward here in Kenya as it might have been in the States, because that's what you do here. Shake hands. All the time. And when you can't shake someone's hand because it's dirty, they'll offer you their wrist. Anyway. So we played "This or That," a game where you give kids an option between one thing or another (ie> Chocolate or Vanilla; Beach or Mountains; Comedy or Action, etc.) and they move to one side of the room or the other, depending on which they preferred. The whole point from a teacher mentality is to subliminally remind kids that they're not alone in class- that they've always got something in common with someone else. I found out a couple of days before that I'm going to be the freshman class advisor (and again, everything's like that here.. you just learn to roll with the punches) and so it was fun to watch that class come in. A whole bunch of boys.. and a bunch of little "deer in the headlights" kinds of stares pointed up in my direction. They're totally nervous still- it's adorable :)
- Day 2: So I was just so excited that I survived day one, that showing up for the second day was kind of a shocker. But I'm figuring things out (namely the darn copy machine, which I still haven't figured out completely) and putting my things together during my morning prep period, and over walks Nancy, one of our office staff, telling me that there was a parent there who wanted to see me. My first thought is, "Oh my goodness, somehow on the very first day of school, I managed to screw up her kid!" So I shake hands with Mrs. A, the mother of one of my ninth graders. She smiles and says, "I just wanted to meet you and let you know that you got a big compliment at dinner last night!" Whew- alright, so it's good news. "My son said that he's got this really great English teacher- and he's never said that before!" Wow, that's encouraging! "But he said you're kind of crazy." ...Crazy?... "I think that's a good thing!" Awesome. So I'm the crazy lady.
- I'm getting ahead of myself, but, Day 9 (Yesterday): Alright, so I'm in the middle of my Theatre Arts class which is full of a bunch of goofballs and hams, and it's FRIDAY, and I'm realizing I've got to do something to get them to pay attention for the period. I realized during all of our theatre games and improvisation exercises from our previous classes that the kids are relying a great deal on facial expression and dialogue to get across who their character is and what the mood of their scene is. I decide to pull out a lesson I remember from THE 131, my college acting course, and plan to introduce my students to bodily expression. In order to explain the concept, I explain that when putting together a character, you've got specific "anchor points" (your head, shoulders, spine, hips, and feet) in your body that affect your gait and carriage. Then I decide that it'd be a really great idea just to demonstrate this to my class, because they're kind of looking at me with a glazed, confused look in their eyes (a look I'm getting used to quickly). I have an aisle down the middle of my classroom, and so I begin walking up and down it and ask them to tell me which "anchor point" I lead with when I'm walking normally. A kid finally shouts, "Your shoulders!" Right. Then I say, "So when I change the point I lead with to my head..." and I do... "I become someone else, right?" As I'm walking back and forth down the aisle of my classroom, my kids start busting out laughing. Then I continue my humiliation by demonstrating changing my gait to each of the other anchor points. To top it off, I explain to my students how your spinal position can affect your portrayal of a character. In your neck.. between your shoulders.. and in your lower back.. changing the curvature of your spine can "make you into someone else." So basically, I'm standing at the front of my classroom, looking like a complete goon.. all in hopes that they'd get something out of it. And actually, they did. I got them back by having them do a "walk about" around the room, changing their own gaits and carriages.. and then had them practice imitating one another. It worked. They got it. But now I think I've doomed myself to being the nutty drama teacher for the rest of my career at WNS.
- Freshman Class: Like I mentioned before, this is the class that I'll be advising for the next 2+ years. They're a good bunch of kids, but man they've got more questions than I ever thought was humanly possible. There are two boys in the class who are already so obsessed with their grades (mind you, it's the SECOND week of school) that their hands are constantly up in the air, asking all of these outrageous questions. I know I'll either grow weary of it or completely figure out how to handle it eventually, but for now, it's just kind of hilarious. A bunch of these kids are in my Theatre Arts and Yearbook production classes, too, so it's fun to see them multiple times during the day.
- Sophomore Class: I've got to say, I'm already mourning that a teacher will be coming back from furlough next semester who wants to take over this class. They're really great kids. Lots of talkers, which I love because it makes class discussion so much easier and more meaningful. I've also discovered through doing some Multiple Intelligences assessments that a handful of these students aren't interested in spiritual things at all, and don't have a saving relationship with Christ. The fact that they're a dynamic class who are just itching to talk about big ideas and concepts all of the time is leading me to think that there's some real potential here to watch kids grow and change spiritually. We've had great discussions on right and wrong, morality and free will, all as a lead-up to a thematic unit I'm calling "Utopia, Interrupted" where we'll use Lord of the Flies as a central text for a grand conversation on human dignity and depravity and the Fall. I'm totally pumped.. but definitely be praying for these students.
- Junior Class: Alright, these are my toughies. I LOVE this class- they're amazing, bright kids.. but they intimidate the heck out of me. Really, most days, these groups of kids (I've got two sections of English 11) will just kind of sit there and stare at me, so I'm often self-conscious about whether I'm teaching effectively and challenging them enough. The good news is, at least from what they're communicating to me, it appears that each and every one of these kids has a relationship with the Lord. But there's some "intellectual" types in there that I'm concerned will have a tough time maintaining their walk with Him if they don't get discipled closely right now. What a challenge, huh? I think this'll definitely be the class that stretches me the most. We're starting Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter this week in a unit I'm calling "Your Good Name" where we'll be discussing reputation, honor, sin, and the dichotomy between our fallen condition and God's abundant grace for us. Should be pretty cool if I do my job well.
Bottom line, I am SO completely aware of why the Lord's got me where I am. There are countless opportunities every day for me to be Christ and encourage kids to learn and grow not only in their academics, but in their spiritual lives as well. Even little things like my attitude in class towards my students seems to be a "way in" to these kids' lives. The theatre kids were being obnoxious the other day, and I stood there and waited for them to quiet down so I could give them directions. When one of them finally shushed the rest, I told them that I wasn't going to try to shout over them, but that their talking out couldn't become a habit- we've got too much to do in that class and I want it to be a fun time for everyone. I started in to explaining some directions, when one of my sophomores (who has made it quite clear, by the say, that he's an atheist) raises his hand to ask a question. I call on him and he says, "Miss Weiant, do you ever get mad?" I ask him what he means (we're talking about "expression," after all) and he says, "I mean, do you ever get mad...ever?"
Hmm.. you know what, I think I'm really realizing that my ability to teach these kids about literature and writing and journalism and theatre and all that stuff is so inconsequential when contrasted with my responsibility to teach them truth. And I'm very aware that that has so much to do with the attitude with which I come to my classroom and towards my students every day. That attitude has got to be Christ's or I'm going to fail these kids as their teacher. There's a big prayer request for you right there.
* * *
I'm finding that it's such a blessing to take a few moments and reflect through writing about all that's happening here.. and with this being my first year of teaching, I'm realizing that those spare moments are few and far between! It's been a lot of late nights grading and lesson planning, but I promise I'll do my best to update here as often as I possibly can! Thanks for reading and praying- and again, please let me know how I can keep you in prayer as well!
Kate
Saturday, August 23
Monday, August 11
Fell off the face of the planet…
And I find myself standing here—head on backward, but feet facing forward.
Church today was a bit of a punch in the gut. Nothing all that ground-breaking, but significant all the same. We were in Matthew 16—the rich young man. I remember going over this passage of scripture many times before, the most memorable of which was at Marmon Valley for camp, with “Cowboy Jesus” and the wimpy rich kid who wasn’t willing to head off into the sunset…but boy, this time it hit a new place altogether. I searched around inside a bit as Pastor Brown at the Kenya Vineyard went on about “interruptions, initiation, and innovation” and it fell heavily on me that while I certainly allowed the Lord to be actively involved in my initial decision to come here to Nairobi and WNS, I am absolutely, positively going to NEED to invite the Lord to be a part of each and every day I live here. …Pretty basic, stuff, I know…but over the past few weeks as I’ve been prepping my classroom for all the kiddos to swarm in here come Tuesday, if I’m really honest with myself, I know that I’ve gone into “Kate mode” and I’m taking all the weight of classroom responsibilities on my own back.
What that looks like: I’m getting overwhelmed with the five separate courses I’m teaching (9th, 10th and 11th grade English, Theatre Arts and Yearbook), the accreditation process the school is going through (I’ve got to fill in all the holes in my curriculum guides—namely for the 11th grade class and Theatre Arts, which never really existed until this year…), etc., etc. My head is just buzzing all the time, I’m making list after list after list of “To-Do’s” and entertaining thoughts like, “What if I just suck at this and my kids learn nothing and I find myself at the end of this year a total failure…?” Dumb, right? I know I’m not going to be a successful teacher if each day isn’t centered upon the Lord and His will for my actions in this role. So that’s what I’m committing to do. Every day I’m going to start off right with the Lord, giving the day to Him, surrendering all that control, and just relaxing about it all. After all, I sure as heck wouldn’t be here in Africa if it weren’t for the fact that it’s His plan that I’m here. His plan. Cut and dry, plain and simple. So I figure I’m just going to keep my mouth shut and my ears open for a while and see what happens.
Have you ever sat and thought about what your life might look like a year from now…how different you could be? That it’s totally possible that you could be a completely different person altogether? Man, I am SO excited about that possibility. I love sanctification…don’t you? I’m so ready to strip off all the junk and become more like the God I’m seeking to serve. And I think that if I let Him, that could absolutely be what the Lord has in mind for me here. I like to think that I’m here because I’m just that great…and that I’ve got something pretty amazing to share with these kids. But I’m thinking that that’s off. My being here in Kenya probably has more to do with what the Lord wants accomplish than anything to do with me at all. Which is just fine by me.
* * * * *
In other news, my roommates are amazing. Amy I’d already met at PFO this summer, and she’s been around for over a week now, but I finally got to meet Jen and Becca the other day when they arrived from the States. What great girls. It seems already like we’ve got different enough personalities that we won’t drive one another crazy, but a thread of commonality too that’ll keep us all on relatively the same page. Amy is our first grade teacher. She’s an extroverted ball of energy—until about 8 or 9 at night—and she absolutely loves being around people, sharing stories, and Kenya in general. She’s a wealth of knowledge from personal experience (among them: she’s dating a Kenyan and experienced Typhoid last year…), and is just a ton of fun to be around. I’ve spent less time with Jen and Becca, but already I’m feeling like they’re just delightful women who love their jobs (third grade and Art/French, respectively) and have found a lot of joy and contentment in their time here. Jen and I cooked some really delicious Kenyan food the other night and explored the Dukas (probably spelled that wrong…but means “shops” in Swahili) for some fresh fruit and veggies. And Becca and I enjoyed a night of “blunders” together. First, we got the keys locked in the trunk after a shopping trip to Nakumatt (like a Wal-Mart) and had to be rescued by Peter…then missed some turns on the way home, and I spilled milk from my cereal bowl all over Amy’s lap. I’m glad that my roommates are clumsy folks, too—and gracious to boot.
Besides buzzing around Nairobi, getting comfortable with getting around (I’ve only driven once…I pulled it off, but everything’s backwards, so I probably looked like a bit of an idiot), shopping and getting the things we need for our homes, and bonding with the other teachers, most of our time has been spent in school lately. I absolutely adore this campus. It doesn’t really feel like real missionary living when you get to enjoy a place this lush and gorgeous. I feel like I should be suffering a little more, or something. All of the buildings are connected by walkways through what can’t be described as anything other than Eden. My classroom is on the high school side of campus, directly above the HS Science classroom, and across the way from the Social Studies, Math and Foreign Language Rooms. I’ve got lovely views of treetops from four huge windows, and can look down through them to the Dukas (thatch-roofed round open-air buildings where the kids eat lunch) and the athletic field. I love that leaving a room involves a breezy walk outside. Schools can really feel like prisons now and then, you know? Not here. I’m totally blessed.
We had a welcome back picnic on Saturday here at the school. A bunch of WNS families attended and it was great to finally meet some real, live students. I had dinner the other night with a family with two high-school-aged daughters who, when prompted by their father to share what they were most looking forward to about school starting, eagerly responded, “Drama!” Whoa. I’d better be on my game, I guess. And then we visited a family the other night with a son in 5th grade and another in 9th. What a neat family—and it was great to be in a home, sharing a meal with non-teachers. I’ll have the 9th grader for—get this—English 9, drama, AND yearbook. Poor kid. I hope that’s ok. He and his brother and parents were the nicest people, though—and it was a lovely welcome from a school family. The picnic was a bit chaotic, but I think we’re all getting used to that! I shared lunch with a really sweet Kenyan family with these adorable young children, and we got into a great conversation about the differences between Kenya and the States. I mentioned that I’d been thinking about the difference in terms of the story in the Bible about Mary and Martha. We Americans are definitely the “Marthas.” We busy ourselves with all sorts of things—work, family responsibilities, activities. And we’re so busy looking ahead and avoiding all the potholes in life, that we’ll often miss out on the more important things. Kenyans, on the other hand, are a Mary people. They’ll drop anything to help you out with something, greet you, welcome you, or just sit and talk. It’s such a beautiful, inspiring thing. I love that about this place and these people.
I’m feeling more and more content. More and more excited. More and more satisfied with where the Lord has me. It’s a good place to be, this Kenya. But I know I’m still in need of prayer, like crazy…especially with school starting on Tuesday. So here’s the latest list of things I’d love to receive prayer for:
That I would surrender all of my prideful ideas of how I can handle this place on my own. That I would continue to be struck by the Lord’s desires and plan for my ministry here.
That Jesus would be stirring up the hearts of my students in these last few days before the beginning of the school year. That as I teach, I would find significant opportunities to build a community in my classroom and direct their focus to Christ.
That I would continue to build my relationships with both my roommates and other colleagues here at school, but that I would also find opportunities to meet and love people outside of our little WNS bubble.
…And this is kind of silly, but…that I would remain in good health, especially as the school year begins. Getting sick is kind of a given around here, but please pray that I would be in good enough shape to make it to school each day and be able and ready to teach and minister to my students.
Thanks, everyone—it’s been so great to receive some little notes from some of you. I’d love to know how I can keep each of you in prayer as well, or just hear an update on your lives in general! In case you don’t have it, my e-mail address is kateweiant@gmail.com. God bless you all, and I’ll make sure to post another update on the start to school!
Kate
Church today was a bit of a punch in the gut. Nothing all that ground-breaking, but significant all the same. We were in Matthew 16—the rich young man. I remember going over this passage of scripture many times before, the most memorable of which was at Marmon Valley for camp, with “Cowboy Jesus” and the wimpy rich kid who wasn’t willing to head off into the sunset…but boy, this time it hit a new place altogether. I searched around inside a bit as Pastor Brown at the Kenya Vineyard went on about “interruptions, initiation, and innovation” and it fell heavily on me that while I certainly allowed the Lord to be actively involved in my initial decision to come here to Nairobi and WNS, I am absolutely, positively going to NEED to invite the Lord to be a part of each and every day I live here. …Pretty basic, stuff, I know…but over the past few weeks as I’ve been prepping my classroom for all the kiddos to swarm in here come Tuesday, if I’m really honest with myself, I know that I’ve gone into “Kate mode” and I’m taking all the weight of classroom responsibilities on my own back.
What that looks like: I’m getting overwhelmed with the five separate courses I’m teaching (9th, 10th and 11th grade English, Theatre Arts and Yearbook), the accreditation process the school is going through (I’ve got to fill in all the holes in my curriculum guides—namely for the 11th grade class and Theatre Arts, which never really existed until this year…), etc., etc. My head is just buzzing all the time, I’m making list after list after list of “To-Do’s” and entertaining thoughts like, “What if I just suck at this and my kids learn nothing and I find myself at the end of this year a total failure…?” Dumb, right? I know I’m not going to be a successful teacher if each day isn’t centered upon the Lord and His will for my actions in this role. So that’s what I’m committing to do. Every day I’m going to start off right with the Lord, giving the day to Him, surrendering all that control, and just relaxing about it all. After all, I sure as heck wouldn’t be here in Africa if it weren’t for the fact that it’s His plan that I’m here. His plan. Cut and dry, plain and simple. So I figure I’m just going to keep my mouth shut and my ears open for a while and see what happens.
Have you ever sat and thought about what your life might look like a year from now…how different you could be? That it’s totally possible that you could be a completely different person altogether? Man, I am SO excited about that possibility. I love sanctification…don’t you? I’m so ready to strip off all the junk and become more like the God I’m seeking to serve. And I think that if I let Him, that could absolutely be what the Lord has in mind for me here. I like to think that I’m here because I’m just that great…and that I’ve got something pretty amazing to share with these kids. But I’m thinking that that’s off. My being here in Kenya probably has more to do with what the Lord wants accomplish than anything to do with me at all. Which is just fine by me.
* * * * *
In other news, my roommates are amazing. Amy I’d already met at PFO this summer, and she’s been around for over a week now, but I finally got to meet Jen and Becca the other day when they arrived from the States. What great girls. It seems already like we’ve got different enough personalities that we won’t drive one another crazy, but a thread of commonality too that’ll keep us all on relatively the same page. Amy is our first grade teacher. She’s an extroverted ball of energy—until about 8 or 9 at night—and she absolutely loves being around people, sharing stories, and Kenya in general. She’s a wealth of knowledge from personal experience (among them: she’s dating a Kenyan and experienced Typhoid last year…), and is just a ton of fun to be around. I’ve spent less time with Jen and Becca, but already I’m feeling like they’re just delightful women who love their jobs (third grade and Art/French, respectively) and have found a lot of joy and contentment in their time here. Jen and I cooked some really delicious Kenyan food the other night and explored the Dukas (probably spelled that wrong…but means “shops” in Swahili) for some fresh fruit and veggies. And Becca and I enjoyed a night of “blunders” together. First, we got the keys locked in the trunk after a shopping trip to Nakumatt (like a Wal-Mart) and had to be rescued by Peter…then missed some turns on the way home, and I spilled milk from my cereal bowl all over Amy’s lap. I’m glad that my roommates are clumsy folks, too—and gracious to boot.
Besides buzzing around Nairobi, getting comfortable with getting around (I’ve only driven once…I pulled it off, but everything’s backwards, so I probably looked like a bit of an idiot), shopping and getting the things we need for our homes, and bonding with the other teachers, most of our time has been spent in school lately. I absolutely adore this campus. It doesn’t really feel like real missionary living when you get to enjoy a place this lush and gorgeous. I feel like I should be suffering a little more, or something. All of the buildings are connected by walkways through what can’t be described as anything other than Eden. My classroom is on the high school side of campus, directly above the HS Science classroom, and across the way from the Social Studies, Math and Foreign Language Rooms. I’ve got lovely views of treetops from four huge windows, and can look down through them to the Dukas (thatch-roofed round open-air buildings where the kids eat lunch) and the athletic field. I love that leaving a room involves a breezy walk outside. Schools can really feel like prisons now and then, you know? Not here. I’m totally blessed.
We had a welcome back picnic on Saturday here at the school. A bunch of WNS families attended and it was great to finally meet some real, live students. I had dinner the other night with a family with two high-school-aged daughters who, when prompted by their father to share what they were most looking forward to about school starting, eagerly responded, “Drama!” Whoa. I’d better be on my game, I guess. And then we visited a family the other night with a son in 5th grade and another in 9th. What a neat family—and it was great to be in a home, sharing a meal with non-teachers. I’ll have the 9th grader for—get this—English 9, drama, AND yearbook. Poor kid. I hope that’s ok. He and his brother and parents were the nicest people, though—and it was a lovely welcome from a school family. The picnic was a bit chaotic, but I think we’re all getting used to that! I shared lunch with a really sweet Kenyan family with these adorable young children, and we got into a great conversation about the differences between Kenya and the States. I mentioned that I’d been thinking about the difference in terms of the story in the Bible about Mary and Martha. We Americans are definitely the “Marthas.” We busy ourselves with all sorts of things—work, family responsibilities, activities. And we’re so busy looking ahead and avoiding all the potholes in life, that we’ll often miss out on the more important things. Kenyans, on the other hand, are a Mary people. They’ll drop anything to help you out with something, greet you, welcome you, or just sit and talk. It’s such a beautiful, inspiring thing. I love that about this place and these people.
I’m feeling more and more content. More and more excited. More and more satisfied with where the Lord has me. It’s a good place to be, this Kenya. But I know I’m still in need of prayer, like crazy…especially with school starting on Tuesday. So here’s the latest list of things I’d love to receive prayer for:
That I would surrender all of my prideful ideas of how I can handle this place on my own. That I would continue to be struck by the Lord’s desires and plan for my ministry here.
That Jesus would be stirring up the hearts of my students in these last few days before the beginning of the school year. That as I teach, I would find significant opportunities to build a community in my classroom and direct their focus to Christ.
That I would continue to build my relationships with both my roommates and other colleagues here at school, but that I would also find opportunities to meet and love people outside of our little WNS bubble.
…And this is kind of silly, but…that I would remain in good health, especially as the school year begins. Getting sick is kind of a given around here, but please pray that I would be in good enough shape to make it to school each day and be able and ready to teach and minister to my students.
Thanks, everyone—it’s been so great to receive some little notes from some of you. I’d love to know how I can keep each of you in prayer as well, or just hear an update on your lives in general! In case you don’t have it, my e-mail address is kateweiant@gmail.com. God bless you all, and I’ll make sure to post another update on the start to school!
Kate
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