you can do it, we can do it!

By God’s infinite grace, we had wonderful adventures on the road these past two weeks. We visited Huangzhong, Qinghai (northwestern province) for the first time in 2014 and returned to Taigu, Shanxi (north central province), for the second time. 

For the Teacher Certification program in Huangzhong, we spent 6 days visiting the classrooms, evaluating teachers and also holding our very own demonstration class with some 6^th graders. It was the first time we led a full class there. Since we had been doing

snack time - eggs and bread

them recently for marketing and outreach in other areas, we decided, why not? The Huangzhong lead trainer, Rex, had mentioned that the teachers wanted to see how we used the Teacher Attributes when teaching children, so we decided this would be a good chance show a model (and they will give us the video, so we can use for other purposes, cool).

Little did we know that they would decide to tell us what lesson we should use and that another teacher (from the primary school) would show the same lesson to her students. Of course, we took it all in stride and knew

Ss as whales

Father God is always in control! Anyway, they gave us a lesson on comparisons – heavier, longer, thinner – that included comparing sperm whales with killer whales. It took a lot of time to put together the pieces but we were able to show some different methods for teaching the Ss how to negotiate meaning and to learn to read the material using a student-centered approach. (They didn’t give us the teacher’s book, so we had to improvise!) We had the Ss stand up – 15 on one side to represent the sperm whale and 8 on the other to be the killer whale. The sperm whale is about 2x longer and about the weight of 10 killer whales – anyway, you get the idea. The “sperm whale” Ss practiced diving in the cold water and the killer whale Ss practiced jumping and swimming. Then all the Ss worked in groups to put together a TV show using the words and phrases they were learning. It was meaningful and successful, considering Krista taught the No. 4 English class while the other teacher led the No. 1 class. But Krista (and Pres who also monitored the 60 Ss when they were in pairs or groups), thanks to God’s great help, got the Ss to speak, do body language and find joy in learning. Yay! The demonstration class and follow up discussion only lasted one day, but it was memorable!

one dirt road

The rest of the time we spent watching the teachers give lessons (usually all morning) and giving them feedback and reviewing the Teacher Attributes skills (all afternoon). We were on the road for at least 2 hours each day as we traveled down dirt roads,
through hills, past cow, after cow to the schools that had outhouses for bathrooms. The teachers have grown and improved since our last visit in December 2013. Everyone was smiling more, using more body language and trying to get their Ss to use the language. The teachers still have a hard time with student-centered learning techniques – like pair work and group work. Teachers like to be the directors as they have the Ss follow along. Even when the teachers would

Ss love to talk in pairs and groups

assign the Ss to do pair work, for say 1 or 2 minutes, they would only give them 30 seconds to talk by themsevles. But there is always next time. We told them to practice closing their mouths for 3 minutes straight and only talk to the groups or pairs one by one during the student-centered time. Let’s pray that they can try it!

Ss like to follow the foreign trainers

Our partner trainers were very supportive and also successful. They too have grown in their roles as leaders, facilitators and organizers. They tend to give higher scores than we do, but their verbal feedback is on target and helpful for their peers. It’s very exciting to watch as they work. We talked to the lead trainer Rex the most and he recently was awarded 2^nd place in the nation for a lesson plan he wrote for primary school. Wow! Such a great honor. And he decided that his success was due in part to our exchanges and learning together. Rex is a very humble man indeed and a successful one. Please keep his wife in prayer as she fell from the top bunk of the bed while on the train. She didn’t break anything, praise God, but she is still very sore. Thanks to Father God, we had lots of time for sharing and building our relationships in this important place.

Our next stop was Taigu, Shanxi, where we met up with TIP friends Lane and Terry for a short English-only camp for university students. It was held over a 3-day weekend and the students were so much fun! They really made an effort to speak and try new things. Some of them had a lot of vocabulary and others had little. Some had never volunteered to speak aloud during class before, but they were brave for the camp and raised their hand and tried their best. It was a meaningful and productive time. University students have a lot more energy, but they also give a lot more encouragement!

trust fall

Krista woke up on Saturday, the first day of
the camp, with chills and a sore throat. Pres wasn’t feeling much better. But for the next three days we took meds and led the activities as best we could, depending on the Holy Spirit for His strength and guidance. The lessons went great and the Ss attitudes were phenomenal. Krista lost her voice completely on Monday and is still recovering. Yet the experience was wonderful. We spent an afternoon at the Shanxi Agricultural University where some of the Ss study. Many of the AA’s who volunteer to help at TIP come from this school. It was a beautiful campus and we participated in the “Trust Fall” and watched their Talent Show as part of the closing ceremony. There were 40 Ss in all and they all have our contact info. Pray that we can be helpful and available as needed!

Now we’re back in Beijing and the April TIP session is already underway. God is our motivator and rest. It’s almost Easter – He is risen indeed!