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The 2008 Honduran Project is now a part of our story. We are grateful to our team for their initiative and commitment. We know they learned much in this cultural exchange. What follows is a synopsis of the three week's work. This report is intended to inform others of what is possible when you become a memberof the Bridging Cultures team.
The Report provides the following:
1. The Program Overview
2. The Teacher's Conference
3. Jack Beeksma's Perspective.
1. Program Overview:
Friday, July 11
- Team arrived in San Pedro Sula.
- Traveled to Choluteca
Saturday, July 12
- Settled into host family house
- Orientation
- Prepared plans for school lessons
Sunday, July 13
- Trip to the beach
- Went to church in the evening
Monday, July 14
- Taught lessons at school in the morning
- Shopped for supplies
- Prepared for children’s program in the afternoon
Tuesday, July 15
· Taught lessons at school in the morning
· Led children’s program in Choluteca in the afternoon
Wednesday, July 16
- Taught lessons at school in the morning
- Shopped for supplies in the afternoon
- Led children’s program in the village of Laure in the afternoon
Thursday, July 17
- Taught lessons at school in the morning
- Had a farewell lunch with teachers
- Led a short workshop of some language and math ideas
- Went to pool in the afternoon
Friday, July 18
- Went to school in the morning to see the Lempira Day celebrations
- Traveled to village of El Naranjo in the afternoon
- Stayed overnight in village
Saturday, July 19
- Built and painted benches with church members in El Narnajo
- Led children’s program at church in El Naranjo
- Traveled back to Choluteca
Sunday, July 20
- Went to church in the morning
- Traveled to Tegucigalpa in the afternoon
- Settled into Diaconia Nacional office
Monday, July 21
- Taught lessons at schools in the morning
- Did a few errands in the afternoon
Tuesday, July 22
- Taught lessons at schools in the morning
- Shopped for school supplies in the afternoon
Wednesday, July 23
- Taught lessons at schools in the morning
- Hung out with some of the teachers in the afternoon
Thursday, July 24
- Taught lessons at schools in the morning
- Traveled to conference center in the afternoon
- Led conference in the evening
Friday, July 25
- Led conference in the morning
- Went to a park with teachers in the afternoon
- Led conference in the evening
Saturday, July 26
- Led conference in the morning
- Traveled to Juticalpa and Catacamas in the afternoon
- Settled into new host families
Sunday, July 27
- Rested and went to church with host families
Monday, July 28
- Taught lessons at schools in the morning
- Met in Juticalpa to do errands and visit
Tuesday, July 29
- Taught lessons at schools in the morning
- Toured the town and did some shopping
Wednesday, July 30
- Taught lessons at schools in the morning
- Went to caves with teachers in the afternoon
Thursday, July 31
- Taught lessons at schools in the morning
Friday, August 1
- Visited schools to say goodbye
- Traveled to Tegucigalpa
- Debriefing and evaluation
Saturday, August 2
- Team departed for home, etc
2. Teacher's Convention:
This year was the 6th conference for Christian school teachers in Honduras. The teachers from five Christian Honduran schools are invited to attend. This year there was excellent attendance by all of the schools. There were about 40 Honduran teachers in attendance. The conference was held at a conference center close to Tegucigalpa. It began on Thursday, July 24 and finished on Saturday, July 26. The following is a summary of what happened at the conference.
Thursday, July 24
- We all traveled together to the conference center. Everyone got settled into their rooms and we had supper together.
- Devotional led by the Juan Calvino school from Choluteca led in a time of singing and devotions
- Session 1: Christian Values – Heidi began the session discussing what it means to be a Christian teacher and how we are like a gardener – we tend our students and try to give them the best care needed, but when they grow it is always a miracle of God, it is because of what God has placed inside them and we are merely helping them to develop those gifts. Each teacher was given a package of seeds to remind us of that. After we had a short discussion of what we had worked on last year – what kind of student do we want to see graduate from our school? And how can we do that? A hand out was given with a summary of what was developed last year. One of the things that came out last year was that we wanted to form students with values, Christian values. Thus was asked what specific values are we trying to form. As a group we brainstorm and wrote the ideas on coloured paper and taped them to the front wall. Then we divided into nine groups and each group chose and specific value and created a poster showing how we could form that value in our students. Teachers were asked to think about specific actions that they could do. After a time working in groups each group presented their poster to the rest. We closed in prayer and dismissed for the evening.
Friday, July 25
- We had breakfast together
- Devotional led by the Emanuel school from Juticalpa
- Session 2: Enduring Understanding - We began with a reading of Colossians 1:15-20 and a short discussion about how we want our teacher to have some lasting value, not just for today. We were reminded that we teach more than just how to add to what the capitals of the countries are, that is it all about God and that everything begins with the belief that He holds everything in his hands. We presented a way to develop units with key questions that help our students develop enduring understandings. We shared five ideas of what an enduring understanding is – it is something that lasts longer that the school year, it is more than just information and facts, it is something that cannot be answers with just one answer or with a simple answer, it is something that engages the students, and it is something that leads the students to a deeper relationship with God. Then we presented a unit about the Human Body that is taught in BC. We presented the content that has to be taught and then four questions that can help to develop Enduring Understanding. After explaining the process the teachers divided into their grade level groups and chose a unit that they teach to develop Enduring Understanding for. We had a few Social Studies books available for reference. When all the groups were finished they presented what they had done to the rest of the group.
- Break and snack
- Session 3: Classroom Management – We had a short discussion about classroom management and what works and what does not work in our classrooms. This was a whole group discussion as time was a bit short.
- Lunch
- Trip to the park
- Supper
- Devotional led by John Calvin school from Tegucigalpa
- Session 4: Talent and Fun – Some of the schools had some talent prepared and they presented it to everyone. We had two fun activities prepared. The first was to make a tower with marshmallows and toothpicks. The teachers worked in their school groups to build their structure. The closing activity was for each school group to sit in a circle with a ball of yarn. They threw the yarn to each other and shared something that they appreciate about each other. This activity was good for building communion among the school groups.
- Dismiss for the evening
Saturday, July 26
§ Breakfast
§ Devotional led by El Verbo school from Tegucigalpa
§ Session 5: Reading – Together we read a short reading called The Best Teacher. After reading teachers shared their thoughts about it. It was a powerful discussion because many teachers had had teachers that marked them in some way – either for good or for bad. It led us all to consider the great responsibility that we have as teachers, especially as Christian teachers.
§ Session 6: Finish the Tale Activity – Half of a Spanish folk tale was read to the teachers. In their school groups they made up a drama or picture or song about how the tale ended. Each group presented their idea to the rest. After the rest of the tale was given to the teachers.
§ Closing: Words of closing and thanks were given by Blanca from WWCS and from a representative from each school and from Heidi from CTABC. There was a short discussion about next year’s conference and where to have it. We closed in prayer and sang a song together.
§ Lunch
§ Return to our homes
3. Jack Beeksma's Experience
This is a summary, and some brief reflections, of the Bridging Cultures trip to Honduras during the summer of 2008:
Summary
There were five team members (Heidi Kerssies – team leader from Wasaga Beach ON, Patience Lutzmann – from Vernon BC, Michelle Drieger – from Surrey ON, Liz Freeman – from Georgetown ON, and Jack Beeksma – from Prince George BC).
The five of us met in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Sat. July 12. Upon arrival, we hopped into a heavily-populated van and drove the 8+ hours to our first stop, Choluteca. After being welcomed by our hosts, attending church there on Sunday, and being welcomed by the school (John Calvin Christian Reformed School) on Monday morning, we taught at the school from Monday to Thurs. mornings (due to the heat, the schoolday in Honduras generally runs from 7 am-12 noon). On Wed. afternoon, we went to the outlying town of Laure, and did our children’s program (Jonah and the Whale) there. Then, back to Choluteca at night. Friday was a holiday of sorts (Lempira Day), and there were parades and festivities to mark the occasion.
On Friday night, July 18 we went to the outlying town of El Naranjo. Our main purpose in going there was to assist the church in making some church pews, but a secondary purpose (perhaps more important) was to provide support for the pastor and his family. We unloaded the wood, paint, hammers, nails, etc. on Friday night and walked from the main road to the pastor’s house (about half an hour in the driving rain). After spending the night at the pastor’s house, we constructed the pews on Sat. morning and presented a children’s program (Jonah and the Whale) on Sat. afternoon. Then, it was back to Choluteca for the night and for church the next morning.
From Choluteca, we took a memorable bus ride to the capital city of Tegucigalpa. We taught in two schools there – John Calvin Bilingual School, and the Spanish school called “El Verbo”.
On Thurs. July 24, we traveled to the one half hour or so to the site of the Christian teachers’ convention. After checking into our rooms, having supper, helping Heidi with final preparations for the sessions, the conference began. The conference ran from Thurs. 24th-Sat. 26th. Heidi did an amazing job of leading the Honduran Christian school teachers through various activities that helped the teachers to better integrate their Christian faith into their teaching. As well as exploring Christian perspective in teaching, teachers were led in activities to deepen staff unity and other activities that were, well, just plain fun. Much work, much improvement in the craft of teaching, but also much laughter. Evaluations (written by the teachers) show that this conference was very beneficial to those in attendance.
After the conclusion of the conference, we traveled by bus to our last stop - three of us to Catacamos, and two of us to Juticalpa (about 45 minutes from each other). We taught in the Christian schools there, and enjoyed the hospitality of our host families. After our time there (about 4 days), we went back to Tegucigalpa to prepare for our next step. On the night of Aug. 1, we had a final meal/meeting together. During this time, we evaluated our experience and shared what God had taught us during our time in Honduras.
On Aug. 2, 4 of us flew out of Tegucigalpa to our different destinations (Heidi stayed in Honduras for a few more days). Each one of us took away different lessons and memories of this unforgettable 3 weeks in Honduras. Here are two lessons this trip has taught me:
1. There is a definite connection between a person’s level of joy/contentment/generosity and the number of their possessions. I have been to several third-world nations (Nigeria, Nicaragua, Honduras), in addition to having lived in Canada for years… and I’ve found this to be true. People who have little (in terms of possessions) seem to be much more content with life and much more willing to share what they have than those who have much.
A quick story to illustrate this: During our time in Honduras, we visited a pastor and his family in the town of El Naranjo. He had very little, yet he opened his home so that our large group could sleep at his place and eat several meals there. On the night we stayed at his house, many people slept in hammocks. I could not get comfortable in my hammock, and so I was prepared to sleep sitting up in a chair. The pastor would have nothing of that, and insisted I sleep in one of the few beds he had in his house… his own! I wonder what the likelihood is of this scene playing out in North America.
2. There certainly are benefits from short-term missions efforts, but there is also a need to address deeper structural injustices. Certainly it was rewarding to provide educational materials to the Honduran schools. Certainly it was a thrill to see the faces of Honduran teachers and students light up as they received materials that they cannot afford. Yet, there is a need to do more. I’m presently exploring the “how to” of this.
During our travels, we noticed two things that point to an underlying injustice:
1. North American chain stores all over Honduras. Why would places like Pizza Hut, Burger King, and McDonalds (to name only a few) set up in Honduras? Could it be because labour is so much cheaper there?
2. Some food items and packaging which have been banned in North America are present in Honduras. Could that be because the companies have products they want to sell, and therefore dump them into countries that have less stringent regulations?
Sincerely,
Jack Beeksma
Honduras 2008
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