A Newsletter's A Coming!

Well, hello, folks!

This will be brief, as I am still pressed for time, but I wanted to finally write something here again. It has been a busy stretch of time, as most of my stretches of time here have been. That's not a bad thing because it keeps me from being bored, but it also doesn't seem like a real reflection of life and goodness. So, I am hoping that after our retreat to Xi'an in a little over a week, I can try to be a little ahead of schedule and not have to go so day-to-day to make things work for me.

Coming to you soon will be my first newsletter. It is brief, as it's hard to say a lot in only one sheet of paper, but it gives a nice update of some things. I hope you'll enjoy it. In the meantime, I thought I'd write to say how my new teaching method is going.

This last week, I decided to change my teaching method a bit. Previously, I lectured directly on the textbook material, but I incorporated many games and challenging activities to get the students to think of the material in new ways. I wanted to see how well they could work with foreign ideas (many Chinese students do not spend much time working on problem solving skills). So, with this new approach, I have placed a lot of the learning responsibility back on the students.

Now, for each new concept we come across in our text, I decide if the concept adds value to their knowledge of understanding business, and potentially life as well. If I deem it worthy of discussion, then I have the students discuss the topic in one of several ways. Sometimes it involves acting out different situations. Sometimes they have to be the "teacher" for a little while and prepare a small discussion for the other students. Sometimes I have them take opposing sides of an argument and make them defend their side. Sometimes I have one team present an idea, and other teams can agree or disagree with their ideas. All-in-all, it really provides for some very intriguing discussions. You can truly see how their thought processes are different from our own, as they do not often go about problem solving in the way we do. It's very intriguing. And I'll be interested to see how this continues to go after more weeks of this approach.

But for now I must go play tennis with some students. But keep me accountable. I have 24 tests to finish grading before tomorrow, on top of my usual Sunday activities. Ah! Always so busy. But having a great time, too. How are you?

Tired, But Encouraged

Well, week 2 of teach is now well underway. Here are some things I've learned:

1) Teaching is TIRING
2) Lesson planning in TIRING
3) Coffee is GOOD :D
4) Watching students' eyes open brightly with understanding is REWARDING
5) It really pays off to be a CREATIVE teacher (thanks, Mom, for all your good ideas and inspiration)
6) All work and no play really is a BAD IDEA
7) Prayer is PIVOTAL to every aspect of our lives
8) It is not fun having a cough that will not GO AWAY
9) No matter how slowly you speak, some things just do not translate across CULTURES
10) YELLING is not a good motivator, but honest, sober DISCIPLINE accomplishes a lot

Class A, also known as "Full House" (after a Korean show, not poker or the American show), has been a great class for me. I have posted some pictures on my picture site if you'd like to see them. They are very animated, friendly, and they also seem to be very intelligent. I'm almost a little sad that at the end of this week, I will go to teach Class B, aka "Fantastic 24." But I'm excited about their class, too, as Rick (my teammate) tells me that they are a good and well behaved bunch.

Teaching is an interesting sort of occupation. It really does require you to pour yourself quite a bit in order to be effective and capable of gaining trust, respect, and favor in your students' eyes. But making that effort really seems worth it. It is a pretty great feeling to share a complex concept with the students and see them be able to grasp it and then perfectly complete an exercise that utilizes the skills just taught. I just hope they retain this stuff as well as they learn it initially!

But, all the many great things aside, I am still very tired. There is still so much preparation involved in each day's activities. I think this will get easier as I go, but I know that this entire first semester will just be tough. And I have had a nagging cough through it all. I don't know why it isn't going away either. Very annoying, for sure.

Anyway, I have passed on my afternoon nap today (they are almost a requirement for sanity) to write this because I realize I haven't given many updates lately. So, even though it isn't the best of my writings or stories, I hope you'll know it means a lot for this to be here. And perhaps when there is another block of free time, I can write about some of the fun things I've done here!

Everybody take care of themselves, let me know how you're doing, and continue praying diligently for all things and all the saints!

Prayer and Some Arrival Details

For those interested in the prayer article, click on the "Detour" sign above, or just click here! I can't guarantee its complete validity, but I can say that Rick and I have at least seen some of the sermon's principles at work here, so we are encouraged to continue praying daily. Here is the original blog post below.

Whew! A lot has happened since our arrival. I wish I could explain to you everything that has been going on, but for time and other considerations I will not. But suffice it to say, it has been an amazing time, full of many good things and anticipation for many more.

Some news items: We did arrive safely. I suffered from what I think was bronchitis combined with the flu for about 5 days. I'm still not completely over it, but for all practical purposes, I'd say I'm well again. I have been getting to know the lay of the land, some of the students from previous years, some friends of our program, and the other foreign teachers here. I may not get to mention them in great detail, but Peter and Glenn are the two other foreign teachers who live in our building. Peter is from Sweden, but he has spent many years in America as well (and even New Zealand, so we had some fun stories to share). Glenn is from England, and his love for soccer runs deep and true. Both of these guys are great fun, and I am thankful to have them here in addition to my teammate Rick.

Rick and I begin our teaching tomorrow morning. Wow. That really blows my mind. Day 1 should be pretty easy, I think, but it has a lot of formalities involved as well. Let's all hope that I am truly prepared to meet the challenges ahead of me (and the same for Rick!). I know this year will not be a cakewalk. I know some wrenches are going to be thrown our way. But I cannot deny that our time here has been met with so much blessing already that it's hard to believe that there are not big things in store for the year ahead.

Now, for your homework assignment. I have placed a link on the picture at the top of this post. It is to a sermon that Rick and I have come across (actually, one of Rick's friend heard this pastor speaking and wanted to know more, so this is a taste of what was out there). I know many of you come from many different backgrounds and beliefs, but I want each of you to read this sermon and give it some deep consideration. I cannot vouch with full validity of the things discussed in this sermon. They challenge my mind and world views quite a bit, but I tell you with all honesty - Rick and I have been living like what is in there is true, while asking for correction if it is not, and thus far, we have not been disappointed in the results. So much so that I think you would be remiss to dismiss this information without first giving it a try yourself. Perhaps with a friend - it is easier to stay vitalized with someone sharing the burden. But I want you all to try this, and tell me if the flames are not felt in your life and in the lives of the people you meet.

Now I have to go to bed. Blessings to you all. Your lives have enriched mine, and I am thankful for that.

Some Good News

Well, there are still a lot of unanswered questions here as training begins to wind down, but I have had some good news come my way lately. We had to turn in all of our lesson plans yesterday. Thank goodness that is done! Well, at least for now. They will need to be tweaked in country, but I finished the full year's worth of classes. As an added bonus, my instructors told me they were very pleased with my lesson plans and thought they would serve me well.

My other piece of good news is that it seems God has already been faithful in transforming me into the teacher I need to be. Just recently we had another practice teaching session, and it seems I've come a long way since our first practice teaching session. My nerves calmed down a good bit, my examples were relevant, easy to understand, and were conducive to discussion among the students. I still need to slow down my speech pattern a bit, and I will need to be diligent about repeating information several times over to make sure the students know all the words I'm using and understand the concepts I'm talking about before I go onto the next idea. But, according to my instructors, I'm really quite ready to go teach abroad! Thank you, Lord, for being so swift in revealing your goodness in me!

We are beginning to wind things down here, and the thought of going abroad is just now starting to sink in. Wow! It's a little intimidating, honestly. Comfort zone, get ready to be blasted away. But, man, God's faithfulness to me has been so abundantly present to me during this time of training, there's no way I can be fearful about what's ahead. Obviously He has already had His hand on me, blessing my steps and me with constant outpourings of His goodness and glory. And for those of you who know me well, you know that I am not the most optimistic, happy-go-lucky person in my times of reflection - so for me to be this pleased with my circumstances is a true testament to the fact that God has gone over and above to meet me in this time.

Alas, training isn't over yet, and I have another class to attend RIGHT NOW. Ah! Hope you're all doing well. Write me when you can. I'll do my best to return the courtesy :)

Week 3 - Closed for Repairs

Are we there yet? No! In fact, I have 1 more entire week devoted to lesson planning before I get to rest. And by rest, I mean get on a 10+ hour plane ride, have a little more orientation, and then get on a 10 hour train ride. Woo hoo! Hahaha. Nah, it's not that bad, really.

In all honesty, I am pretty tired of making, refining, refining, and refining lesson plans. But, as always, I know there is a lot of value in getting these things mapped out before I depart. This week was also a little more difficult because I have actually gotten sick. I am definitely trying to get in rest where I can, but there isn't always a lot to be had. I am eating well and taking my vitamins, but I guess with allergy problems and sleep deprivation, I could only expect to go so long before I was hit with something. Let's hope it passes quickly.

The friendships that I've been building here have been great. God has truly brought together some great people with great visions to this place. The only disappointing thing about it is that, after we all get on our planes, I won't see any of them again (except for my teammate) until our first retreat, 90 days into our time abroad. But for now, they are here, and I am truly enjoying my time with them.

What else? I am reminded of how much I really, really love having a world filled with music. When you find yourself going from class to class all day long with few breaks in between, there isn't a lot of time to hear and sing along to some good melodies. I guess one of the good things about lesson planning time is that I can generally put on my headphones and enjoy some tunes for a while. It's great to see how much peace and enjoyment I get from these times. I hope God will always keep a good song in my heart or in my ears, as it is something that instantly reveals His goodness to me.

For those of you who can, I would love prayer for a strong finish. This upcoming week is our last one here, and things must be wrapped up before I go. So, as I continue to get well, I hope that God will bless me with increasing mental vigor to really come up with some great lesson plans to share with my students. I think I will enjoy the challenges of teaching, but I will definitely need some divine guidance to help me become the teacher I need to be.

How are things in your world? Let me hear from you if you have time!

Training, Week 2 - Preparations

Week 2 is down, and I'm already in the midst of the excitement of week 3. And while the weight of the world seems to be resting on my every lesson plan, the image that keeps coming to mind is a scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. I believe Pippin is talking with Gandalf as they look over the Pelennor Fields. I can't remember the exact line, but Pippin basically says that it's almost harder being on the edge of an inevitable battle than being in the midst of it. This is about how I feel.

I have never really been one who cared a lot for the necessary steps of preparation. Whenever I'd buy a new game, I'd want to start playing it immediately with no regard for reading the instructions. Same situation with things that require assembly or time to put in order. Maybe this is just part of being a guy, but I'd much rather head straight into the battle to see what I'm up against than to have to spend excessive amounts of time dealing with the "theory" of the battle, prior to engaging in it. But it seems I have much to learn from this time of being patient, being molded, and finally (hopefully) being transformed into a real, honest-to-goodness overseas business teacher.

I am thankful that, at this place, there is much encouragement and plenty of affirmation among all the critiques. They do not bloat our egos, but they do not crush our souls either - a fine balance, indeed. And I am thankful to see that, even though my teammate and I are very different people, it seems we actually do work pretty well together. I'm sure we'll face many hardships once we're abroad, but it's great to see true community here, and I hope I will remember it in the hard times ahead.

Thanks to all of you who have been sending me some really, truly wonderful notes of encouragement, in addition to keeping me up to date of what all is happening in your lives. I will do my best to respond to each of you personally as time is available.

But for now, I am still finding out just how important sleep is. Don't worry, Mom, I'm not sick - but I would greatly appreciate any of you who might offer prayers for continued health. Some days I feel a good bit sluggish, and it becomes hard to give 100% to all the tasks of the day. But the crazy thing is - I actually WANT to give 100% to them all - how often does that happen?!?!?! Okay, well, maybe a few exercises I'm not too thrilled about, but you get the picture.

Love you all. Get some rest for me, too :)

Teaching...Knowing really is only HALF the battle

Today I had my first trial run as a business teacher. My instructor encouraged me by telling me in confidence that he wished he had 20 of me to send to China. However, that kindness aside, the other comments from him and the rest of my reviewers were overwhelmingly that my teaching style is best suited to American students, not Chinese ones. I am realizing that I’m going to have to be retrained in my presentation skills. And, while I know that over time these things will gradually be worked out in me, I figured I would post some prayer requests on here that you might consider offering for me in the meantime. I would truly love if God’s heart was moved to see my instincts supernaturally changed. Here are the areas where it seems I need the most change/prayer:

Use shorter sentences
Use smaller, less complex words
Use more relevant examples from Chinese culture
Wait for more responses from students, despite their silence
Incorporate less complex logic into conveying ideas
Learn to use the chalkboard as often as possible

I realize that there may be many good things for the Lord to show me through this transformation process. So, I will certainly be patient as my instincts are changed. But, as quickly as I can progress through this process and not miss the critical lessons He has in store for me, I would ask Him to bless me with an expedited path to proficiency as a Chinese teacher. I hope, if you remember me before Him, you might ask for similar things, or feel free to offer your own insights.