Back to School

No, the summer is not over quite yet - but the end is coming very quickly!  But for me, I begin my "job" at ECA (Evangelical Christian Academy) today.

ECA

ECA is a small Christian school that is based on the American school system.  It is located outside of Madrid and serves about 90 students, with the majority being MKs (missionary kids).  Almost all the teachers are missionaries and do not receive a salary from the school, but instead live off of faith partnerships just like we do.  Without this school, many missionaries would not be able to remain in Spain.  The Spain school system has many positives, but it is very different from the US system.  Graduates who want to return to the states for college would have a very hard time without a lot of extra supplement in the home.  Plus, if you arrive in your teen days, there is the whole language problem.

Last year I ended up teaching one class (12th grade English) to help in an emergency situation (a teacher had to leave the field suddenly due to a family crisis).  I was invited back this year, but in a totally different role.

Our primary role here in Spain remains church planting, but I will devote about 20% of my time to the school.  I will not be in the classroom this year, but instead working with new teachers in a coaching/mentoring atmosphere as well as planning professional development for the whole staff.   I love the process of education and the excitement of watching teachers become better teachers.   I believe in the power of education and its ability to change the world.  I also remember those first years in the classroom when I wondered what in the world I was thinking when I decided to become a teacher.  

John F Kennedy said "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource."  I believe that quote.  I believe that education will be what transforms our nations and our world.  It is a great responsibility to teach, but it is also a fabulous privilege. 

My new role is excited because it is completely flexible.  I can come and go as I need and as things work around our primary ministry responsibilities.  I have no set schedule (I might drive the admin crazy at the school as they try to figure out when I will be there) and no deadlines.  This is beginning to feel like heaven!

The majority of my time will be with new teachers - teachers who are either new to teaching or new to teaching TCKs (Third Culture Kids - kids who have a home culture - for us America - living in another culture - for us Spanish - and create in reality a 3rd culture from the two - another blog post about this coming soon).  I get to serve as a coach/mentor to them.  I get to serve as a sounding board for questions, ideas, and frustrations.  I get to lead and direct conversations and discussions.  I get to encourage and comfort.  I get to celebrate and rejoice.  I get to have them all over to my house once a month.  Doesn't this job sound perfect for me?

Today is my first coaching session.  I can't wait! 

Beach Culture in Italy

I have learned to not be surprised by most cultural differences between not only the USA and Europe, but also between Spain and other countries, such as Italy.  I was prepared for language differences, food differences, driving differences, different dress codes, ... but I was not prepared for the huge difference in beach culture.

We spent today on one of the limited public beaches around Naples, Italy.  Most beaches are private and you pay for a chair and an umbrella on the beach.  With the beach being public I expected it to be more crowded (in US terms, not Spanish) and perhaps to see more differences in dress code (surprisingly, topless bathing did not exist at all).  What I did not expect was for the entire time on the beach to be in the midst of a moving vendors. 


All day different people selling different items were walking between the towels and umbrellas to offer their wares.  There were typical beach items such as floats, sand buckets, and towels, but the list kept going.  You could buy a bathing suit (uh, if you are at the beach, isn't it a little late?), sunglasses, and cover-ups.  OK - so maybe those are still in my "normal" perspective (being from Florida and Myrtle Beach areas).   But then it got different - how about a henna tattoo, or a knock-off designer purse, or a belt?  Clothes, fresh coconut, jewelry, CD's, roasted peanuts, phone covers, and bandannas?

Being that I am fair skinned and would turn into a lobster if I sat out in the sun all day, I enjoyed sitting under my umbrella and watching these vendors.  Nothing like "beach side service."

Beauty

We have seen some incredible sites here in Italy.  We have walked through ruins that are more than 2000 years old.  We have stared in amazement at the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.  But yesterday, as I donned my snorkel and mask and headed out into the Mediterranean I realized that man can never out build or create any beauty greater than that of God's. 

These pictures don't do it justice, although Scott did a fabulous job with photography.  The place is breathtaking and serene and just simply gorgeous! 

We had to hike down about 30 minutes and it never really crossed my mind how steep we were going.  We enjoyed a picnic, jumped off the ledge, we swam into a cove, we explored the crystal clear waters, and then returned to our car.  Uh - what goes down, must go up when it comes to hiking.  I thought I was gonna die!  But the beauty was worth the pain (which I am still feeling in my legs today)!

He Passed!

Whoever said Spanish was an easy language to learn must not have ever really studied it completely.  With 14 major verb tenses, a sentence structure opposite of English, a reflexive pronoun scheme that makes inanimate objects capable of doing things, a subjunctive tense for hopes, dreams, and wishes, and a double r that is supposed to be rolled, we have found that speaking Spanish well is one thing, speaking Spanish properly is a whole different story!

SEND requires us to reach a B2 level.  This means that we can (according to the test administrators):

• Understand the gist of complex texts about concrete or abstract themes, even technical texts, provided that they are within the candidates’ field of specialization.
• Interact with native speakers with sufficient fluency and spontaneity, so that communication does not constitute an effort for the interlocutors.
• Produce clear and detailed texts about diverse topics, as well as defend a point of view on general topics, stating the pros and cons of the different options.

It means we have reached a level of fluency that we can participate in activities that require public speaking - such as preaching and teaching.

 In terms most Americans with teenagers can understand, a student passing the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam would pass the B1 exam, although would have some of the skills required for B2.

This week with great trepidation we opened Scott's language scores and the words we wanted to see were there!

Translated:  The final grade is:  Passed!

We have now both passed the language exam and are deemed fluent, although we both know that there is still so much to learn in regards to speaking Spanish.  We can communicate and we can usually be understood, but we are not natives and will be learning for the rest of our lives!