We got an earlier start today and headed into Darkhan to lead a teaching seminar at a hotel. Robyn, Cecile, Mary Ann, Sherry, Janna, and I all taught different sections of a “Teaching English Strategies” seminar being held for fifty teachers from the area.
I went in with my usual confidence, but was quickly reminded of how fast things can change in the field. The textbook I was going to use for my section, fluency, was not available. I was going to use the Bibles we had brought from the US as my textbooks. But we only had thirty-nine and some forty-three teachers showed up. So, I kinda freaked out…what was I going to do? My whole lesson was planned around using the Bible for a reading test on fluency.
After I calmed down, I began thinking of what to do. One of the local American English teachers suggested that I use her lesson plan and have the teachers read off of her printed plans. I knew this would work, but the material was very dry and didactic. I had planned to read portions of the story of David and Goliath. What to do?
So, after some time sitting around, watching the other teachers do their seminars, I realized that I could write the passages on the board and have someone read it from the stage.
Brook, a Peace Corp volunteer, was at the seminar and said she would write the passages on the board for me – she could write quickly, small, and, most importantly, neatly.
When the group dismissed for lunch, Brook and I stayed and wrote on the board. Brent came in about ten minutes later and reminded us that the Mongolians had bought/prepared this meal for us and that we needed to eat it to show respect to them.
It’s amazing how quickly I forget all the rules of a mission trip. It seemed like the whole morning was all about me and the HUGE problems I was having my lesson plan. (I know it’s hard to convey sarcasm in print, but I’m trying) God used this very small incident to remind me that it isn’t about me.
Ps 51:17 has been heavily on my mind the last few days and I have, of course, been applying it to others. God was showing me, gently and without a two by four, that this was about him and that he was, in fact, in control of the situation.
So, I taught after lunch and had two teachers read out loud from the board. We read two sections from I Chronicles that told the story of David and Goliath. It went fine. Except for one small thing…a teacher had told me at lunch that many of the teachers in crowd had been teaching for a long time and understood English very well. The whole time I
was up there, I just kept thinking about how I hadn’t taught in seven years and how most of them probably already knew the strategies i was giving them. This, of course, wasn’t true, but it’s what I was thinking.
Anyway, it went fine. No major hitches and no one died. I don’t think.
Then, we went to see the Zoo boys (little boys). We had a great time with them and were able to sit and play with them. I have a juggling trick that Kaylie and I made up – I place a bag on her head, toss a bag into the air and grab the bag on her head for my third bag. We demonstrated the trick for them and they immediately lined up to have the bag placed on their heads. It was pretty cool.
