Speaking of looking back, I will be moving back to Australia in June this year. My original commitment was for two years (until June this year), and I did consider extending a further year for a while. Leaving here will be heartbreaking as it really has become home. But God has given me a vision to use education to change the world - at least one small part of the world anyway. I want to use education to raise up students who are critical thinkers and world changers - leaders filled with compassion who will go on to do great things for God and their country. Students who do more than learn from books but are truly in touch with their local community and are given the highest standard of education possible. I want to be able to discuss with an individual student their dreams and aspirations and then teach what they need to know to achieve their absolute potential. A very fitting quote:
Amen! Teaching at Hope has been a special part of my journey, but not a perfect fit for someone who wants to change the way education is done. I am filled with so much love for my students though, and having a cruisy job has allowed me to study which will be great for the future. So, the best is yet to come!
Enough passionate education talk....what else has been happening? Study has been a bit crazy as I'm doing double the subject load now. My original finish date was June 2018, but in returning to Aus I want to finish by February 2018 in time for whatever is next. I have had some crazy weekends smashing out 2000 word essays in a single day (and passing, which is rather miraculous!) Despite the pressure, the content is really thought-provoking and I'm loving the course.
The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the students in my class (+ me!) are struggling to concentrate/stay awake/not leave sweat marks on everything we touch. The school is fundraising to get fans in our classrooms, which in total will cost about $2000. If you want to donate, let me know!!!
Time for some photos. This last month we spent a week ignoring the textbooks and hosted our own Science Fair! It was so fantastic to see the students go from choosing their experiment, designing and conducting it, then presenting their findings in an interesting way for parents and younger students. They learnt so much from the process, and were so professional in explaining their projects to others. Proud teacher moment!
