Friday, February 13, 2009

A New Semester Begins at JETS


We are now three weeks into the new semester (and the final one for me.) This time around, I am teaching two sections of first year English for the Bachelor students; in fact, I AM the freshman English department at JETS (Jos/ECWA Theological Seminary). Kind of a scary thought, actually! I’m sad to report that my colleague, Abi Hunt, has moved on. She and her husband are moving up to the Kano area in northern Nigeria where the needs are even greater, spiritually and academically. I am very thankful for the semester Abi helped me. I am feeling much more comfortable now dealing with cultural issues and am more familiar with the academic needs of the students. I could not have been an effective teacher without Abi’s help initially and am grateful to God for granting her assistance for at least one semester!

I currently have a total of 72 students. I teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 am until 10:45 am. Marking papers so far has been a real challenge. The students need as much individual attention as possible, but there are only so many hours in a day! I definitely need prayers as far as strategies to maximize their learning with the least investment of energy on my part. There is such a range in their abilities and age. Individualizing is another concern. I have to constantly be mindful of my student Nkwe who is completely deaf.

I spent the first semester laying a foundation with the students. This semester we are continuing to work on vocabulary building, the way English words are put together, and the way English sentences are put together. Now we are working our way up to the different types of sentences and writing paragraphs. I am beginning to see some improvement in their understanding and skill in using the English language. It just thrills me to see their progress!

Lisa

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