Monday Misconceptions: Week 2

This post is part of a series focused on misconceptions about TeachBeyond.  Are you wondering what TeachBeyond is all about?  Check back for new posts on Mondays - or if you can't wait, check out teachbeyond.org!

Misconception #2:  You need to be fluent in another language.

"But I don't know another language!"  There is a common assumption that you need to be bilingual to serve overseas.  For Bible translators and church planters, knowing the language of the host country is essential to the effectiveness of the work.

The nature of the ministry of TeachBeyond is a bit different.  The vast majority of roles within TeachBeyond are carried out in English.  Most of our partners are international or bilingual schools, which means that English is the common language of communication or one of two primary languages of instruction.

New TeachBeyond members are not required to attend pre-field language school.  We recognize that their primary mission fields are their classrooms, residence halls, and offices, and as such, most of their ministry will be conducted in English.

We do, however, strongly encourage our members to study language.  Being able to engage with neighbors and other "locals" opens incredible doors of opportunity.  I'll never forget praying for my landlady the night before she was scheduled to have surgery.  It was the first time I had prayed aloud in German, and it was a sacred moment.

Am I glad that I had taken four years of German before moving to Germany?
Absolutely.
Were there people at Black Forest Academy who knew next to no German?
Yes, there were.

If God is calling you to go, commit some time to studying language before you get on a plane.  But if you haven't taken a Spanish class since eighth grade, don't let that preclude you from considering TeachBeyond.

Chiang Rai International Christian School, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Monday Misconceptions: Week 1

This post is the first in a series focused on misconceptions about TeachBeyond.  Are you wondering what TeachBeyond is all about?  Check back for new posts on Mondays - or if you can't wait, check out teachbeyond.org!

Misconception #1:  TeachBeyond is only for certified teachers.

TeachBeyond.  Since 2009, this name has helped to accurately portray our focus on educational ministry around the world.  However, contrary to this misconception, TeachBeyond is not just for teachers.

1.  Many positions do not require teacher certification.  From school nurse to IT, dorm parent to business manager, there are many roles that don't involve teaching.  Each of these is key to the process of transformational education!  Simply put: Without them, schools couldn't run.

2.  We provide TESOL training.  We have a number of opportunities for teaching English Language Learners (ELL), both in national and international school settings.  Most of these don't require a four-year degree in TESOL, but we don't want to send untrained ELL teachers without equipping them.  Every June, there are three weeks of TESOL training through the Institute of Cross-Cultural Training and Wheaton College's TESOL Department.  In addition, members who are interested in further study may pursue an M.A. in TESOL and Intercultural Studies through an affiliation with Wheaton College.

3.  A subject-area bachelor's degree may be sufficient.  Depending on the position and school, there may be opportunities to teach a subject that you have studied, such as a foreign language or art. Many of our schools will also consider applicants who have degrees in core subject areas, such as science and math, that are difficult at times to fill with certified teachers.  In many of those scenarios, we can help these new teachers gain temporary certification through ACSI.  We also provide an intensive one-day tutorial geared to those lacking formal education training, as well as the option of ongoing mentorship by an experienced teacher.

We do love inquiries from certified teachers!  If you've been through an education program, you know how beneficial it is to know about and have experience with classroom management, evaluation, and differentiation.  However, we don't want our non-educator friends to think that TeachBeyond is out of the question!

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.  If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory!"  1 Peter 4:10-11

Hope for 2017

As I was writing Christmas and New Year's greetings to friends, I found myself writing (and praying) this over and over again: "May Jesus fill you with true hope as you trust Him with 2017!"

Hope.  It's a word we hear a lot this time of year.  We hope that this new year will be even better than the one before it.  We hope we will find success, fulfillment, direction.  We make wishes and hope they come true.

The thing is, we aren't guaranteed any of those things.  While we can rely on God's provision and protection, we don't get to decide which gifts are perfect (James 1:17) and from what He should defend us (2 Thess. 3:3).  We desire control over our circumstances and long for confidence that 2017 will exceed our expectations, but our omniscient Father asks us to surrender and follow (Psalm 9:10).

According to Romans 5, our hope comes not from knowing what's ahead, but knowing the One who has already gone ahead.  Hope develops as we persevere through the most challenging of circumstances.  And hope rests in the finished work of Christ, who reconciled us to Himself "while we were yet sinners."

So, at the dawn of this New Year, "let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess" (Hebrews 10:23).  Whether our circumstances seem hopeful in our eyes or not, let's allow God's character and promises be our firm foundation.  May He fill us to overflowing with true hope as we trust in Him (Romans 15:13)!