MK Boarding School

Looking back on my first year at RVA I started to see the differences between a missionary boarding school and a private Christian school in the States.  There is the obvious fact that the students have missionary parents and live away from their parents on campus, but that also means that they live next to their teachers.  It is this fact that really hit me looking back.  As a teacher in the States I loved my spending time with my students in the classroom and felt I got to know them, but at RVA I'm not only teaching my students I also spend time with them on the weekends, going to their games, having them over for activities in my home and eating meals with them.  My job at RVA is not just being a teacher, I am here for the kids on another level.  I realized this fact when I thought back to who I spent the most time with at RVA, although its true I have some adult friends on campus, at least half of my social engagements were with the kids.  This fact helped to explain the difference I was told is true of a missionary school, when compared to a State school.

Starting a new school year I was hit yet again by the differences found in an MK school.  Having started a new school year as a teacher 8 times I noticed that the kids here at RVA seem more emotional the first week of school, and for good reason.  They have just left their families for another three months.  Add that to settling into a new house on campus, with a new roommate, new dorm parents, and possibly a new timezone, the first week of school is understandably emotional.  With this in mind please pray for the students here at RVA as they transition yet again.  Pray for us as teachers to know how to reach out and show them love in the midst of this.

More soon...