Teaching and Classes and Everything Whitworth Related

I love teaching. From day one it has been obvious to me that this is exactly what God has prepared me for, both educationally and personally. Despite the relentless lecture preps—three new lectures every other day, at least in the first semester—I felt like I thrived rather than just survived. Over the course of the year I experienced the ebb and flow of a semester, the initial excitement and attentiveness of a class of students, coupled with timidity from not knowing one another, to the mid-semester slump of routine and deadlines, to the end-of-semester fatigue but general comfortability with classmates and the professor. Each of my classes—two sections of Introduction to the Bible, two sections of Philippians, and one section each of Messiah and Genesis Themes in Paul’s Letters—developed its own personality. I discovered which classes are easier to teach than others, and which ones I prefer to teach. My least favorite class to teach was Introduction to the Bible, merely because there was so much information to try to cover in one semester, and to do so in a way that is basic enough for those with zero biblical exposure and still challenging for those for whom the bible is a mainstay in their life. I’m not sure I did it well, but I made a valiant effort. On the other end of the spectrum was ‘Genesis Themes in Paul’s Letters’. Whether due to the student make-up or the content or my a little of both, this was such a fun course to teach. And many of the students had high praise for it as well. In a final study session, one student exclaimed to her peer, “I love Paul’s letters! I love this class! I love her (referring to me)!” I was sad for the class to end.

Over the course of the year I also went from knowing no students to recognizing and connecting personally with many, some of whom were in my classes and some of whom were not. I met students for coffee, for lunch, for walks, and welcomed them for chats in my office. It was an absolute joy. I studied with students at a local bakery, swam with students in the Little Spokane River in early May, and spent countless hours building relationships with them elsewhere outside of class. Time and time again I was reminded how wonderful of a gift it is to be here at Whitworth.  

I also loved getting to know my colleagues in the theology department, as well as those in other disciplines. They have all supported and encouraged me in this first year of teaching, becoming in the process some of my closest friends here in Spokane. Additionally, one of the highlights of most weeks was what has now been deemed ‘Beers with Peers’, a Friday afternoon gathering of faculty at the corner pub. The laughs that came from those Friday afternoon gatherings were often what got me through the next week of seemingly endless work.
      There is, of course, much more that can be said; what I've written here barely scratches the surface. Nevertheless, this will have to suffice. :)

of faithfulness and graciousness

The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds (Psalm 145:13b).

Twenty years ago this year I became a Christian.

Sixteen years ago I was baptized.

Fourteen years ago I started at Crown College.

Ten years ago I moved to Kyrgyzstan.

Nine years ago I started at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Six years ago I became the pastor of Mount Republic Chapel of Peace.

Four years ago I started at the University of St Andrews.

This year I will be twenty years a Christian and will complete the PhD.

And in all of it, the one lesson I have learned, which I have carried with me these twenty years and which I carry still, is that God is faithful and gracious. Upon beginning each new adventure, I never knew where it might lead to, but I trusted that God himself would lead me into it. Over the last fifteen years, God has led me on some pretty remarkable adventures: from Minnesota to Lithuania to Kyrgyzstan to Massachusetts to Montana to Scotland, with shorter travels to and adventures in 26 other countries and 40 states in between. I wouldn’t change a minute of any of it.

And now, on the twenty year anniversary of my Christian faith commitment, God continues to lead. He continues to show his faithfulness and grace to me in ways unexpected, surprising, and previously unfathomable.  Most recently, he has done so by giving me a glimpse of my next great adventure: the beginning of the rest of my life.

As you know, I spent the month of November applying for jobs, doing Skype interviews, and even an on-campus interview at the start of December. The majority of these labors end in rejection for students like me; there are just too many PhD-holders and too few university openings. The academic job market is grim, to say the very least.

But God has looked on me with grace.

He has unfolded the map of the next leg of my life’s journey. And not only has he graciously told me what I’ll be doing and where I’ll be going, but both the what and the where are more perfect ends to my goals than I could ever have imagined.

Come July 2015, I will be an Assistant Professor of Theology (Biblical Studies) at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. 

I know. Crazy, right?

My time there at the beginning of December went swimmingly, and from day one, Whitworth and Spokane felt like home—the kind of long-term, earthly home I long for. The theology faculty felt like a family, and the students reminded me of myself at that age. Throughout the three days, as I interacted with faculty, students, and administration alike, I had the overwhelming sense that God could use me and the gifts he has developed in me in that place. I prayed that he would do so; and, as he has done these twenty-plus years now, God heard and answered that prayer.

Whitworth University is an undergraduate, liberal arts institution with approximately 2,300 students from a variety of countries, states, denominations, and even faith backgrounds. It prioritizes the education of students’ minds and hearts, academic freedom to ask the difficult questions currently plaguing the Church and scholarship, and, with faculty from diverse denominations, it seeks to uphold and embrace Christian unity among diversity. The ecumenical but evangelical values of the institution make Whitworth a rather unique Christian liberal arts college. ‘For the 15th consecutive year, Whitworth was ranked in the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report's rankings of the 120 best private colleges and universities in the West’. It is truly a top-notch university, and one that I feel honoured to be invited to join.

Whitworth University’s campus is beautiful, with red brick buildings under the canopy of towering Ponderosa Pines.  It is situated on the very edge of Spokane and, on a clear day, Mount Spokane is visible in the distance. Among other things, its location and atmosphere fit me perfectly. And at only 8.5 hours away, it is one of the closest Christian Colleges to Cooke City, which means that some of you will now never be rid of me. That, in my mind, equals success! 

I am still in a state of shock. To think that God has blessed me with a job before the PhD is even finished, and at such a school and in such a location as this, is mind boggling. But I am so grateful to know the next step, and to know that it is a step that will bring with it the opportunity to put down roots, to build long-term community, to teach, mentor, and be part of scholarship, and finally to have a place officially to call ‘home’.

Thank you for all of your prayers. The Lord heard them and answered them. I know he did mine.

The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds (Psalm 145:13b).

Fingers Crossed

If you’re reading this sometime on Saturday, then I’m probably currently sitting at 30,000 ft. on an aeroplane heading West, perhaps somewhere over the Atlantic. I’m heading to my first on-campus interview. Fingers crossed, it will be my only on-campus interview. This is the result of one of two interviews I had back in mid-November. I continue to await the results of the second (though I’m not terribly confident that it will amount to much).

The school to which I am headed is a top-notch school, and one that I would be honoured to serve at. I hesitate to say where it is just yet; I do enjoy a good surprise. Let’s just say though, that, according to the information I’ve been able to glean about the school and the location, it seems to be a great fit, and I can imagine myself being there for many years to come. What a novel idea!

So, if you’re a prayer, say your prayers for me on this upcoming Monday and Tuesday, December 8th and 9th. On Monday I will give a lecture to an undergraduate group of students and on Tuesday I will present a public lecture on the topic of my research here. Throughout the two days I will also meet with the President, Provost, Dean, Chaplain and a slew of other people. And every moment of every day I will be assessed.

Pray that God’s sovereign plan would be fulfilled. Pray that that sovereign plan would include me landing a job at this school. Pray that my heart for teaching, mentoring, and challenging students of diverse backgrounds and experiences will be evident to all. Pray for confidence and for clarity of communication. In a week’s time I will either be an upcoming Assistant Professor or be back at square one. Pray that God would prepare me for either outcome.

of tutoring and teaching

A tutor who tutored the flute tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor, ‘it’s easier to toot than to tutor two tooters to toot’.

‘Aye, ‘tis indeed’, says this ‘Scottish’ tutor!

This past week marked the end of the teaching elements of this Candlemas Semester at the University of St Andrews. The students now have two weeks with no classes or tutorials or homework in which to prepare for their final exams.

I’m sure they will study hard that final weekend.

(The room at St Mary’s College in which I tutored this year.)

The end of the classroom and teaching elements also marks the end of my role as tutor for the Jesus and the Gospels class, in which I tutored two groups of thirteen students. Twenty-six students from incredibly diverse backgrounds and beliefs, most of whom do not share the Christian faith, all read and studied the four canonical Gospels over the last couple of months. A handful had read the texts at some point in their life, but the majority of them were new to the Bible. Some had a basic understanding of Christian doctrines and the person and work of Jesus, and some were under the impression that Jesus was equally as historically real as Aladdin. For some, Jesus was the Son of God, but not God himself; and for others, the Gospels have no more spiritual authority than the Harry Potter series.

There were some interesting tutorial sessions, to say the least.

I really did enjoy my students and the experience of tutoring for this class, but two important things were confirmed for me in so doing. The first is that I love to teach and want to teach, but I want to teach my students and my information on the basis of my syllabus. Trying to teach someone else’s students, students whom I only see for one hour a week, is actually very difficult. There are no opportunities to build rapport with them, to figure out what they do or don’t need to learn, to figure out their presuppositions, backgrounds, discriminations, etc. This year of tutoring here confirmed in me that I want to write my own syllabi and lesson plans, to organize the information in the way that I think is appropriate, to challenge my students to think in the ways I deem necessary. Tutoring is not teaching, and, though it is a good experience (and the only experience we can get here in British PhD programmes), I want to teach, and I want the whole package.

That package includes the second confirmation, namely that, while I care about the communication of information, my vocational goals do not align with those of the public university or non-Christian liberal arts school. My heart is in the Christian college where the focus is not on the increase of knowledge and debunking Christian ‘myths’, but the process of discipleship and character formation that comes with the increase in knowledge in a person who already has a personal faith commitment. Knowledge is good, and it is important; but ultimately it is not what the university years are all about, particularly for Christian students at Christian colleges. A student at a Christian College can graduate after four years of hard work and focus, but if that student walks across that stage having not been challenged in their person, then that college has failed them, their professors have failed them, and they have failed themselves. My heart is in discipleship and mentoring—teaching students about God in order that they might know God and love God more deeply, to the extent that their person and life are a reflection of that gained knowledge. I don’t want to teach at a public university, or even a non-Christian liberal arts university. I want to teach Christians—students who think they know the Bible, but who really only know a book of stories. I want to teach students who want to go into the pastorate, missions, youth ministry, or any other full-time ministry in which they will teach others about God. I want to teach students who want to make an impact on the world around them, whether in their vocation or in their general lives. I want to know that I’m impacting the declining and biblically illiterate Church in America via my students. That’s where my heart is at and that’s what I yearn to do… some day when I’m no longer the student.

Oh will that day ever come?

The Beginning of the End

This is our most advanced group of students. They call themselves the "Gangsters."

Together are the Gangsters and the lower level class, the Chili Peppers!

The beginning of the end has come. Tonight I said “goodbye” to about half of my students who were all on a three month track. It would have been very difficult to do except for the fact that it all happened so quickly I had little time to consider the reality of the situation and what was taking place. Three things added to the chaos of the evening:

1. The class being taught by my teammate, Cat, was having a “last day of class party” and dragged me away from my class for a few minutes to celebrate with them. They presented us each with a hand made Kyrgyz style purse and had brought cakes and drinks to share. After saying a quick “thanks for everything” and “goodbye” and a toast (which I've grown quite accustomed to) I rushed back to my class.

2. I wasn’t exactly excited to be dragged away from my class for even a short time, because tonight was the class I had waited for and thought about since I signed up to come over here. With Easter approaching, tonight’s lesson was on the history and culture of Easter in America. Students read about the days leading up to Easter and vocabulary in connection with the holiday, including Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, resurrection, crucifixion, Mardi Gras, etc. The second half of the class was spent reading the Passion Play taken directly from Scripture. Together, the students read the words of Pilate, Judas, Peter, Jesus, and other crucial characters in the story. After each scene, I asked comprehension questions as well as discussion questions about the events they had just read. For the Orthodox students, the basis of the story was relatively familiar, but the details and characters were mostly unknown. For the Muslim students, who are the majority, it was the first time most of them had heard any amount of detail on the death and resurrection of Christ. We also talked about the true number of Christians in America. When I asked them what percentage of Americans they think are Christians, answers ranged from 80% to 95%. I was able to explain that most people will claim to be Christian, because that is what their culture or tradition tells them to do, but if they neither believe nor live their life based on the principles of the religion, then they are not truly Christians. It was an amazing opportunity for me to teach on this, a topic that I not only live by but love with my entire being. Now, I pray that the Spirit of God will work in those students’ hearts; that these words resonate in their hearts, minds, and souls, taking them to a place where they simply cannot continue on with life without knowing more about this innocent man, Jesus.

3. Public transportation slows down considerably after 8:00pm here, which is when the class ends. Therefore, after class, trying to take some pictures and cleaning up the party room, the students were off… and out of my life for what is more than likely, forever. Goodbyes were said quickly, hands were shaken, hugs were given and cheeks were kissed (tradition is one kiss on each cheek). And then, they were gone.

So, that’s it. Class will continue with about half the students for another five weeks. I am confident the last five weeks of class will be just as good as the first 7 or 8 months, but that they will go by just as fast. Then, I will be back to Haley, instead of Miss Goranson!

Contract? What is that?

Why is it that no one here understands the purpose or necessity of a contract?

Last week the director of my community classes asked me to meet with her about creating a final one month class at the school. According to our contract, we are to teach two semester of 16 weeks each, but the community classes were arranged by the school to be three month classes. This means that come April 14th, the three months are over and five weeks remain. Some of the students will stay for the final leg of the semester, but many have decided not to continue. There are no longer enough students to fill two classes, so the remaining students must be combined into one class. Gulnor, our director, has never cared about the contract and therefore, has never followed it... until now.

My supervisors have decided that now is the time to lay down the law of the contract. I was told to communicate, in a respectful manner of course, that we will not participate in the formation of a new 5-week class, which from my perspective, is both good and bad. Being asked to do tasks not called for, or sometimes called against, in our contract is something I do not like to experience. She could not care less that it even exists, which is typical of every Kyrgyz citizen. Future teachers will hopefully reap the benefits of this first "laying down of the law" with her. At the same time, however, it is bad for us this year. From April 17th through the end of the school year, my teaching load will be reduced from the already below the contracted amount to even less. This means nothing but more free time for me and less time spent with students in the classroom. I am saddened when I think about how often I will see some of my students, which will sometimes be limited to once a week!

This all made me think about the culture I have grown up in--a culture that upholds contracts to the highest degree. Our perspective is completely opposite of the Kyrgyz perspective, who seem to feel the need to make a contract simply for the sake of having one, but feel no constraint to uphold it. Evidence of this is found quite blatantly in the political system and corruption therein, the family life and divorce rate, and the business arena, all of which only serve to foster the very slow economic and moral development of Kyrgyzstan. To me, upholding a contract is of utmost importance. Not only because our American culture elevates honesty and faithfullness to an agreement, but because God commands it. He expects us to be faithful to the contracts established, because He has been faithful to those He has established and will always be faithful. This is a concept I have not yet seen introduced into this culture... a God who cares enough to keep His promise to His people. Hopefully it will not be long in coming.

They're Only Children You Know?

Last week I searched and searched for a VCR at school that would actually play American videos. There are only what seems to be a total of three in the entire school and a total of two TV's, one at each campus. Shortly after finding one VCR that does actually work for me and being denied its usage (reason being that it belongs to the Language Department and though I teach English, I teach mostly at the second campus, which is still a part of the school. I did not understand and was so stressed), one of the English teachers said something to me, that I can only think about now after-the-fact.

In her strong Russian accent she said to me, "How do you find our students and our school?" Well... seeing as though you've just denied me a weeks worth of lessons in not allowing me to use the only working VCR in the school for no reason whatsoever... do you really want me to answer that right now? "The school is fine and I have been warmly welcomed," I said to her, trying desperately to not show my anger and bitterness at that moment. "And the students?" she said. On this I just had to be truthful... "I like my students as people, but I think they are the laziest students I have ever met, complaining about five minutes of homework for every week, not studying for a simple vocabulary exam, etc." "Ah, yes, yes, yes, they are lazy," she said. "But they are only children you know, and children can often be lazy."

Only children? These "children" are sometimes only one or two years younger than myself! These "children" are often expected to be married and have their own families by this age if they chose not to go to the university.

I don't know how many teachers actually have this perspective, but assuming a majority of them do, it is a clear testimony as to why all my students (and I would assume others as well) are the laziest students I have ever met! Many of them have never had an ounce of great responsibility. Most do not work until they are finished with university, due to the lack of computers, internet, and book availability, they have very little homework each week, most have not volunteered in anything where they take on responsibility, etc. So, yah, I suppose in some way, they are "just children."

All I can think though, is that these "children" in only a matter of one or two years will be out in the real world having to deal with true work and responsibility. Will their maturity and responsibility hold up? I am not confident.

But then again... looking at this society, they would probably fit right in and just keep the ball rolling.