The Teaching Begins...

Ergh.  I can't believe it has already been three weeks since our last post!  And, like you, often so much happens in so little time, it is hard to sit down and recount what has happened in the days that have passed.  A picture is worth a thousand words, of course, but unfortunately our camera is not working properly, so words are all I have.  Here are two vignettes:

Teaching
Love it.

Love it, love it, love it.  I hope my students love my teaching as much as I do.  I love it.  I feel that at last doing I am doing what I was made to do.  I have two courses this semester: Introduction to the New Testament, and the Gospel of Mark and the Acts of the Apostles (two books, one course).  I have fourteen students in the former course, and ten in the latter.  Most of them are from Uganda, but a few are from Rwanda.  They range in age from late twenties to early sixties, and their experience in ministry extends from two years to thirty four years.  Some speak English fluently, most are proficient, many are struggling, and all find my American accent difficult to understand.  (My greatest challenge is one fellow who speaks halting English and is deaf in one ear!)  Lectures take far longer to deliver as I have to speak very slowly, then restate certain concepts in other ways in an attempt to ensure understanding.

Nevertheless, these students are a joy to teach.  You can imagine the wealth of knowledge, experience, and insights they bring into the class.  (Following the lead of the Dean/President of Trinity -- my seminary alma mater and previous place of employment -- I call myself the "senior student" of the class, acknowledging that all of them have things to teach me as well.)  Here at the beginning, it is challenging to get the discussion rolling, but once their tongues loosen, it is well worth listening.  In some ways, it has been an easy beginning.  I'm using essentially the same material for both courses here at the beginning of the semester as I lay the foundation and establish the framework for how we approach Scripture.  Also, at this it's material I've studied, taught, and reflected on many, many times.  Even so, getting to teach it again, and watching as understanding is gained, connections are made, and new insights (for all of us!) are shared....  Love it!

The mechanics of teaching are a definite challenge.  I did not know the schedule of classes until the day classes began, and the schedule has already changed four times in the past two weeks.  In fact, Thursday night there I answered a knock on my door, and was told that my one of my classes (for which I had not yet prepared) had been moved to the following morning at 8:30!  I was grateful to be informed, because last Friday my class had been cancelled completely, but no one had mentioned that fact to me.

Also, rooms are not assigned.  They are on a first come, first serve basis.  If, however, you have more students than the lecturer currently occupying the room, you can bump that class out and take over.  The rooms have no electricity, and the chairs are scattered and dusty.  The blackboards have not been washed since 1952, and at times the chalk dust on the ledge is over a half inch thick.  My first part of every class is to gather off the floor the largest pieces of chalk I can find.  These are so brittle that even the smallest pieces disintegrate when I press them against the blackboard.  The eraser is a paper towel left over from the previous term.  By the end of the class my black clergy shirt is almost entirely white,  and I won't describe what I sneeze into my kleenex as I leave the room.

"Leave the room."  That reminds me -- I was puzzled at the end of the first several sessions.  I would close a class with prayer, then bid the students farewell and start writing down notes and adjustments to my lecture.  Glancing up, I would see the students still sitting quietly.  I would tell them they could leave, but it would take two or three times before they actually exited the classroom.  Finally, at the end of my third class, I said, "Okay, friends.  We've been talking about different worldviews and the clash of cultures.  Here's an immediate example.  I say the class is over, and you are free to go, but you don't go.  What is happening?  What am I missing?"  One student responded,  "Reverend, we cannot leave the room until you leave the room!"  I immediately turned on my heel and ran out of the room.  There was a moment of silence, followed by loud laughter.  I reentered and said, "Okay, I've left.  Now will you go?"  They laughed and filed out of the room.  Since then, I do immediately walk out of the room after each class (and they still laugh), and the students follow close behind, which in turn has given me the opportunity to have more discussions with my students!

Visitors
In my first week of teaching, we also enjoyed a wonderful visit from Tina Lockett and Martha Giltinan, former colleagues and current friends from Trinity.  The lugged along a suitcase with 40 pounds of goodies for our family.  Not only were there M&M's galore, but also nail polish for Leslie and the girls, word puzzles and other gifts for Jesse, and a wonderful travel communion set made of pottery (an ordination gift from my parents).  Martha and Tina, of course, were the real treasures.  The kids could not get enough time with them, and Martha and Tina loved on them as if they were their own children.  With these ladies come much laughter, storytelling, flashes of theological insight, updates from the world we left behind, sweet prayers, and fun companionship.  I enjoyed in particular getting to watch them in action with the students of BBUC.  Both Martha and Tina preached while they were here, and Martha also gave a brief and powerful teaching on theological reflection with the Trinity.  Each day they met with students in a variety of settings, and connected with several of the staff of the university.  You could see from the way the students sought them out, as well as in their responses after the services, that Martha and Tina impacted several lives in their brief time here.  We were sad to hug them goodbye, but so glad to have shared our lives with them for a brief time.