We have completed our first month of school already and can’t believe how much easier life is for us this year. Someone told us any major transition in life takes at least a year and they were so right. Last year we kind of felt like we were on a spiraling water slide going a bit too fast and just hanging on for the ride, while this year we feel much more at home. One big reason for that is our current home — we’re living on the school campus and just loving it. We’re away from the hustle and bustle of the city and have so much more freedom now with coming and going to school. It has made our family and work life much more manageable.
Our second year teaching at NCA Matagalpa also feels much more manageable. Everything is just easier the second time around, especially teaching in new roles in a foreign country. Mike is teaching PE this year to Kindergarten through 9th grades, with a new block schedule for secondary grades. Mike now has a teacher’s aide for his combined classes of 50+ students, who is training to possibly take over as the PE teacher next year.
I have a new class of Kindergartners transitioning very nicely to school. My teacher in training, Karla, is doing a wonderful job this year stepping into her role as student teacher. It is amazing to see the growth she has made in her learning and understandings since the beginning of last school year. Karla is gradually taking on more responsibility in the classroom with the goal to be full-time student teaching by mid-year. We are being very intentional with planning, organizing, and creating materials so that Karla will have an easy transition next year when she will be the full time Kindergarten teacher. This relationship is the main reason why we knew we needed to be here one more year, so it is very rewarding to see how excited and open she is to learning and growing as a teacher.
Our kids are all doing very well in their new classes as well. Mackenzie is enjoying having a class of 25 rather than 8! Evan has a great teacher who is really working hard to break away from the traditional Nicaraguan teaching methods and challenging his students to use critical thinking. Kai’s main goal is getting more recess time, which translates to eating as little of his snack and lunch as possible. We’re working on this, because of course that leads to a tired and cranky little guy at the end of the day. :)
We’re all enjoying having outside space, aka the school campus, at our new home! And so far we’re getting by without a car. We take the bus into town for church and errands, and friends have been very generous with giving us rides and lending their car for grocery runs (thank you Carey & Maricel!).
We’re looking forward to what this year will bring and confident we made the right decision in returning! Thanks to all of you who have helped to make this teaching mission possible, we have almost reached our fundraising goal! If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation please click on the donation banner at the top of the page.
Peace Out : )
Annette & Fam
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
Nicaragua Teaching Mission Take Two!
Anxious excitement, is how I’d describe what I am feeling as we fly back to Nicaragua for our second year of teaching at Nicaragua Christian Academy. Much the same as what we felt this time last year as we were first arriving, but this time fortunately there is a feeling of returning home. Not our true home, but Matagalpa is where we will call home for one more year, and for that we are very thankful. This time around we have excitement for seeing our friends and colleagues, for setting up our new home on the school grounds, for setting up new classrooms, and preparing for new students. We are excited to see our previous students and the kids’ friends. We are excited to get started where we left off last year, excited to continue working towards NCA’s mission to provide quality Christian education, and excited to work towards a long-term difference in Nicaragua to create disciples of Christ.
We are anxious for all that needs to happen in the next few weeks. We’ll be moving into our new home (did I mention we get to live on the school campus this year? :), unpacking boxes & moving into different classrooms, preparing for a new school year (as teachers, students, & parents), and preparing for mentoring my student teacher Karla. We could use prayers that all that needs to get done now will, and that all that we want to get done will with time. We could also use prayers (especially for Mackenzie, Evan, & Kai) that we will be filled with the love we received from our home visit and that it will fill us with love for others and remind us why we have been called to serve in Nicaragua.
Mackenzie will be starting 7th grade and will be meeting lots of new students as they join her grade from different schools. Evan will begin 5th grade and meet his old group of great friends, and Kai will be in 2nd grade with a teacher new to NCA this year. We pray that they will feel excitement for a new school year and be filled with the Lord’s strength and comfort this year.
Mike will be adding one more grade to his PE classes, as NCA Matagalpa continues to add one grade per year as it continues to grow. He will now teach PE to grades K-9, as well as English classes. The secondary grades this year will also be experimenting with a new block scheduling system, so that will mean some changes especially for Mike’s PE classes.
I will be teaching Kindergarten again this year with my wonderful aide Karla Garcia. Karla learned so much last year working alongside me and this year she will gradually take on more teaching responsibilities as a student teacher. I am so excited to mentor her through this process and to watch her continue to grow as a teacher. During Karla’s student teaching I will be able to work more closely with the other primary teachers. This will be an enriching opportunity to get to be involved in multiple grades.
We are so thankful to our many supporters who have so graciously supported us emotionally, prayerfully, and financially! We would not be doing this important work without you! We are however still working on raising support, if you are anyone you know might be interested in supporting us this year please let us know. Or you can click on the banner above which will link you directly to our account with Resourcing Christian Education. You can make monthly or one time tax-free donations there to directly support our teaching mission at Nicaragua Christian Academy.
Feel free to keep in touch with us this year! Send us an email, find us on Skype (Annette & Mike Mueller) or call us on FaceTime or Face Book Messaging (annette.muellers@gmail.com). We love to hear how things are going for all of you back home.
Grace & Peace To You,
Annette, Mike, Mackenzie, Evan, & Kai Mueller
We are anxious for all that needs to happen in the next few weeks. We’ll be moving into our new home (did I mention we get to live on the school campus this year? :), unpacking boxes & moving into different classrooms, preparing for a new school year (as teachers, students, & parents), and preparing for mentoring my student teacher Karla. We could use prayers that all that needs to get done now will, and that all that we want to get done will with time. We could also use prayers (especially for Mackenzie, Evan, & Kai) that we will be filled with the love we received from our home visit and that it will fill us with love for others and remind us why we have been called to serve in Nicaragua.
Mackenzie will be starting 7th grade and will be meeting lots of new students as they join her grade from different schools. Evan will begin 5th grade and meet his old group of great friends, and Kai will be in 2nd grade with a teacher new to NCA this year. We pray that they will feel excitement for a new school year and be filled with the Lord’s strength and comfort this year.
Mike will be adding one more grade to his PE classes, as NCA Matagalpa continues to add one grade per year as it continues to grow. He will now teach PE to grades K-9, as well as English classes. The secondary grades this year will also be experimenting with a new block scheduling system, so that will mean some changes especially for Mike’s PE classes.
I will be teaching Kindergarten again this year with my wonderful aide Karla Garcia. Karla learned so much last year working alongside me and this year she will gradually take on more teaching responsibilities as a student teacher. I am so excited to mentor her through this process and to watch her continue to grow as a teacher. During Karla’s student teaching I will be able to work more closely with the other primary teachers. This will be an enriching opportunity to get to be involved in multiple grades.
We are so thankful to our many supporters who have so graciously supported us emotionally, prayerfully, and financially! We would not be doing this important work without you! We are however still working on raising support, if you are anyone you know might be interested in supporting us this year please let us know. Or you can click on the banner above which will link you directly to our account with Resourcing Christian Education. You can make monthly or one time tax-free donations there to directly support our teaching mission at Nicaragua Christian Academy.
Feel free to keep in touch with us this year! Send us an email, find us on Skype (Annette & Mike Mueller) or call us on FaceTime or Face Book Messaging (annette.muellers@gmail.com). We love to hear how things are going for all of you back home.
Grace & Peace To You,
Annette, Mike, Mackenzie, Evan, & Kai Mueller
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