The new kid at school

Do you remember what it's like to be the new kid at school? I felt a bit like that on my first day at NETS (Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary). I was glad to have been able to get to know about half of the students before that first day, and that helped... and of course I was there as a teacher, so that was quite different too.
This week will be my last week teaching in my first semester. Back in August I was full of doubts and uncertainties about how I'd go as a teacher... now I can look back and see my mistakes, and rejoice in some success. I have thoroughly enjoyed it! I haven't enjoyed everything about being a teacher... but I have enjoyed it overall.

I have learnt to set lower expectations about how much I will be able to teach, and concentrated more on teaching the really important things well. I have learnt to allow more time for discussion in class, because it always takes longer than I would expect, and is more fruitful than I anticipate. I am convinced again and again that using the 'right' word is a waste of time, unless it is a word that everyone in the room understands. Given that I am the only one in the room that has English as a first language, this has meant re-thinking my communication over and over again. I know that missionaries who have to learn a new language to communicate the gospel often find this frustrating at first and then enriching as time goes on... I feel that I am having a small taste of that experience, in English.

The other area of great learning for me has been in the field of education and theological education in particular. From January I will be the Academic Dean at NETS, which means that I take responsibility for running the academic program for all of the full time students. 2009 is slated as a year for updating the strategic planning at NETS and my main activity in all of this will be a revision of the of the curriculum. I am wanting to lead others in thinking clearly about what we teach and how we teach it. There are many factors involved in this, and while I can now get a little excited by it all, I recognise that for most people it's like chewing on a sleeping tablet. I'll keep you posted with the really exciting developments as the year rolls on.