Growing and Learning Together!

Teachers: Marie Wilna, Antoinise, Marie Olguine
Class: Kindergarten
Region: Grand-Goâve 

How has God shown up in your class?

Marie Wilna: God has shown up in my class through the way my students behave. The devotion we do each morning has played a crucial role in their lives. It helps them to have respect for me as the teacher and also for God and the students.

Antoinise: God has shown up in my class by the way he supports me with the students. I once had a student who was not feeling well and had to lie on the floor instantly. Before we took him to the clinic, we prayed for him and he was already feeling a lot better. It made me happy because the presence of the Lord is always with us.

Marie Olguine: God has shown up in my class through their behavior. They love to sing Christian songs that I taught them and they also enjoy stories from the Bible. When they first got to school, they weren't friends, but now they socialize and respect each other.

What are some notable updates or activities that your class has been a part of? (i.e. holidays, celebrations, traditions)

Christmas, Flag Day, Labor and Agriculture Day, and celebrating their birthdays

What was the occasion and why is it important to your culture? 

We celebrate Flag Day every May 18th and do fun activities with our class to commemorate this day. We color, come to school wearing red and blue, and participate in a big parade.

We celebrate Christmas with our students to thank God for sending his son to earth to save us. We teach them new Christmas carols, poems and dances.

Labor and Agriculture Day is celebrated on May 1st. We take this opportunity to discuss the different species of plants and vegetables and encourage the students to take care of their environment.

We usually celebrate their birthdays by singing a song for them in a way to make them feel that they are all special to us. 

What is your favorite memory from this year so far? Something that made you laugh? Cry? Praise God?

Marie Wilna: My students wanted to know when my birthday is to be able to sing for me. It made me happy because I saw that they started to understand what I do with them, that everyone is important and that we should treat people with kindness and love.

Antoinise: One day while I was at the local market. One of the parents came to me and told me that my child was teaching him the verses he had learned in class and that made the parent so happy. I was overwhelmed with joy to hear this and to even know that God can use a child to preach his word to his people.

Marie Olguine: Three of the students surprised me with a flower just to say thank you for the patience I had with them as they had a hard time counting; now they can count to almost a hundred and it made them happy. I am happy to see how motivated they are when it comes to learning.

What are some activities or events that you and your class are looking forward to?

We are looking forward to participating in our annual activities: Flag Day, Christmas. Also, we play soccer, hide and seek and do other fun activities.

Is there a Bible verse that your class has been studying? Or maybe a verse that God has put on your heart during this season? 

Marie Wilna: We are studying Exodus 14:14. 

Antoinise: We have been studying lots of verses. This week we are learning Psalms 34:2.  “I will praise the Lord in all times and His praise will always be on my lips.”

Marie Olguine: We have been studying Romans 3:16. They are eager to learn new verses and that is a good thing!

Is there a student or parent that has stood out to you? How and why?

Marie Wilna: I have two students who were behaving badly and also lying to me and I had to send them home. I told them to come the next day with their parents. When they returned, they apologized to me and the class. I was happy because they did so and now they are doing well in class.

Antoinise: Two students were fighting and I had to discipline them by sending them home and having them come with their parents the next day. After having a little chat with them and their parents, they apologized and said they will never fight in class. I was happy for the courage they had to ask for forgiveness.

Marie Olguine: A parent who came to me and told me that her child could not come to school because she was not feeling well. She also wanted us to pray for her. It is great to see parents' faith grow through the impact their children have had in their homes.

What would you like to say to partners who are supporting the class and students?

We want to say thank you for the wonderful support to the students. May God continue to bless you and keep you healthy. Your support is a great blessing and will encourage them to do well in their schooling. When you share your love and support to these children, you will make a big impact in their lives. These days it is difficult to find joy in our world, but when we come together we can do a lot to share the joy and love of God to all. May God bless you for all you do in His name.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that the presence of God continues to be with us throughout the year to keep us healthy and also to continue to protect and to keep us safe from COVID-19. 
• Pray that the Lord will bless the children with good understanding. They are so eager to learn!
• Pray that our students will grow in a spiritual and intellectual path before God. 
• Pray that this year will be a blessing for us. Last year we had to deal with many situations like COVID-19 and political issues. We want God to continue to protect us from the pandemic and make this year a success for our school. In our country the insecurity has reached a very high rate. We want God to keep everyone safe. 
• Pray that God will pour His blessing into the lives of our students to focus more on their schooling and to have a good understanding.