Discriminate

NOTE: I don't really have any photos that correspond to this post, as they would be photos of passionate discussion and debate between the Haitian teachers, and probably not the most happy photos to look at... So, instead I'm just going to interject some of the beautiful sights of Port-au-Prince.

Haiti has a really complicated history.  I wish I knew and understood more of the history of this place, but for all of the books I've bought and never finished, I still don't have a good picture in my mind of the journey that took Haiti from French slave colony to the place I visit every summer.

One thing I do know about Haiti is that it was the place of the first successful slave revolt against European colonists.  As a pastor I heard recently said, "We are proud of that.  Nobody else did what we did."

For all the national pride that comes with recognizing the freedom from the enslavement and mistreatment of the French colonists, there is also much discontent and argument over the current state of Haiti.  From questions about how universities accept students to how the government restricts and regulates access to electricity to the inconsistent distribution of support for reconstruction efforts, this is a place where people have a lot to disagree about.  For an American, this feels pretty familiar!  

Today during the secondary teacher training, we hit on one of these subjects of debate.  Officially, Haiti has two languages - Haitian Creole and French.  This simple statement is made vastly more complicated by the cultural and historical weight that these languages hold.  I've talked with Haitian friends who share about how much more respectful French is in Haiti today.  "If you're going to meet your girlfriend's family for the first time, you must speak to them in French.  It shows you are educated and intelligent."  Other friends are equally passionate about Creole.  "It's the language of our freedom, our independence, our country."

And so, as the secondary teachers were going over their Code of Conduct for the coming school year, the question of language was brought up.  The government officials who have been monitoring the school, as well as the school director and the administration all say that the secondary teachers are supposed to be teaching all of their content in French.  For the sake of reason, this makes perfect sense.  French is one of the official languages of the country and is the language in which students must take their government exams in the 6th, 9th, and 13th years of school. 

But we know that reason doesn't end a debate when heart and conscience and conviction are involved.  And so, this afternoon I sat through one of the more heated debates I've experienced with the teachers.  Through my own weak French and Creole listening skills, I gathered that some of the teachers were convinced that teaching the students exclusively in French was wrong.  "Their heart language is Creole."  "They imagine in Creole."  "Their families and friends and neighbors only speak Creole."  And on the other side was the rational arguments of government mandates and practices.

I was interested in the discussion as a bystander, but didn't have a strong opinion either way.  Logic and passion both had good points to make in the discussion.  

And then one of the teachers said it was discriminatory to tell Haitian teachers and children that they must speak and learn only in French.  With that one word, discriminate, my heart and mind jumped into motion.  Social justice and caring for those who are mistreated or devalued is at the heart of my faith.  I love that Jesus was the Savior who touched those who were considered "unclean."  He socialized with people who had been outcast by "respectable society."  He looked at the needs of those around Him with compassion and concern and He acted on these feelings.  He showed grace and mercy on those in need and went against social norms so much of the time.

Although this statement meant something different to me, as an outsider and one who knows little about the historical baggage that was carried into the discussion, I was still spurred on.  I wanted to hear the teachers find a compromise.  I wanted them to take this messy situation of history and language and cultural biases and turn it into something full of grace and beauty.

But, it didn't happen.  We left the meeting with "the government says, and so we must" as the final word.  It was a logical conclusion.  But it didn't seem, at least to me, to affirm the fears and hurts that were being expressed by some of the teachers in the room.  It left the debate hanging in the air, stinky and unsettling.  And we fled the room to get away from the smell.

And now I'm left thinking about my cultural context and the times when America is a jumbled mix of history and cultural biases and words like discriminate make their way into the conversation.  I'm recognizing as I get older and a little less op-too-much-istic, that there isn't a simple solution to these debates either. 

I don't think we can just wave a magic wand or say some "just right" words and the problems will go away.  However, I do think that Christians can take initiative to follow Jesus' example in our culture.  I'm praying for opportunities to be stuck in debates and conflicts like this in my own culture and praying for wisdom and grace to know how to lean in and love like Jesus.

For now, I'm thankful for this time in Haiti and how God uses it to shift things in my heart and mind.  I'm thankful too for friends and family who follow along on this journey with me!  Much love in Christ, Jessie

Confession

This summer I get to work with the Haitian teachers at Christian Light School again.  I start every morning doing devotions with them.  Then at noon, after I finish working with my fifth graders and walk them out of the school yard, I've been jumping back in on the teacher training most days.  The school has gone through some difficult transitions over the past year and the Ministry of Education has been working with the staff to make sure that everything is up to their standards to ensure that the school can stay certified.  

Here is the new administrative team: Mrs. Rosemee, Mr. Olritch, and Mr. Elionel.  They would appreciate your prayers as they seek to lead the school in this time of transition!

The training with the official from the ministry has been very productive over the past week and a half.  The secondary teachers have been working on lesson planning, writing objectives, and thinking about the different aspects of a classroom which they need to manage (the physical space, the supplies and materials, the classroom environment, behavioral expectations, content, etc.).  I'm sorry to not be more involved with teacher training this summer, but after five years of running the training program for the Haitian staff, it's nice to be sitting with them and talking through the content together as colleagues.  Even the new teachers are very welcoming of this outsider, for which I am very thankful.

This week I am leading the devotions for the teachers in the morning.  We sit together and sing and talk about the life of faith.  We are working our way through parts of the Heidelberg Catcheism, which I hope is helpful in building up a more robust doctrine in these teachers who identify themselves as Christians.

In Port-au-Prince, as in many parts of Haiti, the culture has been saturated with Christianity.  The public transportation "tap taps" are painted with Praise Jesus in bright, bold letters.  When passing people on the street and someone asks how you are doing, a common response to be heard is "With God, I am fine."  But for all of this religious talk and "Christian-ese", I'm afraid that many people here, just like at home, are holding to a mixture of tradition and superstition and good works to find their hope.  The only problem with this is that tradition and superstition and good works can't give us true, lasting hope.  In the end we feel discouraged with our failures, confused by difficult or painful circumstances, and fearful of what the future might bring.

So this week we are asking questions like The Lords' Day 1:

"What is your only comfort in life and in death?

That I am not my own

But I belong, body and soul, both in life and in death

To my faithful savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood

And has set me free from all the power of the devil.

He also preserves me in such a way

That without the will of my Heavenly Father

Not a hair can fall from my head.

Indeed, all things work together for my good.

Therefore, by his Holy Spirit,

He also assures me of eternal life

And makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him."

Many thanks for following along with this summer in Haiti!  Love in Christ, Jessie

Devotion

In class we start each morning with "devotions."  We are following along with the book Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, which I recommend for children (and big kids too!)

The other day during this time, we asked the question, "What is love?"  The students gave some really sweet answers.  "Love is when you want to make someone smile."  "Love is when you help someone."  "Love is when you sacrifice for someone."  The devotion follows this question with a really beautiful summary of the nature of God, who is love.

Another day last week we read the following devotion entitled But God-

"Those two little words are the most important in the Bible.  They show up 3,930 times.

When everything looks like it's over.  When there's no hope- but God!

God does something.  He turns it all around.  Those words are like a fire truck rounding the corner.  Help is on the way!

Adam and Eve left the garden.  'But God whispered a promise to them.'

A flood was coming.  'But God remembered Noah.'

We were helpless.  'But God showed his great love for us by sending Jesus.'

Whatever is happening in your life today - look up!  Help is on the way!

'My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart.' Psalm 76:23"

These times of "devotion" are sweet moments to talk about God and the life of faith together.  I'm recognizing though that the term devotion has very little to do with our attitude toward God and much more describes His commitment to us...

Sherdley was our "Star of the Day" on Friday!

Thursday was the first rough patch in our little fifth grade class.  I had a few students who kept teasing each other.  One started pinching and hitting others and my teacher disciplinarian mode kicked in.  I marched him down to the school director (who happens to also be a police officer and is a fairly intimidating person for a naughty kiddo to have to face). It turned out that the director was occupied elsewhere, so I worked with the student to write a letter to him explaining what he had done, why it was wrong, and what he planned to do in the future.  

Honestly, I don't know if this was the best course of action.  In my school in New Hampshire with students and families I know well and a culture I understand, I usually know what course of action to take when faced with behavior challenges in the classroom.  Here though, where I don't understand all the subtleties of the culture and miss a great deal because of language divides, I'm second guessing how I can help a wayward child.  I know that allowing children to act out in anger or to behave hurtfully toward someone else isn't helping them.  I know that turning a blind eye to these kinds of sinful heart attitudes isn't going to draw them closer to the God who is love.  There was a moment during our "processing" when I was stopped short.  I asked the child if he thought it was wrong to tease, hit, and pinch others.  He said it was.  When I asked him why, he couldn't explain why.  Finally we got to the point where he could recognize that when someone teases him it can make him cry.  "Should we hurt others?  Should we make them cry?"  

My questions were stiff and forced.  What I wanted was a moment when the heart of this little boy would recognize that his actions are marking and denting and scratching up the hearts of those he mistreats.  Instead I was met with a child who didn't junderstand what I was saying, even if he did comprehend the definition of the words I was speaking.  

In usually concerned-teacher-form, I spent the rest of Thursday night brooding and praying over this one student.  I talked with the other summer school teachers who had some good words of advice and encouragement.  I brainstormed behavior plans and classroom management tools I could try.  In the end though, I was left knowing that there is honestly little I can do to change the heart attitude behind the behaviors.  

I entered Friday morning prepared with a new seating arrangement for the class as well as some positive incentives for those who were following along with our agreed upon classroom contract.  I fear that sometimes classroom management can help to create a room full of hypocrites whole follow the rules but don't have a heart of obedience or respect.  I pushed forward hopeful but also cautious.

But God...

As the morning went on, we stopped to have a talk about respect.  I asked the students to share what respect looks like and feels like to them.  It was good to hear many different ideas represented in the classroom.  Then one of the students asked me what I thought respect looked like and felt like.  I shared honestly that I was sad and worried about a classroom where students hurt and tease each other.  I said that a classroom where there is respect will look like love- like the God we've been studying about.

It wasn't like a magic switch flipped, but I did see an increased awareness of the need to love and respect those around us in the classroom.  For the rest of the day, the kids would check in with me to see if thy were being respectful.  Even my friend with the challenges on Thursday responded well to redirection during the day.

And so, I'm reflecting on last week and planning for the coming week of summer school.  I have my lesson plans in order and know the content I want to cover in reading comprehension and vocabulary.  But I also know what I want to talk about - about God's devoted, never-giving up, always faithful, constant love for us.  I want to have more opportunities to point these kiddos back to God and remind them that He is love, He is the "but God" we can put our hope in.

Many thanks for following along with me on this summer's journey in Haiti!  Much love in Christ, Jessie