Fear and Respect

Living in another country is always full of new experiences and learning.

I was asked by one of our younger boys if I "lick" (hit/beat) my students. When I replied no, he said matteroffactly that I am not a real teacher. In his mind (and many of the other boys), beating = fear = respect = teacher. Culturally fear and respect are tied closely together, which is hard for me. I grew up in the country outside of a small town in the mid-west. I have such a strong desire in my heart to keep the boys safe, like I was growing up, and it breaks my heart time and time again to realize that I can't. My classroom is a safe place. No rudeness or disrespect to one another is allowed. It makes me sad to realize how common "beatings" are in the public school system, even though there is work to diminish this, and the impact this has on a child's education. Especially, boys like ours who may come from abusive homes. It brings me back to where I've often come, I must do what I can and trust God with the rest.

On a lighter note, I learned today that water, if left standing, will begin to soak into concrete so that even when it's cleaned up, mold will grow back time and time again. And there's nothing I can do until the concrete dries out. How long will that take? I have no idea... and I trust God with the rest.