空缺岗位

“In 1995, I came to the Philippines with a group of nine other of my college mates and one of our professors. It was to be a three week trip. For me it turned into nine and a half weeks. Faith Academy’s Middle School needed a Social Studies teacher, as the teacher that was coming still needed to raise support. I had just graduated college a few months earlier so I stayed and taught Middle School Social Studies. God used my time here to burden my heart for teaching at Faith Academy. I left here saying, “I will be coming back!” And in August 2000, I was back at Faith Academy.

I love teaching in Middle School. Middle School students are a mixture of crazy, fun, creativity, and energy. I love how our students will engage in creative thinking and be self-directed learners. There are many times I am just blown away with the work that my students produce or the deep conversations we have during discussions or debates. Middle Schoolers can “rise up to a challenge”. In one activity, I had assigned students in my Philippine Social Studies class a president that they had to defend in a debate as a being the better president. One the students that had a more challenging president to defend came back and said, “Thank you for assigning me this president. It really made think about the good things he did for the Philippines.” It is moments like this make me love my job.

The other thing I really love about my job is being able to build into their spiritual lives and seeing their love for Christ increase. I had the opportunity during Outdoor Education to pray with a student as she received Jesus as her Savior. This still stands as my most favorite memory. And I can still see all of the Middle Schoolers in our traveling group cheering when she announced her salvation at a bonfire. I have also had times to disciple other Middle Schoolers. It blesses my heart to see them long for Christ.

Middle Schoolers have a lot they can teach us. Middle Schoolers respond the best when you show them that you care, when you are willing to sacrifice for them. The more that you can show how much you care, the more they will respond back to you.”

“My full name is Hasinirina Boulter, but most of you know me as Coach Hasina. I serve in the Aquatic Department and this school year, I have begun teaching Elementary PE. It is with joy that I serve our Lord and you here!

I was born in Madagascar, where I lived until I was 19 years old. Most people only know Madagascar from the movie! While we do have cool wildlife – the only natural habitat of lemurs, the world’s smallest chameleon, and the baobob tree – it’s also the fourth largest island in the world – a very dry island in the Indian Ocean settled by Malay and African people – which is why I am frequently mistaken for a Filipina! Then I moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, and so many new things. A new language, a new climate (deserts, wetlands, grasslands, bush, subtropical forests, mountains and escarpments!), food, and friends!

By simple definition, I don’t fit into the ‘Third Culture Kid’ category. But have you considered the actual definition of a TCK? This is what I found: ‘A TCK is an individual who has spent a significant portion of his/her formative years in a culture that is different from their parents. Someone who builds relationships to all cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.’

I can relate to the information above, and that helps me relate to students and adults here! Juggling the number of cultures that I have been privileged to experience can be challenging at times, however it enriches my life. I am glad and honored to be part of Faith Academy family and community as we experience and find joy in these different cultures together.”

“From the time I was born until I was 12, I lived overseas as a missionary kid, first in Kenya and then in the Philippines. In fact, I went to 5 different elementary schools on three continents, including four years at Faith Academy.

Transitions and new experiences were all I knew, it was what I felt formed my identity. However, when I was 12, my parents sensed God calling them to stay in the United States. My life as I had known it changed completely – I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my friends and life here at Faith Academy because the decision was made while we were on furlough. Needless to say, as a young teen uprooted from all I had known (even as that had changed so often), I became angry at my parents and at God. I felt that if there even was a God, surely He must not love me, since I had such a hard middle school experience. I did not understand my classmates in the US, most of whom had rarely been outside the state of Colorado, and they did not understand me, this strange girl who had lived all over the world. God used that hard transition in my life to make my heart tender towards the transitions missionary students go through. God also gave me a heart for middle schoolers, even though I first vowed I would never teach that age group, because of my own negative Middle School experience. But God knew those experiences would lead me to seek out the hurting and left-out students while working with their classmates to include them.

That is why I came to Faith Academy in 2013; I hope I can be a consistent person in students’ lives and identify with them through their struggles. When I share my story with my students, especially new middle schoolers, they seem to breathe a sigh of relief that someone understands what they are going through. I love being an encouragement to them and seeing them become more comfortable with the community here at Faith.

The students are what I love the most about Faith. I love how they bring such a richness and diversity of thought to their studies. I love how they are so grateful and that I can build relationships with them on multiple levels, both inside and outside of the school day. I pray that God can use me to show students that their identities don’t come from being a missionary kid, or a business kid, or even a Faith Academy student, but that their identities are rooted in the fact that they are beloved children of the King of Kings.”

“I started working at Faith Academy in 2013 and my plan was to stay and teach for only a year, which became two, then more. I didn’t expect to meet my husband here, though! We taught next door to each other, became friends, and fell in love. We got married, and we love doing life as a family with our 11-month old daughter. We look forward to the day when she can attend Faith and be a Vanguard too!

A big part of what keeps us here is the community. The parents, staff members and students at Faith have demonstrated so much love and care for us, and we love investing in those around us. Also, our students bring many different experiences and backgrounds to school each day, sharing their unique gifts and talents. Our teachers are invested in developing students both academically and spiritually. I love seeing the small but significant steps of growth that happen each day!”