June 26, 2011
Dear Prayer Partners and Friends,
This June, I am celebrating one year on the mission field in Liberia. It has been an awesome journey of spiritual growth and assessing teachers and students in Liberia.
YEAR 1: June 2010 – June 2011
Maresha’s Spiritual growth:
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During my first year, I learned quickly how crucial it was to ask God to lead me. Steps I would have taken I didn’t take because God redirected me. Times when I wanted to go faster I saw how God purposefully slowed me down. The nudges within me to say something, do something or not to do something were the work of the Holy Spirit guiding me. Many times in the previous year I was amazed at God’s guidance, protection and provision. Although I faced many professional and personal challenges during the year I continued to seek God and it was truly a blessing to know God was with me through it all.
Assessing Liberian teachers and students:
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In June 2010, I was stationed at 13 schools with a total of 222 teachers and over 4,000 children. During the summer of 2010, I trained 222 teachers in classroom management, student development and lesson planning. It was a great opportunity to get to know the teachers, understand the Liberian school system and assess the teacher’s skill levels. During the math and reading comprehension assessments a very serious pattern emerged: the overall skill level of the teachers ranged from 2nd to 4th grade. What made this assessment such a challenge was that these teachers were Nursery through 12th grade teachers with skill levels far below what was needed to teach their students. When school began I was able to test the children and many times I would have wrinkles in my forehead trying to understand how a 14 year old 2nd grader could barely read or a 16 year old 8th grader could not figure out 8 x 8. Within the Liberian school system I observed several challenges: lack of books and educational supplies, broken desk or not enough desk, children continually promoted with very low academic skills, overcrowded classrooms, the absence of female teachers in classrooms higher than 2nd grade, a diminishing population of girls in the junior high and high school setting, and teachers with very low phonics, math, reading and writing skills.
YEAR 2: June 2011 – 2012
Ministering to Liberian teachers and students:
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As I begin my second year on the mission field in Liberia, I have been transitioned from training 222 teachers at 13 schools to building a model school at one orphanage that has children in Nursery through 7th grade. Last week we completed a month long recruiting process where we tested 120 applicants who were degree holders from the top universities in Liberia or who had a “C” Certificate (minimum requirement to teach). The assessment results were: 2 applicants passed the reading comprehension section, 4 passed the math section (3rd grade math!) and the remaining 114 applicants did not pass the reading and math sections. However, we will be selecting 12 to 15 from this group of 120 applicants for our model school.
Building a Prayer Team for Liberian education:
After reading about my 1st year and the plans for my 2nd year you may be wondering how is Maresha going help minister to the teachers and students. Well you ask good questions! I am asking you to join our prayer team for Liberian education.
Primarily, I am asking for your prayer support over the following areas I have outlined as W.H.E.A.T.:
1. Wisdom, knowledge and understanding from God for the teachers and the students.
2. Health of teachers and students from Malaria, Typhoid, Cholera and other diseases.
3. Encouragement for teachers and students as they face a rigorous academic school year.
4. Assist students who are multiple grade levels behind to understand and excel in their studies.
5. Train teachers whose skills are low to retain and apply skills from the teacher training.
Secondly, I am asking for your prayer for my daughter Laniece and me for wisdom, protection and our continued health as we minister in Liberia.
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In closing, when you pray for Liberia using the WHEAT acronyms and for Laniece and myself I encourage you to stand with us on the scripture in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Keep in touch through email: godskidsmaresha@gmail.com
Praising God from the Mission’s Field in Liberia,
Maresha Johnson
