My Job

Sometimes I wish I had a bullhorn, but I don’t think that would make people listen. :)

So...I was recently told that I don’t post enough pictures of myself and people don’t know what I’m doing other than I have the title of Vice Principal. So I thought I would share some about what I am doing. ​

Greeting the kindergarten students that are starting our transition course to prepare them for 1st grade. We have a lot of fun things planned for these classes!

Right now I am Interim Head of School until our Head of School comes back after the lunar holiday in February. This means I stand in as the representative of the school at meetings and sign all the documents that require the Head of School signature. I do this on top of my job as Vice Principal. ​

Sharing about our new Ambassador program with our grade 4-8 students. Our student ambassadors will be leaders in the school similar to the student council.

As Vice Principal of the International program I am responsible for everything that involves the Expat staff. ​I am responsible for checking their time sheets, sharing information/news/changes/etc. I am also responsible for their evaluations (all 24 expat staff members). Thanksfully I can recruit my lead teachers to help with this task. I am responsible for ordering books for the new school year as well as working with the administration team to finalize changes for the new school year. I am responsible for implementing and creating policies to help establish order in the school. Also, any event, meeting, or activity that involves an expat teacher, I’m involved. Currently, I am working on expat retention, salary increases, and contracts for next year. Definitely new territory for me!

Leading our first PTA meeting where we voted for the executive committee. Some of our parents are ruthless, it takes me a few minutes to lose the anxiety when leading these meetings.

On top of being responsible for the expat teachers, I am responsible for​ helping run the school. This means I sit in a lot of meetings. I also help plan for the future of the school. Usually my day is filled with back to back meetings, observations, and filling out forms. I am often in front of large groups of people which definitely puts me out of my comfort zone. God has taught me so much and is continuing to stretch and grow me this year. I know there is more to come, and I am thankful for the confidence that He is building in me.

Met with a group of students from Korea to talk about education and how we teach at our school. What makes us different? :)

I went to lunch with the students that received the highest honor of the month. Every month the teachers choose one student from each class as student of the month. That student get to join the Head of School for pizza at a local pizza restaurant.

Last weekend was our Tet Market. Our students and parents sold different items related to the holiday. I was in charge of drawing names for the lucky draw. It’s my lucky year as I drew my name 2 times (without cheating) for 2 different prizes.

Update and Prayer Request

UPDATE: The Head of School, Jannie, was discharged from the hospital this afternoon! Thanks to everyone that has been lifting up him and his family. The doctor has cleared him to come back to work after the the holiday in February. So he will come back to work on the 11th.

This brings me to my next prayer request….

In his absence, the superintendent has asked me to be the interim Head of School. The email with the notification to staff went out this afternoon. I will be responsible for decisions and representing the school while Jannie is recovering for the next 3 weeks. I am super nervous about taking on this responsibility, but feel God has surrounded me with lots of support. I am currently in my 3rd week of grad school class and the school is getting ready for many parent meetings. So there are a lot of things on my plate, but I am trusting in the Lord to lead the way.

Please pray for me as I lead the school over the next three weeks (thankfully one of those weeks is the lunar new year and the school/city is shut down). I will be standing in as the Head of School at 3 parent meetings that are happening in the next 2 weeks. I am also making decisions for the next school year as our deadline for some of the decisions is the end of the month. I am praying for wisdom and guidance as I journey into new territory. I know that I cannot do this on my own and that God is leading every step.

I am thankful for the leaders that God has surrounded me with, for I would not be able to do this without them. The superintendent sees something in me that I struggle to see in myself. Sometimes I feel like he has more confidence in my abilities than I do. I am praying that God continues to give me confidence and strength to step out of my comfort zone.

Every day I am thankful for what God is doing in my life while living abroad. I know that I could not do this on my own. I am always amazed when I look back and think about where I started. I don’t think I would have believed you if you said this would be my life when I graduated high school or college. God is leading me on this amazing adventure!

Thanks for praying!

A coworker and I at the End of the Year (lunar new year) celebration!  

Prayer Request

I’m sorry it has been so long since I have updated everyone. I promise a newsletter and update are coming soon. 

This post is to ask everyone to lift up the Head of School at my school, his name is Jannie (sounds like Yunnie), in prayer. On Wednesday he was found in his house by his wife on his bed. He was breathing but wasn’t responding. The community around his home was God provided and they helped get him to the local international clinic.  

At the international clinic they did some tests and suspected that he was having a stroke so they moved him to a larger hospital. Thankfully the hospital they moved him to is the international hospital. At the hospital they did a CT scan and ruled out a stroke but a TIA (known to most as a mini stroke). The hospital is keeping him under observation for the next week.  

I am amazed at the community that God has provided here. Everyone jumped into action and it is amazing the connections that people have within the country. The doctors are happy with his improvements but he still has some way to go. He is able to lift his leg and talk, but he is dealing with blurred vision and slurred speech. 

Please join us in prayer as we pray for a complete healing in his body. We pray for skilled doctors to help him in his road to recovery. We pray for guidance in his care. There is a world class hospital in Thailand that is an option if his treatment comes to that. He is also depressed about being at the hospital, so we are praying for supernatural encouragement.

Please also keep his family in your prayers. His wife, Shelley, is trying to figure out how to get him the best care in a foreign country where she doesn’t speak the language. And his daughter, Caitlin, is still going to school and staying strong. The hospital is about 45 minutes from their house so it is a trek to get their. We pray for strength for the entire family.  

Thanks for your support and prayers! 

Jannie, Shelley, and I at dinner.