Mark (College of Education dean) and Lisa Orvis (College teacher trainer) with others led us through a week of processing what is involved in starting new schools. It was a great time of sharing our experiences in starting schools and discussing what training, resources, and tools would have been helpful.
Towards the end of the week we formed groups according to the kind of school we would like to start, mine being a school for missionary children. It was wonderful to partner with an administrator and two teachers involved in schools in Ghana, Cambodia, and Kona, Hawaii as we discussed mission statements and school governance.
On Thursday this team of educators from Ivory Coast arrived after some visa difficulties almost caused them to miss their flight. Their delay, though, allowed them to share about the university’s teacher training program with a national leader of denominational schools who now wants that for their teachers! The team itself has two denominational heads of education and the teacher training program leader for Ivory Coast.