Moldovan Teachers Connect with Their Peers
Every morning, Lena prays with teachers in her classroom about their day. One of the leaders of the ISP Teachers Community, she teaches middle school English.
Throughout the pandemic, teachers who are part of the Teachers’ Community in Moldova have found ways to meet with their peers and connect them to Christ.
They have given gift bags, hosted a Christmas party, and sponsored a parenting class for teachers making an effort to connect with teachers in their city.
Teachers Receive Gift Bags
Last December, community members gave teachers across the city a gift to thank them for working tirelessly through the pandemic and to invite them to join their community. The gift included a facemask and a bookmark with contact information so teachers could join their online Facebook group.
They gave the gifts to teachers they already knew and teachers from schools where they didn’t yet know any Christian teachers. Happy, thankful and puzzled, teachers wondered why anyone would care about them. Many said they had felt forgotten. They were truly grateful. “It was a sunray for each of them,” Lena said.
An In-Person Christmas Party
In December, the Teachers’ Community hosted their annual Christmas party in person instead of online. Tired of online meetings, some teachers gladly attended an in-person event.
At the party, members of the Teachers’ Community invited everyone to attend a parenting class meeting monthly for nine months. The curriculum equips teachers to coach parents how to improve their parenting skills and help their children navigate school during the pandemic.
Training Teachers Who Can Help Parents
Twenty people are now attending the monthly parenting class. “This course is very useful,” Elana said. “It helps teachers talk to parents.”
Natasha, an International School Project staff member, helped teachers from the local community divide each lesson into seven segments. A different teacher leads each segment.
When talking about the impact this has had on the teacher-leaders, , Natasha said, “Now it is their community, not mine. They understand the big perspective of how to create spiritual movements for teachers.”
As teachers take what they’re learning back to their classrooms, they’re seeing answers to prayer. Lena’s school stayed open from September 2020 until March 2021 when all of the schools in the city shut down because of the virus.
“We have had just a few cases of COVID-19 among teachers and students,” Lena said. “I want to think this [low number of cases] is because of our prayers as well.”
Coaching Parents to Raise Their Children
Responding to a need for teachers to receive training about how to help parents help their children succeed at home and at school, The International School Project wrote The Shape of Your Child’s Future. Teachers use this nine-lesson resource during monthly parent-teacher conferences throughout the school year. The curriculum opens doors to reach teachers who might not otherwise join The Teachers’ Community.
