Which teacher do you remember most clearly? Did you ever go back to visit them when you were older? For many third-culture kids (TCKs), this isn’t possible. Either they or their teachers are now thousands of miles away from the classroom they shared.
At many international Christian schools, teachers play overlapping roles. They are surrogate aunts and uncles cheering at sporting events and attending concerts. They may also be youth pastor and coach and your best friend’s dad. They are Gospel Livers, Anytime Prayers, and Tear Catchers. When a teacher leaves, there are many roles and heart-holes to fill and we know from experience that these relationships take years to develop. It took two years of spending six to seven days a week at ICSB before our students stopped asking us how long we were going to stay in Budapest.
International Christian schools can see two-thirds of the staff turnover in one year. In the 2017-2018 school year, the middle school floor at ICSB will see around a 70% turnover. Of the teachers pictured above, Dave will be the only one still teaching in middle school. The need to return to ICSB to provide stability for our students and teammates weighs heavily on our minds. Some teachers leave on home assignment and don’t come back. We need to be ones that come back.
We are passionate about ministry to TCKs because there is a tremendous need for qualified teachers who are willing to be there for the long-term. The future, and possibly the very souls, of our TCKs depend on it.
Perhaps you will join these people who recently made a monthly pledge and said,
“ We support what y'all are doing and feel compelled to stand behind you.”
Thank you to all of you who have already partnered with us in ministry to third-culture kids! We cannot do this important work without you. By God's grace, we'll fill some heart-holes together.
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