August 31 School Has Begun Again!

 

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            We have ten school days in the books. 

Thanks to a couple of groups who braved the journey, we were able to get the entire school cleaned and sanitized before August 17. Another team came to help with the radio station, which has some equipment problems. The wives sorted curriculum and cleaned. We are always grateful when people come to help.

 

            As I read on the Internet: “There is no tired like teacher-tired on the first week of school,” I think the teachers are exhausted from the extra preparations and protocols. But all would say that the first two weeks went well. I thought I’d share with you some of the highlights (?) of the first two weeks. 

 

Biggest Conundrum: If Godzilla ate himself, would he disappear or would he be twice as big?

 

Most clueless question: Where’s my pencil? (It was stuck in his well-gelled hair.) 

Most beautiful moment: The only white child in my class looked at her classmates and asked, “ How did you get so tan?”

 

Best testimonial: A former student who signed with a college to play basketball spent much of his Press time praising Hilltop Christian, saying how much he learned in academics and in how to live right and work hard.

 

Most surprising request: The nurse from the Navajo Nation is required to update us on blood-borne pathogens procedures and Covid protocols. After she finished with her presentation, she asked, “May I pray for you?”

 

Best advice written by last year’s third graders to this year’s third graders:

·      You should learn your times tables and division and temperatures. If you don’t learn your divisions, you will fall behide. [sic]

·     At the start of the year it will be very easy until it gets harder.

·     You should always listen to him (the teacher) and don’t say, “I swear,” or “Oh my God!”

 ·      The things you don’t do are argue, hit, and fight. That’s the rules in 3^rd grade 

      and you might need to sing too.

 

·      When it is reading partner time, you need to take turns reading with your partner.

·      Third grade is fun but sometimes hard, so that’s why you should focus. Do not give up, keep trying.

Saddest Story: The mother of a student wanted us to know this backstory: Two years ago, the child’s father (her husband) got angry and shot her, her parents, and her brother in the house where the children were before he turned the gun on himself. Only the mother survived after many surgeries. Talk about PTSD.

 

We’re praying for wisdom and creativity as we love and teach these special children, and hopefully bring Jesus into their families.  Thank you for your continued prayers for us and the Navajo families.

 

http://www.acrossnations.cc/donate

 

August 15, 2020

The topic that is on a lot of minds these days is the opening of the schools. On the Navajo Nation, this question becomes even more complex as there are state schools (Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah) BIE (Bureau of Indian Affairs) controlled schools (Federal), and various types of private schools. Parents may choose to keep their children home and pursue alternate learning strategies, but many districts are requiring teachers to report back to work. 

 

With a summer that has shuffled between plans A, B, and C, we here at Hilltop Christian School are now down to a plan with a letter towards the end of the alphabet. We have tried to follow the CDC, New Mexico (where the school is physically located,) Arizona (where the students live), and Navajo Nation (what the students are) guidelines.  It has been a challenge to create a module of learning amidst all the changing advice and approaches. 

 

So, we are starting school Monday with face-to -face instruction, although we have given the parents the option of having instructional packets to study at home.  The majority of students will be on campus. Our enrollment is currently down by a third. (Approximately 50).  This is a very difficult decision for parents as there is great fear of the virus here on the Reservation, and many students live with grandparents or others with compromised immune systems.  

 

It’s weird to see the classrooms with only six desks which are spaced two sheep-lengths apart. We should be grateful for the small classes, making social distancing easier. In order not to mix up the students, we’ll keep the students together, and the music and art teachers will visit the classrooms. With a temperature check each morning, lots of handwashing and sanitizing, mask-wearing, and social distancing, it will certainly be a different and challenging year.

 

We are convinced that God wants the school here. In fact, with churches still closed, this will be an opportunity for our school to “be the church” to people who are fearful, needy, and confused.  We were searching for several teachers and staff members at the end of the school year in May.  God has again miraculously provided a staff for us so we have the positions covered.  Pray for the new staff members. We have two new teachers in the Preschool. Also, pray that we won’t be overwhelmed because of the extra work of providing packets and lesson plans to the Hilltop at Home families.

 

Please be praying for the health of the teachers, staff, students, and the families.  The parents and students are fearful.  We want them to be careful but also have the peace that passes understanding. We want God’s work to continue here at the school, so pray that Satan will not hinder with an outbreak of the virus. As always, pray for open hearts and open minds to God’s truth.

 

It was great to see our CA supporters. We enjoyed picnics with them in backyards and parks. What fun it was for us to see friends after so many months of lock-downs and curfews here on the Navajo Nation.

 

We pray that you all stay well also. 

Love,

Roger and Sara

Serving with Across Nations at Hilltop Christian School

Franklin Graham and Samaritan’s Purse helped with organizing food distribution and setting up a temporary hospital for Covid patients.

Mike Lindell is with others at NNCRT (Navajo Nation Christian Response Team) food site.

A child plays alone with her dolls.

Code Talkers Day was last week.

Tim Tebow is pictured here with Vice President Lizer and his wife.

 

Photos: The Navajo Nation has received many donations and helpful visitors. 

We are grateful for all who have helped.

News May 2020

 It's pretty amazing that we left NM to visit friends on March 6, and we returned a week later to a whole new world. The Navajo Nation has been hard-hit by the virus.  Part of this might be due to the fact that Navajos are communal and live in large, close-knit family groups. They also have not stopped gathering together even though President Nez has mandated "hibernate” in place to stay safe. Many believe they will stay safe by boiling sage and juniper to drink as a tea to combat respiratory ailments. As everywhere, the elderlies are dying, along with alcoholics and diabetics. Those are two other severe health issues on the Rez, which create pre-existing conditions

We have had nightly curfews for ten weeks and weekend (57 hour) curfews for about seven weeks. The Navajo Nation government will be closed until mid-June. A large part of the nation still lacks running water, and they wash hands in a common bowl. The unemployment rate has shot up to around 50%, which has made it very difficult financially for some of our school families. 

President Jonathan Nez and VP Myron Lizer are outspoken Christians. We pray that they have wisdom and good counsel and remain bold for the God of the Bible. The darkness of the Native Religion comes against them. People are fearful and blaming others. Christians get heavy blame because one of the first major outbreaks came out of a Nazarene Regional meeting. The Nazarene church has lost many pastors and pastor’s wives. White people get blamed too. Perhaps this is because they previously introduced diseases and inflicted privations on the indigenous communities. Blame also goes out to the Navajo people for falling away from their traditional religious practices and not taking care of mother earth.

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We have remained at home and are not sick. No one on our staff is sick, though some have extended family that have gotten ill or have passed away from the virus. The Navajo Nation Christian Response Team (NNCRT) delivered several hundred boxes of food and supplies right away.  Now the Federal dollars have arrived, and the Navajo Nation is doing the job of taking care of its own. 

We didn't have school in the building for the last quarter, but we worked really hard at getting on-line right away. Roger and I had a lot to learn!  The situation is less than ideal because the Internet services are definitely substandard.  One of my families had to drop out completely because they live on a remote ranch with no connectivity. 

Now that the year is over, we are cleaning up, organizing, and preparing for next year, even though we have no idea how that will look or what restrictions will be placed on all of us. We plan to start in August, but can't imagine teaching a class where we have to stay six feet apart all day long and wear masks. 

As for this summer, we won't make any plans to travel in June. 

We are praying for those who have become infected and the grieving friends and families who have lost loved ones. We are praying that we Christians will pay more attention to God and live humbly before Him, knowing that He is providing for us and has everything under control.  The Lord is teaching us to use our gifts in different and creative ways. 

 

Staff Meetings on Zoom

April 19

Dear Friends,

A month ago, Roger and I visited friends in Iowa over our Spring Break. We left Tse Bonito with certain expectations, one of them being we’d soon be sharing our classrooms with our Encounter Team friends from Pennsylvania, Arkansas, California, Colorado and other places.  A week later, we returned to a completely different place, a twilight zone where one didn’t dare cough to ease an allergic tickle. Businesses and schools were temporarily closing up shop. And our co-workers from all over the United States weren’t coming after all.

On Monday morning, March 16^th, the Hilltop teachers and staff met as usual for morning devotions, knowing that no students would be scrambling out of their trucks to hug their teachers and bounce to class. We prayed and determined to charge fearlessly into a new era. Not knowing how long this virus would last, the teachers prepared work packets for the next few school days. We didn’t want to lose any precious time caring for our children’s academic needs.

Parents picked up the packets and transitioned to becoming teachers. It wasn’t easy for many families. And as this disease stretched out, we knew we’d have to leap from a 1970s classroom to a technology-based 2020 classroom. We have old, donated computers in our classrooms, but most of us switched to using our personal laptops. Two teachers borrowed Kindle Fires from a classroom.  And off we Zoomed.

Yes, Zoom is now a verb. We all  (I’m talking all – from the Millennials to the Octogenarians) climbed the steep learning curve; and if the Lord hadn’t sent our student-teacher  (Joy) from Pennsylvania, we would have struggled even more. She was able to help us with technological advice. We now Zoom every morning and afternoon for staff meetings and collaboration. Every one of the classes meets daily in a Zoom meeting. The Preschool is also posting classes biweekly on YouTube. Mr. Naas prepares a chapel and Mrs. Naas has done a Library Reading time for the students.

A month ago, we didn’t even know what an LMS was. Now the whole world knows. We’ve been using Schoology (Learning Management System) and e-mails and an outside mail drop for those with no technology to continue the children’s learning.  Miss Rubanenko, second grade teacher, said, “I’m right on pace with the curriculum, and we should be finished at the end of May.” Mrs. Nelson, kindergarten teacher, stated, “They all come to the morning meeting, and I feel that they are making great progress between the lessons I teach them and what they work on at home.”

The teachers struggle to make the lessons creative and relevant. We spend extra time meeting with individuals to tutor them. And though it has been more work than classroom teaching, our hearts are even more burdened by other loads. We worry that our children are safe. We pray about the traditional teachings children are hearing and the garbage they are allowed to watch to fill the long days.  People who are fearful and are looking for answers surround us. We know some of our families have lost their jobs and are in desperate straits. The children are lonely, and some call or text our teachers or stay on the Zoom meeting as long as they possibly can. Some parents are still working, but they are now required to teach their own children too. Added to either no Internet or substandard on-line services, this has not been an ideal situation.

What can you do? Continue to do what you have been doing. Pray for the Navajo people and their leaders. We’ve been under quarantine for two weekends and will face two more stay-at-home weekends. Pray for the students and for their safety and health. And pray for the staff and teachers at Hilltop. We strive to serve the Lord using the gifts and weapons He gives us. 

Virtual hugs to you all,

Roger and Sara 

“Navajo Jeans” by Hyatt Moore