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| Dorothy Nawadradra, head teacher of Hosea Christian Mission Preschool in Vava'u, Tonga describes the school and what it means to the community. |
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Hosea Christian Mission Preschool is very, very popular in the islands of Vava'u. We have children from both Christian and non-Christian backgrounds attending our school. Before the end of every school year many parents come to ask if they can pre –register their child for the following year of school. To make it fair on everyone we tell them that they have to wait until the week before school starts. We go on a first come, first served rule. So many would like their child to attend our school but we can only accept 45 children due to the limited space in our building. We secretly choose about six children from the community who come from very poor backgrounds and we let their children attend school with us. The other children pay $10 weekly fees.
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| It is very humbling to see parents hold so much pride for this school. It is though this school is the “IN” school for Vava'u. A year ago, we had a preschool conference held in Vava'u where teachers from throughout the kingdom attended .. Our little preschool was applauded and thanked for the outstanding results and uniqueness of the children that come out of Hosea Christian Mission Preschool. It was noted by the Ministry of Education that the standard of learning at our kindergarten is very high. We were told that it took about 2-3 months for the children from the other preschools to catch up to the level of the children that come out of our preschool.
Our children have been observed to have beautiful manners, to be very confident in and out of class and well prepared academically. The non Christian parents come around to thank the teachers for the wonderful surprises they find in their child's behaviour. So often they say that their child cannot wait to return to school each day. That alone is a blessing to the teachers. It helps us to know that we are doing OK.
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| This is Akanesi .She is one of the students who come to school for free. She is very bright and her family is poor. We decided to help this child and a few others to get a head start at thebeginning of their education. |
It is so surprising also to know that most of the Christian children who attend our kindergarten don't know much about Jesus. It is often the case that they hear about Jesus as their Saviour for the first time when they come to kindergarten. We can tell that the parents are not focused on helping their child to love the Lord by the funny answers we receive from our children. In the middle of the first term of school each teacher in the school holds a teacher-parent session with all the parents of the children in her group. In this session the parents are introduced to the whole school program, school extra-curricular activities, and what their children will be learning at this kindergarten. |
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We also make them aware of the developments that are normal for a child that is 3-5yrs old. We encourage them to help their child to love the Lord and to help them trust in Him – the focus is on the God of Possibilities. We make them become aware of what positive disciplining is and how it encourages good behaviour in their children. At the end of each group / class session the parents and teachers pray together for the school, the families, the teachers, their children .It is a very special moment and it helps the teachers to get to know the parents more and the parents to work with the teachers to help their child to progress positively.
At the end of each school term we hold an Open Day for the parents in which we display the children's art and other theme work we've been doing. This is always the bonus part of each term because the kids and parents are so proud of the work displayed.
I would like to thank you, Anne for believing in us and for your vision for Vava'u. I thank the many people who have prayed and given towards this mission project. The support we receive has made a tremendous difference in the sense that we are able to pay our school rent and the bills each month, buy stationery, do maintenance work on our school building and purchase materials that we find relevant for our school and children. It also helps with the three teachers' weekly wages when we sometimes receive less from the weekly fees that come in. You have made this school a place with a difference. God bless you and may the glory and praises be HIS alone. Thank You Jesus for everything.
Dorothy Nawadradra 10 April 2010
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