Recently I started doing something that I never imagined myself doing: teaching kindergarten. I taught junior high and high school students before, but teaching 5 and 6 year-olds was a whole new adventure for me. At first I was a little nervous that the students wouldn’t understand my English, but I decided that the important part was to smile, be friendly, and try to have fun. Interestingly, those same principles apply to cross cultural communication at any age level. Yes, there are times when we might not understand one another or might make language mistakes, but during those times, the smile speaks louder than words.
One of my favorite experiences so far with the kindergarteners was watching them with their teacher before our English class started. This is a Christian kindergarten, so the class was praying. I love that the teacher showed just how much prayer is like having a conversation with God. They talked with God in an intimate, sincere, and heart-felt way as they told God good morning, thanked him for the beautiful day, and asked for his blessing as they learn and play. Today and in the days ahead, I echo the beautiful prayer of my kindergarteners.
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| Kyushu Gakuin's Kindergarten |
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