Back in Action – From Jake Pinkston on teaching mission in Honduras

I want to begin by apologizing for my long hiatus from the blogosphere. While it is easy to say it has been a busy, difficult month, I realize that I should be writing more frequently. I need to do a better job of keeping all of you up to date with my happenings, even when they aren't as successful as I want them to be. I will do better.

The first month of the third term has been extremely challenging for me. It seems like everyone at Trinity here is hitting a wall of sorts. The spark that comes with the beginning of the school year has faded. There is another month before the next break. People are feeling fatigued and many are missing school due to illness. Students and staff are both feeling a bit burned out. The course material has been challenging and everyday has felt like a battle just to keep moving forward. Instead of rising to the challenge, many of the students have fallen back onto old habits, which has been frustrating and draining. It has been hard to keep up the energy and enthusiasm. Often times I feel like a broken record, pleading for the students to come to class prepared and stay engaged in the subject matter. Grades have slipped substantially and I am having trouble inspiring the quality of work that I was getting before the Christmas break. I have caught 6 students cheating in some form or another in my class, which has been disappointing and disheartening. It feels like many days we are taking more steps backwards than forwards.

I have had a lot of support from the administration and have used these trials to reevaluate my teaching style and expectations. I have been trying to mix up my lessons to make the material a little more interesting and tried some new assignments to give the students new ways to learn and perform. This has had mixed results. Some continue to be stubbornly apathetic but there are many who are beginning to take more initiative. I have more students than ever staying after school for extra help and guidance. Although it has often been coerced, the results have been encouraging.

My biggest focus for improvement has been communication with the students. I have a tendency to forget that while my sole focus is teaching, the hormone-crazed teenagers I am working with have other things on their mind than the formula for respiration. The best part about working in such a small school is the opportunities for one on one time with the students. I have been trying to build stronger relationships with the students to try to find ways to motivate and help them succeed. While this has made the failures difficult, it has made the victories equally as sweet. When I see students solving a problem they have never seen before light up when they realize they know how to do it, when a group proudly shows me the progress they have made on their science fair project, when a student who has failed the last two pop quizzes smiles as he turns in his chapter test with every question answered: that’s where I draw my strength. That’s when I realize why I am here and why it is all worth it.

I have been thinking and praying on my role at Trinity this year and in the future the last few months. As I submitted for the annual meeting, I am well below my projected budget for the year. Though my mother thinks I look too skinny (she is sending vitamins), I am living quite comfortably here in La Ceiba and really love being a teacher. I have never taken a job more seriously or worked as hard as I have these last few months because I know I am not just working for me but working for all of you who have supported me on this journey.

Although it has not been easy, I can see how far Trinity has come in the past few years. Only a few years ago, the school was in dire financial straights, its enrollment dwindling and its level of education below standard. Through the vision of Veronica, Mike, and Betty, the contributions of mission teams from Texas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, and a committed staff, we have become the rising star among bilingual schools in La Ceiba as well as across the Episcopal Diocese. I am proud to be a part of that renewal, even though I have only been here the last seven months.

It is far from over though. The next few years will be a test as to whether we can continue this upward momentum. Mike and Betty, who have devoted the first three years of their retirement to jumpstarting the secondary school, are wrapping up their time as teachers at Trinity. At the end of the year, they will return to the United States. Their plan is to continue to aid in the development of the school by raising funds and advising the newly formed board of directors, but also be grandparents. Others will have to step up.

I would like to formally ask the support of the Congregation of St. James that I might continue my mission work for another year at Trinity Episcopal School. I believe that with another year, I could solidify the secondary science program, develop a long term curriculum, and sustain the academic rigor that has begun to define the school. I also feel that my presence would help create a continuity of programming and purpose as more leadership roles are taken on by Honduran staff members. Next year, Trinity will graduate its first secondary class and I want to be there to congratulate each one of those students as they cross the stage and receive their diplomas.

I know that many of you have made significant contributions to send me to La Ceiba, and this was initially intended to be a single year mission. I can’t begin to express my gratitude for your generosity. This experience has been the most inspirational and life changing endeavor I have pursued. I am truly blessed. However, I feel like my work here is not yet finished. While I would gladly return the surplus funds to St. James at the end of the year or donate them to worthy projects at Trinity, I believe that my continued presence is the best investment I can make for my students. I could not have come this far without St. James, and I hope that you will continue to support me in the future.