A View from the Staff Room

Time to stop and chat or pray ,warm sunshine and deep blue skies, dark clear night skies with incredibly bright stars, a “thank you” at the end of a lesson, a shared bowl of soup at a blazing log  fire, a profusion of colourful flowers or saris hanging out to dry, the pungent smell of  eucalyptus from a smoke house, or the fresh green carpet of new growth on tea bushes-all these and many more memories I will carry with me for ever when I leave Hebron school in June to return to Scotland. Travelling in UK will seem boring compared to the journeys I have done here in India.It seems  to be becoming more common than not to be held up on the road back to school by a herd of elephants. Monkeys are common but the sight of a family of big black Nilgiri Langours swinging from the trees is another memorable one.

 These are only glimpses of what the last three and a half years have held for me. Do they spark your interest? Could God be calling you to serve Him in South India? Hebron is a school for the children of missionaries serving in Asia. I’m not sure what I expected when I responded to God’s call in 2003 but I am glad God is a god who loves to give good things to His children. I have really enjoyed my time here and I know I will miss many things and many people.

 Of course not everything about life at Hebron is pleasant and positive (I still don’t like having to cross the campus to have a shower and I wont miss the early morning siren or the call to prayer from the mosque )but I am so glad I obeyed when God called. My life has been enriched in so many ways. I have made many new friends all over the world. I have also been able to enjoy teaching again free from the stresses of classroom discipline issues. It has been a pleasure to be able to enable hard working students to get really good grades. My life has been enriched in so many ways and I will take home many good memories.

  The staff at Hebron are all Christians and are dedicating their lives to serving the needs of missionary parents who  need to know that their children are being cared for and getting an appropriate education.  When parents visit at half term it is very encouraging to hear their stories of how God is working in some remote part of the Himalayas  only accessible on foot or in the Maoist infested forests of Nepal. I would never have the courage or stamina to do the work they do but I can be an enabler and tuck their children up in bed at night with a hug or teach them “A” level Geography.

  I am writing this in Monsoon season.  You would think that having grown up in Oban I would like the rain but not so ! Temperatures here in Ooty(7500 feet up in the Nilgiris ) are much the same as Oban but none of the school buildings have heating so monsoon isn’t much fun .On the other hand the weather from Christmas to May couldn’t be more lovely.  The days are clear and sunny and the night sky is lit with a myriad of dazzlingly bright stars. The school year at Hebron is  very full and consequently time flies past very quickly. Over the years (over one hundred and fifty) many school traditions have grown up.  Drama week in October is one of them. It takes place the week before half term and each year eight classes put on a play.  It is great fun both helping to stage a play and watching the students perform. Many of the students who shine at drama week are the ones who do not rank high at other times.

  Last year saw the inception of what looks likely to become a new Hebron tradition-the staff pantomime. I hadn’t envisaged myself joining a chorus of dancing girls when I came to India but life at Hebron is certainly full of surprises and never dull.

   Some excitement I can live without is the struggle with classroom discipline. Teaching here is a real pleasure. I still haven’t got used to being thanked at the end of a lesson. I am sure many of you who teach in schools in Scotland are accustomed to the sinking feeling as you face  a class of thirty plus whose main aim in life seems to be to make your life as difficult as possible. My biggest class this year is twenty and my GSCE groups are both thirteen.

  There are different challenges which come with teaching in an international school but it is fun to talk about different backgrounds and share experiences.It took me some time to realise that my “A” level students had no concept of a city without  shanty settlements round the edge.All their city experience is of cities like Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong or Kathmandu. They happily describe life in the shanty towns in London !!

Teaching and living at Hebron has been a fantastic experience. Adjusting to life in the Black Isle may not be so easy! Hebron needs new members of staff most years. Maybe reading this has awakened your interest. If so you can find out more about the school on the school web site at www.hebronooty.org Many different skills are needed to keep a boarding school running-dorm parenting, gardening,building, and helping with outdoor education to name a few.If you are interested e-mail school and ask for information.

Mrs Margaret Martin

Head Of Geography

June 2007