If you are parents thinking of going out on the mission field but are worried about your children, Barbara Ray says ‘we’re here for you’.

Homeschooling network

“If you were a superhero, what would your super power be?” Twelve small hands shoot in the air and we are off – talking, laughing and sharing ideas. Welcome to Homeschoolers’ Week 2010.

Each year Rift Valley Academy (RVA) welcomes home-schooling families as they spend a week at the school. The children have special lessons together, spend time in RVA classes, take annual tests and have a great time joining in the life of the school. Parents get to chat with each other, share concerns and tips and have the opportunity to evaluate how the year has gone; there is advice if they need it. This year families came to Kenya from as far as Mozambique, Lesotho and the Indian Ocean Islands.

High priority

We want our AIM families to thrive as they serve in Africa. As their children become TCKs – children who have spent a significant part of their developmental years outside their parents’ culture – we want this to be an enriching experience. So from the time a family applies to AIM, care for their children is high on the agenda.

We want our AIM families to thrive as they serve in Africa…we want this to be an enriching experience.

As they apply, we partner with families to prepare their children for the big adventure of moving to Africa. Alongside parents, we help make plans for their children’s education. And on arrival, the children have their own excellent orientation programme. We are working on a flow of care which helps families though the transitions of their life with the mission. Thank you RVA!

Choices, choices, choices

A family’s location influences the education choices they make: for some, school is a walk or bus-ride away; for others it is a long road journey across borders; for others it is a flight or two! For some, school is in French or German; for some there is no school in the language they speak at home; for others school is around the kitchen table with mum and dad or (for the lucky ones) a homeschool tutor. Some families have lots of choice and some have none. Some love the schooling they use and some struggle. A small team of educators offers advice and support to families while they are on the field and when they are on home assignment. Thanks Ellen, Kim and Julie!

Returning home

Whatever choice a family makes, they are looking forward to their children successfully re-entering their passport country – with the academic qualifications they need to move on back home. AIM’s flagship school, RVA, is committed to this goal but needs teachers from all our sending countries if they are going to achieve this.

When our TCKs finally return home, what then? We want to keep in touch with them and support them as they transition back. For some this is the hardest move of all. AIM in the USA has a policy of following up on every TCK from 18 to 25 – with gifts and cards, calls and visits – and do it brilliantly. Thanks Margaret!

“If you were a super-hero, what would your super power be?” To pray for a family? To tutor home-schoolers? To teach in an MK school? To support to adult TCKs at home?

Barbara is AIM’s TCK Ministries Director.