Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Spring 2013 | Page 53

Photo: Daniel Shaffer ’12

“Children are
used in important
ways and have
spiritual gifts.
They are full
members of the
family of God,
and we often
forget this.”
—Dr. Susan Hayes Greener ’83

Rwandan peace basket to tell the biblical
story of Jesus’ feeding the 5,000.
The group ended up spending much
time discussing discipline. Dr. Greener
taught teachers various forms of positive
reinforcement to replace the harsh verbal
and physical discipline common within
Rwandan families. She also discussed
how teachers can model God’s love to
their students.
“We talked about how teachers are
a model of God the Father to these
children,” she says. “And this ties into
the physical discipline issue. How do you
want God the Father to discipline you?”
Despite the challenges, Dr. Greener
was struck by the community’s strengths
and assets. Each family contributes 80
cents per month per child, so the school
doesn’t rely on outside grants or Western
resources. And despite the 50:1 studentteacher ratio, sufficient learning is able
to take place because cultural behavior
norms are different.
“In the United States, we socialize
for independence: ‘You are special.

You should be able to freely choose what
activity you wish to pursue,’” she says.
“But Rwanda is a collectivist society
where the group takes precedence, so
classrooms don’t have the degree of chaos
that you might expect. Children are more
compliant. They are more content to be
still, to cooperate with one another, and to
listen to adults.”
Impressed with the enthusiasm of
the teachers, Dr. Greener says, “They
were excited that these kinds of schools
were starting at all, and feeling very
anticipatory about what difference this
might make. Being a teacher holds some
respect and status, so they also had pride
in the opportunity.”
Invited to return to conduct more
training sessions, Dr. Greener says this
opportunity to train teachers on the front
lines in East Africa has proven vital to her
own teaching.
“It’s so easy to read about things—even
things that you know well—and forget
how exhausting and discouraging it can
be on the front lines,” she says. “If I’m

teaching about poverty and the developing
world, it’s important to be reconnected
to the reality of what that’s like, and
reminded of the humanity of those who
are working with kids. These people need
the same love, community, and care that
anyone does.”
But what Dr. Greener most appreciated
was the opportunity to support what she
believes is one of the world’s most fruitful
mission fields: children.
“Children are the most open to
influence,” she says, noting that teaching
at the preschool level is an opportunity to
impact not just early spiritual growth, but
also emotional and physical well-being.
“It’s also acknowledging that children
play a strong role in God’s story
throughout the history of the church,”
she continues. “Children are used in
important ways and have spiritual gifts.
They are full members of the family of
God, and we often forget this. So bringing
them into that place of spiritual nurture as
soon as possible, for as long as possible, is
the best way to equip them for life.”
W H E A T O N     63