Teaching in a Distant Classroom: Crossing Borders for Global Transformation [Paperback]

Michael H. Romanowski (Author), Teri McCarthy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2009

Thousands of North American Christians teach overseas every year. International teaching experiences can be tremendously rewarding. But often teachers are not fully prepared for the challenges of crosscultural life, and many are jolted and disillusioned by the realities of the overseas classroom. Veteran educators Mike Romanowski and Teri McCarthy provide an essential guide for Christians teaching in overseas contexts. They explain how good teaching requires preparation, self-understanding and cultural skills, as well as a solid philosophy of education and grasp of worldview. Providing both the theoretical framework as well as practical tools, the authors offer concrete advice and real-life examples for classroom instruction, daily life and much more. Get a more global picture of the kind of transformation your educational work can accomplish. Whether you are a recent college grad or a seasoned veteran educator, this book is an essential companion for your teaching journey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There are few people who are qualified to write a book like this. And there are few books that inform, challenge, persuade and entertain like this does. Mike Romanowski and Teri McCarthy have delved deep and produced a stimulating and essential text for those called to Christian teaching across the globe. Don't leave home without it!" (Dr. Elaine Storkey, Vice President, University of Gloucestershire, president, Tearfund, and director of training and education, the Church of England Church Army )

"There is no other book quite like Teaching in a Distant Classroom. For years I've been mobilizing young people and retirees to go overseas and teach. I wish I could have put this book in the hands of every one of those young people and retirees that I've mobilized! The book is brutally honest about integrity issues as well as other problems likely to be encountered. While it gives great 'how-to' advice for flourishing in a crosscultural situation, it also deals with foundational questions like pedagogy, philosophy and worldview." (Howard Culbertson, D.Min., professor of missions, Southern Nazarene University )

"This is an exciting and instructionally directional book about the most challenging, strategically most potent and yet largely neglected mission field--the university classrooms of our globally interconnected and yet religiously and culturally diverse world. From the wealth of their pedagogical wisdom, plethora of their crosscultural experiences and the depth of their kingdom commitments, the authors persuasively argue and richly illustrate how important knowing is for going and understanding is for teaching. My advice to all who are missional in their international teaching: this book must be read before going and taken along for self-evaluating reference." (Dr. Peter Kuzmic, Eva B. and Paul E. Toms Distinguished Professor of World Missions and European Studies, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and founding president, Evangelical Theological Seminary, Osijek, Croatia )

"I sure wish I could have read this book before I began teaching in Nigeria. It's better to learn from its authors than from Hard Knocks University!" (Chuck White, Ph.D., Professor of Christian Thought and History, Spring Arbor University, and Visiting Professor, University of Jos, Nigeria )

"Written from passionate hearts aflame for Christ and his kingdom, Teaching in a Distant Classroom is the most authentic, relevant and inspirational professional guide available today for those considering teaching abroad. An inspirational challenge and complete resource for all who teach, this book should be required reading for all Christian college students considering teaching overseas." (Stephen D. Livesay, Ph.D., president, Bryan College )

"As president of a Christian college I very strongly recommend Teaching in a Distant Classroom to students interested in international missions (teaching or otherwise) and to all Christian faculty members in the U.S. Romanowski and McCarthy provide practical insights and heartwarming narratives that will help students decide whether teaching abroad is for them and, if so, help them prepare to do so well. All faculty members should read it because it will help them think through what it means to be a Christian who teaches. This book, which could actually be called a survival guide, is invaluable for students who sense God's call to teach overseas as a Christian missionary and for faculty who find themselves increasingly confronting diverse and conflicting worldviews in U.S. classrooms.  It should be on every Christian campus in the nation." (Dan Struble, Ph.D., president, Montreat College )

"Teaching in a Distant Classroom is a valuable introduction to college teaching as crosscultural ministry. Indeed, as a former college provost who cares a great deal about teaching Christianly, I think that it could be valuable for college teachers anywhere, including Christian colleges in the United States! These days, all college teaching is 'crosscultural ministry.' It is remarkable how little guidance newly minted Ph.D.s have received in the art and craft of good teaching, even if they have some university teaching experience. This book offers valuable introductions to these topics, and much more, including the life of learning as a genuine calling from God, the cultural assumptions behind much of Western college teaching and what it means to be an authentic ambassador of Jesus Christ in all of one's life. This is a wise and practical book, and I hope that many Christian professors will read it." (Joel Carpenter, Ph.D., director, Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity )

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (November 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830837434
• ISBN-13: 978-0830837434
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #491,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Christian Teachers or any Professionals, December 20, 2009

By 

Ryan J. Rice "Ryan" (Bellingham, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teaching in a Distant Classroom: Crossing Borders for Global Transformation (Paperback)

An excellent resource that will challenge any Christian to develop a philosophy and approach to their profession that integrates God's calling and will for their lives and that will spur us on to "be agents of transformation in culture and society" (pg30).

This is a must read for Christian educators but has also challenged me in my profession (engineering/management in a cross-cultural setting) and can challenge you in whatever profession you may be called!

There is a saying that "what you do is not who you are". This book asks you to consider whether who you are, as a follower of Christ, is being expressed through what you do. It doesn't stop there, but also provides resources and reflective questions on how to re-shape your thinking and aproach to your profession and calling.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living and Teaching in Two or More Cultures, June 12, 2010

By 

James W. Sire "author of The Universe Next Door" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teaching in a Distant Classroom: Crossing Borders for Global Transformation (Paperback)

When the Berlin wall came down, I was invited to lecture and teach in most of the countries formerly closed to direct Western influence. I remember calling a friend who had been lecturing and teaching in many foreign countries. My main questions were what is the food like? I will be hosted by local families; where will I sleep? (Having been in the army, I knew about the food in one Asian country; I feared I might have the same reaction to food in Eastern Europe. Living on a U.S. army base, I did not have to eat much in private homes or even in public restaurants. In countries I could not locate in my mind without looking at a map, however, I would be at the mercy of my hosts for food and hospitality.) My whole travel and teaching experience extended off and on for over ten years. I am delighted to say that there was no reason to panic or even be nervous. My hosts were delightful, friendly, accommodating, everything a good host American style would be--and more.

Still, I found some aspects of the cultures I encountered strange and, frankly, irrational by my standards. In some countries, the "natives" did not open their windows in hot weather because a draft was unhealthy. Sweating through the night is not pleasant. Of course, this illustration is trivial. Many situations are not--unsafe streets, uncertain travel, unknown "rules" such as "no chewing gum" (not trivial, so I understand, in one country), inappropriate clothing, sitting with the soles of your feet displayed, and hosts of others that seem not only strange but (to you) silly.

Michael H. Romanowski and Teri McCarthy have been there and done that over and over and much, much more than I. Moreover they have reflected on their experience, drawn from their academic expertise and written an immensely useful book. Everyone planning on teaching in a foreign country or recovering from the shock of doing so should read this book. It would have helped me if I had read such a book before my own travels.

The wisdom of their approach to teaching, however, is valuable for those who will never leave the comforts of their own culture. Self-evaluation of one's own goals and analysis of the worldviews of one's own culture are valuable for everyone. This book will help readers regardless of their role in society here and abroad.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for those considering teaching internationally!, June 22, 2010

By 

Jody Fernando "J. Fernando" (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teaching in a Distant Classroom: Crossing Borders for Global Transformation (Paperback)

I was quite excited when I saw Michael Romanowski and Teri McCarthy's new book Teaching in a Distant Classroom: Crossing Borders for Global Transformation (Intervarsity). I supervise international TESOL practicums during the summer and have been looking for a book like this for quite sometime. I had high enough hopes that it would be suitable for my students to read that I assigned it to them before I had actually read it. I've now finished, and am delighted to report that it's even better than I'd hoped!

One of the most frequent misunderstandings I encounter with people hoping to teach overseas is that they don't really take the actual task of teaching very seriously. Some assume they can use "teaching English" 1) as a mask to do "real ministry", 2) a way to travel and see the world, or 3) an easy way to get a visa into a closed country. Romanowski and McCarthy quickly and clearly dispel these myths on page 1 of chapter 1:

Often when Christians decide to go outside their homeland to teach...friends and family ask, "If you can't talk about Jesus in the classroom over there, how on earth are you going to be a missionary?" For the missions-minded North American evangelical, it's a legitimate question. But the question is not what is troubling. What is more disturbing is the common response, "Oh I'm going as a teacher to get into the country so that I can do my real job of evangelism."

So begins their case for competent, well-trained, serious professionals - especially among Christians. They assert that "teaching should flow out of a Christians' sense of calling" - not "merely moonlighting." They provide a variety of charts (one of my favorite parts of a book!) such as: motives for teaching overseas (non-religious and Christian), worldview influences and teaching, various educational models/methods. My favorite chart goes quite in depth comparing culturally responsive teachers with Jesus' teaching.

Other interesting components of the book include a plethora of personal perspectives from people who have taught abroad, helpful websites, movie recommendations and a variety reflective questions for the reader. On top of this, the entire book repeatedly explores how committed faith and excellence in teaching integrate.

For the Christian overseas teacher, Teaching in a distant classroom is a thorough, honest, and challenging introduction to teaching abroad. I'm completely thrilled for my students to read this as they complete their practicums as it synthesizes so much of what they have studied in their coursework. I'm excited to hear their responses. I'll be highly recommending the book to every TESOL practicum supervisor I know, plus to the many others who contact me regarding teaching abroad. It is a realistic, practical, and wise guide for those heading down the path of teaching in a distant classroom.