Hello everyone! This time on the education blog, I would like to share a few resources with you, especially for those of you who have older children. I also have a resource that does not have anything to do with educating kids overseas but wanted to make you aware of it!
The first resource is the website www.tanyacrossman.com Tanya is a TCK, an educator who has taught in international schools, and an author. Her website has a collection of all kinds of helpful resources for TCKs and their families. Just click on the “resources” tab on the website. Her latest book is called Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century. Many people live outside of their passport country at any given time. With Missionary Kids, or Third Culture Kids, we know a large percentage of them will return to live in their passport country. This book shares the personal stories of hundreds of individuals and their experiences of living overseas and then returning “home.” This book can help to give insight into your children, perhaps into some of the struggles they are facing, and may even help you, if you are a TCK yourself. The book brings to light the fact that TCKs born after the 1990s have had a different experience from TCKs born before 1990, because of the advent of the internet. I feel that this book would be a valuable resource for any missionary family. It’s available on Amazon, either in paperback or on Kindle.
A new book for teens is called Faith on the Move: A Devotional for MK/TCK Teens in Cross-Cultural Transition. This book is published by Interaction International and is a 30-day devotional geared toward older teens who are transitioning to their passport country. It uses examples of Bible characters who also experienced change and transition in their lives, such as Ruth, Joseph, Esther, and Daniel. The book looks at various themes related to this aspect of transition: things like loss, hope, grief, managing stress, and other topics. There is a QR code in the book if a person would like to connect with other TCKs as part of a book group. The book is available from Amazon and is around $12.00.
I enjoy looking for and reading books that might be helpful to our missionary families. Not every book is perfect, but these two have lots of great information, and would be profitable for families and young adult TCKs.
The third resource I would like to share with you is from Jan Dormer, an adult TCK, former missionary, and college professor. Her website is www.tesoltools.com. If you are currently, or perhaps are interested in teaching English in your ministry, Jan’s website has an abundance of FREE resources for you. On the right-hand side of the website under Resources, click on Missions. Scroll down to Teaching English. There are six different links you can explore, with full curriculum to teach English to adults and children. This would be something that could be a great help to a person just starting out with this kind of ministry. You can also search for Jan Dormer on YouTube and view a few videos relating to teaching English.
I hope this information is helpful for you. Please send me an email and let me know if you have any comments or questions. Praying that God will continue to lead you and your families as you educate your children in another country!
God bless,