Doulos is an English school, located in the mountains of Jarabacoa. It is made up of approximately 250 students. The majority of the student body is local Dominican children, while some of them are missionary kids. It is a private school, which means that families pay a tuition fee for their children to attend Doulos. Because Doulos believes in discipling and educating all children to become Dominican leaders, they seek out sponsors to partner with children of low socio-economic backgrounds. Over half of their student population are part of their sponsorship program.
Doulos requires high standards of education, education degrees, and constant professional development. I am honored to be accepted into this team of incredible educators, and I cannot wait to learn from others.
The beautiful thing about Doulos, is that subject areas are not segregated into separate blocks, timed by bells, and controlled by adults. Doulos is expeditionary based. Here, we call that inquiry based, or play based. Schools across North America are working towards this style of education.
Based on the common knowledge that humans learn by DOING, Doulos seeks to provide meaningful opportunities for students to learn by doing. The curriculum at Doulos is similar to the curriculum we use here. The difference is, instead of teaching segregated units of Science, one a a time, they’ve incorporated all subject areas and all units into one giant year-long study.
Teachers at Doulos spend weeks laying out the curriculum, and finding common themes and questions. For example, Kindergarten units might include learning about illustrators, community helpers, the outdoors, and family members. Instead of teaching each unit separately, teachers worked together to find the common theme of Creation. They incorporated the all units from all subject areas, as well as God’s word. Many of their projects included brick making, pottery, creating books, planting gardens, serving others, and many more. Other grades’ participated in expeditionary events such as creating a pond for the school to enjoy, mountain climbing, canoe trips, creating butterfly gardens, and many more.
The beauty of this style of education is that it not only meets curricular/academic outcomes, but allows for students to make meaning and find purpose in their learning. They are able to naturally learning problem solving skills, think critically, and work together to be innovative thinkers. This style of education requires intense planning and preparation in order to be successful. Teachers must constantly be prompting their students to ask further questions, to explore, and to think for themselves. This is the opposite of the teaching styles we grew up with, where one person simply stands at the front of a crowd and unloads knowledge.
I am so incredibly passionate about teaching + joining this team to further my knowledge and become a better educator, mother, and wife. Aside from the teaching portion, we are so excited to raise our children in a culture that is different from what we know. I am excited for my boys to understand that hot water doesn’t always come from a tap, that wifi isn’t a right, and that it might be uncomfortable to be a visual minority. I want them to learn acceptance, discomfort, love, and community. I am not naive in thinking this journey will be easy. We are not oblivious to the fact that raising kids in another culture will be hard. Painful. Uncomfortable. But we cannot wait to be transformed in the process, to be refined in who we are as a family, and to come back stronger and better people.
Matt has been asked to work with their team of behind-the-scenes staff. He will be doing some Human Resource work, as well as some of the coordinating for the expeditionary events. Because we have our two very small children, Matt will work part time while I teach full day Kindergarten. Hayden will be attending Doulos’ half day Pre Kinder program, while Sawyer will be loved by a fellow stay-at-home mom.
We have been in contact with several families who currently live and serve in Jarabacoa. They have welcomed us into their community and families already. One of these dear friends will be helping us find housing and a vehicle before we arrive. Our term begins on July 15, of this coming year, and we have committed to 3 years. We are overjoyed to serve with fellow Christians in a setting that empowers a culture in such a powerful way.
Matt and Lisa Wiebe 