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Common Questions and AnswersCan I see some pictures of Nicaragua? This slideshow, courtesy of Fréderik Eveno, has a few pictures of the different regions of Nicaragua. You may find it interesting to look at.
What is the make-up of the student body at NCA? In September 2007, NCA enrollment totaled 258 students. 55% of our students are Nicaraguan, 25% are from North America, 10% are from South Korea, and the rest represent 9 additional countries around the world. Approximately 31% are MKs (not all from the US); we have MKs from Canada, South Korea, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, Honduras, Cuba and Guatemala). What is the school calendar like? Classes usually begin in the second week of August. Semester break coincides with Christmas vacation, allowing for about 3 weeks vacation. The school year usually ends during the first week of June. Details of the coming school calendar are found in the document below. What is a typical day like for the students at NCA? Our school goes from 7:30 to 2:30. Elementary teachers set their own schedules but usually include some of the harder subjects in the morning, after DOL and any other morning routines. Besides, the morning hours are the coolest. Recess at about 10:00 for 20 minutes, lunch at about 12:00 or 12:15 for about 45 minutes. Most teachers schedule their specials classes (art, computers, PE, music) during the afternoon or late-morning. There is also a period (45 minutes) of Spanish during the day, where a Nicaraguan teacher comes in and teaches them Spanish (reading, grammar, etc). We have chapel on Wednesday mornings, elementary separate from high school. There are also a few field trips during the year, and plenty of special activities. High school students take the basic core classes (English, Math, Bible, Spanish, Social Studies, and Science) and also take P.E. and two elective classes each year. These elective classes include Functional Art, Choir, Music Ensemble, Drama, Debate, Basic Programming, Career Planning, Basic Art, Domestic Arts, Novels, Health, and Study Skills, among others. There are 7 class periods of 50 minutes in the school day, with a 15-minute break and a 30-minute lunch. Each day begins with a 10-minute homeroom and devotional time in small groups. The kids are great! Nicaraguan kids are very cute, and we have plenty of them. They are warm and lots of fun. It is awesome to be working in the task of training and forming future leaders of Nicaragua, with an intentional focus on how they should be servant leaders and helping them grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ! What is the working relationship between Administration and Teachers, and how do the two work together to support each other? Our school believes firmly in the God-given authority of a teacher in the classroom. As such, the job of the administration is to support and make possible the teachers' work of leading and fostering learning with the students. We stand ready to back up the teacher in discipline issues and parent communication and help carry out some of the logistics of running the school and keeping the distractions out so that teachers can do their work. We rely on teachers to carry out most of the classroom discipline, but we are ready to step in when teachers need someone to "handle" a case for them. We also know that it is important for teachers to receive feedback on their work and ideas on how their performance can improve. The administration will be present as much as possible to help our school grow and continue to move in the right direction! And we are strongly committed to the success of our teachers (and in turn, our students). What technology is available in the classroom? All of our classrooms have a desktop computer available for the teacher. We currently have 5 classrooms equipped with interactive whiteboard technology (Mimio), ceiling-mount projectors, DVD players and sound systems. Next year our plan is to install the projectors, DVD and sound in 3 more classrooms. We also have two projectors and one laptop available for all teachers to sign out. Many of the classrooms also have an overhead projector, and there are a couple extras that can be borrowed. Is there a mentoring program for new teachers? Yes, all of our first or second-year teachers are automatically enrolled in our New Teacher Crash Course, a 3-day overview of the most important parts of teaching -- curriculum, planning, grading, classroom management, and how to plan for success beginning with the first day of school. Then, all of our teachers that are new to NCA participate in a week-long New Teacher Orientation, which goes over expectations for teachers at NCA, curriculum, cultural awareness, the use of our school database, certification, faculty handbook, and includes plenty of time to work in the classrooms. The schedules for both of these weeks is on the Employment page of our website. New teachers are assigned a faculty peer mentor who meets with them regularly before school begins and throughout the year, providing an additional person the new teacher can turn to for quick questions and advice. The mentor system is designed to help new teachers become acclimated to the school. Finally, our principals have a commitment to meeting with all new teachers for 30-40 minutes on a weekly basis throughout their first year, to discuss classroom planning, management, and specific challenges that the teacher is facing. Our administration is strongly committed to providing each teacher with the support and guidance they need to achieve excellence in their classroom! Do I need to know Spanish to teach at NCA? The school is an English-language school. About 30% of our students are children of missionaries; 55% are Nicaraguan, and the rest are international students. All of our students speak English fluently. You certainly do not need to know Spanish to live in Nicaragua or teach at NCA, although knowing Spanish makes live in Nicaragua much easier. We offer free weekly Spanish classes to all of our teachers at several different levels, and there are many opportunities to practice your Spanish on a daily basis! Is there a church that has services in English? Yes, there is. It is called International Christian Fellowship, and it an interdenominational fellowship of Christian believers praying, praising and worshipping together. This church family is what makes it possible for many missionaries to have the support and network of friends that we need to keep doing God's work here in Nicaragua. Although it is not part of NCA, it was founded by the same people who founded NCA (Jim and Viola Palmer) and meets in NCA's chapel building. Its services are on Sunday Mornings at 8:00 a.m. (early enough so that people have the option to go to other Spanish churches after ICF). For more information, visit www.icfmanagua.org. What are the living arrangements for teachers? All new teachers live in the Condominios Allyson apartments in 3-bedroom townhouses, less than a kilometer down the road from the school. Each apartment has a kitchen, eating area, and living room, and they come with security / guard services and a swimming pool. Many of the teachers also pay a small amount for maid service (it's cheap in Nicaragua). A brochure from the apartments is available for download:
What is the salary, and what is the cost of living? NCA and NCA Nejapa are "Missionary Schools" that depend on teachers raising some of their own support to help cover their own living expenses, school loans, travel, and other expenses. A monthly living stipend of $500 is given to teachers to help cover their living expenses, and a housing stipend of $170 is given to cover a standard living arrangement in the apartments. It is our desire that the needs of all of our teachers are met and that God will continue to provide for our school and teachers abundantly! The cost of living in Nicaragua is much lower than in the States. Most teachers find that they can cover their food and other in-country expenses for less than $500 per month. We encourage all of our teachers to connect with a sending mission organization or their home church. This allows them to raise additional support from church, friends and family to help cover expenses such as school loans, travel, and insurance. Where do teachers purchase groceries? There are a number of different options for buying groceries. Neighborhood stores ("ventas") offer convenience, carrying a limited selection of staples like bread, milk, eggs, rice, and toilet paper within walking distance. Markets have a wide selection of fruits and vegetables at low prices. But most of our teachers make weekly trips to La Union or La Colonia, which are both modern grocery stores with fairly wide selections of both national and import products. Other options exist for getting American products, and although the prices may be slightly higher than in the States, they are often comparable. Do I really need to commit to three years? The short answer is "yes"! I would consider this one of NCA's greatest strengths, and something that makes us different from so many other international schools. Most overseas schools are plagued with very high teacher turnover rates; many teachers only stay for 1-2 years, resulting in a school losing half of its teachers every year. This produces overwhelming instability that inhibits students (and their parents) from ever developing relationships of trust and closeness with their teachers. Before NCA made a commitment to teacher longevity, I remember a student asking me (as a new teacher) how long I was going to be at NCA even before asking my name. He wanted to know whether it was even worth investing into getting to know me, or whether I was just going to leave at the end of the year. I believe this exemplifies how important teacher stability is to students. And if you ask teachers at other international schools about their sense of community, you will likely hear many stories about how the highly transient environment undermines a real sense of belonging, which actually further propogates the problem by creating more unsettlement and teacher escape mentality. In 2005, with some fear and trembling, NCA made a bold move to become one of the very few schools that dares to ask for a three-year commitment. It has been one of the best decisions we have made. Our average teacher tenure (1.9 years in 2000) has risen to 4.6 years, and our school community has been transformed. No longer are we a school where teachers are constantly coming and going; rather, we have become a place where a real community of stability and genuine relationships is being fostered. Students have begun to trust their teachers and seek them out as mentors. Parents enjoy having more than one of their children have the same teacher. And the school program grows much stronger without having to start over every few years. This also means we are attracting a different kind of teacher. Rather than hiring teachers that are mainly seeking a personal international experience to boost their resume, we now have teachers that are primarily at our school because they desire to make a difference for the students. Remember that the teaching profession is not about the teacher but about the students. If God brings you into our school, you will be joining into a real and geniune community of caring, committed and excellent teachers. I believe you will find this community entirely different than what you would find at a school that has a much higher teacher turnover. What is the application process? How long does it take? The application process is composed of three phases. First, I need to receive from you an application, testimony and autobiography, college transcript, two professional references and one pastoral reference. Once I have all of these materials, we move to phase 2. Second, we will begin a question and answer session over e-mail. I will send you about 3 rounds of questions, awaiting your response after each round. This depends on the amount of time that you take to respond... typically our candidates take about a week to complete the 3 rounds of questions. Third, depending on whether or not you are considered a candidate at this point, we would do a phone conversation. I would like to call you and talk for about 15-30 minutes to discuss any remaining points. At this point, we would be done with the application process. Since our hiring takes place on a first-come, first-serve basis, if you were a fully qualified candidate and I had no other candidates for the same position at this point in the process, I would offer you the position within 1 week of our phone call. During this whole process, I am available to answer any questions you might have about the position for which you are applying or about living in Nicaragua. Just send me an email. Is it safe to live in Nicaragua? Nicaragua is actually considered one of the safest countries in Latin America. According to a 2006 report from the USAID, it has lower crime rates than most of its neighboring countries and the crime that does exist is rarely violent. According to a United Nations / Interpol study, Nicaragua has a lower reported crime rate than France, Germany and the United States. Pickpocketing and minor theft occurs occasionally in Nicaragua, but this can usually be avoided by taking extra precautions when traveling through crowded areas and by not leaving valuables unattended. It is also unwise to walk alone through certain parts of town during the night. The same types of precaution one would use in any major U.S. city are recommended in Nicaragua. We also are blessed to be working in a country where there is strong support for the missionary work we are doing. We have not seen *any* hostility from the government or the people toward Nicaragua Christian Academy or toward the North American (or other) teachers that are a part of this school. We are fortunate to have a history free of incidents of violence of any kind directed toward our teachers or the school. In addition, the days of Nicaragua's civil war are long past; since 1990, Nicaragua has enjoyed political stability and peaceful elections. I would consider Nicaragua (and especially the community where we live) a very safe place to live. Nicaraguans are very warm and receptive to North Americans. They are quick to reach out to foreigners and welcome them. At NCA, we enjoy a strong bond of friendship between our Nicaraguan staff and our North American staff. It is awesome to celebrate our unity in Christ! For more information, read this article in Nicaragua News. What aspects of daily life will I find different than in the United States? Well, here I could probably go on and on (and on)... Life in Nicaragua is truly an adventure. Every day seems to bring its twists and turns. Some of the things that we get used to and find rather routine here are power outages, water outages, bus and transportation strikes, large and small and strange insects (although I will say that there are less "bugs" and mosquitoes in the air here than in my homeland in western New York), tarantulas, scorpions (ok, that's not very routine, but from time to time causes some excitement), buying food in neighborhood stores that you walk to, rainy season and dry season, volcanoes and earthquakes, pot holes, overcrowded buses, Spanish, and loud neighborhood parties on the weekends, to name a few. We sometimes have extended power outages and water outages of up to 5 hours at a time. Then there are the things that really surprise us...! But I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. Isn't NCA a school for rich kids? Is this even a valid ministry? It is not uncommon for people to look at our tuition rates and wonder whether this school is a valid ministry. Many of our students come from the emerging middle class and a few come from the lower-upper class Nicaraguan society. In too many people's minds, MINISTRY = SERVICE TO THE POOR. Certainly as Christians, we are called to meet the immediate needs of the poor. However, for long-term growth of God's Kingdom, it can't always be the gringos helping the poor of the world... it MUST be Nicaraguan leaders making a difference in their own country! "If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime." -- Chinese parable. It is our goal to train up tomorrow's leaders so that they will be able to lead the country with a commitment to social justice and a love for God and His people! I still have more questions. How can I learn more? Please feel free to contact Jessica Starkenburg, NCA Teacher Recruiting, at teachnca@gmail.com with any questions that you may have. I always try to respond very quickly. In addition, the following manual has a very detailed description of what new teachers can expect:
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