In Search of a School

-
 
The Kleine Gemeinde mission school ground in Duck Run 1, southwest of Spanish Lookout. 

It’s that time of the year again, when we commence our search for a school in which to enroll our children. Homeschooling required many sacrifices and I thoroughly enjoyed those days when I would be home since teaching school has been one of my greatest joys; it’s the only way that I can pass on my love of mathematics, archaeology, geology and astronomy. Do not get me started in astronomy but thankfully now my two oldest are of an age when they can understand the basics, all with a God-centered view of course. I often hold long one-sided conversations with them about galaxies, comets, asteroids, super giant stars, etc., conversations which are impossible with my other half who usually falls asleep listening to my celestial observations.
  Certainly it has been an enjoyable year but with a new family member about to arrive in a few weeks, we realized the strain would be too much, hence our search for a private school. We focused at first on the Kleine Gemeinde schools inside Spanish Lookout and discovered that even though they were very willing to accept children from another culture, it was a new venture for them which required some discussion before they gave us a final answer.
  We then investigated the semi-private “mission” schools established in the villages surrounding Spanish Lookout and which are administered entirely by the Kleine Gemeinde churches of that colony. These schools are becoming extremely popular among non-Mennonite parents who desire a sound moral education for their children at minimum cost; approximately 90% of the school fees are covered by the Kleine Gemeinde church. Unfortunately we were told by one of these schools that the older the child the less her chances are of being accepted due to regular students being given first chance and secondly because they preferred to start new students from Grade 1. Which meant my son would easily be accepted while my daughter might possibly be denied. The young lady teachers were sympathetic but firm, offering a refund of the application fee in the event such a thing happened. One of them suggested applying in multiple schools to see if perhaps her chances were better.

The mission school in Duck Run 3, directly west of 
Spanish Lookout

  After considering the idea, we decided to act on the teacher’s advice and paid the registration fee of $20 per student, after which we were told that a final answer would be given later in May. We thanked her then proceeded to apply at another mission school a week later. They appeared a bit more flexible but could not give us an outright answer until later in May or June. With fingers crossed and hope remaining firm that it would work out eventually, we returned home in good spirits.

The Holdeman Mennonite school in the background, center, ceased to function last year, leaving us on a quest to find another conservative school for our children.















A. Mendoza

Popular posts from this blog

Mennonite Foods

-
Image
         The Old Colony, Kleine Gemeinde, and Old Order have a diet which mainly consists of homemade bread, cottage cheese, noodles, pork, potatoes, and stewed beans. Milk is used in many of their meals, such as casseroles and faspa foods. Some dishes from the Plautdietsch groups are:   nuddelsuppe:  noodle soup made with home-made noodles    werenaki:  (perogies see picture above ) made of pockets of flour with  glums  (cottage cheese) filling,  schmaunfat  (white gravy made of flour, milk and black pepper), and  formavorscht  (pork sausage). The perogies are then boiled and served. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try out Plautdietsch foods although I prefer the fried ones.  Cheesy or creamy casseroles: often it will contain meat and cream with potatoes or macaroni   borscht:  a vegetable soup with bits of meat sometimes added to it    Clops: patties from either ground meat or potatoes   And then there is that unique Mennonite meal known as faspa, a late afternoon snack or earl
Read more

Mennonites and Music

-
   Music, the comfort of the soul, the way of sin to some, a sign of true worship to others.   Within the Mennonite family in Belize music to some degree is used or listened to, with each branch viewing it based on their understanding of the Bible.                          The Kleine Gemeinde   Used to consider any musical instrument as wrong. But after acapella recorded music was approved, it introduced a need for tape recorders, then slowly over the years other instruments were approved. Church singing is still acapella, and radio and TV are still not accepted. However, instruments such as violins (which is often played by KG youth girls) and guitars are used during youth singing, community concerts, and personal entertainment or family singing. The organ is also used sometimes in such events.       The Beachy and Conservative Mennonites     Also sing acapella style during church services and other singing services. While musical instruments such as guitars and violins are not
Read more

Mennonite Houses

-
Image
 Mennonites in Belize have become famous for their custom-built wooden "Mennonite houses". The two main  house builders in the country,  Plett's Home Builders and Linda Vista Lumberyard , both located in Spanish Lookout, have become reknowned for their prefabricated houses which are built in Spanish Lookout and shipped countrywide. Houses are built from lumber or colored sheet metal and prices will vary of course based on the amount of details a customer wants. A small house with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom and kitchen may cost you an estimated US$12,000 to US$15,000. (Check directly with the company for up-to-date pricing and delivery fees.)    A "Mennonite house", custom built by Plett's Home Builder's; photo via Facebook   Plett's Home Builders offers both metal and wood siding with a variety of porch and window designs. Linda Vista, which is just down the road from Plett's, also offers excellent building options. Also inside Spanish Lookout i
Read more