GPS - Education in Nigeria

Spring 2009

Bryce Bohne ’08 was hired to teach full time at American Christian Academy in Ibadan (ACA), Nigeria, shortly after graduating from Bethel with bachelor’s degrees in international relations and political science. Also teaching at the school are his fellow 2008 graduates, Meghan Donner and Melissa Hiller.

ACA is the top international school in Ibadan, the largest West African city by area, and serves the families of some of Nigeria’s most prominent politicians and lawyers, as well as children of expatriates from many countries around the world who are living in Nigeria. I teach social studies, history and geography, spelling, and physical education for various classes of 4th through 11th graders. I work alongside two of the most courageous and committed Bethel alumni, Meghan Donner (3rd grade teacher and 3rd–8th librarian) and Melissa Hiller (1st and 2nd grade teacher). They have done such a fantastic job of forging meaningful relationships with the students in and out of class that their role of “teacher” is blended with a maternal role as well. 

In addition to tutoring and teaching English as a second language (ESL) weekly, I offer a class to high school special needs students, trying to motivate under-achieving students. I also help out with the Spanish club and coach the varsity soccer team. It is quite a taxing load; I feel like it is finals week every week, but every minute of hard work is filled to the brim with intrinsic value. There are also opportunities to share Christ’s love both verbally and through our caring actions and attitudes. 

With very little formal teaching experience, stepping into my 8th-grade homeroom class was intimidating; some of my students were just as big as me and several were probably many kilos heavier as well. Because they were still mourning the recent death of one of their favorite classmates, I knew that they were especially sensitive and that I needed to couple a solid education with genuine companionship. Since then, I have striven to be a teacher, mentor, and friend to all my students. My success in walking a fine line of maintaining authority while distributing leniency and love can only be credited to divine powers. Some of the most notorious rabble-rousers at ACA have begun to call me to ask if we could get together on the weekends!

There are plenty of trials along the way, but somehow being in such a vulnerable position helps me draw near to God and the things that matter most. The only things I can count on here are: the power not often functioning; the food and water making me sick; little children calling out “oyibo” (white person) in a flurry of excitement whenever I go to the market; people having very pressing needs, which I will discover if I’m paying close attention; and last, God and His ability lending me strength to help others.

I thank the Lord for the chance to subtly represent something more than myself to my Ibadan community (which is evenly divided between Christians and Muslims) and my 150 students, which comprise 21 different ethnicities and eight different religious backgrounds—Islam (Sunni and Shiite), Judaism, Hinduism, atheism, agnosticism, African Animist, and Buddhism—in addition to Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian.

Your prayer and encouraging emails are felt and much needed!

—Bryce Quentin Bohne ’08


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