Part 2 Regional Issues and Insights - World Evangelical Alliance

mk education and care: lessons from asia 65
However, they are also pleased that their
children can learn good English and get
an international flavor in these schools.
There is no easy solution to the national/
international identity challenge. Parents
must think things through carefully when
making decisions about their children’s
schooling. As they try to stretch their children
to be more international, they in turn
may need to stretch themselves. They may
need to improve their English and learn
more about Western culture, so as to narrow
the gap between themselves and their
children who are educated in an international
school setting.
A Korean mother was very concerned
about her son’s cultural identity. After attending
a seminar and hearing about the
gains and losses of being a third-culture
kid (TCK), her eyes sparkled as she shared,
“Instead of changing my son, I should
change myself!” Asian MKs who come from
a monocultural and monolinguistic background
will anticipate more challenges as
they return to their home country. But as
the world shrinks into a global village,
these monocultural Asian countries are becoming
more and more open to the rest
of the world. We anticipate that the adjustment
challenges during MK reentry
will be reduced in the days to come.
Long-Term
Educational Planning
Frequent moves significantly impact
children’s education, not to mention their
social world! It is difficult switching from
one school to another and from one educational
model to another. It is an advantage
to learn different languages, but if the
child does not stay in one language system
long enough, she/he will not be able
to consolidate the language. Academically,
there will be gaps in learning as the MK
changes from one educational system to
another. These are only a few examples
of the costs of frequent moves when parents
do not have a long-range plan for
their children’s education.
Schooling in the Asian home country
during the parents’ home assignment and
when the family returns home due to unexpected
reasons is a big challenge for
Asian MKs. It is especially difficult for older
MKs who have not acquired much academic
language in the mother tongue and
do not know much about the home culture.
In many Asian countries, the local
educational system is pressurized and
competitive. Peer pressure is also intense.
Parents are advised to make a long-term
educational plan for their children, including
schooling during the parents’ home
assignment as well as tertiary education.
Parents need to decide when will be the
best time to send their children back to
settle in the home country, if it is their
wish. For families who are considering
sending their children to North America
or Europe for tertiary education, the financial
implications must be considered.
Many mission agencies and churches only
support MK education until high school.
Transition to the parents’ home country
is also a big challenge. It is very helpful
if parents and teachers, both on the
field and in the home country, can be in
close communication and work together
to find ways to prepare the children for
transitions. Parents need to prepare to give
extra time and support to their children
during the process. Sometimes one of the
parents may even have to put aside the
ministry for a while so as to stay at home
full-time to help the children settle. Despite
the difficulties upon reentry, there
are more and more successful cases of
Asian MKs returning to Asia for high school
and even for university.
Making Transitions
Making transitions is another big issue
closely related to frequent moving and
changing schools. It is emotionally draining
for a child to have developed friendships
in one place and then have to say
good-bye in a year’s time and make new
friends in another place. Children can feel
the pain, and they do not need to wait
until they grow up to reflect on the experience
and do something about the
wounds. The book The Third Culture Kid