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Meeting Russian Teachers and Sharing Our Gifts

In the former Soviet Union, school teachers were at the heart of the state’s indoctrination program.

Teachers were ideally suited to this role, because they were highly educated, well respected and they had daily access to their students’ lives.

Whether teachers actually believed in Communism or not, they were forced to teach it enthusiastically each day. If they dared to question it or to promote an alternate agenda, such as Christianity, they would risk losing their job or even be arrested. Rules were so stringent, in fact, that teachers were required to keep their classroom doors open at all times so that informers could keep tabs on what was being taught.

Teachers were also required to be especially strict on students who professed to be Christians or who came from Christian homes. It was nearly impossible for such students to earn grades that would get them into university. Often, teachers did everything they could to dissuade them from their faith.

Things Have Changed
Thankfully, the situation is far different today. However, one thing has not changed: teachers are still some of the most respected members of Russian society. Therefore, they are still in a unique position to influence their students’ lives. The question is: What agenda are they promoting now that Communism is dead? For the past 13 years, Dick Richards of Vancouver, BC has been trying to answer that question with one word: Christianity. The Communists used schoolteachers to drive students away from the gospel. Richards and his team are trying to do exactly the opposite.

Since 1991, Richards has led groups of Canadian and American schoolteachers into Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other former Communist countries to conduct two-week professional development conferences. The first week of each conference is spent teaching conversational English. This is a big attraction because, even though many Eastern European teachers are required to teach English, most have never met a native English speaker. Working in small groups, Richards and his team help teachers brush up on their idioms while also developing relationships and having fun.

Work the Scripture in....
The second week of each conference, also taught in English, is called, “Teaching Strategies for Moral Development.” Using various Bible passages as a text, Richards and his team introduce new teaching methods and create opportunities for teachers to explore the Scriptures on their own. Every teacher is also given an English copy of the NIV Bible.

“For many teachers, this will be the first time they hold a copy of the Scriptures,” says Richards.

Before the second week is over, every participant also has a chance to share his or her life story with the small group. This also allows visiting teachers to share about how he or she became a follower of Christ.

Spiritual Openness
Throughout the past thirteen years, Richards has seen some remarkable responses to the conferences. The educators are incredibly open to Western input and the professionalism of each conference has even led some government officials to make attendance mandatory for their teachers, administrators and curriculum writers. However, Richards has seen the most returns on a spiritual level. The openness to the gospel is remarkable. Richards has seen dozens of teachers come to Christ over the years. In some cases, entire small groups have come to Christ all at once!

Come Join!
Richards tries to do at least one conference per year, usually in the summer; however, now he is receiving requests to do conferences during spring break as well. Everything is done on a volunteer basis with Western teachers either paying their own way or raising funds through a support team. Cost per teacher is approximately $3,300 (cdn) which includes airfare and accommodation. Richards is always looking for new recruits. He is interested in those who are actively teaching as well as those who are retired. Eastern Europeans see retired people as especially credible because they have a lifetime of wisdom and experience from which to draw.

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Need advice? Ask us.

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If you are a schoolteacher or an ESL teacher and you would like to know more about this program, contact Dick Richards by clicking here or reach him at #1-604-524-9944.