This month, we are privileged to feature an article from Mrs. Theresa Huculak, Leadership Development and Human Resources (LDHR) Director, about some of the ways holistic education transpires in IGSL.
Dear IGSL Family,
I love interacting with IGSL alumni all around Asia, whether they graduated last year or decades ago. I always ask them about their favorite memories of IGSL. I am not surprised when they mention their Iron-Sharpening Groups or their favorite professors. But one unexpected element of IGSL life that I hear again and again is the bahay kubo or nipa hut, the uniquely Filipino bamboo house.
IGSL has four of them, one large one and three small ones, and they are almost always occupied. If we had space to add four more on our campus, they would be occupied too. Sometimes meetings are held in the bahay kubo, but most of the time they house spontaneous gatherings. So, why the beloved memories?
I love interacting with IGSL alumni all around Asia, whether they graduated last year or decades ago. I always ask them about their favorite memories of IGSL. I am not surprised when they mention their Iron-Sharpening Groups or their favorite professors. But one unexpected element of IGSL life that I hear again and again is the bahay kubo or nipa hut, the uniquely Filipino bamboo house.
IGSL has four of them, one large one and three small ones, and they are almost always occupied. If we had space to add four more on our campus, they would be occupied too. Sometimes meetings are held in the bahay kubo, but most of the time they house spontaneous gatherings. So, why the beloved memories?
First year students during the Freshmen Integration Training
- Green space matters. Manila is among the top 20 most populous cities in the world. Traffic, pollution and noise are part of life. But when one sits with a friend in a nipa hut at IGSL, there is lush grass, a huge stand of bamboo, flowering plants, and singing birds. Green space improves air quality, creates a sense of serenity and mental well-being, and actually lowers the heart rate. Could it be that it improves the quality of education as well?
- Down time matters. No one would suggest that we should eliminate classes and other scheduled events in our IGSL curriculum. But the fact that the campus planners intentionally included places to relax communicates that rest matters too. Most of us in full-time ministry need to hear this message. It would increase our capacity for listening, reflection, and learning.
- Loving one another matters. Aside from the prescribed academic programs, there is another significant part of any school’s curriculum. Sometimes referred to as the “hidden curriculum,” these are unspoken values, attitudes and ideals, learned through interaction and observation. Paul taught in Galatians “there is neither Jew nor Greek.” In the bahay kubo there is neither Makati nor Mountain Province, neither Kathmandu nor Hanoi. Eating, talking, laughing and praying together with outsiders eventually leads to becoming life-long beloved insiders – family. Hanging out together unveils a deep theological truth.
- New friendships matter. Sometimes, when a student is sitting alone in a nipa hut early in the morning, a perfect stranger passes by. “Hey, can I join you here? My class won’t start for 30 more minutes.” Then a conversation happens that seems so clearly appointed by God, with hearts opened, opportunities offered and prayer requests shared. A viewpoint or suggestion leads to a detour or a whole new journey.
- Processing matters. IGSL professors know that passive learning is not enough, and they work hard to provide their students with reflective learning assignments, discussions to stimulate critical thinking, and interactive projects. The bahay kubo provides a safe place to take all of this a step further. Every one of us at IGSL is pursuing a more biblical worldview, and it doesn’t happen unless one’s own way of thinking is challenged. Concepts from class in the morning are explored in the evening. Tossing ideas back and forth over coffee or shared pizza can lead to earth-shaking breakthroughs in thinking. God’s curriculum begins to unfold.
Deep conversations, shared food, challenging perspectives, collective prayer, new journeys. The humble nipa huts foster precious memories for the IGSL family because they are places where transformation happens. Theological education at IGSL wouldn’t be complete without them.
For His Kingdom,
Theresa Huculak
LDHR Director
