Sue Zann (Denton) Van Luchene
Name: Sue Zann (Denton) Van Luchene
- 12/9/1946 York, Nebraska USA
Spouse/Family
Husband: Darrell Gene Van Luchene
Children: Heath Michael Van Luchene, June 28, 1972 (Married)
Corey Andrew Van Luchene, June 18, 1975 (Married)
Dates of Service Field Call Assignment
August 1, 1980 – July 31, 1984 Hong Kong, Teacher
August 1, 1989 – July 31, 1995 Hong Kong Teacher
August 1, 1995 – June 30, 2009 Indonesia Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator-Teacher Trainer
August 1, 1995 – June 30, 2009 Indonesia Seconded to the Pelita Harapan Education Foundation – Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator SPH, Curriculum Coordinator/Teacher Trainer SDH
Biographical Summary
Sekolah Dian Harapan, Jakarta, Indonesia July 1, 2005 - Present
Curriculum Coordinator/Teacher Trainer for 4 Dian Harapan campuses
Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Jakarta, Indonesia August 1995 – July 2006
National Plus School
Teacher, IB Primary Years Programme Coordinator
Hong Kong International School, Hong Kong
Unit Leader, Teacher - Grade 2 August 1989 - July 1995
Unit Leader, Teacher - Grade 4 August 1980 - July 1984
East Paul Lutheran School Association August 1985 - July 1989
St. Paul, Minnesota
Teacher grade 4
Gethsemane Lutheran School August 1984 – July 1985
Teacher grade 4
Memphis Lutheran High School Association August 1979 - July 1980
Eastdale Lutheran Academy, Memphis, Tennessee
Teacher grade 2
Emanuel Lutheran School August 1978 – July 1979
Memphis, Tennessee
Pre-School ages 3 & 4
Paro Elementary School August 1969 – July 1972
Flint, Michigan
Teacher grade 1
Calvary Lutheran School August 1968 – July 1969
Flint, Michigan
Teacher grades TK – 2
Education:
Bachelor of Science/ Concordia Teachers College 1969
Lutheran Teachers Diploma Seward, Nebraska
Elementary Education
Nota Bene
International Teacher of the Year Award from LEA
Phase 2 Information
Biggest missiological issue faced?
We came to Indonesia totally convinced of the Mission and Vision of this school system. We have been fortunate to have many Lutheran-based teachers come for service here during our 14 years. However, we have been very frustrated with LCMS response to finding personnel for mission fields such as ours. We have needed many administrators and always more teachers. Now we leave and there is no one to replace us! LCMS’ presence here is going to fade away! That makes us sad because as an education system we have much to offer Indonesia!
Most significant contribution during missionary service?
Serving with the Dian school system as Teacher Trainer and Curriculum Coordinator has made a significant contribution to education here in Indonesia. Darrell and I are the only expats in the system and therefore their only models for Best Practice. We have held a Teacher Institute for 4 years and have seen significant growth with teachers in the areas of class management, instructional practices, professional development and pride in themselves as Christian Teachers.
Connection to today’s mission?
Our mission is to advance education in Indonesia. To do that we have worked with 4 divisions of schools with 500 teachers and 5000 students. The students education will be a lasting presence in this country – leaders with a Christian character. That will remain after we leave.
Also teachers who are better trained will continue to be those good teachers in the future. An Instructional Leadership has been created to continue professional development and monitoring
of the curriculum and methodologies.
This year our focus was integrating faith (Biblical Christian Worldview) into our curriculum in a purposeful way. Teachers have been trained how to write unit planners that will help them in their daily instruction. These will continue to be revised and improved in the future, but they are documents and practices that are in place and will help teachers in the future.
We have written a Teacher Handbook, Curriculum handbooks, and Parent/Student Handbook to give guidance after we leave.
The rest is in God’s care!
Lessons Learned
The greatest lesson learned has been that Indonesian Christians are the best Christians ever. They are faithful, dedicated, prayerful, hopeful, thankful and good friends. We have been truly blessed by being in their country. They will be sorely missed when we leave.
Best Practices
We came to make a difference. We came to model, not preach; advise, not tell; train, not dictate; bless and were blessed; teach and were taught. Any missionary should remember that being of the people is more blessed than being over the people. Just ask Jesus. He became man to be one of us, so that we might know Him. That’s what must happen when we enter another culture/country.
Phase 3 Information
Inspiration for entering foreign missions?
We had never heard about HKIS before a friend told us! Word of mouth, the idea of an adventure, God making everything fall into place, all made our entering the mission field very easy. We have not had the typical mission life. Living in Hong Kong was exciting and fun for a young family (our kids were 5 & 8 when we went). Where we live and work in Indonesia, we call it Disneyland – a planned community built in 1993. We came in 1995.
But there are sacrifices that make living overseas challenging. That’s been where “mission” is the same. Distance from family, unusual foods, cultural adaptations, travel inconveniences, worship challenges, etc. Would we do it again? In a moment. We are now world citizens wondering how we will adapt back to our home cultural. Our kids did it, but with challenges. Who know? We may be back!
Quotation by/about or brief story: (A not so brief article written for LEA Magazine)
Shaping the Future…One Teacher at a Time
By Sue Van Luchene
LEA Distinguished International Lutheran Educator, 2007
How the Mission and Vision of one national Christian school system is being fulfilled - one teacher at a time. Dedicated to my friend, Eva.
Being a Teacher Trainer/Curriculum Coordinator has challenged and stretched me. But it has also been a blessing beyond any I could have imagined. Certainly God has been overseeing the ministry that began for my husband, Darrell, and I in 1995 as we began working with a national Christian school system in Indonesia. The mission and vision of this school system is to train future Christian leaders for Indonesia. How would that goal be accomplished? By training teachers, of course. So began 13 years of being a blessing and being blessed.
Asian teachers and particularly Indonesian teachers tend to be very traditional in their practices. This means teachers lecture from the front of the room and have students copy copious notes for rote memorization with frequent testing; posting test scores and ranking students encourages competition instead of cooperation; little class discipline exists; and even less relational interaction with the students. At university teachers would have had theory, but received little instruction in the art and skill of “best practice.” Their models have been their teachers, who were and are traditional themselves. Therefore, the now generation is influenced by the last. That chain needed to be broken. That’s where my ministry began. One teacher at a time.
My first step in this training was building trust. We shared some common bonds. We were all brothers and sisters in Christ. We loved kids. Yet we spoke different languages. We came from different cultures. I knew trust would take some time. So, day by day, I demonstrated through my own teaching as a Grade 4 & 5 teacher for 6 years what was considered to be Global Best Practice (GBP).
Indonesian students had never worked in cooperative groups before. Some found it counter culture. Competition not cooperation was what motivated their learning. Therefore, I introduced working in teams, doing projects, sharing and learning together. Soon, I was seeing positive results. Students began to ask, “Can we work with a partner!” Indonesian teachers began noticing a change in the student’s interest in learning.
Indonesia is not a nation of readers. Published books are not children-friendly. Parents do not have a reading habit, so there were no reading models for students. So I introduced books and reading to the classroom. “Expensive books” from America were put into classrooms. Classes had daily silent reading; teachers learned to read aloud; students took a book home for homereading; we celebrated reading with Book Weeks, Pajama Parties and Book Character Parades. The library even gained a Teacher-Librarian. Reading became the “best” subject in school for students and teachers alike!
Another GBP I modeled was Christ’s love for students. Indonesian students are used to harsh punishments, humiliation, and a pass or fail system because they are either smart or lazy. Instead I began each day with devotions where Christ’s love was shared; I shook each students hand out of respect at the end of the day. I hugged students, boys or girls alike.
I wrote letters to them; encouraged them to talk about themselves; planned great “book” events to celebrate learning together; baked them cookies. (Mrs. Sue’s cookies were celebrated school-wide.) We were a team, a family.
As each GBP was introduced and demonstrated by model and example to be successful in teaching English and making education exciting for students, teachers began to borrow and use these Best Practices. Little by little my national colleagues, who now trusted not only my talk but my walk, adopted and practiced GBP themselves! What a joy when that happened. God was blessing my efforts; students were being blessed because learning was now fun; and each teacher had new gifts which would enhance their teaching forever.
Eventually I was partnered with an Indonesia teacher. The school began “two teachers to a classroom” model. She became my sister, my partner, my Mentor, my Christian role model and friend. Her journey is one that typifies the journey of many teachers in our system.
Eva was a homeroom teacher with some English skill. She was not expected to teach in English. That was my job. However, as her English improved through exposure to her native English speaking partner, her confidence in English teaching increased. Soon we were partnering in teaching math, Religion, Character Building and science. Working on lessons together meant she was growing in her skill as a teacher. Soon, her leadership skills became evident and she became a team leader. Her personal relationship with God was strengthened as she learned to rely on Him for her counsel and wisdom in leadership.
By now my official role in the school system was Curriculum Developer and Teacher Trainer. Even so, God continued to direct Eva’s steps. She took a step of faith and moved from the classroom and became a curriculum coordinator herself. Now she was partnering with me in another role. We taught parent seminars, teachers’ professional development seminars, organized curriculum, chaired curriculum committees and much more. In this role she, herself, was now influencing 60 plus teachers just as I had influenced her. Recently she wrote her weekly newsletter to her teachers. It began…”Wow! What a privilege to be a Christian Teacher. What does it mean for me? It means I have Jesus as my role model. I have the privilege to share God’s love through my teaching. The Holy Spirit will guide me along the way. Aren’t you glad to be called a Christian Teacher?” God was multiplying my efforts a hundred fold.
Her story is not yet finished. She has recently agreed to serve as principal for one of our national schools which has 60 some teachers and 800 students. Look what God has done! He took one Christian teacher and turned her into a blessing for 800 students every day of every year of their elementary educational journey. Imagine that in an Islamic country!
So, how will the Future of Indonesia be shaped? I believe that each teacher who has responded to this change will be credited with shaping this future. I encourage each of you to reach out to other teachers. Gain their trust and then be willing to share your wisdom, knowledge and expertise. God will bless your efforts and His kingdom will be filled. Remember, when you touch a stone, you touch the past. When you touch a flower, you touch the present. When you touch a child/teacher, you touch the future.
