Tea with Flossie

One of our desires at PACE is to connect TCK education consultants with one another. We asked several of PACE’s Master Consultants to answer a few questions related to consulting and the advice that they would give consultants who are new to their role.

Our next article in this series features Flossie Epley, who has served with TEAM for 32 years in Japan. She calls reading “my number one interest,” but also enjoys talking walks in nature, gourmet cooking, and making digital photo albums.

Here are her answers to our questions. Enjoy!

In what roles do you serve, related to education consulting or not?

• Director of School Support Services at Christian Academy in Japan serving 90 families and four small schools with consulting, resources, and programs.
• Serve on the leadership team for Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ)
• MK education advisor for TEAM missionaries in Japan
• Care for husband who is disabled
• Ministry of hospitality

What’s the most important thing that a new consultant can do to build trust with families?  

Be genuine. Truly care about them by listening carefully, being non-judgmental, and praying for them. Don’t act like you know more than you really do. When you have an idea that you think would help, frame it in such a way that allows families the freedom to make choices from personal ownership and not coercion. This demonstrates genuine care when you encourage, but are not overly directive. If you have raised children overseas, sharing your own stories briefly without monopolizing the conversation will convey that you are a real person and not just a machine spouting out information.

About what issue are you most often asked by the families you serve?

How can we fit in English studies when our children are so busy with their local school studies?

What does a typical day look like for you?

I work in an office at CAJ answering emails, Skyping, and having in-person interviews three days a week. About six or more hours a day of that time is used for emailing. I also have weekly school leadership team meetings, other committee meetings, and conduct events for homeschoolers. I work three long days each week at school so that I can work at home three days a week and care for my husband at the same time.

How often do you travel?

Most of my families come to my office or I meet with them over Skype. I meet some at conferences but there are some families I have never met in person.

What homeschool curriculum do you see working really well for your families?

Every family is different, but Sonlight is the most commonly used curriculum among our total homeschooling families. Because of Sonlight’s popularity we have been able to collect a large percentage of the Sonlight books through donations and by purchasing the missing books. SSS families can then borrow the books and save lots of money.

For supplemental homeschoolers (those whose children attend Japanese school and try to do English at home), Daily Grams is one of the easiest ways to improve the mechanics of writing. I strongly urge parents not to let their kids make corrections in the books, but to write out the corrected sentences in a separate notebook.

What is one of the biggest challenges that you see families on the field facing?

Time management. The total homeschoolers are trying to juggle ministry with homeschooling. The supplemental homeschoolers are even more stretched.

What word of advice would you offer to an education consultant who is just starting out?

Be absolutely convinced that God does not have just one approach to education, but can use many different styles to serve His purposes in the lives of His children. If you are open-minded about it all you will find children who thrive in boarding, public schools, private schools, national schools, and homeschooling…and those who struggle with all of them as well. Learn to set aside your personal preferences and figure out how to maximize the good of each system and minimize the negative.

Ask every homeschooler you meet what curriculum they use and what they like or don’t like about it. This is especially valuable if you are in their homes and can actually see the materials. Not only will you learn more about curriculum, you are helping the homeschooling parent articulate their thoughts which may possibly lead to necessary adjustments.

Ask God to help you genuinely love every person with whom you consult.

It has been very valuable to me to insure that whenever I talk to someone in SSS that they always leave my office or conversation with something. This could be a piece of advice, a URL, a book, a hug, a word of encouragement, or a prayer. It’s usually a combination of the above. In even a one-minute interaction you can encourage a person by giving them your full attention and a smile.

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