Welcome to Chemistry and Human Anatomy Class

My name is Faustin Uzabakiliho (also known as Mr. U). I am a graduate of the Russian State University (June, 1992), International Theological Seminary (June, 1999), California State University (June, 2006), and Ph.D candidate at North Central University. I became a Christian when I was 12 years old. While my call reminds me of the prodigal son’s story as recorded in Luke 15, God’s grace,  protection and special favor humbly reminds me of the young John Wesley. More testimony of God’s goodness in my life can be found in my book, “Flight for Life, a Journey from Rwanda” published by Vantage Press in 2001.  If you are lucky, you can order a copy of the book by searching the title online.

In 2005, the Lord impressed upon my heart to start a ministry called Exodus Vision. Our vision is to bring hope to the African great lakes region by  empowering  churches for evangelism, education and development. Our leading verse is  Exodus 3:7, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering."

I am married to Anne Uzabakiliho and we are grateful to have three kids, two of whom are in first and second grade at VCS.  Although English is one of my four commonly used languages (after Kinyarwanda, French and Russian), I have adapted strategies that have been proven not only workable for me over my last  seven years  of teaching but also seem to give maximum opportunities to every kid in my room to learn effectively.

I draw my notes from the Chemistry/Anatomy text book and work hard to make the material accessible to the High School level.  I use power point notes, highlight and/or draw key concepts on the board. If you ever hear over 90% of students say that Mr. U. is funny, it is because I like to act out what I verbally explain, whenever possible. For example while talking about the atomic structure, I use drawing, verbal explanation and go on to show how electrons jump back and forth from one energy level to another,  when they gain or loose energy.   For some reasons, I notice more students’ motivation whenever I jump up and down like a roller coaster, to demonstrate kinetic and potential energy. By doing so, I hope to serve auditory, visual and bodily kinesthetic students. I tend to go from the global picture and proceed with details followed by checking for understanding.

I am striving to follow Fred Jones’ SEE, SAY and DO approach.  This works well in labs and assigned projects:  I usually start class with explanation (Say) of the concept or a scientific demonstration (Do) and I am expecting all students to observe (See) what I am doing and eventually ask questions to check their understanding (Say). At the end of the explanation and demonstration, I would call on students to do similar experiment (Do) and put in writing their conclusion. In case the assignment involves a long research and if the time allows, students are encouraged to present their findings in front of the class (Say).

I consider teaching at Village as a wonderful opportunity to minister to the hearts  and minds of the kids the Lord has brought into my life.  In case, you wonder, the major reason that has kept me going  at Village all these seven years is a special love I feel for the high school students. Apart from my family, I miss them more than any one else on the face of the earth.  I pray for the kids in my room and encourage them to make the right choices. I discipline by love and logic and strive to minister by the Holy Spirit. I know this is not an easy job. However, I am so grateful to be a part of a supportive team, staff and administration. More importantly, I rejoice in knowing that God is for me as I seek to please and honor him in my daily teaching routine.  If you are seeking a safe place to grow, check out our church - The Sanctuary, in Canyon Country, Santa Clarita. Thank you for visiting my site and I do hope that I can answer any further questions you might have.

Some Words of Wisdom for my students to ponder  (borrowed from Dr.  Nava)

• You are somebody special: You have potential  and purpose in life
• Respect yourself. If you don’t respect yourself, don’t expect other people to respect you.
• Education is a life long process. It begins and ends with you.
• If you need knowledge, you’ve got to put your mind to work
• Learning does not stop when the  dismissal bell rings
• Homework is not a punishment; it’s a necessity
• Lockers are provided for your convenience, not to separate you from knowledge
• The lockers don’t need the books, you do.
• Cut down on your radio and TV time. Pick up a book and explore
• Dare to make a difference. Be an honor student if you want to- You have that right.