Gilead​—The School Students Love!

“I DIDN’T like school all that much,” said Curtis, reflecting on his high school days. “I didn’t like college, either.” He continued: “But that was before I became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Explaining why, his wife Kathy added: “In high school they give you information that doesn’t seem to be useful at the time. And a person who is shy, like me, is left to fend for herself. I really felt cheated going to school for 12 years.”

Yet Curtis, 31, and Kathy, 32, are recent graduates of another school​—the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. “Gilead is different,” says Kathy. “The teachers really cared and they took a personal interest in each student. It was most beneficial in helping me realize my goal in life.”

Similar is the case of two other students of Gilead, Michael and Sheryl, both 27. “High school is very competitive,” says Michael, “and not really conducive to learning. I had a hard time in school and I was glad when it was over.” “The reason,” says Sheryl, “is that many people in school today really don’t care. Often teachers want to be like the students, and anyone who is different just doesn’t fit in.” “Now, with Gilead,” added Michael, “you have a purpose. It’s designed to help you do the work you love. You learn how to help people better​—to care for them. I’ve always wanted to be involved in the full-time preaching work, and the Gilead course stressed how to serve Jehovah fully despite what others do.”

Loved by Students Past and Present

So much is Gilead loved that student Leena, from Finland, asked: “Couldn’t you prolong the school for a few weeks more?” One thing she especially appreciated was being able to meet and talk to so many former graduates of the school, as they passed through Brooklyn on their way to and from recent district conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “It was so thrilling!” she exclaimed. “Just talking to all the missionaries coming through helped us to be more prepared for our own foreign assignments.” And these former graduates of Gilead, many of whom have been in their assignments for a considerable number of years, still look back fondly on the school they loved so much.

“I can still remember when we were in Gilead back in 1945,” says Dora. She and her missionary partner, Dorothea, graduated from the fourth class of 104 students in February of that year. “The curriculum was a bit different then,” Dora remembers. “But the teachers were just wonderful! They really took an interest in us individually.” Did the course prove to be really practical during the nearly 40 years they have spent as missionaries in Chile? “Oh, yes,” says Dorothea. “We learned how to get along better with people. We were trained in how to speak up and express ourselves, how to study and learn on our own. And we have used the same methods in teaching others the Bible.”

“Gilead is a wonderful arrangement,” says Jessica, a native of the Netherlands who has been serving as a missionary in Ecuador. “Everything in Gilead was beneficial. Gilead builds you up so much that you are prepared to accept any differences and handle any problems you may encounter.” Ollie, whose assignment is Upper Volta, concurs: “It’s a very real course,” he said. “It gives you a lot of help and encouragement. Even though you are thousands of miles away, the Society is still very concerned and lovingly helps you to stay in your assignment.”