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Share your story of how you came to be where you are in Christian education. Have you shared this story with your students?
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I was living in Singapore as a missionary and teaching English in a Seminary. Our student population was shrinking, and I was moving into the registrar’s position, but it wasn’t a good fit for me and my skills. My son finished his teacher’s training and was wanting to teach overseas, so I began to look for teaching jobs for him in Singapore. I looked at ICS, the only Christian school on the island to see if they needed a high school science teacher. Instead I discovered that they needed an ESL teacher. I immediately applied and was called for an interview and offered a job within a day or two. I was asked to give them an answer in 48 hours. I really felt as if the Lord had orchestrated all these events. I have shared this story with my colleagues but not my students.
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Six years ago while I was a Youth Pastor I took a middle school coaching position at the school where I now teach. During those 6 years I developed a passion for working with children in Youth Ministry. After many hours of prayer and conversation with those I trust I decided to step away from church ministry and pursue elementary education. Because of my connection with the school and a teaching position opening up because of a growing student body I was interviewed for a teaching position and got the job. I am now entering my 2nd year as a teacher at the school and am extremely blessed to have the opportunity to teacher 3rd graders.
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At the beginning of each year I tell my students how I ended up being “your teacher”. They love hearing about my life and what I did to become their teacher. I share how after college I moved back to the small town I was from to substitute teach for the reminder of that school year and how I had several job offers throughout the time, but how I didn’t feel good about any of them so I turned them all down. Then I share how God put a desire for me to move to South America and teach school there… for free (they can’t get over the fact I didn’t get paid). I taught there for awhile and then moved back to the states to get married and we moved to our current location for my husband’s job. I share with them how I had a really hard time in South America and didn’t think I wanted to teach ever again, but decided to do some subbing. I started subbing at my current school and loved the kids and staff so much that I accepted a full time position and am now their teacher.
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I started teaching in a public school, and hated the restrictions I had about sharing my faith. I worked a few years never really being happy about where I was. When my husband and I were expecting our first child, I decided to be a stay at home mom. I was a stay at home mom for about 6 years. Then I started subbing in the area public schools and the Christian school that my children attended. I hated subbing in the public schools but loved the Christian school. I started subbing only for that Christian school. God placed me working at that school on my heart but I had to wait. This past year God opened the door for me to be the music teacher there. The year is the only year in my life that I have felt as if it is where I belong. I love my job, my school, my church family, and my community. They are all connected, and I can share my faith with my students!
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As a child, I was raised in a liturgical church, memorized the Lords Prayer, Apostles Creed, knew the Bible stories and books of the Bible. Lived a childhood in a traditional family that went to church on Sundays and ate dinner together every evening. As a teenager and young adult, I thrived in school, art, and athletics. I graduated high school, went to community college, married early, and transferred to a University to complete my teaching degree. At 23, my life looked great on paper, but my soul was empty. I was striving to check things off my to do list, accomplishing my goals, and focused on what the next best thing was for me. Although I was not living a horrible lifestyle by the world’s standards, I was not living a God honoring life and there was a void that was not filled with success in school, my spouse, my home, my family, or my friends. My husband and I were ready to part ways, when we decided to try going to church. He had accepted Christ as a little boy at church camp, but never attended church. I had accepted Christ as a teenager, wanting my sins cleaned up and for life to be perfect, and the “magic fairy dust” didn’t work, in my immature belief of salvation. We both had been exposed to the Lord, and had made youthful pledges to Jesus, but there was absolutely no growth or fruit. So, we dressed ourselves up and went to church. For 6 months we tried churches from every denomination. Looking at their doctrine, looking at the Bible, searching for truth. Then one Sunday, we attended a small basement service in a non-denominational Bible Church and we both left with a desire to repent, and dedicate our lives, marriage, and hearts to the Lord. A family followed unexpectedly, and then life was more difficult than before.
Relationships with some friends and family members dissolved because my husband and I were not living the same lifestyle. We were different. We changed. It was an abrupt change in some outward actions and the inward thoughts and habits were a bit slower to change. 25 years ago if you had told me that I would be teaching in a Christian School and that my husband would be serving as a Deacon in our local church, I would have most likely laughed and said absolutely not. There is no way God would ever use us in that way. All three of our adult children have made provisions of faith and we are praying for each of their futures to be fruitful for the Lord.