My Third Year of Teaching...a Look Back

2 years ago I was an assistant manager at a local Starbucks, I loved my job and especially the people I worked with, but I knew it was time for me to move on, but where? Having spent time on the mission field my heart is always drawn back to serving the Lord abroad and I believe I will serve in this way long-term again as the Lord leads, but that wasn’t it this time. When I graduated college I prayed about doing many things one of them was going into the profession of teaching, but I didn’t have a green light from the Lord and soon knew He had other plans for me at that time. It’s funny, usually God doesn’t give me a long term plan, He reveals things when it’s time and says “Go!”, this was the case with my job as an RA in college, my move to Europe, my move back to the states and even working for Starbucks…the Lord had put these things on my heart and I knew nothing (especially my own weaknesses and inadequicies….like the inability to spell that word), would stop it.

2 years ago in early August I believed the Lord was calling me into a season of teaching at a local Christian school. I didn’t have a teaching credential, I didn’t know anybody at the school, I had some teaching experience (from Bible college and even Starbucks) …but to the natural man I was certainly not qualified to take on a full-time teaching position. Even so, I knew God was going to do it. I emailed the principal of the school, told her who I was and that I wanted to teach…anything! I can only imagine her reaction to the email, maybe she closed it immediately, maybe she laughed or maybe she prayed for the Lord make His will clear on the matter. She didn’t respond right away (it was summer time and she was on vacation), so I went to the school and picked up an application and began to work on it. Since I still hadn’t heard from the principal I decided to call her, I can’t tell you how many messages I left, or how crazy she must have thought I was…but eventually she called back! It was a very awkward conversation! I told her I wanted to teach and was open to teaching anything, but it was on my heart to minister to the kids. Crazy or not after receiving my application she decided to interview me….I couldn’t believe it! Even though God had opened unimaginable doors for me dozens of times before, it always blows me away. When I went in for the interview she told me she needed a secondary teacher and handed me a list of about 20 classes and said rank them in order of which ones you would want to teach…there was anything from Physics to English to Economics on that list no joke! I’ve always loved math so I picked Algebra, my degree is in science so I listed several sciences…she began showing me books and asking me if I was familiar with the subjects and if I thought I could teach them…ok, of course I didn’t think I could, but again, I knew what God had said, so I said, “sure!” The next day my boss at Starbucks got a call from the school, they were checking my references…when I came in she said, “They’re going to hire you, I can tell”. I really could not believe it but I was thrilled!

The next day I came to meet with the head of school and loved him, his questions were things like “what would you say if a child asked you how to be saved? Can you tell me about your testimony? How would you answer someone who had questions about creation versus evolution?” these were great questions and I thought if this going to be my job, awesome! By the end of the interview I was hired and absolutely amazed at what God had done! So, a week and a half before school started I was handed the teacher’s manual for 4 different subjects, a computer, a classroom and some well wishes at figuring it all out! I had no idea how to write a lesson plan, I had no idea how to use the grading system, and one of the classes I wasn’t sure I could teach at all….

My first year was really difficult! I think it’s safe to say I learned more science in that year than in all my four years of college! I learned how to work with difficult kids, some were simply class clowns taking advantage of the new teacher, some were very angry, some had severe difficulties learning. I cried A LOT and remember many days when I would go to bed at 7 o’clock because I was so exhausted. But every day I reminded myself that it was God who had called me there and that He would bring me through. When I felt inadequate (pretty much daily) I reminded myself that these were God’s kids and my part was to do my best and He was ultimately responsible for them. Of course there were incredible blessings mixed in as well, I got to take students on retreats to grow in the Lord and play some paintball, I take my kids to Catalina every year, I have prayed with many hurting and searching kids and watched God work in miraculous ways and I’ve learned a lot of really cool things about God’s creation and how to study it!

Now as I enter my third year I am so thankful for all that God has done, the love that He has poured into me and out of me. I have been challenged to trust God for the impossible and I have seen Him do above and beyond what I could ask. As I prayed last year about whether or not to continue (despite all the blessings the second year wasn’t a whole lot easier) I believed God was saying “3 years” so I moved forward in faith. Now at the end of 3 years He may say 3 more…or He may light the way to something new but mine is simply to be faithful with today.

As of now there are 57 children total on my class lists, 57 hearts that need to know the love of Jesus in genuine ways, daily expressed, my prayer is that God will continue the good work He began and keep me that moldable clay in His hands that can be filled up and poured out for Him and for His kids. I am so thankful for all that He has given me.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-8

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20,21