Remembering Some Teachers....I've had some great ones!

Yesterday, Google told me it was Teacher Appreciation Week.  (Does the Google Doodle count as a credible news source?)

Anyway, it got me thinking…

When I was growing up, I had this really cool book for recording school memories. Did anyone else have one of these?

I got it out last night and looked through it. There are several places in that book that asked me to complete the sentence, “When I grow up I want to be…” 

The most often repeated answer throughout the book is teacher.  

By the time I reached 10^th grade that entry changed to. “After graduation I hope to…” My answer then was very specifically, “…attend BJU and be a Christian school teacher and a volleyball coach.”

I am so grateful that I was given those heart’s desires (16 years after college). 

Obviously God placed that on my heart from the time I was very young. In retrospect, what He also gave me was great teachers.

Teachers who nurtured my love for school and eagerness to learn.

Teachers who helped me grow in so many areas of life.

Teachers who pushed me to do things that I didn’t think were possible.

Teachers who pointed me to Christ.

Teachers that I can remember and learn from even today.

I have some teachers that I would like to remember and thank today.

Mrs. Maxine Grubbs (2^nd grade)

She is now enjoying Heaven. One of the sweetest people I ever knew. What I remember most about her is that she exuded Christ-likeness. She taught me many practical things about self-discipline and respect – she taught us to stop what we were doing and stand when an important person entered the room (i.e. the principal). She challenged us to memorize I Corinthians 13… and I did….in one evening. (I have always been competitive.) Even as I grew older, I cherished every moment I got to spend with her.

Mrs. Diana Postlewaite (3^rd-4^th grade-1^st semester)

These were the only 3 semesters of my growing up years spent somewhere other than Decatur, AL. We had moved to Jasper, AL (only about an hour away). In my 8 year old mind, we might as well have moved to a foreign country. I was the new kid in this really small school, but all I remember is loving my wonderful teacher. I still love her! She made me feel loved and secure in that new place. We’ve been able to reconnect in recent years as fellow teachers at our regional teacher’s convention. A part of me still feels that same childhood excitement every time I get to see her.

Mrs. Glenda Weldy (7^th grade math)

Fraction pancakes. Combination contests (mental math). An infectious smile. An amazing piano player. A truly joyful spirit. I just loved her so much, and then she moved to Illinois! Thankful that through Facebook, I can see that these qualities of hers are genuine and lasting. She is an amazing educator, and many students in Illinois got to benefit from that, too. Truly an example of using education to show the love of Jesus to everyone she meets.

When you get to Jr/Sr High in a small Christian school setting, you start to have a handful of teachers over and over again….several years and sometimes multiple subjects.  😊

In no particular order…

Mr. Stephen Bender (history)

I had 6^th grade history and 9^th grade history with him. I have always enjoyed history, but he made it all come to life in my mind. I could just see all that he was telling us in my mind’s eye. He is why I try to do the same for my history students today. Now a missionary in Eyemouth, Scotland and married to one of my dearest friends of all time, I am privileged to be able to call him my friend. Thank you, Stephen, for inspiring me to be a teacher of God’s story through history.

Mrs. Sheri Trine (math, volleyball coach)

I loved the short time that I had with her. She allowed me to develop my volleyball skills in some unconventional ways, but they worked. Now, as a coach, if anyone ever kicks a volleyball, I cringe inside because she would always yell, “NEVER KICK A VOLLEYBALL!”  She was my algebra teacher as well, and for a brief instant I considered being a math major…..but well, you have to take a lot more than algebra. Another thing she did, that I do in my classroom today….she kept puzzles on a table in the back of her room. I loved being able to work on the puzzle! Oh, and, PE….she introduced me to Linda Haught aerobics on cassette tape….good times. 😊

Mrs. Leah Simpson (12^th grade - Government/Economics, Speech, English)

I had Mrs. Simpson only one year, but as you can see she taught about half my classes. Since I now teach Government/Economics and Speech, I think back to these classes and Mrs. Simpson quite often. She gave me confidence and a real love for public speaking, not just performance speech. She challenged me to do so many things in that speech class, that I had never even considered doing before. It made having Freshmen speech at BJU a breeze! In government, I appreciated how we looked at current events issues from a biblical perspective….and she brought in a pretty cool guest speaker. We had a local talk radio station, and there was this guy who did a conservative political show in the afternoons. He came to talk to our government class, and then he invited me along with two other students to be guests on his radio show. It was so scary and so much fun! Yep, I’ve been a guest on Sean Hannity’s radio show!

Mrs. JoAnne Spears (Typing, English, Accounting)

Mrs. Spears was more than a teacher. She was our biggest cheerleader (and sometimes, critic.) 😉 Everything she did or said was to bring out the best in us. She pushed us to be excellent in everything we did. She chauffeured us to ballgames in her minivan and cheered for us from the stands. She took many opportunities in class to teach us biblical principles….we called them sermons. These “sermons” happened so often that one time we got hymnals from chapel and had them at our desks. After she gave us our sermon that day, one of the guys got up, asked us to take out our hymnals, and led us in an invitation song.  (We knew she loved us, but that WAS hilarious!) I think she knows, we loved her, too. Mrs. Spears was also my biggest encourager in Fine Arts competitions. I was able to go to Nationals at BJU in 10, 11, and 12^th grades…she drove us there. Those were my college visits before attending after graduation. Thank you, Mrs. Spears, for everything.

Mr. Paul Stowe (Principal, Bible, Chemistry….and other stuff)

Mr. Stowe is a great example of humility and faithfulness. I’ve learned much from him. I loved it when he spoke in chapel. He always stressed practical application of the Bible, which I appreciated to much. It makes it easier to personalize what you are learning.  Chemistry stands out because, well, it’s the only time that I ever had to dive under a table for my protection. Thank you, Mr. Stowe, for your faithfulness to Christian education and a life of ministry.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. God used all of my teachers in some way to mold and shape me.

Now, some of you know that my mom is also a teacher, but she was never my official school teacher. However, she was one of the most often used substitute teachers. Although mom was not my “official” teacher, she continues to be one of the people that I look up to the most. She is a wonderful example of how to be a wife, mom, and teacher all at the same time. She is godly and wise, and I still call her when I need help...which is often.

God miraculously provided for me to be able to attend the schools that I did from kindergarten all the way to college. I am forever grateful.