Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you, I’ve said for years, “I am not going to teach again.” Other than working with my three kids when they needed help with homework and working with kids at church, I’ve stayed true to that. However, as He often does, God had other plans for me this year.
For reasons I won’t go into here, I found myself job hunting at the start of the last school year. One day, a former colleague called and asked, “Hey, do you know anyone looking for an English teaching job?” Without hesitation, I replied, “Nope!”
However, the Lord began to work on my heart. Not long after, I felt a strong nudge to call her back and say, “Actually… I might be in a position to help out.” And just like that, I was going back into the classroom.
To skip ahead: what started as “helping out” turned into staying for the entire school year. Within just a few weeks, I realized something had shifted. I was building real relationships with students. I genuinely enjoyed teaching again. The truth is, I’ve always loved connecting with students, that’s the main reason I became a teacher in the first place. However, I was also reminded of the parts of teaching that don’t quite fit with my personality: the planning, the endless multitasking, and (gulp) the grading.
Still, when I reflect on this past school year, I can honestly say every day at work was a good day. Even on the hard days, when students were testing limits, when lessons flopped, or when everything felt like controlled chaos (as it often does in teaching), I never had a bad day. Not one.
Each day, there was a student (or two or three) who made me smile. I found joy in our conversations and in the small glimpses I got into their lives. Those moments, getting to know my students and building connections, became the unexpected blessings I hadn’t fully appreciated before, often buried under behavior challenges, lesson prep, and yes… all that grading.
When I look back, I think about the faces I saw every day and the stories I got to witness. I know, deep down, that I was exactly where I was meant to be, for such a time as this.
Is God nudging your heart in an unexpected direction? Don’t ignore the whisper. Trust Him. You never know how He might use your obedience to bless others, and you. If you need encouragement or prayer, I’d be honored to connect with you.
Esther 4:14 (NIV) "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
