When a child is asked what they want to be when they grow up, many of them will name a profession that someone close to them has, or one that is popular at the time. As a child, when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always had the same answer: I want to be a Lutheran school teacher. I really cannot remember wanting to be anything else.
The path that my career has taken is not what I had expected. I planned to be a lower grade-level teacher. I liked the younger children and thought that was the route God had wanted me to take. Through my college years, I focused on the lower grades. I always said that I did not want to teach any higher than fourth grade. As you know, our plans are not always God’s plans.
My first call was to Salem Lutheran School in Gretna, La. The call was to teach sixth-through-eighth-grade departmentalized classes. I learned at that time that God puts you where you need to be. This is one of the reasons I love serving in Lutheran schools. I know that God is always in charge of my life and He will put me where I need to be at that particular time.
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I am not going to say that my time at Salem was easy, because it was not. I was challenged quite often by both parents and students. I grew up in a small community and I was in a large city with quite a different culture than I was accustomed to. On top of that, I had always focused on the lower grades and I was now a junior high teacher. Thankfully I had the most amazing and supportive principal, Dr. Jan Lohmeyer. He was there to offer guidance and support, as well as remind me that I was there to show the love of Christ to my students. He is another reason that I love serving in Lutheran schools. He taught me, early in my career, why I do the job that I do. It is not for the fame or the money. It is to share God with my students.
The final reason I love serving in Lutheran schools is the most obvious one: I love to be able to share with my students everything God does. For most of my career, I have been a junior high (yes, I fell in love with this age group) science teacher. I cannot imagine having to tell my students that evolution is true. In a Lutheran school I can share with my students that everything was created by a mighty God. I am also able to share the Word of God in every class that I teach, not just religion class.
I love serving in Lutheran schools. I thank God that He has given me the opportunity to do so each and every day.
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