Today I officially begin walking a path that I began praying for in 1999. Yesterday, I completed the necessary paperwork; today I am employed by Jonathan Edwards Classical Academy on the northwest side of Nashville (where we are, for the most part high and dry and eager for more families to move in).
Sixteen years ago, I began teaching assuming it would be a short term hiatus till I moved on to do something else. “Hah,” said God, “You’ll be a teacher. And you will love it!” After five years of teaching some of the best students God ever placed on the planet, God moved me to places unknown. But as a parting gift, two friends and colleagues recommended that I read Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning. “You have to read this book, David. You will love it!”
I read the book and had my eureka-moment. Everything that I had learned about the science and art of teaching, the purposes of education, and the bigger picture of God’s working in human lives coalesced in the reading of Recovering.
I began praying about and, over the years, pursuing opportunities to teach in a classical Christian school, assuming it would quickly happen (why do I think these things?) God had a mysterious way, and far better, for me. Two more traditional Christian schools and one other non-traditional school, a wealth of friends and many more incredible teaching colleagues, five non-teaching jobs and a stint back in grad school, one marriage and three children later (the jobs ended; the family continues!), and the desire being fulfilled is indeed sweet to the soul (Pr 13.19).
(Can we skip summer vacation this year?)
soli deo gloria
So very happy for you! You all can skip summer break down there, but up North, we only have a week left…and summer’s sounding really nice right about now!
I am so happy to see how everything has come together for you and your family! I’m also so excited for your future students. They are so blessed to have the opportunity to have you as their teacher!
I doubt that Aubrey would be enthused about missing summer break, sigh.
Lisa, I hope the JECA students are like you all from CCS. In fact, if you and Josh want to move down thisaway, there is more than plenty of construction work in Nashville recovering from this flood. And since our side of town is the only area that was, for the most part, high and dry, I’d bet there will be some major developments and building starting soon. Just a thought…but I’ve always wanted to teach the kids of ‘my kids!’