My first class is graduating!

Pippi Longstocking Day!

 July, 2003 I drove into the parking lot of Mountain Lake Christian School for my interview.  I was enchanted by the small town and excited about the possibility of teaching in a Christian school.  The interview went well and I found myself with a decision to make:  to take the job or not.  I stayed up all night the night I was told I could have the job.  I prayed.  I read the Bible and a Daily Texts book from my friend Pauline. Three particular verses stuck out to me:
 Deuteronomy 10:12:  "So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?  Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, 
                                                                                    to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all

Picasso's Three Musicians

 your soul."
Jeremiah 29:7:  "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf."
1 Timothy 2:3-4:  "This is right and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 
  These verses and my desire to work with the wonderful people I had met and the promise of having my own classroom of students prompted me to call the school the next morning before 8:00 a.m.  I remember the principal saying, "Yes?  You should be able to hear cheering all

The last day of school

  the way up in Alexandria!"  I was off to a great start!
   I remember on Worknight before school began, I met my first student, Danielle.  She came quietly into the room to meet me.  She stood beside me and after a short conversation she gave me a little hug.  What a sweet little girl.  I met Jaclyn not long after that.  She told me, "I saw your picture in the paper.  My mom said you were pretty and she was right!"  Aw!  I'm gonna love it here!
    I had twelve students that first year.  I worked so hard!  My whole life was teaching. The other 

"Finish" time on the ancient computers!

 teachers were so helpful too!  I enjoyed many wonderful friendships.  I loved my students.  Each one was so unique.  Eric was imaginative and funny.  He absolutely loved his beanie baby Mooch.  Karina was such a leader.  She was competitive and smart.  She always wanted to know "why" I did thinks or how I came up with decisions.  Jordan was the main one Karina was competitive with.  He was amazing at math and spelling and everything.  I was always challenged to come up with extra things for him to do when his work was finished.  Taylor and Andrew both loved anything BOY related - especially sports!  They worked hard!  My students were spiritual.  We would pray together  each morning.  Allison always wanted us to pray for her cat that missed her while she was gone!  She was sweet.  I remember one day after recess Allision came in the room all teary-eyed and told me something mean that someone had said to her.  My eyes welled up too and I realized that I really do love my students and can feel for them.  Many of my students grew up on farms.  One time I was telling about the Bible story of the Golden Calf.  The question in my teacher's manuel was, "What do baby cows do?"  The answer in the manuel was, "Eat, Sleep, and Moo."  But, Taylor raised his hand and began explaining about all the shots a calf needs and how they go into this room until they are this old and they do this once they are this old, etc.  It was amazing how much he knew!  Sometimes when I read stories, I was amazed at my students' faith perspectives.  One time I was reading about a little girl that was lost in a dark cave and her candle went out.  In the illustration, the girl had her hands on her face.  Andrew said, "Oh, now she's praying to Jesus and He'll get her out of the cave!"  That is not what happened, but I love the faith that he showed in that statement.  My students were amazing at memorizing Bible verses.  Whenever I read Psalm 105 I think of Jaclyn and the way she confidently knew her Bible Memory Verses.  "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.  Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.  Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronouned, O descendents of Abraham, his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.  He is the Lord our God; his judgements are in all the earth."  I wrote that verse on a big piece of tagboard and we read it together or made up hand gestures to help us memorize.  I miss those days!  I miss the daily Bible lessons.  I was amazed at how well my students knew their Bible stories.  Ellie loved to read and I am sure she had read her children's Bible through many times.  She and the other students knew their Bible stories inside and out!  Ellie and Jayne had a special friendship that was sweet to see.  They played imaginative games together and looked out for each other.  Nikki was a sweet gal who smiled a lot and loved school and worked hard.  I taught Nikki piano lessons at her house too.  I loved teaching piano lessons after a busy day of teaching a whole classroom of kids.  It was wonderful to get to focus on one student at a time.  I taught Danielle piano lessons as well.  She had a very musical touch.  My twelfth student was Mallory, but she was only with us for a short time.  She liked to make up her own songs and sing them to the class.      
    And, now my first class is graduating!  They are heading off into the world.  I still pray for those twelve kids.  I still have some of their birthdays on my calendar.  I still think of them when I hear certain Bible stories we discussed or when I pull out papers I made in 2000 and still use today.  I still have cards and drawings from them.  Nikki made a poster that said, "Jesus, friend to all!" with a picture of Jesus and flowers that I put up in my classroom behind my teacher desk each year for me to see.  I'm honored to keep in touch with some of my students on facebook and I am so happy to see who they have become.  I know I will continue to hear great things from these remarkable students.  God has begun a great work in them and He will carry it on to completion (Phillipians 1:6). 

Laura Ingalls Wilder Day