A Word From our Education Advisor:
National Teacher’s Appreciation Day comes around every May and is an opportunity to show our children’s teachers how much we appreciate them. We may send them flowers or a special note of thanks but can gifts or words ever really express our gratitude for what they have done for our children?
I’ve had the privilege of holding the title of teacher and it is the title that I am the most proud of. I’ll never let go of that title because there will always be a teacher in me. I think back to my years in the classroom and it overwhelms me with gratitude to think of the 196 children that I was able to spend a snippet of their lives with. Many teachers will say- “Once one of mine, always one of mine” and it certainly rings true for me and many of my colleagues over the years.
I can promise you this, a teacher doesn’t leave your child at the classroom door when the bell rings at 3 o’clock. Your child’s teacher carries the thought of your child with them while they tidy the room at the end of the school day, prepare for the day ahead, drive home, and settle in for the evening. A teacher’s work is never finished. I used to have this little talk with myself each day… “Lynsey, Jesus put you here for a reason so you go be His hands and feet today for His children”. Some people say you can’t talk about Jesus in schools, but I always believed we could do better than talk anyway… we could show them Jesus by our actions.
This teacher appreciation day is a little different for me. Instead of being in a physical school building where I spent the past decade of teacher appreciation days, I am spending this one with Give Hope Global. I feel honored that Give Hope, an organization that stands for everything I believe in at my core, chose me to be their education advisor. I don’t take this responsibility lightly or for granted. I now call 170 Haitian students “mine” on a daily basis. I think and pray about their well being and success everyday. I’m sure when I take my first trip to the schools in Ghana this summer that I will come home with 100’s of Ghanaian students that are “mine” to worry about.
Not being able to travel to Haiti has definitely been discouraging to say the least. I pray daily for their peace and take comfort in knowing that when God needs my talents in Haiti then He will clear a safe path for me. For now, I sit in comfort knowing that all of our children in Haiti are in good hands. I have spent multiple occasions with our teachers for Give Hope and know they do not leave their students behind at the classroom door when they leave school. Our teachers at Cambry carry a heavy responsibility for our children. They provide our children each and every day with the “most powerful weapon which they can use to change the world”- an education. Our teachers show love and compassion to our students who do not get to go home to their mamas or papas each day and in some cases ever. So I’m sure right now one of our classroom teachers is not only holding the key to a child’s future but carrying the burden of a child’s past. One of our teachers is spending their personal time right now learning more to be the best they can for our students. I guarantee one of our teachers is praying for one of our students this second. I can bet on the fact that if I checked at this very moment, there would be one of the teachers staying after school to help a student who has fallen behind. Our teachers truly make a difference in our children’s lives.
I enjoy working for our kids everyday and there is not a thing I won’t do or ask for these kids. We have wonderful teachers making a lasting impact on our students in Haiti and Ghana and they do it with the love of Jesus. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Day, I wanted to share my reflections with all of you in hopes that you pray with a heart of gratitude for our teachers with Give Hope Global and for your own childrens’ teachers here in the US.
Sincerely,
Lynsey Waddle