I am responsible for intervention for all of the students that are not learning for whatever the reason. I work with over 100 students, and consult with parents and teachers for many more. I am also a key person in our school for school improvement, including improving state test scores. Since my salvation 6 years ago, I thought I had completely surrendered every area of my life to the Lord, but last year I realized that I was hanging onto control of my job. And it wasn’t going well. I was putting in so very much effort, and not happy with the results I was seeing. I was tired and discouraged.
Over the summer, I spent a lot of time in prayer about this. God revealed to me that my common prayer, “Lord, help me to get this work done. Give me short cuts. Multiply my time” was NOT a prayer of trust and of faith. I changed my speaking about my job. I finally truly entrusted God with this part of my life. I prayed, “Father, you have called me to be a teacher. I entrust this calling to You. I need Your anointing, Your wisdom, Your direction. I’m not going to try to figure it all out.”
Now here’s the beginning of my testimony! Just see what God has done!
- We have a new school psychologist this year who has great experience in Response to Intervention, and has led our school in this awesome process!
- We have a retired teacher who volunteers two days a week to tutor 12 children in math. The results have been astounding! (and she’s free!)
- Another parent called and wanted to help kids with reading. She’s working with 4 children in reading, for free! Her own kids don’t even go to our school any more. She’s an awesome person, a great teacher, and a Christian!
- A friend has been on workmen’s comp. for an injury that happened at school last spring. At the beginning of the year, we got approval to have her work in an area where she would not have the probability of stressing her injured arm. She was placed in my program, and has been integral in the Response to Intervention program, which involves hours of assessing, data collection and analysis, and working with kids!
- After Christmas, we got a message that she would be moved to another job within the district. Our program at Baldwin can not function without this extra help. BUT, God opened yet another door! Our state funding amount was given to me in January, and it was more than 4 times what we have ever gotten before, enough to pay her from our school monies, rather than workmen’s comp!
- A teacher who was previously at Baldwin contacted me and wants to do her thesis on Response to Intervention. She will be doing a lot of the research and data analysis that takes so much time that I simply don’t have. She will also come to school twice a week to do intervention herself!
- Another source just opened up for college students from Rochester College (a Christian college) to work with more of our children in targeting their specific learning needs.
I am simply in awe of how God has taken my job this year, and completely turned it around! I have this deep knowing in my spirit that I am truly helping the kids in a way that I’ve never done before, in 8 years as a learning consultant! Praise God!
And thank you Jesus for the Word of God that I’m being taught at Life Christian Church!