Our next guests are a husband and wife team- Trevor and Nancy Connelly. Both are retired educators with a combined total of 62 years in education. They are longtime friends of ours and board members of Take Back Ministries. They reflect on God’s faithfulness as former public school educators in a two part series. Love and Blessings!!
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Nancy: Through all my years of teaching, there were factors both inside and outside of education that seemed to pose a challenge. However, my students were always a blessing. What helped me to be effective was staying very focused on what God had called me to do in the classroom and not the other distracting circumstances going on all around me.
Philipians 3:14 was one of my favorite scriptures that kept me focused.
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus!”
Many times I worked among fellow peers who did not care much how they spoke to others or what they spoke to others. As I determined to obey the word of God and continued speaking life through my words, God would always bring peace to any situation around me. (Psalm: 57:4)
I remember specifically, one day as I was driving to work from Lewisville to Dallas, on a busy highway, and suddenly I got a flat tire! My first thought was I was going to have 20 kids standing outside my classroom door, waiting to get in because I was late for work. Right where I was, I called out to God, asking Him to help me! A little bit further down the highway, I saw a ramp and decided to exit there. Right at the bottom of the ramp was a store that looked like a Seven/Eleven and there was a man standing outside of it. When I got out of the car he said, "How can I help you?" Remember, I had asked God for help! I told him I had a flat tire. The man fixed it and I arrived to school on time! Now, that is God’s faithfulness in action and it brings Psalm 46:1 to life for me. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Philipians 3:14 was one of my favorite scriptures that kept me focused.
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus!”
Many times I worked among fellow peers who did not care much how they spoke to others or what they spoke to others. As I determined to obey the word of God and continued speaking life through my words, God would always bring peace to any situation around me. (Psalm: 57:4)
I remember specifically, one day as I was driving to work from Lewisville to Dallas, on a busy highway, and suddenly I got a flat tire! My first thought was I was going to have 20 kids standing outside my classroom door, waiting to get in because I was late for work. Right where I was, I called out to God, asking Him to help me! A little bit further down the highway, I saw a ramp and decided to exit there. Right at the bottom of the ramp was a store that looked like a Seven/Eleven and there was a man standing outside of it. When I got out of the car he said, "How can I help you?" Remember, I had asked God for help! I told him I had a flat tire. The man fixed it and I arrived to school on time! Now, that is God’s faithfulness in action and it brings Psalm 46:1 to life for me. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Trevor: What do you do when you need more opportunities for your students? You PRAY and God will show you a way when there seems to be no way. Isaiah 43:16 “God will make a way where there seems to be no way.”
This was one of the experiences on God’s faithfulness that stands out in my teaching career. I would see students gathering often after school for an enrichment program called Mad Science. It was a great program, however, after visiting a few sessions of the program (which were mostly demonstrations) and compared the cost students were paying for it, I got a revelation. Why couldn’t I provide such an opportunity that is more engaging for our students instead? As a science teacher, it was clear students loved it by the attendance and success of the program. So I began praying and asking for direction and guidance. The more I prayed the more it seemed there were dead end signs anywhere I looked. More so, there was limited support, not many were applauding or encouraging me on to pursue the idea. But I sensed God’s direction, so I went ahead and cleared it with administration to start an after- school science class. I was told that my intended after-school science class could not possibly succeed based on the fact that the Mad Science program was already established. God always has a way. I began the after-school science class and the word got around. The doors burst wide open and I had to limit the number of students to 30 students a session with no assistant! God richly blessed the program and me in many ways! The kids were ecstatic and following through with the idea renewed me!
This was one of the experiences on God’s faithfulness that stands out in my teaching career. I would see students gathering often after school for an enrichment program called Mad Science. It was a great program, however, after visiting a few sessions of the program (which were mostly demonstrations) and compared the cost students were paying for it, I got a revelation. Why couldn’t I provide such an opportunity that is more engaging for our students instead? As a science teacher, it was clear students loved it by the attendance and success of the program. So I began praying and asking for direction and guidance. The more I prayed the more it seemed there were dead end signs anywhere I looked. More so, there was limited support, not many were applauding or encouraging me on to pursue the idea. But I sensed God’s direction, so I went ahead and cleared it with administration to start an after- school science class. I was told that my intended after-school science class could not possibly succeed based on the fact that the Mad Science program was already established. God always has a way. I began the after-school science class and the word got around. The doors burst wide open and I had to limit the number of students to 30 students a session with no assistant! God richly blessed the program and me in many ways! The kids were ecstatic and following through with the idea renewed me!
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