Cynthia Johnson knew what lay in store for her. A pile of homework to grade, an answering machine filled with messages, and a classroom filled with expectant children. It was Sunday night and Cynthia was preparing for her next day of school. She was exhausted, realizing that being a first-year teacher was tougher than she thought, especially in downtown Los Angeles.

A Childhood Dream

Cyndi had always wanted to be a teacher and as a child had grand visions of what her job would be like. Even as a young child Cyndi worked with her mom in the children’s department of her church. As she grew she helped teach younger children. Although she had always believed in God, in junior high she took that step of faith and walked down the aisle of her church to accept Christ. Cyndi was baptized and continued to grow in faith and in her love of teaching. In junior high and high school, she taught the elementary students in her church. Cyndi even helped organize camps and events for the children’s ministry.

After high school Cyndi went to a local college where she was faced with an important decision. Would she go into teaching or into children’s ministry? “I just wanted to be where the Lord wanted me,” she says. She chose teaching and took the necessary steps to get her degree in elementary education and her teaching credential. All the while Cyndi’s vision of what teaching would be remained the same. She assumed she would get a job in a nice school district with kids who were eager to learn. Cyndi was surprised when her first teaching job placed her in an area of Los Angeles with many kids who did not speak English and who came from broken homes. At first she thought the challenge would be too great to handle.

Ministry in the Classroom

“I wanted to be where God wanted me to be,” Cyndi observes, “and I had to use my faith in God and his timing to believe this was his will.” Thinking about some of the children in her class, Cyndi realized she was making a difference in these kid’s lives.

Opportunities to share her faith on a daily basis abound. Placed before her were kids who did not know their fathers and did not know where their next meal was coming from. They were hurting and hungry. Cyndi did all she could to reach out to these little ones. She taught them and listened to their physical and spiritual needs. As a teacher Cyndi knew she could not cross certain boundaries when it came to sharing her faith. She was careful to know what she could and could not do as a Christian teacher.

In addition to the opportunities Cyndi had to share her faith, the challenges she faced seemed almost overwhelming at times. Some of those challenges involved her fellow teachers. Because she came from a nicer area than some of her peers, Cyndi often felt like many of the other teachers did not relate to her. She tried to get to know them, but was often discouraged because of their lack of response. Cyndi simply kept doing what she was doing—teaching kids and loving them as God wanted her to. She began to realize that although kids needed to learn, they also needed to know someone cared for them. As she took the time to talk to her kids about their home lives and as she got to know some of their parents, she found teaching them became easier.

As Cyndi continued teaching, she relied on her church and Christian friends to encourage and support her. As always, she enjoyed teaching in the church and had begun volunteering in the junior high and high school department. Because of the challenges she faced at her job, Cyndi joined a small group at church and relied on those Christian friendships to keep her going when things got tough.

More than anything, she wants other Christian teachers to remember how valuable it is to be a part of a church and small group. Recently Cyndi was moved to another school in another part of the district. Although this area is a bit nicer than the previous area, her challenges remain the same. Kids need to know someone cares, and when they do, teaching them becomes easier. Cyndi will continue to care for her kids and to teach with faith. |L

Susanne Dacus graduated from Pacific Christian College with a degree in Christian Education. She and her husband Brad work with Pacific Justice Institute in Citrus Heights, California. Brad and Susanne reside in Sacramento, California with their two children.

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November 26, 2006 - Growing through life’s storms
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