Claire Deeks

"Bridging the gap between cultural differences is, for me, part of my Christian calling."

Tell us a bit more about how you ended up as a teacher in England

I couldn't find a job as a teacher in France, but I had always wanted to be a teacher and felt very strongly that I should stick to this calling despite the circumstances and not give up. Once I accepted that my field of teaching might be further afield than France, the doors all flew open and I found a job straight away.

What are your reflections on being a Christian teacher in Britain?

I am convinced that if I had taught in France, I would not have been able to share my faith in the ways that I have within the British school system, which is a lot more open to spirituality. I have set up two Christian clubs within my school (which is NOT a Church school). One is a social club with a Christian ethos where a youth worker comes and helps me and my colleagues run fun games, poignant videos and messy challenges, all with a Christian message attached to them. The pupils absolutely love it although most of them have no Christian background. The club attracts up to 80 people at lunch time. They enjoy hearing about values, doing the right thing, and finding that all of that can still be fun. The other club we set up was a Youth Alpha, where children who want to hear about the Christian faith come to talk over issues and enjoy drinks and biscuits.

Couldn't you have this sort of ministry as a youth worker?

No, because God has given me a love for languages and an important element of my ministry as a Christian teacher is to be able to pass on this passion down the generations. This is part of my concern for the well-being of my pupils. On the one hand as a language teacher, I believe that through the knowledge of another language, the communication, understanding, fellowship and friendship between peoples of different cultures can be made stronger. Bridging the gap between cultural differences is, to me, part of my Christian calling.

On the other hand, being a Christian teacher adds a new dimension (a spiritual one) to my professional role as a language teacher. What I enjoy is that you can show the pupils and the staff around you that, even in a secular job, you can make a Christian contribution. Being open about being Christian within the school gives everyone an opportunity to come and ask me questions if they want to. Some children have even asked me to pray for particular situations. It's an honour to be able to fulfill that role.

What would you say to a Christian who was thinking of going into teaching?

Teaching is an opportunity to serve God and be a light within the next generation - an encouragement which they desperately need nowadays. It can be a rough experience and I believe that the Peace I get from my faith and relationship with God has helped me enormously. A simple prayer in the morning can transform a day which normally is chaos.