Rose Anderson

"Before entering school, I take the time each morning to pray for God's protection over my day. I specifically ask God to cancel any negative or evil word that might be heard throughout the day or which could come from my own mouth."

Have you always known that teaching was your vocation?

In my early years of teaching, I would not have said that teaching was my Christian calling. What I did know was that the passion to affect change and inspire children and young people was rooted deep within my heart. I was not sure why, but I had a great sense that God placed the passion there.

How has your relationship with God equipped you as a teacher?

As a Christian teacher, I have experienced many conflicts as well as joys and it is within these that I have seen a greater need for prayer and the word of God (Bible) as my source and help.

There have been experiences where children have used derogatory names pertaining to my gender, ethnicity and faith as well as seeking to disrupt the class and intimidate me whilst teaching. In response, I seek to stay as calm as possible, silently pray for God's protection, help and wisdom and use my skills of classroom management. I have seen God change the atmosphere in the classroom. Psalm 91 reminds us of God's protection over our lives every day.

Before entering school, I take the time each morning to pray for God's protection over my day. I specifically ask God to cancel any negative or evil word that might be heard throughout the day or which could come from my own mouth. On arrival at school I pray (discreetly) within the classroom sometimes touching each chair. (You really don't have to be walking around speaking in tongues loudly and flashing olive oil all over the walls. you know your P45 may be handed to you immediately!!!). My prayers are quiet, short, and direct and I do see a difference. I deliberately create the environment I desire for the day by establishing clear guidelines, playing music and speaking positive words into the children from the outset. I greet my pupils at the door with a smile and a positive compliment. There are mornings I don't feel like being nice, but I make a decision to ride over feelings. Life and death lies in the power of our own tongue (Proverbs 18 verse 21).

What do you find rewarding about teaching?

There is great encouragement when children say:

• ‘thank you for teaching me,'
• ‘ you're the best teacher I've ever had in my whole life,'
• ‘Oh, I understand now!'
• ‘I like this subject now'
• ‘School is fun because you're here.'
• ‘I always like it when I see you.'

One particular encouragement was a time I had to cover a teacher who was on sick leave. During those six weeks OFSTED inspected our school. The year 6 class I was teaching was not the calmest in the school. Not only did OFSTED give me an outstanding report, but staff members began asking what had happened to the children because they were calm, orderly and focussed. All I can say is God stepped in on my behalf, heard my prayer and gave me the wisdom to carry out a challenging task. 1 Corinthians chapters 1-4 talks about God's wisdom outweighing the wisdom of man.

What is it that keeps you going as a teacher?

There are days when I am tired, frustrated, cheesed off and wonder why I went into teaching, but every time I step into the classroom God reminds me that children need to be rescued from the negativity and hurt they constantly experience around them. Regardless of our feelings, we have a mandate to HELP and BRING LIFE.

As a Christian teacher, I cannot be like everyone else, making negative comments about the children in the staffroom. Matthew chapter 5 verses 13-16 remind us that we are the ‘salt' and ‘light' of the earth. If we lose our ‘saltiness' and ‘light' in the school environment, where else will it come from? It is not always easy to share my Christian faith, but whenever there is an opportunity I need to have courage to express what is in my heart in a professional and non threatening way.

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

Decide what your driving force and sustaining power will be when the job seems stressful and difficult?

Ensure that you are:

• Willing to put God first in all you do
• Passionate about children (you like children!!)
• Interested in seeing change even though you may not see it immediately
• Positive in your speech
• A supporter and helper
• A motivator and trend setter
• Flexible and adaptable
• Creative and enthusiastic about life and people
• Joyful and happy even when the job seems hard
• Committed
• Fun to be around
• Skilled in teaching and willing to learn new skills