by Jason Byassee, May 22, 2014
Jason Byassee
May is Teacher Appreciation month. It is a good time to reach back out to teachers who influenced and blessed and loved us well. It is also a good time for our church to think about the God-given goodness of the vocation of teaching. Each week in May we’ll interview one of our teachers about their work and the ways they find God in it. I hope we’ll all learn more about the richness of the body of Christ of which we are all a part.
Nora Shoemake
What got you into teaching?
Like much in life, teaching was an unexpected path I tumbled on to. My family had recently moved to a new area and there were no available preschool openings for our then four year old daughter. Except, that is, for teachers’ kids. The preschool had a very last minute job opening and they were in desperate need of a teacher and I desperately wanted my daughter to have a preschool experience before kindergarten. We were a perfect match. That first job challenged and surprised me.
I reflect back on that new teacher and simultaneously envy her energy and cringe at her inexperience and naivety.
Tell me about a teacher you admired.
I admire teachers in general, but especially those who are unafraid to look silly, those who are constantly educating themselves, those who are willing to take risks, those who are curious, those who can admit and learn from mistakes, those who are passionate, and those who respect the dignity of their students.
How does your faith weigh into your work as a teacher?
With Colossians 3:23 as a guide (“Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for other people”) I rely on grace to work at teaching with my whole heart as unto the Lord. As a teacher in a Christian preschool, I have the privilege to pray with and for my students and to share and teach from the bible. Mostly, though, my faith opens my eyes to learn compassion, acceptance, love, forgiveness and joy from a group of four year olds.
Tell me about a time when God surprised you with the goodness of your vocation.
Not to sound trite, but I am reminded daily of the power of child-like faith. I have been humbled by the prayers of preschoolers, delighted to see God’s creation through their eyes, and saddened by the ways adults lose sight of what is truly important.
Nora Shoemake graduated from ASU with a degree in elementary education and currently teaches at Boone United Methodist Preschool. She and her husband, Ben, live in Boone with their three children.