Great Testimony!

Ever since I’ve moved to Huntsville, I’ve been trying to get a teaching job.  I have such a passion for working with young people that I even applied to be a teacher at a juvenile detention facility.  If you’ve seen me, you know why this is a serious leap of faith.  I’m very short and often mistaken for a student myself, so me teaching at a facility where kids can be combative is pretty extreme, but I was willing to do it.  After months of waiting, taking certification exams, and filling out applications, I AM NOW HIRED TO BE A TEACHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can’t even claim any credit in this, it was all God’s providential working. You can read this and decide for yourself:

In January my husband’s advisor told him that the district’s new superintendent would be visiting the university with the intent of recruiting teachers.  He told my husband to pass the information on to me because I’d been in contact with him about teaching positions in the area before.  I went that evening with no expectations because I had been disappointed so many times and I just didn’t want to experience that sinking feeling of despair again…but even in the back of my mind seeds of hope started to sprout because that’s just the way I am.  Every time a door seems to be opening or getting ready to open I start to hope.  So I went to the superintendent’s presentation and man, he was serious!  He was showing the analytical breakdown of the students’ test scores in reading and math and challanged the students in the room to come work for his district so that they could make a difference.  He has already starting putting money and resources into getting the schools up to par in terms of technology.  He even plans to do away with hard copies of textbooks and move to e-textbooks.  I got so excited and passionate about teaching just hearing him speak.  I had just about given up on teaching and was even researching speech pathology programs.  But I went ahead and gave the chair of the education department (my husband’s advisor) my credentials and resume, and he personally took it to the superintendent’s office.

Letter from the Superintendent’s office:

I applied online and two weeks ago I received a letter inviting me to EARLY SELECTION interviews….I was so amazed and excited!!!! Because of the strength of my application I was put into a special pool of candidates who would be interviewed first!  Are God’s people favored or what?! I interviewed last week Tuesday and left the interview really happy because it went super well and the panel seemed to like me.  The NEXT DAY I got a call from the district inviting me to take a position as a teacher in the district.  I can’t even describe how I felt at that moment…I was awestruck….I shed tears….I jumped up and down….I was speechless…so many emotions went through me and I will sum it up by saying I felt the way Will Smith looked in the movie “Pursuit of Happyness.” I just felt so honored that God did all of this for me.  So take courage, you who are waiting for your heart’s desire, praying and asking God to do something specific for you.  He answers prayers in ways that make your character stronger and better!  These months of waiting and praying have been difficult, even heart-wrenching at times.  I went through lots of discouraging moments, but when I look back now it makes this testimony all the sweeter.  To God be the glory!