Miss Schnitzel

It was almost exactly a year ago when my principal approached me with an inquiry: “Would you like to have a student teacher next year?”  I mentally counted my years of teaching at BFA, realizing that I had indeed been there long enough to host a pre-service teacher in my class.  With my own student teaching memories of the not-so-distant past quickly flooding my brain, I exclaimed, “Yes!” 

Fast-forward ten months.  I was still getting the hang of teaching Geography 7 and was in the midst of implementing a totally different approach to teaching English.  Literacy stations and guided reading required significantly more planning, yet I was loving the first glimpses of results with my sixth grade students.  Moreover, I was enjoying the benefits of teaching Bible 6 for a second time, having mapped out the whole year back in August. 

I waited until the end of one school day to tell the students that Miss Schnitzel would be joining us that Friday.  They were full of questions, but mostly wondering if her last name was really Schnitzel.  I encouraged them to get their giggles out before she came – that indeed our student teacher was named Miss Schnitzel!  In my own mind swirled questions more along the lines of How am I going to pass off a literacy program that I’m just beginning to use? and What can I tell someone about teaching geography when I am still figuring it out myself?

But when she arrived, Dana jumped right in to the crazy, fast-paced life that is BFA!  After only one day in class and doing her very best to fight jet lag, Dana donned an alien costume for our middle school fall party.  Within a week, Dana had picked up one of the sixth grade classes, and a few weeks later, she was teaching two big units in English and Geography.   

Beyond the classroom, God blessed me with a good friend in Dana.  Boundaries between “work” and “home” are often blurred here at BFA due to the close-quarters, tight-community atmosphere, so I wasn’t surprised that I was spending a lot of my after school hours with Dana as well.  I wanted Dana to see the whole picture of BFA – dorm life, small groups, Chrysalis (middle school youth group), Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas banquet, local Christmas markets...  We even discovered “Schnitzeltag” (5-euro schnitzel day at a nearby German restaurant), which became a weekly tradition that we will continue in her honor!

I’m thankful for the ways that God used this experience of hosting a student teacher to grow me and remind me of important truths.  Just to name a few…

1.  He’s not finished with me yet.  I admired the way Dana was completely open to feedback, even asking for it many times.  This is the posture I want to have as I approach God.  Search me, God, and know my heart… (Psalm 139:23)

2.  I enjoy investing in others, both personally and professionally.  It was a joy to be able to share my own teaching mistakes and discoveries with Dana.  I also loved discussing what it’s like to raise financial support, why I’m so passionate about mentorship, what’s different about teaching at an MK school…  I pray that God will continue to grow me in this area and use it for His glory.

3.  I can trust Him with my future.  Just as Dana is wondering how she can serve God after her spring graduation, I am considering options for the 2015-16 school year and beyond.  I’ve committed to BFA for next year, but after that, I will need to leave for at least one year.  While I still feel uncertain about what my next steps will be, I am reminded that Dana and I both trust the same God who holds the future in His hands!

Right now, Dana is on a plane back to Pennsylvania.  After two formative months overseas, she is returning to home in the Philadelphia area and has another semester of classes ahead of her.  Somehow, I know that she is returning a different person than when she arrived in Germany.  BFA has a way of doing that.

Thanks, Miss Schnitzel, for your hard work, creativity, and enthusiasm!  Thanks for your teachable spirit and go-the-extra-mile attitude.  Thanks for loving the middle schoolers of BFA.  Keep shining for Jesus, wherever He leads you!