Prospective Teachers

Are you currently in college to become a Protestant Reformed School teacher? Do you have questions about being hired in one of our Protestant Reformed schools? Are you interested in further teacher training and mentoring in your first years of teacher. Would you like us to add you to our list of Prospective Teachers that we share with our member schools? If any of these questions apply to you or you have any other questions regarding teaching or the work of the Federation, you may direct them to the Federation's Executive Director, Kyle Bruinooge.

Why should you consider becoming a teacher? Do teachers make an impact? Is teaching a rewarding calling? Here is a quote from one teacher.

When I considered becoming a teacher, someone advised me: don't go into teaching unless you absolutely can't not go into teaching. In other words, make sure you are 100% committed to being a teacher. That was 25 years ago and I have never regretted making the decision to teach. There have definitely been difficult days and even difficult years. There have been many days when I leave school exhausted, discouraged, and frustrated, but never defeated. Everyday I feel blessed to be able to fulfill this calling to teach God's covenant children and now, as I begin teaching the children of former students, I feel doubly blessed.

Miss Joyce Holstege - Kindergarten Teacher

Heritage Christian School - Hudsonville, MI

Teaching - A Calling

by Ruth Dykstra

Teaching is a privilege entrusted to many people of God.  Parents are called by God to instruct their children in the home. This instruction begins at birth and continues to adulthood. This is a task which cannot be done in their own strength, but only through grace and prayer. Oh, too often we see the pitiful sight of parents who become too busy in social life or in other work, and as a result their God-given privilege to instruct their children suffers in one way or another. Ministers also have this privilege to instruct children; they do this preaching and especially in teaching the truths of God’s word in catechism. And finally the Christian teacher is privileged with this great task. It is this type of teaching which we are primarily concerned with in this article.Teaching is a profession, not a job. The Christian teacher is called by God to this particular work. And because of this fact he or she must take his calling seriously. It is his duty to build upon the foundation laid in the home. It is his duty to instruct God’s covenant children in all phases of life from a Godly view point. He leads, directs, and guides these children by God’s grace, so that they grow to be stalwart sons and daughters of God.Many are the responsibilities of the Christian teacher. He must not only instruct these children, but he must also learn to know each child-for each child comes to the classroom with his own unique ways and problems. To understand each child and help him is a task accomplished only through grace, prayer, and working cooperatively with the child’s parents.Yes, teaching is a calling. It has its responsibilities, but it also has it rewards. How wonderful it is to see that the children have learned well what you have set out to teach; how grateful one is to see them walk in the right way; how rewarding to know that their parents appreciate your hard labors. Then we know that the Lord has blessed our labors.Although, we can see the greatness of the teaching profession, yet there is a great need in our Protestant Reformed Christian Schools: a need for staunch Protestant Reformed teachers. All of our schools need teachers. You, young people that are in high school and college, ask yourself the question:  Has God called me to teach in our schools? The need is great; consider it, think about it, and by all means make it a matter of prayer. The Lord has given us our schools; He will also send teachers, of this we are sure.

The source of this article is from the May, 1960, Vol. 20 edition of the Beacon Lights.  It was written under the Pencils and Chalk rubric by Ruth Dykstra.