Laura Venhuizen

 

I believe that God has called me to be a Christian teacher.  Because I love the Lord and enjoy working with young children, I strive for excellence in my teaching. It is a high calling and one that forces me to depend on my Heavenly Father each day for wisdom, strength, patience, and His divine guidance.

 

As I work with the children in my classroom, I view them as a precious gift from God because each child has been uniquely created by God, in his image. With the help of God, I work to develop each child's God-given talents and abilities and to prepare them spiritually, socially, academically, and physically to serve and glorify God.  Above all, my goal for my students is that they will develop a personal relationship with Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and that they will commit their life to him. I want my students to see that they are very special to me and that God loves them and has a very special plan for their life. I work to help them understand that their purpose in life should be to love and serve God above all, and to be of service to their fellow man. I also teach them that their faith must be applied in all areas of their life as they work to become more Christ-like. 

 

As we study the 5th grade curriculum I want my students to see that God is the source of all knowledge, and that he reveals himself to us through his word, the Bible, and through his creation. I want them to understand that this is God's world and that every part of that creation must be claimed for him. In all subject areas we look for the truth about God and his creation.  In Science, as we learn about plants and trees, or one-celled organisms, I want my students to be in awe of the marvelous way God has created all organisms so that they have just what they need for survival. I help them to see God's majesty and power as we observe his creation. I also want them to recognize their role as caretakers of God's creation.  When we study Social Studies I help my students to see that all of history is part of God's story, and that they are also a part of this story, the Kingdom of God. I also help them to discern what they are reading and studying in light of God's word. I help them to recognize that they also have a responsibility as a Christian to serve others and to be responsible citizens.

It is with great joy that I work with each child that God has placed in my classroom. It is my goal to establish a classroom where we seek to love and serve the Lord above all else, and show love, respect, and encouragement to fellow classmates.  "Be imitators of God therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us." Eph. 5:1-2a