Though I taught 3rd grade at Ben Lippen 30 years ago before we had our children, this is my second year back to the Ben Lippen family since 1995.

 

It is a great privilege to return to my roots since I am a CIU 1993 graduate. I love the rich history of Ben Lippen and the strong foundation of biblical truth that undergirds all that we do on campus.

 

I consider it a privilege to teach my favorite subject to one of my favorite age groups in a Christ-centered setting. I can be a part of prayerfully discipling our wonderful student body as they grow into future godly men and women.

 

Math is a very tangible subject that we encounter continuously in everyday life. As we learn math skills two things are kept in the forefront of the class. One is the scripture Jeremiah 10:12:

 

 

This verse is coupled with this quote by Galileo, "Math is the language God used to write the universe." In our class, we try to regularly focus on how meaningful math is because it is the order and structure that God used to create everything.

 

I have seen such sacrificial sharing of responsibilities on this campus. Serving others is a continuous part of the middle school team. When one coworker has to leave school unexpectedly or falls ill and it is too sudden to get a substitute, you can reach out to anyone to fill in during planning periods to sub a class for the one who had to leave. 

 

I see people routinely cover duties and help each other with small tasks. It is a servant-minded group of people. It is a joy to work in such a supportive setting.

 

On a personal note, I feel very thankful that one of my big dreams has been fulfilled. A decade ago I started thinking about being a middle school math teacher. God let me teach pre-algebra part-time for several years and after our youngest child graduated from high school I began to put plans in place to see if I could teach full-time again. The 6th grade math position is a perfect fit for me and I am thankful for the fulfillment of a decade-long dream.