Children are a Gift from the Lord: Trent Herron

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Psalms 127:3 tells us, “Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward.” I am greatly blessed to be working alongside these gifts from the Lord every day—teaching, laughing, and growing with my

I had a desire to work with younger children in high school, and that desire progressed into a passion to teach and work alongside younger children in college. Two specific opportunities in college greatly shaped and influenced my desire to become an educator at the lower elementary level.  These opportunities came in form of two mission trips I took my freshman and junior year in college. Using soccer as a platform to spread the gospel to local children was the main focus of the two trips. students. Every day is a new day that brings excitement, discovery, and learning. It is my passion to instruct these children and assist them in the many new experiences as they develop along the road in kindergarten.

The first trip was to St. Vincent. I can remember specifically sharing the gospel with a younger child who unfortunately did not receive Christ during my time there, but from that moment, I developed a passion to share Christ to young children. During my trip to Japan, while instructing how to play the game of soccer, the kids were so excited to learn “new ways” to play soccer, as they were very attentive and highly motivated, and I realized that I really wanted to instruct younger kids every day. I wanted to be a part of the “new ways” they learn and interact with each other. I wanted to use a Gospel-centered curriculum to share God’s love with as many young children as I could.TH1

Working at Faith has allowed me to capitalize on my college desires and has brought my dreams into reality. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to share the gospel of Christ with my students. What an awesome privilege I have to point these young children and the many situations that happen throughout the day back to the cross! I strive to lay down a gospel-centered foundation for my students that helps shape the steps they will take down the road. What an exciting and awesome ministry I have to share the gospel with young children who are attentive and eager to listen!

Honestly, we have fun learning, laughing, and growing in our time together in kindergarten. To the life of a kindergartner, everything is awesome—or at least we try to make everything awesome. Now, yes, sometimes it’s hard to match their spunkiness and energy levels at 8:00 in the morning, but—wow!—does it make teaching satisfying when students are excited about learning! I love that in the mind of a 5 and 6 year old everything is exciting, and stickers are a big deal. The “light bulb moments” are priceless times and so rewarding to witness, like a child tying shoes for the first time or reading his or her first words. These, along with many other moments, make me smile and thank God He called me to teach, especially kindergarten.

I know that having a male kindergarten teacher can be an intimidating experience for some parents, but I truly value the partnership with every parent and the roles we have to support each other for the best interest of the child. I’m so grateful that parents have put their trust in my care for each special child, and I genuinely believe that children are indeed a gift from the Lord.

Dawn Oliver
Dawn is an Administrative Assistant at Faith Christian School.