Donna Hoogerhyde

Why do I teach at a Christian School, specifically Eastern Christian School? Eastern Christian is a God-centered institution that faithfully teaches from a Christian perspective. Members of my family have attended the school for four generations, and I am honored to share in Eastern Christian’s mission.

Every day is a blessing. It is a pleasure to start the day reminding the children that God is in the room. He is with us as we study His world, the “magnificent theatre” that we are called to learn about, care for, and enjoy. Throughout the day I am able to remind the children that “our world belongs to God” and we study it from that prospective. In social studies, we remember that all people are created in God’s image and we embrace our differences and celebrate what we can learn from each other and other cultures. In science we are awed by our Creator. Just today, as we examined the question, “How do plants survive in different climates?” I burst into singing “This is My Father’s World.” The children smiled and joined in! How can we not stop and be in awe of the wonder of God’s world?

Each year the class of students becomes a family, a family of young Christians striving to learn more about God and how He would have us live. The children are compassionate and encouraging to one another. They help each other when they stumble, and applaud the efforts of their classmates. I come to school each day, hoping to model Christ as I teach them from a Christian perspective. Each day the children inspire and teach me as well. Eastern Christian is a place where education is Christ centered and God’s love is shown to His children.

Donna Hoogerhyde