Annalise Carigon

When I was young, I had mentors and family who pointed me toward the truth but gave me the space to experience the goodness of God for myself by seeing their faith in action. I learned that all people, myself included, are valuable because God created us in His image. I grew to love learning about our world and its people because it is the story of His great love for us. I learned that God desires a personal relationship with me through his Son, one that extends beyond Sunday and weaves through every corner of my heart and life. My prayer is that as my students learn these truths for themselves while I come alongside them and walk with them on our journey toward the heart of Christ. 

These truths include NPC’s three mandates that guide my teaching practice. The first is the Love Mandate: “Love the Lord your God…. Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt.22:37-38). One main theme throughout our school year is exploring what love is and what it looks like. I will help students see how our daily lives can bring honor and glory to the Lord and how to loving our neighbor does too.

The second mandate that will guide my instruction is the Mission Mandate: “Go and make disciples…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-20). In order to spread the Word of God, we must know the Word and know how to communicate the message of Jesus in effective and loving ways. That will be a focus in my classroom: knowing truth and sharing truth! 

The third mandate that will guide my teaching is the Image Mandate: “Let us make man in our image…. Be fruitful…fill the earth…subdue it…rule over every living creature…” (Gen. 1:26, 28). I will remind every child that steps into my classroom that he/she is created in the image of God and gets to live out of that truth. I will teach them that everyone around them is made in His image. I will also focus on how living out this truth impacts how we treat people and tend the earth that God has made. 

My ultimate goal as a Christian educator is to reflect the heart of Christ in the way that I interact with and serve my students and their families. I desire that they may see that their true value comes from the Lord and that they would respond to His gift of grace by sharing His extravagant love with the world.