My family moved to Berrien Springs in the middle of my first grade school year, and I went from a one-room church school to the halls of Ruth Murdoch Elementary School (a laboratory school of Andrews University). On my first day of school, I remember feeling nervous and shy, but my fears were soon put to rest as my new teacher, Hilde Hasel, welcomed me to the classroom. She was always gentle and soft spoken, and made each student feel important and loved every day. Our mornings began with worship, singing songs like "Dare to be a Daniel" and "Lift Up the Trumpet." Hilde told us stories about the ways she had seen God working in her own life, and taught us to trust Him in any situation we might face.

The thing I remember the most about Hilde was that she made each of us feel that we had a special relationship with her and that she was genuinely interested in us as individuals. It was because of her Christlike example and her loving nature that she always stood out in my mind as my favorite teacher.

When I returned to Berrien Springs to study at Andrews University, I was pleased to see that Hilde was still teaching. She retired at the end of this year, after 21 years of teaching first and second grade at Ruth Murdoch Elementary. I recently had the opportunity to visit with Hilde about my favorite teacher's career and her devotion to serving God and working with children.

Hilde was preparing to enter the nursing field when her husband, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor in the Boston area, held a Vacation Bible School. It was Hilde's first opportunity to work with children, and she realized she loved it. She thought, That's what I want to do. I want to dedicate my life—working with children. So, she decided to finish her degree in education instead of nursing.

The Hasels applied for foreign mission, but it became evident that Berrien Springs was the mission field that God intended for them. Rather than teach in a foreign country, Hilde was able to instruct students from more than 60 countries at Ruth Murdoch Elementary. Working with students from various cultural backgrounds can be a challenge in the classroom.

As she recalls meeting that challenge, Hilde reflects, "What stands out the most is how God has taken me—I didn't feel qualified to shape young people—that's an awesome responsibility. ... I give God the glory, and I think Wow! What I could do with these children all these years. ... I was a vessel for Him. To me, that's just awesome!"

Hilde is able to relate to the students who come from other countries, perhaps more than many teachers, because she came from Austria when she was nine years old, and understands the difficulties in adjusting to a new culture and a new school. Hilde's own experience helps her relate to her students and recognize the need to make adjustments in the curriculum to meet the needs of her international students.

"Sometimes young people will come back to me and say ... they appreciate what I've done ... and I don't even remember that. But you see how God works through you as an individual, to me that is just amazing, and when I look back, that's what I remember—how He has worked through me."

To first and second graders, a teacher is so influential in shaping the child's moral code, so the responsibility is even greater. Parents often share with Hilde just how much her standards affect their children. "We are all individuals and we all make mistakes; teachers make mistakes, but when you're teaching first and second grade, they just look up to you like you're on this pedestal, and you're pretty perfect. And to me, that is just an awesome responsibility—and it's scary. That's why I need to start the day with prayer, and remember each of my children in prayer, and go from there; because you cannot, I cannot, do it on my own, I know."

Trusting God for help doesn't necessarily mean there are no doubts or frustrations. "Sometimes I stand there and I just think (because sometimes you don't know what to say, or how to handle [it]). As a teacher you're everything: you're a psychiatrist, you're a psychologist, you're a mom, you're a nurse, you have all these things—and you have decisions, constantly, decisions to make, and its not always easy."

When she has tried her best to reach a child, she comes to the point where she prays, "Lord you've got to take over." She humbly admits, "Many times I feel like I was not able to do it totally; but on the other hand, it's amazing when the year is up, that they do quite well in spite of myself."

Teachers can feel frustrated when a focus on strategies, studies and techniques to meet particular student needs doesn't seem to work.

Hilde's secret is found in relationship. "I need to be connected with God continuously. If I ask God to help me, I have seen every time it works. ... I can connect and I can help this child. ... I'm thinking, Wow! I should've done this in the first place."

Hilde encourages her students' relationship with God through prayer. "I'll pray with them, praying as a group, so that they realize the awesomeness and how wonderful it is. God is never busy. You know, there's never a busy signal. We can come to Him any time. And not just that, when we make mistakes He's still there for us. ... I hope to instill that in the children."

Her years of experience have taught her never to form judgments about a student. "Sometimes it's easy to look at how a child behaves ... to judge the child by how he or she completes the assignments; or how he or she interacts with others. You think, Wow! and you kind of wonder. ... I have followed some of my students [and] I have learned one thing: never give up on a child, because you never know. One child that you think is not going to make it, is going to be a leader someday. I've seen that and it's awesome. ... I think we as humans just don't see the potential that God has for each of these children. So I have learned to just not make judgments on these children. I've learned to work as hard as I can (and I do feel that there is a responsibility for me there), but I've also learned to never give up on a child. ... Just because he's like that for me for two years, doesn't mean that he's going to be like that when he gets to college or later on. That's encouraging. You just don't give up. God doesn't give up on us either."

Hilde has never given up on me. She has repeatedly pointed me to Christ. She cared enough to pray with me when I couldn't understand math. She was willing to do whatever she could to try to get through to me. She believed in me. Teachers like Hilde, who demonstrate Christ so effortlessly, have had a profound influence on my life and make me realize how grateful I am for an Adventist education.

Josie Burns attends Andrews University. She is a senior English major with an emphasis in writing, and minors in French and communication.

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