Marian Brazzell teaches in a one-room church school in Marion, Illinois. If you asked her while she was in academy if she planned to be a teacher, Marian would have told you no (even though she joined the Teachers of Tomorrow club so she could spend more time with her boyfriend back then).

She married about a year after high school, and Marian put her plans for college on hold for a while. Two daughters were born, and they kept her busy. Before long, Marian enrolled in correspondence classes with plans to become a social worker. But soon she realized she shouldn't pursue that career path; she knew she would want to take each of the children home with her. Marian had a heart for children, but didn't yet know God's plan for her life.

When her daughter, Heidi, enrolled in school, Marian went along. She was curious about what was happening there, and volunteered to help the teacher one day a week. Marian became valuable to the school, and before long ended up helping every day.

A job transfer for her husband brought the family back to Indiana from Kansas, and Marian continued to look for ways to help in schools. One day, while she was helping a teacher, Marian thought, "Hey, I could do this."

So Marian enrolled her two daughters in the Bloomington church school, 40 minutes from her home, and then registered herself at Indiana University a few days later. Registration day was confusing, Marian remembers, but somehow God helped her through the challenges of registering for school, locating classes and discovering a new job to fill her time between classes.

It was a sacrifice for Marian to keep her daughters in Christian education while she pursued her own education goals. During this time, her husband experienced some health challenges and was forced to retire from his work with the government. But through it all, God provided for their needs with unexpected job opportunities for Marian. Just ask her some time about the professor who purchased a computer so she could work from home.

Marian's original plans were to work in special education when she graduated from college. With this in mind, she chose special education schools for her practicums. Marian loves helping children, especially those whom she sees with a need. Perhaps that is what also drew her to leadership positions in the Bedford Pathfinder club and Girl Scouts.

It was the end of her senior year at Indiana University. Marian was at Timber Ridge Camp for a Pathfinder weekend. On Sunday, Marian says they were building fires. She remembers being covered with dirt and grime. That's when Archie Moore, then Indiana Conference superintendent of schools, approached her to inquire if she was interested in interviewing to teach at the Bloomington church school later that day. Her response was, "I've honestly never thought about it, because I never planned on teaching at a church school."

Marian's friend learned of the opportunity and strongly encouraged her to pursue it. So Marian went to the interview that day—still "covered with carbon" from fire building.

Later that day, Marian received news that the teaching job in Bloomington was hers, if she wanted it. Before responding, she prayed and sought her husband Roger's counsel. He encouraged her by saying, "I think you ought to go for it." She took that as a sign that God was leading.

Since that first teaching job at the Bloomington church school, Marian has been offered teaching opportunities in places like Tennessee, North Carolina and Montana. She finally accepted her next teaching position in an Ohio Conference Adventist school, before transferring to the Illinois Conference, where she is now. At these schools, Marian's passion for special education and outdoor education shaped her teaching style.

Marian enjoys students with special needs. She sees special qualities in each child. Marian says, "We're all unique. If we were all the same, wouldn't that be boring? And I don't think God wants us to be bored. I think just because someone has a problem learning one area doesn't mean they're not great in other areas." Marion believes it's her job to give her students incentive and desire, and show them "Hey, you can do this!" And she believes there are multiple ways to accomplish this.

Step into Marian's classroom, and you will see sand, used by her youngest students as they first learn to draw letters. Or you might see Play-Doh. Marian likes the children to get messy as they learn. She says, "That's why I like outdoor school. I'm a big fan of outdoor school, outdoor education, nature, anything I can do to get my kids out in the dirt. My kids leave [school] dirty all the time. ... I tell parents, 'Don't put kids in nice clothes because they're going to be painting or dirty or messy or something.'"

Marian likes to individualize learning for each child. She says, "Some people get sounds, some people learn by rules, but we don't learn the same way." Marian is often at school by 6:30 a.m. and stays until late at night, so she can individualize her students' assignments for the day.

It is Marian's personal challenge to see her students' needs are met. She says, "I don't feel fulfilled if their needs are not met. ... I delight when I see the light bulbs go on. It's exciting to see when [something] finally clicks."

Marian remembers her own school days, when math was a challenge. Because she didn't understand some concepts, she felt frustrated and recalls thinking, there has to be a reason behind this. She says it was only when she enrolled in math class in college she recognized she did have the ability to do math, and thought, Hey, I'm not stupid after all.

In an era when some schools are eliminating the arts from their curriculum, Marian wants to be sure her students are exposed to drama and music. The drama taught focuses on the life of Christ. Marian says, "The drama we do teaches children to be leaders for tomorrow. They need to be in the church; they need to be in the front of the church. They need to start early, so they're not afraid to be up there. It needs to be a very natural feeling."

Her students have been involved in writing and performing musicals. And they try to have songs ready to perform in church each month. The students are learning to play guitar, recorders, bells and a psaltery. Marian purchased many of the instruments used by the students with her money.

Since the students have also learned sign language, they often sign the songs they sing. Marian says, "Music makes me feel spiritual, so I want to give them a musical basis. I hope if I get them interested they'll go off and do great things on their own." Next year, it's her plan to have a "string band."

One reason Marian enjoys teaching in a church school is because she likes to pray with her students. She says, "We start our morning with prayer requests. Sometimes our prayer requests go 30 to 40 minutes. Sometimes it's ten. But that's children sharing from their heart what their concerns are, and what my concerns are. And there is a bond, a spiritual bond that cannot be broken. If it's in the middle of the day and something goes wrong, and we're having a really bad day, we can stop and pray about it, and things get better. You can't do that in public school."

As Marian looks back on how God has directed her life, she believes He has been with her every step of the journey. She says, "All the way through, God has put me where I needed to be. ... We pray about it, and God puts us where we're supposed to be." Along the way, she has found blessings, too—many came in the form of friends God sent to encourage her.

Diane Thurber is the assistant communication director of the Lake Union Conference.

This story was adapted from a video-taped interview by Gary Burns, communication director of the Lake Union Conference.

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