Yanina Jimenez has a rich Adventist heritage. Her great grandparents lived on a farm in Argentina. One day a colporteur came to their farm and gave them Bible studies. They learned about faith in God and were baptized. They passed their new faith on to each generation.

Ever since Yanina was six years old, she wanted to be a teacher. Instead of playing with dolls, she played with paper and pencil and dreamed of one day studying in the university to be a teacher. There were no teachers in her family, so she believes God just put the desire in her heart to be a teacher.

When Yanina finished her secondary education, she decided to attend an Adventist university. Her boyfriend was studying theology at the Seminary, and told her of an opportunity where she could work in ministry during the summer, doing the very thing that led her great grandparents to Jesus. Not only would it be a good experience, but she could earn money toward her tuition.

Reflecting on that summer experience, Yanina said, "I knew the Lord closely, and I learned how to love Jesus. That's when I learned that Jesus is with me—right here with me, all the time. When I am teaching, when I am at home, when I am alone, He is with me."

When Yanina completed her education, she had expectations as to what kind of teaching career she would have. Yanina smiled when she recalled her first day in her own classroom. "I wanted to be a teacher for the older ones, for the upper graders—six through eight, eight to 11—but my first job was last year, a teacher for first graders. I didn't want to be a teacher for first graders, because I studied [for] and I had in mind to be a teacher for the upper graders. I prayed and I prayed, and that's when I discovered my great love for the little ones. I don't have children yet, and because of that, I want to have children now, my own children."

Yanina was prepared to teach the older children and had thought teaching the younger ones would be a more difficult challenge. "It's easier," she confessed, "because their hearts are open to the love of God. [It] is easier to talk about Jesus with the little ones. That's why Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me.' With the upper graders you have to look for [other] ways to show them the spiritual world."

This year, Yanina is teaching third and fourth grade. "I love these children," she says with delight. "They are mine. I don't have children yet, but I love them like my own. I have 13 children."

When asked if she would ever consider teaching in the public school system, Yanina replied, "No, because I can't think about teaching math without talking about Jesus. If I am teaching science, how can I not open my mouth and say, 'God created this world, God created this flower, the ground, the air—everything we have God created?' So, no, because we have to integrate faith and learning in every subject—spelling, handwriting, social studies. They have to see God throughout history."

Another concern Yanina has relates to social relationships. She observes, "For example, if [students] are fighting in the gym, I can go and speak to them. 'Why are you fighting?' I say, 'Sorry, don't you know that Jesus doesn't want you to fight? Let's be friends. What is your problem? Okay, let's pray.' In the public system, we don't have that opportunity."

Yanina recognizes that teaching in an Adventist school is a great responsibility. "We are working, not for a conference, not for a union; we are working for God. We serve the Lord. These children belong to God. He is their Father. That is why we have to be careful, because we have a great privilege, but we have a great responsibility. What if we had to teach these children in front of their parents? We are, because God is watching us and God is the Father of these children. That's why we have to be careful how we treat these children—how we teach these children. If we do our best for God, we can do our best for our principal."

This personal relationship and accountability with God is a deep conviction for Yanina. She believes that if teachers see themselves as working for a principal or superintendent, then it is tempting to work to please them only when they are watching. "But if I am thinking, God is with me, the Holy Spirit is here with me—He's taking notes of what I am doing, that is the best way to think and how we can do our best—every time, every second."

A common theme for all of the teachers we interviewed was the importance of prayer. "Prayer for me is everything," Yanina says. "When I come to this classroom, I pray for each one of my students."

She keeps a prayer list, making notations of each of the children's needs. And when she gets home, Yanina presents each child's needs to God in prayer.

Why does Yanina invest so much time in specific intercessory prayer? "Because," she says, "they are asking me, 'Please pray for me.' So we have to pray as a teacher for each one of them."

The testimonies of her students have convinced Yanina of the power of prayer. "I have a student, and she was struggling too much with math, and I started praying and praying and praying. She, now, is the best in math. So prayer is playing a very important role in the lives of these children. We ask God, 'Please help me with this child.' And with it, we do our part because we have to work hard.

"When we seek God first, [He gives us] excellence. My children know me—that I can pray for them. But if they don't do their homework..." she smiles. "They have to bring it in on time. They have to study for their test. They have to do their part and they have to work hard." Her philosophy of excellence is articulated on her lanyard, "Quality Education from a Christian Perspective."

Gary Burns is the communication director of the Lake Union Conference.

Yanina Jimenez teaches third and fourth grades at South Suburban School in Park Forest, Illinois.

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