Teacher Tuesday: Meet the Kolkmans!

Think back to grade school.  Do you remember the anticipation of waiting to find out who your teacher was going to be at the beginning of the year?  

When I was a kid, from second to fifth grade, there was always one teacher - just one -that no one wanted to get.  I lived in dread the entire summer waiting for the enrollment packet to come in the mail, feeling in my gut that sooner or later my young life was going to change for the worse.  I was going to get her for a teacher. All the joy would be sucked out of the rest of the summer. I knew the entire school year would be an experience much like walking through the Haunted House of Horrors at the state fair – tears, shrieking and many mind-numbing moments of sheer panic. Get me out of here!!!  

We’ll call this teacher “Mrs. T” (for Terrifying). 

Mrs. T never smiled.  She walked through the hallways with a scowl and barked at kids as she passed by, “No lingering in the hallways! Pick up your feet when you walk! Don’t drag your coat on the floor! You’d better have your math ready before you walk in my door!” If you read this in a terse, gravelly voice with a glower on your face, you probably have a Mrs. T of your own in your past.

There were many, many scary stories about Mrs. T over the years – I heard she used Scotch tape liberally on misbehaving students - but I’m thankful to say I’ve never had to experience any of them personally.  Her name was never the name printed out in my enrollment packet.  But I did have to ask every year, “Why would the school hire someone like her??” 

It is with great relief that I can tell you – Shepherds College would NEVER hire someone like that! We have strict rules against hiring people with fangs, claws or broomsticks. As a matter of fact, we hire people just the opposite of Mrs. T. Our teachers love the students and love what they do! It shows in their smiles, their patience and in the attention they put into creating their lessons. Mr. Terrill, the Executive Director of Shepherds College, takes great care in selecting quality teachers with engaging personalities to work with our students - which is why I’m excited to introduce you to the newest additions to our friendly staff! 

Meet Andrew and Sarah Kolkman!

Sarah and Andrew Kolkman

Andrew and Sarah worked with students with intellectual disabilities at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, MI. Shepherds College was blessed to find this young couple when friends of theirs attended the same conference we were attending and told them about our need for Academic Advisors and Residential Life staff.  The Kolkmans prayed for God’s direction and applied.

When Sarah was asked why she wanted to work with students with intellectual disabilities, she said, “The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few – there is a high need and currently, we as a society could be serving this community more. This population has so much to offer, the right skills just need to be fine-tuned and pointed in the right direction. There is such a personal joy that comes from working with these students - it’s an experience that’s hard to turn down!”

Well, praise God, they didn’t turn us down. Andrew will be working with the Residential Life staff and teaching the Ready for Life class to the 3^rd year students.  Sarah will be teaching Personal Development 1 and Personal Bible Study classes to the 1^st year students.

Practicing the hygiene unit for Personal Development

They bring a very hands-on teaching style to the classroom, applying all their lessons to real-life situations so their students will be well-prepared when they leave Shepherds College.  They also know that the decisions we make shape who we are and the path that we’re on, so they teach consequences for every action. They want students to seek God for guidance and make the choices that will result in positive outcomes.

 

Students, Mr. and Mrs. Kolkman have high expectations for you!  We have no doubt you’ll live up to them and end this year amazed at your progress.

And - just to prove the Shepherds College hires only the BEST teachers – Andrew and Sarah love Star Wars, eat grilled cheese and popcorn in front of the TV every Sunday night, and (the clincher in my book) they are passionate about chocolate! People who eat chocolate are happy, smiley people who definitely do not bark in hallways.

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.