Teacher of the Year

On our program today, we’re airing a classic Focus on the Family Broadcast you won’t want to miss.

“Teacher of the Year” is a tribute to teachers, featuring a talk by Guy Doud, voted Teacher of the Year in 1986. His inspirational and humorous message highlights the powerful difference teachers can make when they reach out to students who feel like outcasts relegated to the sidelines of their school.

I’ll always remember Mrs. Bandy, the school nurse at my elementary school. Life at home for me was rough at that time, so after class one day I sat on a sand hill near the school, buried my head in my arms, and cried. Before long, Mrs. Bandy came out of the building and sat down next to me. She put her arm around me and said, “It’ll be okay, Jimmy.” Those simple words of care and concern meant a lot to me.

My high school football coach, Paul Morrow, also had a transforming impact on my life. He invested in me, cared for me, and loved me. He not only invited me to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp, but he also paid for me to go. That’s where I accepted Christ as my Savior. Without Coach Morrow, I might have ended up in a very different place in life.

A lot of kids are as lonely as I was, and they need a teacher to step in to their lives at a crucial time, just like my teachers did for me. That’s why Guy Doud’s message is as relevant today as it was when he first delivered it over 30 years ago.

Every day, in schools across the country, teachers and coaches and faculty members invest in the lives of their students. They not only pass along knowledge. In many cases, they offer love and care that some of their students receive from nowhere else.

Teachers deserve our respect and gratitude, and we’re celebrating them on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Teacher of the Year.” Hear it on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or on our free phone app.

I’d like to extend an invitation for you to become a special partner with us through our monthly “Friends of Focus on the Family” program. When you do, I’ll send you the DVD version of Guy’s talk titled Molder of Dreams, as a way of saying thank you for touching others with the love of Christ. To make your pledge, or for more information, visit our website or call 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).