MRS. K'S WORKSHOP |
Greetings in Christ! My name is Connie Kozlowski. I have been teaching for 21 years, the last 14 have been at Messiah Church and Preschool. I began teaching in a public school, but the Lord had other plans for me. He placed a very special woman in my life, Mrs. Valerie Korak. She was filled with love for her Savior and love for the children. She became a role model for me. She soon left the public forum and became administrator of her church preschool. I would often visit her there and observe her with her students. I began to long for a classroom where I too, could share the good news of our Jesus with children. Valerie encouraged me, prayed for me, and ultimately helped me in setting up a preschool within my own church, Messiah Lutheran Church. It took some powerful prayers to convince the congregation that a preschool would be good for the church. Many had misgivings and concerns. I prayed diligently that, if indeed this were a God-pleasing venture, God would bless the hearts of those around and allow this to happen. And he did! My mother was a great supporter and even offered to take the necessary classes that would allow her to be a teaching assistant. I was so thrilled at the prospect of working with this most wonderful lady! She offered to volunteer her services and not collect a wage, since we were just starting. She wanted to be sure that costs were kept down so that the community could afford to send their little ones to our school. We had 7 children enrolled, two mornings a week. I was so blessed and eager for September to roll around. In April, my mother and I worked on lesson plans. She would begin her classes at the end of May. Once again, the Lord had other plans. Mama was called home to be with Jesus on May 4th. She just fell asleep and woke up in heaven. I was devastated, as were my five sisters and brother. Through our time of mourning, our Pastor, James Phillips, provided our family with great comfort through the words of our Lord. He encouraged me to continue the work for the preschool. He even enrolled in an early childhood course so he could step in where my mother had left off! And, to show their support, my oldest daughter, Doriann and my husband, Ray, enrolled in the same course, so they could help out at the school. I had been blessed with 3 very special friends in the church. We call them the Beyer Sisters, Helen, Lorraine, and Esther. I had asked them if they would like to volunteer at the school, since they were at home during the morning hours. They agreed to the two mornings a week. I then asked them if they would take the necessary courses to become assistant teachers. After much discussion they reluctantly agreed. So, back to school they went, at the ages of 76, 74, and 72 years old! We did not advertise for the preschool and opened our doors for our ‘magnificent seven!’ Through word of mouth, other families asked to send their children. By the second season, we were teaching 4 different sessions, with 40 children enrolled! God has blessed us continuously, sending us such wonderful families over the years. In the 14 years we’ve been at Messiah, we have been blessed with serving over 300 families. Mrs. Lorraine Kummers, and Mrs. Esther Hart have since retired. Mrs. Helen Koebert is still teaching with us, at the age of 88! She works with the children, cooks, cleans, and helps the children with arts and crafts. God continues to shower His blessings on me! He sent another lovely lady into my life. Mrs. Rita Ericksen is the Grandmother of my two precious Godchildren, Haley and Jason . She and I became friends, and then truly became family! She is my beloved sister in Christ! She volunteers as a teacher’s assistant for every preschool session. How I thank God for her! Just when I thought my life as a teacher couldn’t possibly get any better then it already was, God cleared a path so my beautiful daughter Doriann, who, 14 years earlier had taken the course to enable her to teach, joined our preschool! I cannot even begin to tell you the joy I have in working with this lovely person! Teaching the children has been, and continues to be, a joyful experience to me! In my classroom, I am a teacher, a dancer, an actress, a singer, an athlete, and a mentor to parents. I teach courses for other teachers also, which allows me to share the excitement and love I have for teaching. I would love to hear from others that share this love of teaching. Please feel free to contact me at messiahchurch@wi.rr.com. In Jesus’ love Connie Kozlowski (Mrs. K.)
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