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We are so excited for the new school year … and maybe a little nervous too. We encourage everyone to sign up their school to be an official LifeSongs Prayer School of the Day. Recently I (Josh) got to chat with a long-time LifeSongs listener and friend, Tara LaRocca about the new school year. Specifically, I wanted to know how we can better pray and partner with the teachers in our lives this school year.
JOSH:
As we prepare for a new school year, we are always inviting everyone to sign up your school to be a Lifesongs Prayer School of the Day. I thought it would be great to talk to one of our teachers about how specifically we could be praying for teachers and students and classrooms and all that jazz. And so I’m pleased to introduce you to my friend Tara LaRocca. Tara, you teach science, biology, and emergency response at South Terrebonne High School.
TARA:
That is correct, Josh.
JOSH:
This is your first year coming to South Terrebonne High, right?
TARA:
Yes, sir, it is.
JOSH:
You’ve served in Central Lafourche and Plaquemines High, and you’ve coached basketball, and now you’re doing not only science, but I think it’s really cool that they offer emergency medical response classes at your school.
TARA:
Oh, it is, and not everybody is made to go to college and it’s slowly becoming a thing for them to have a trade when they get out. So with this, they can get hired on with Acadian when they graduate.
JOSH:
That is so cool. Well Tara, as we gear up for the school year, how can we specifically pray for teachers?
TARA:
Pray that God continues to give us the strength to to want to enrich the lives of the young people that will be our future for tomorrow.
JOSH:
Is perseverance like a real hard deal for teachers?
TARA:
I think it is. With the short staff and Education is always constantly changing, and has been, but there are a lot more demands put on teachers as they strive to make education better across the state. I feel fortunate enough to be able to be in high school where the children, they are taking the next step, wanting to do what needs to be done for their future.
JOSH:
Tara, how can we, as parents, as citizens, partner with our teachers, not just in prayer? Are there any practical needs that we can help meet?
TARA:
Education does not pay well, and everybody wants to have a classroom that is inviting and that children want to come to. You know, a lot of teachers are going to try to use beanbags or other kinds of furniture that the kids like to give them an area to be able to go to to enjoy themselves as a reward.
JOSH:
Yeah, we all have those favorite teachers who had the coolest classroom.
TARA:
Right, and I tried to do that very well. The children always want to be in my classroom, so I guess I’m doing something right somewhere.
JOSH:
And it’s not just the classroom seating, it’s your presence. Do you mind if I pray with you this morning?
TARA:
Not at all.
JOSH:
Let me pray for you.
God, thank you so much for Tara. Thank you for how she invests in the students’ lives, for the hard work she’s put in in her community. And God, we ask that you would be a calming presence all across all of our schools, but especially at Tara’s at South Terrebonne High School, that it would be an amazing school year, one filled with hope and joy and triumph and celebration. In Jesus’ name, amen.
TARA:
Amen.
JOSH:
Tara, thank you for taking a few minutes to talk with me and thank you for letting us in, a peek behind the curtain of what it’s like being a teacher and the concerns that you have and the ways that we can pray for you.
TARA:
Thank you very much Josh, I appreciate it and as always LifeSongs is great.
Prayer School
We would like to pray for your school.