Constance Goonan

Songs of Summer Grace: a Teacher's Prayer Journal Constance Goonan

Songs of Summer Grace is a prayer devotional addressing issues encountered in a thirty-three year career as a high school teacher in public education. Education is in crisis and this book speaks to the difference it could make to invite God into public schools. It speaks to living out and giving witness to one's spirituality in the workplace. This teaching philosophy has had a positive effect on students. This psalm-journal has three sections. The first, Songs of Teaching, glances back from the peace of summer to a school year replete with struggles as well as triumphs. The second group of prayers, Songs of a Teacher, speaks about the challenges in life and where and how to find God who offers strength for the journey. And finally the third group of songs, Songs of God's Children, is a compilation of notes written by students to their teacher who was transferring to another school. Songs of Summer Grace is different from other books that deal with student-teacher relationships in that spirituality is linked to the work of educating children in public schools. The classroom scenarios described have been personally experienced, internalized and processed through prayer. By living gospel values and truths, even though they are not allowed to actually be taught or preached, public school teachers have an opportunity to make a difference. Teaching with a prayerful heart draws students into life-giving relationships with teachers and has a profound and lasting effect on them.