God is faithful to pave our paths and lead us in his plan. Abby Countryman is a testament to this. As an alum of New Life Academy, she hadn’t planned on coming back here to teach. After moving away, she didn’t even expect to come back to Minnesota.
She explained, “It was a God thing. The opportunity presented itself, and I felt God paving the way for me here.”
Since being back, Miss Countryman is continually inspired by the incredible students at NLA. “Since I was a student here at New Life too, I value Christian education very highly. I know the huge impact it had on my spiritual life even if I did not realize it at the time.” This personal value plays out in her teaching each day.
Anyone who has had Miss Countryman as a teacher knows that she is committed to creating interesting lesson plans that truly engage her students. One example of this was her take on our traditional Investment Day. Students worked the whole semester creating business presentations culminating in an Investment Day and Shark Tank presentation. They all did an amazing job!
Miss Countryman noted her love of teaching high school students. She has an opportunity to relate to them while also encouraging them in this phase of their life. “I’m inspired to create fun lessons for them so they have a memorable class but also to make sure they know they feel known and loved!”
She also shared one of her favorite quotes by Maya Angelou. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Miss Countryman shared, “If my students just remember me as a teacher that impacted them in a positive way and exhibited a Christ-like example, then I am content with that.”
We are so lucky to have her back at New Life Academy and deeply appreciate the Christ-like example she sets for her students.