Teachers for Life

By George Ayoma

Most educators are remembered in passing – their legacies often confined to classroom walls and fleeting school years. But imagine a world where teachers can reconnect with their former students, not just as distant memories, but as influential figures in their lives once again. Teachers for Life introduces us to two educators who seize this very opportunity. No longer in traditional classrooms, they embark on a journey to re-engage with their past students, not to amend their earlier mistakes, but to bridge the gaps they’ve perceived since leaving their formal roles. In doing so, they impart invaluable life lessons, shaping not just minds, but hearts, proving that the influence of a dedicated teacher extends far beyond school and lasts a lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398491076

George Ayoma

Here, George tells how we are generally shaped by the people we meet daily in routine encounters, who will often leave a lasting impression on a few. He invites the reader to join him, the companion and co-parent, as he learns the value of being a perennial student. To some, a regular friend from another place. From imperfect student life in Kenya to chasing the rainbow in Scotland and finally to Baptist ministry in Lancashire—where he spends some of his time plying his ministerial vocation as club chaplain at League One side Fleetwood Town and occasionally listening to fishermen spin their yarn. Life for George is an endless opportunity to glean from those who have learnt from the best.

Book preview

Introduction

Two-by-two miniseries is inspired by—not two but three—recorded moments in the Bible. The first is in the Old Testament which can read as: … He brought them into the Ark, two of every kind, before the flood came. The second and third are both in the New Testament involving Jesus’ ministry: He sent them out two by two… to the nearby towns and places where He was about to go. The final simply is the effect of an act of personal faith that reaches out in a simple but extraordinary way to connect with Jesus who in a moment can transform whoever comes to Him regardless of their status, gender, culture, or/and especially the fear of what others might say about it.

The scope of the series is to recall many individuals, in very diverse contexts, whom I have personally encountered at various points—throughout my Christian life, whose lives and experiences were shaped by their own encounter with Jesus. The men and women, whose lives have left enduring impact on my own, and on many others I have known. Impacting too, on countless numbers of people, who throughout this miniseries, also get to be mentioned along the way—where there are moments—significant or not, when it would simply be right for their names to appear. Each pair will have something in common. In addition to the fact that they were also, when I knew them all, of an age—either just slightly or considerably older to where I was at the time.

Equally significant to the telling of their stories is the fact that they are now safe inside that Great Ark. For they are now out of sight, away from the turbulence here, no longer buffeted by this life’s storms and tempests.

The series is a personal response to the oft repeated statement of hope which I too, have instinctively called on when conducting funerals and attempting to comfort the bereaved who have lost their loved ones—many, having a deep faith in Christ. And others, whose personal lives may not have involved active practice of the faith that is familiar to me at the point of their departure. Sadly, I have also been called on to provide the same comfort to many who were far too young to have left this world at the time they did. The series attempts to find a line through which to link one individual to the next at various points, albeit minor in some instances. For they would all have made various contributions to my own faith journey—adding valuable insight to my understanding of who Jesus is—his humanity and divine