The Porch of His Presence

The Teacher Who Never Meant to Teach

When he was a boy, Larry dreamed of being a cowboy. He had watched every western he could find, imagining himself riding across the plains, chasing adventure.

As he grew older, his dreams changed. A new television show captured his attention—MASH. The idea of being a military doctor fascinated him. He even attended a military academy for a time, thinking that might be his future. But something didn’t feel right, and before long, he left.

Then came another calling—one not from television, but from within the church. A minister encouraged him to pursue the ministry. But Larry hesitated. He didn’t feel worthy of such a high calling.

Unsure of his path, he enrolled in college as a chemistry major, but his heart wasn’t in it. He loved working with plants and animals, so he switched to biology. Even then, he wasn’t sure where it would lead him.

At the end of his second year, his academic advisor called him into his office.

“What are you planning to do with your degree?” the professor asked.

Larry didn’t know.

“Why don’t you teach for a few years? We need good teachers. Maybe that will help you decide.”

Teaching had never been his dream, but at least it gave him direction. So he agreed.

In his final year of college, he had to take a student teaching course. He signed up for the summer school program at a local middle school, expecting to teach biology. But when the assignments were given out, he got a surprise.

The program needed a math teacher.

Since Larry had more math credits than the other biology student, he was placed in the algebra class.

Larry felt uneasy. He was no math expert. He had struggled with numbers as a child until his father patiently taught him how to approach problem-solving. But teaching algebra to bright middle schoolers? That was something else entirely.

The supervising teacher, an experienced educator, gave him a stern warning.

“I’m going to observe one class. Then I won’t check in again until the end of the program. Before we finish, you will pick five of your best students and I will test them with a standardized exam. Their scores will determine your grade.”

The weight of the task settled on Larry’s shoulders. He hadn’t planned to be a teacher, and now his ability would be judged by students taking a test in a subject that wasn’t even his own.

He prayed for guidance.

Relying on the methods his father had taught him, he worked hard to break algebra down into simple, practical steps. He taught with patience, focusing on understanding rather than memorization.

By the end of the summer, he had grown to love teaching. He still wasn’t sure where his life would take him, but he had done his best.

Then came the final test.

The supervising teacher returned and administered the standardized exam to the five top students Larry had chosen.

When the results came back, the teacher was astonished.

Four students had scored in the 99th percentile. The fifth had scored an 89.

“This has never happened before,” the teacher said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’ve never seen scores like this.”

Then, to Larry’s surprise, the teacher offered him a job—teaching algebra.

Larry politely declined. He wasn’t certified in math, and he had only one year left before graduation.

But something had changed within him.

He had entered the program thinking he wasn’t meant to teach. Now, he saw it differently. Teaching wasn’t just about knowledge—it was about guiding, encouraging, and helping students understand in a way that made sense to them.

In time, Larry became a biology teacher—a career he never expected but one he embraced for thirty years.

Looking back, he realized something powerful.

God had been leading him all along, even when he didn’t see it.

He had once prayed simply to get through that summer teaching algebra.

God had answered—not just by helping him succeed, but by revealing a path that was greater than he had imagined.

Sometimes, the greatest blessings are the ones we never expect.