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LANETT — The Lanett Nazarene Church hosted a Teacher Appreciation Service on Sunday morning. “The Influence of a Good Teacher Can Never Be Erased” was the theme of the day, and the two local superintendents, Dr. Sharon Weldon of the Chambers County School District, and Jennifer Boyd 0f the Lanett City School System were present.

Rev. Harold Henson talked about how much he appreciates and admires the work of dedicated teachers and the important role they fill for society. He talked about having to overcome a handicap to earn a good education. “I am mildly dyslexic, and have never been able to learn the way most people do,” he said. “It is still hard for me to recognize letters such as b, d and j.”

Math was not one of his favorite subjects back in his school days. “I thought the word algebra must have been Greek for evil,” he joked, getting some lighthearted laughter. Though a good speaker today, he also struggled in speech class.

“I was always told I had to have an outline, but my brain just didn’t function that way,” he said. “I could write four complete stories in the time I could do one outline.”

He overcame those obstacles to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees with honors.

He mentioned two teachers who had major impacts on him, one in a bad way and one in a good way.

When he was a freshman in high school, one of his teachers told him that school was not for him and that he’d never amount to anything in life. That was a big factor in him dropping out of high school in the late 1970s. His dad died in the spring of 1980 and the family relocated to a new town.

Young Henson had little interest in going back to school, but a teacher in the new town found out that he’d dropped out and urged him to go back. “She nagged on me and nagged on me to either go back to high school or to get my GED.” he said. “I finally told her that if she got off my back that I would. I got my GED in 1983, the same year I was scheduled to graduate. I went on to earn a Master’s degree. I owe it all to that teacher who wouldn’t quit on me.”

Henson said the most important lesson to learn in life is to have the Lord on your side. “If you have that you will do well in life,” he said.

“Thank you, teachers, for never giving up on your students,” he said.

Superintendent Boyd told the congregation that she very much appreciated an opportunity to speak to them and congratulated Dr. Weldon on her recent election to the superintendency of the Chambers County system. “We thank the church for your support of our system,” she said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for your invite today.”

Dr. Weldon was the principal speaker of the day. She admitted that it was a bit overwhelming for her to speak. “My husband and I are normally in our church on Sunday morning,” she said. “My husband leads the music.”

Weldon was born and grew up in Chambers County. Her grandmother, May Sides, taught school in Langdale for years and had a big influence on her life. “She taught me to read,” she said.

Early in her career as an educator, Weldon was a math teacher. “I sort of disliked your definition of algebra,” she joked with Rev. Henson, getting a round of laughter.

She credits one of her college instructors for getting her to focus on doing what it took for her to succeed as a math teacher. “He discouraged me to do that,” she said, “and it was hard to deal with, but praise the Lord, I had the determination to prove him wrong. I am sure I have been where God wants me to be and to be doing what He wants me to do.”

Weldon said that no one pursues a career in education for the money. “It’s a calling to change lives.” she said. “It’s like being a missionary and going to a foreign country.”

The downside to being an educator is that there are so many things one can get caught up in that can distract from that calling.

“The main thing is to know what’s on your throne, and to be where Christ wants us to be,”  she said.

There are days, she said, when an educator feels like David facing Goliath. The Bible story tells of how Goliath taunted David, telling how easy it would be for him to kill him. He was a bigger, stronger and had better weapons. David responded that he had what mattered most: “I come to you for the Lord,” he said.

“With God on his side it didn’t matter what he was up against,” Weldon said.

Weldon said she has always taken to heart about what it says in Second Corinthians about how God’s strength can be perfect in those who have faith. “When you give it to the Lord, He can get it done,” she said.

Weldon said that her decision to run for superintendent did not come easily. “I had never wanted to be a politician,” she said. “I had always thought if someone in our family ever ran for office it would be my husband Tommy. I thought that he might run for sheriff one day.”

Tommy Weldon had served as chief deputy of the Chambers County Sheriff’s Department before becoming chief of the Valley Police Department, a position from which he retired.

Weldon had earned the credentials needed to run for the position and had thought a lot about running at some point. The office was up for election in 2024.

“I prayed over it a lot,” she said. “There were times I would be leaning toward running, and times I would be learning against it. At one point Tommy told me to do what my heart was set on.”

“What is it?” he asked me. “I told him I was running. Tommy then became more than my husband and my best friend. He became my campaign manager.”

Weldon said that Emily Thomas Williams had been one of her all-time favorite teachers when she was in school at Langdale. “She taught us to memorize the 23rd Psalm,” she said. “I wondered why at the time, but remembering those words over the years gets you to realize that your surroundings do not matter. What does is your relationship with God.”

Weldon said she could identify with what Rev. Henson had said about how some teachers can knock you down and others build you back up. Most students deal with that.

“Happiness is fleeting, but joy is forever,” she said. “Coffee, gifts and a clean house can make you happy, and a trip to the beach is the best, but all those pass. Your house will get dirty again and you have to leave the beach at some point. Joy doesn’t leave you. You take it with you. The joy of having God in your life is something that will not leave you. It’s the fruit of your life. “

Weldon went on to say that education can be a brutal place to be. “There are meetings, worries and bills that can take you away fro what God wants you to do,” she said.

Weldon keeps a post-it note on her desk with three big letters – MBG.

It stands for My Big God. “He’s stronger. He’s mightier,” she said. “You have to trust Him in everything. He’s all you need to hold onto. I’ve found that defeat happens not because of God, but because you let go of Him. You did things your own way. You need to be focused on doing things the right way. An educator may not be the most popular person in the world, but if you are doing the right thing you are touching lives and making a difference.”

Rev. Henson thanked Dr. Weldon for coming to speak and for the comments she made. He also thanked all local teachers for what they do. “Keep up the good fight,” he said. “You are making a difference in people’s lives.”