Tirzah Burke

Grade:

8th Grade

School:

Tabernacle School - Concord

Years teaching:

4 years

Birthday:

November 8

What I love about teaching:

One of my favorite things about teaching is building relationships with students who are intellectually curious, spiritually maturing, and who are discovering their identity. I love getting to know, teach, and pray for these young people who are becoming leaders and world-shapers in the Kingdom of God. In return, these students have taught me so much, and forced me to grow. I also love when a student finds a connection with a piece of literature and becomes passionate to dig deeper into understanding an author's work. When a student has that kind of a moment, it is exciting to see how it touches their lives and impacts their worldview, all the while sharpening their critical thinking and analytical skills. Some of the best papers come from these moments!

Best teacher moment:

My favorite teaching moments have been either in the English classroom, when a class has a deep, meaningful discussion about something we have read, or when a student comes to me with questions wanting to deepen their relationship with Christ.

Teaching philosophy:

I try to pour my passion for both literature and Jesus into everything that I do, and exhibit it in my character. I try to be real with my students, answering honest questions with honesty and letting them see the dorky side of my personality as well!

What I would like to instill in my students:

My desire is to instill in my students an appreciation for the written word and for the way stories and teach us about ourselves and about Christ.

My story:

I grew up all over the West Coast, moving every couple years as a kid. During many difficulties in my childhood, literature was an escape and laid the foundation for the passion it would become later in my life. It was here I also began to notice that many of these books were published from Cambridge or Oxford, and it became my childhood fantasy that I could one day visit these schools. When my family finally settled in the Bay Area, we found ourselves part of a small church called Sanctuary Ministries that welcomed us with open arms. This church quickly became my family as they surrounded, nurtured, and poured love into my parents, my brother, and I. Although I had been raised in a Christian home, my relationship with God truly became my own as a junior in high school, partly by the influence of this church community, and partly through the influence of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series (still my favorite book series today!). From that defining moment on, it has been the driving force of my life to know Him deeper and follow Him wherever He leads me. I began working with children and the youth, babysitting, nannying, working in various daycare centers, and finally becoming a leader in the church's youth group. I discovered over time that I particularly loved working with middle school youth, especially as middle school had been one of the most challenging years of my own childhood. Following some traumatic events in my young adult years, God opened the door for me to finish my college education at Saint Mary's College in Moraga with a degree in English Literature. Here, I met some wonderful professors who were the very first to tell me that I was capable of and should pursue post-graduate degrees such as a Masters or a PhD. In an almost random moment of "at least I can say that I tried," I decided to complete an application to attend the school of my childhood fantasy. Yet to my complete bewilderment, I was actually accepted as a Masters student into the Medieval Literature program at Cambridge University in the UK. Deciding to accept their offer, I embarked on a year journey to Europe. This was one of the most incredible and challenging seasons of my life. I was able to meet famous professors (some of whom were even taught by C.S. Lewis), see beautiful buildings, and turn the pages of manuscripts of the Bible from the 1300s. However, being abroad was not without its difficulties as the program was intellectually rigorous, and I was deeply homesick. In addition, before leaving for the school, I had begun dating the man I would eventually marry, and our year of long-distance relationship often left us heart-sick. I also became increasingly worried over what kind of profession I would lead when I got back. I still had a heart for the youth, but I desperately wanted to work in my field. I prayed almost nightly about this, when out of the blue an old friend of mine (Mrs. Schmitz) told me that there was a job opening for a middle school English teacher at Tabernacle. I knew beyond a doubt that God had answered my prayer and that the next season of my life would be spent at Tabernacle School. After a year of study, I was able to graduate, joined by my parents and my boyfriend. He and I took a brief visit to France after the graduation where he proposed to me. Upon returning to the States, without even enough time to recover from jet-lag, I flung myself into being a first-time teacher as well as planning a wedding. My wonderful husband and I were married in November of 2018. I've now been at Tabernacle for almost two years and it has been incredible to see the movement of God among the students! For now, I know this is the place that God wants me to be and I have loved it more than I ever thought I would. It has certainly been a wild adventure!

Hobbies:

I love to read (obviously), but I also love to write and may possibly entertain secret dreams of writing novels to be published someday. Unsurprisingly, I am a huge nerd for sci/fi fantasy literature and film (I am ALL ABOUT Star Wars and Lord of the Rings) and this is the genre I am most interested in writing in. I actually believe that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. I have also developed a deep love for travel and exploration and use any chance I get to hop on a plane. I have had the opportunity as a young adult to visit England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and France. I have two kitties that are my babies (and who I frequently tell stories about in the classroom). My husband and I tend to keep our weekends busy, having friends over, volunteering at the church, or repainting the walls of our apartment.

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