by Tanya Kieneker
- Getting hired to teach at ACS was somewhat of an accident. It was 23 years ago and Dwight Moody was principal. He was looking for a grade two teacher and asked Nancy Humphries to come out for a visit. Little did she know, she was interviewed and got the job! “But I wasn’t looking for a job! How did this happen? How DID this happen?!” she recalls with some humour. “But God just gave me this huge push, and I never looked back.”
- All four sons went through ACS but she never taught them. It wasn’t intentional not to teach them, just coincidental based on their ages and the grades she was teaching. Where are they now? Ben is in Toronto, Chad and Cody are in Calgary, and Kyle has moved back to Abbotsford. She hopes that someday they will all be back on the coast.
- Her first class was taught in a portable. Nancy and her first class of grade two’s spent their days in a portable at the Clayburn campus. The new school building was still under construction and they couldn’t use it yet. But they were the very first students to enjoy the fresh paint and new carpets!
- She became a Christian while living in Hawaii. Nancy moved to Hawaii with her family to attend university and while there, came to know the Lord through the ministry of the Evangelical Free Church. “The name of the street I lived on was Kalanipuu which translated, means gateway to heaven!”
- She didn’t plan on teaching Kindergarten. “I really resisted Kindergarten at first. And probably because I didn’t want to have to redo all my units if I’m really honest. And maybe they scared me a little bit,” she jokes. “But I have come to absolutely love it.”
- She won a Shirley Temple look-a-like contest. You read that correctly. Nancy and her younger sister were sitting for a photo shoot in their home town of Pennsylvania. The photographer asked if he could use her portrait in the contest, and low-and-behold, she won.
- She’s very patriotic. Ok, so you may have known that already. A few signs she’s patriotic: she has a large, framed original 13-colonies flag; she is from one of the original 13 states (Pennsylvania); she is decorating an upstairs guest room in complete red, white, and blue Americana (her husband says they’ll never sell the house now); and she is not fan of anti-American jokes – not at all. And please, don’t ever ask her what she thinks of the current president, unless you have some time set aside.
- She loves planning the staff Christmas party each year. It’s quite the amazing event she puts on (the highlight this year was the Principals karaoke boy-band). “But I prefer to work alone on events like this and ask for help where needed. Sometimes getting committees to agree on details can be draining!” She adds that she doesn’t want to lose her sanctification on a Christmas party.
- She has no grandchildren, but does have a closet full of baby clothes! Nancy looks forward to having grandchildren one day and is definitely prepared! “Much to my husband’s dismay I have difficulty passing by a baby and children’s store without finding something for my collection!”
- The high of her career so far was moving into the Kindergarten program. There is an incredible amount of collaboration between the Kindergarten teachers who work so closely together and she has loved that. “I’ve had some amazing teaching partners over the years.” She adds that it is such an honour to work with the parents of her students and a blessing to see children open their hearts to the Lord.
We can all imagine what would happen if our youngest students didn’t start with a great foundation. And that’s exactly why Nancy was encouraged into the Kindergarten program. The front-end needs experience! And she definitely brings that to the table.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Just looking at those pictures gave me a great idea. Put up one-way glass or something and let people watch this brilliant and entertainer educator. Since everything we needed to know we learned in kindergarten, we would all probably benefit from a refresher course. If you sell tickets, it would be a great fundraiser :)