Excellent A teacher makes a fascinating discovery about her workplace Strong Foundations by Navada Class Is In Session writing prompt entry

I work in an extraordinary place where sacred and secular combine – where human hands and hopeful hearts breathe new life into an old, old story.   ~~~   Late in the nineteenth century, a little church stood proudly in the Australian bush, surrounded by native shrubs and horse-drawn carts and well-scrubbed families in their Sunday best.   Candles framed the altar, their gentle flickering light extinguishing the gloomy shadows of sin, until that terrible day when the altar caught alight and the sky glowed bright and leaping flames licked hungrily at wooden walls.   ~~~   Some years ago, excavating workmen uncovered a partially-charred beam deep beneath the floor of my classroom. I saw blackened marks where that fire had vented its rage. Despite its ordeal, the beam remained solid and strong.   I looked more closely at the hybrid architecture – the arched windows in the eastern wall, the square windows in the north – and realised that in the course of my daily work, I was standing on holy ground.   ~~~   In a distant time, long after my life’s work has disappeared beneath the soil, education will endure – a sturdy blackened beam that survives the ravages of change and forms strong foundations for the future. Writing Prompt Your goal is to teach your fellow Fanstorians something they did not already know. It is a bonus if you make it interesting. The only solid rule is you have to do it in 200 words or less. Author Notes Here is my lesson for the day. My classroom was built upon the existing remnants of a partially-destroyed church. The story of the charred beam and the arched windows is completely true. As a teacher in a century-old Catholic college filled with stories, inspiration is never far away if you know where to look.

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