Caryn Rivadeneira
Sorry to sound cliché, but honestly,
my love of the school motivates me
to serve on the Board of Directors.
As a graduate of Timothy Christian Schools (I
attended from 4th grade through high school) and as
a mother of a two current Timothy students (my son
is in first grade; my daughter in preschool) I have
long appreciated the value of a Timothy Christian
education. From the quality of the teachers and
programs to the way kids are taught to understand
that God is the God of all subjects and areas of life,
I stand in awe at the work, learning and creating
that takes place within the halls at Timothy. I
continued to be awed at the way those things
continue on as students leave the school and venture
into the world.
I’m thrilled not only to be a Timothy grad and a Timothy mom, but also to be considered as a Timothy board member. I look forward to the opportunity to use some of my experience and leadership gifts to serve in this capacity.
I’ve worked in non-profit Christian ministry for
more than 10 years—the bulk of my career. My
stints as an editor at Marriage Partnership and
Christian Parenting Today magazines as well as
managing online divisions at Christianity Today International have given me insights into the challenges and rewards of working with Christian
non-profits (read: I’ve seen God work amazing
things on budgets so tight you’d think they’d bust).
This experience has also helped shape my “kingdom view.” I understand and appreciate the diversity of thought—and other things—among followers of Jesus. And I love that Timothy is a place—gracebased enough—to allow for and encourage this kind of diversity.
Since the start of my own writing and speaking
ministry/business (I edit Christianity Today Int’l’s
Gifted For Leadership blog, write a column for
Today’s Christian Woman magazine, and have just
released my first book, Mama’s Got a Fake I.D.:
How to Reveal the Real You Behind All That Mom) my experience in these areas has only deepened.
Today I spend my days alternately mothering my
children and running my business—which entails
writing and editing and connecting with Christian
leaders around the country.
I think the sometimes jarring mesh of these mother and leadership skills lend themselves well to serving on the board. And so, I would bring to the board not only a love of Timothy, but a willingness to work hard for Timothy. I love to write, to edit, to read, to study, and to debate. I love new ideas, challenges, and opportunities to lead—as well as to serve. Within all this, I strive to see the common ground on which people stand instead of all the ways we are different. I think it’s the best approach to getting work done efficiently and effectively.
The Reformed perspective on learning is one of my favorite things about our faith tradition, because it allows for so much freedom and exploration and truth-seeking in education. Because we believe (as I wrote previously) that God is that God of everything—of Math and Science and History and Literature—and because we believe that we honor God just as much when we use our minds as when we use our hearts or soul or strength, we can approach these subjects with bravado.
So I’d say that for this to happen, board members can make sure teachers (new hires as well as veterans) understand the Reformed perspective and teach from it, and that each child understands what a blessing it is to learn within this framework. The board can also model this in their dealings—the way we interact with one another, with faculty, and with students. The board should operate under this grace and freedom as tough questions get asked and hard issues get raised.