Maddie Gast

5th Grade Teacher

Maddie Gast teaches 5th grade Bible, ELA, and Social Studies and coaches Middle School Girls Soccer at Heritage. For Maddie, education has always been a calling shaped by the Lord. When people ask why she chose this field, her answer is simple. “The Lord made me a teacher,” she says. “When I’m in the classroom, interacting with students and working through concepts with them, I feel a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment in doing the work my Creator has designed me to do.”

Maddie grew up surrounded by the world of education. Both of her parents were teachers, and she loved listening to her dad’s stories of classroom life and the impact he had on his students. She remembers watching him lead a Bible study for college students in their basement and seeing firsthand how he invested deeply in their lives. “He always made a point to immerse himself in the lives of kids by learning about their interests and showing up at their events,” she shares. “I strive to immerse myself in the lives of my students in a similar way.”

Maddie earned her degree in Elementary Education with a focus in ESL Education from Taylor University. Today she is intentional about shaping her students in two areas she believes reflect the heart of a believer: gratitude and hard work. “Gratitude is central to an understanding of the Gospel,” she explains, and she hopes students learn to carry that thankful posture into their work. She also teaches them that hard work is an opportunity to glorify God in every task “by working for the Lord and not for men.”

One of Maddie’s favorite aspects of teaching ELA is connecting literature to the bigger story of the Gospel. She loves showing students why the heroes they admire are compelling and how their traits ultimately point to the character of Christ. “Students are often captivated by stories of characters sacrificing themselves for others because it seems too good to be true, and yet that is exactly what Christ has done for them,” she says.

Maddie also values the opportunity Christian teachers have to be a voice of truth in the lives of middle schoolers. “Students are constantly seeking wisdom,” she says. “There is a huge calling on Christian teachers to be that voice of truth. Whenever a student or player comes to me for advice, I strive to incorporate scripture into the conversation so they can see that this is not just a book for Bible class, but the basis for how I live my life.”

Her connection to Heritage is meaningful on a personal level as well. Her mom, Kiersten Gast, serves as the Athletics Secretary, and her younger sisters are both students here. Maddie also completed her student teaching at Heritage last fall with Jenni Kolenda. “I fell in love with the people at this school,” she says. “It has been so sweet to come back to the relationships I built with faculty and students.”

One of her most memorable moments this year came during a Bible lesson on the Exodus. Maddie wanted students to see how the Israelites responded to God’s deliverance with worship, so she brought her guitar and led the class in a time of praise. “I was skeptical that they would genuinely sing,” she admitted, “but they blew me away with how eager they were to praise the Lord. I have never experienced 10 year olds sing so passionately.” The experience reminded her of the blessing and freedom of Christian education. “This was something we would never have been able to do at a public school.”

We are thankful for Maddie and for teachers like her who invest so deeply in their students.