“My daily responsibilities involve overseeing the daily operation of the upper grades and teaching four classes of junior high Bible and science. My favorite part of the educational field is the interaction with students and parents and the opportunity to have a positive influence in the lives of our students. I enjoy being able to see them accomplish great things and knowing that I have helped to set the building blocks in place for their future endeavors.

“My four summers at PCC really equipped me to be able to face the challenges that come to anyone in the educational field. The classes I took were beneficial because they were practical and informative, not just busy work to complete a degree.

“The encouragement from the professors at PCC has helped me to understand the importance of what I am doing. Dr. Mullenix gave some very insightful instruction, and because of that I feel that I am better qualified to meet the daily challenges. Dr. Horton spoke to us in a number of classes, and I greatly respect him for all that he has done to make PCC the quality institution it is today. His little tidbits of information concerning administrative practices have helped tremendously over the years, and hopefully have kept me from making major mistakes in my ministry.”

“I am responsible for the supervision of teachers, curriculum, student life, and discipline. I started out as a coach and history teacher for several years, and then unexpectedly the Lord allowed me the opportunity to advance and step in as interim principal. I returned to PCC to get my master’s and have been principal ever since.

“PCC trained me to strive to do all things with excellence. You may work at a school with a small budget and no technology or equipment, but you can still do things excellently with what you have. As a principal, I prize teachers who do things as unto the Lord and are on time, dependable, self-starters, competent in their subject, and able to kindly and professionally deal with students and parents. PCC’s education department expected that of me daily, which really put me ahead of the competition.

“Another valuable lesson I learned at PCC that has helped me as a principal is to lead with humility. Since I started my career in the classroom, I understand what the teachers are experiencing and can support them better. It is necessary to be approachable by faculty, students, and parents. My instructors at PCC were always approachable and it was clear they wanted to help me succeed. Education calls for teamwork. There is no room for petty competitiveness or superior attitudes, and I have seen good leadership modeled by faculty and friends at PCC.”

“My duties as principal include supervising staff, enrolling students, managing school finances, overseeing the computer network, working with parents of students and students themselves, and making sure the school is compliant with state laws.

“My favorite part of working in the education field is that each day brings new challenges and victories. Even though the school schedule may be the same, there is never a monotonous routine because I am working with students and staff who have so many interesting and differing character traits. It is wonderful to see students learn academically and spiritually.

“PCC helped prepare me for teaching because of the practical knowledge that the teachers instilled in me during student teaching. Perhaps the greatest preparation was learning how to manage a classroom successfully by setting boundaries and routines to help students succeed. Then as a student teacher, I had the chance to put that knowledge into practice during my internship at PCA.

“PCC prepares Christian school teachers to be servants which is essential in being a part of a Christian school ministry because you could be called upon to do many things above and beyond the normal teaching duties.”

“The reward is always proportional to the challenge,” says Dan Zacharias, PCC grad and executive director of Old Dominion Association of Church Schools. “Serving God is highly rewarding, but it is also highly challenging.”

As a teenager, Zacharias (’86) felt the Lord calling him into Christian education. For two years, he prayed about it before God led him to Pensacola Christian College, where he studied his two favorite subjects—math and English. “I like PCC for its rigorous academics. A challenging college atmosphere is important for preparing men and women who will take on challenging tasks for the cause of Christ, counting the cost, and persevering in the will of God.”

After graduation, Zacharias taught at a small Christian school in South Carolina, where he met and married Karen, also a PCC graduate (’87). Soon after, the couple moved to Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, where Zacharias taught at a Christian school before becoming principal. He also coached soccer and was a member of the Old Dominion Association of Church Schools (ODACS) board. He and Karen were happy serving where God had them; little did they know He had even more in store for them.

In 2003, God began to show Zacharias the need for Christians to be involved in politics. “I knew that the Holy Spirit was trying to prepare me for something, but I didn’t know what.  So I just waited and prayed,” he said. Two years later, ODACS contacted Zacharias and asked him to submit his résumé for the position of executive director. The timing was perfect. “I’d have never been willing to give up my Christian school work had it not been for that two-year journey of spiritual preparation,” Dan said.

For forty years, ODACS has played a key role in preserving Christian education liberties in Virginia. Now under the leadership of Zacharias, ODACS continues to connect Christian schools across the state, providing opportunities for them to participate in politics as well as fine arts, Bible quiz tournaments, sports, and academic competitions.

As executive director, Zacharias organizes events like lobbying in Richmond and on Capitol Hill. “God has blessed ODACS with legislative and regulatory influence that is disproportionate to our size,” Zacharias said. “We currently hold a seat on the Virginia Board of Social Services. Many of our lawmakers in Richmond value our opinion and are open to our input.”

Over the years, ODACS has grown in its influence. Zacharias said, “I hope that God will continue to use ODACS as a tool to reinvigorate the cause of Christian education. I’d like to see many of our students become the future pastors, administrators, teachers, and parents who will carry on the important cause of the Christian school.”

“In addition to teaching science, Algebra 1 and 2, and Geometry, some of my other responsibilities include running 7th and 8th grade clubs and being in charge of various activities such as the science fair.

“My favorite part about teaching is the interaction with the students. Seeing them grow mentally and spiritually makes teaching more rewarding to me than many other occupations combined. I also enjoy the subjects that I teach. The science field is always growing, and it is fun to tell my students about the new things that are happening daily. In the mathematics field, I am always challenged to grow mentally and to stay at my best.

“PCC helped me by providing the knowledge and understanding I would need to stay ahead of my classes and by preparing me to be a well-rounded teacher.”

“I am currently the principal at Central Baptist Academy, a ministry of Central Baptist Church in Brantford, Ontario. I also maintain the operation of the school, meet with prospective parents, and review school curriculum. I enjoy interacting with the students, investing my own life into theirs, and then seeing where God leads them in the future.

“The best part of PCC’s education for me was its practicality. I have spoken to other principals that have finished a master’s degree, and they have told me that they have never used any of the information they learned in classes at their schools. I have used information from every single one of my courses to make me a better principal.

“I have earned certification from the Association of Christian Schools International as both a teacher and an administrator, and I’m now preparing my family to move to Portugal, answering God’s call to be career missionaries, assisting the missionary school and training the Portuguese youth for serving Christ.

“PCC’s program gave me the biblical foundation to point students to God through my teaching, and I am still extremely thankful for PCC and how it changed my life.”