Changing Roles
At age 55, Mike Huss recently became the principal at Ione Elementary School in Ione, California, a small town of 5,000 people that is approximately 34 miles southwest of Sacramento. Huss’ journey to his new role is inspirational.
Huss began working at Ione Elementary, his alma mater, as a night-time janitor from 1989 to 2003. At times he would work double shifts; this allowed him to interact with the students. Some students would stop and chat with him while he was working. Others would show off their class projects when he would clean their classrooms. Sometimes at recess or after school, Huss would play basketball or soccer with some of the children.
“Looking back,” Huss reminisced, “it was a pretty special time because most school janitors are kind of seen and not talked to or seen and not heard.”
Huss and his wife, Karen, became parents to Matthew in 1996. Staff members at Ione Elementary encouraged Huss to become a teacher so he could spend more time with his family. Huss followed through with the idea and enrolled in Sacramento State to earn a degree in education. He and his wife supported one another and shared in their parenting duties while he was in school and both of them worked full-time. After four years, Huss earned his degree and immediately became a teacher at Ione Elementary in 2003 – the same year that Karen gave birth to their daughter, Mia.
Huss taught children at Ione Elementary for 19 years. He was Mia’s 1st and 5th grade teacher.
During his third year of teaching, Huss was named “teacher-in-charge” at Ione Elementary which essentially made him a vice-principal. For 16 years, he handled administrative and disciplinary responsibilities as needed while also teaching in the classroom.
A week before the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, Huss was offered the role of principal of Ione Elementary. He accepted the opportunity and desires to continue in this profession as long as he is able. “I don’t want to be one of those one- or two-year principals. I plan on staying for seven to 10 years if [the district] will let me,” Huss said. “I want to be present for the students.” *
From janitor to teacher to principal – quite a change in roles. What a journey!
Here’s an even greater change in “roles” that is possible in your life and mine: from being a slave to being a beloved child.
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). All of us are sinners (Romans 3:23), therefore all of us are in bondage to sin. Sin is a cruel taskmaster and brings about a fatal end (Romans 6:23).
But God loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the price for our redemption (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7). When we accept His offer of salvation from sin, we are set free from the bondage of sin and we become children in God’s family (Romans 8:15-17).
Jesus also said, “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever” (John 8:35). In and through Christ, we are children of God and enjoy all the blessings of being in His family.
God will save from sin, add to His family, and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Then as His children seek to live obediently to the Father’s instructions, God will continue to cleanse them from sin (1 John 1:7-9).
From being a slave to sin to becoming a child in God’s family – what a glorious transition! All of this is possible because of the love of God.
— David A. Sargent
* Information gleaned from “California man, a former custodian, becomes principal: ‘You can change course and achieve something’” by Cortney Moore of Fox News, www.foxnews.com.
