My name is Don Long and I am glad to “come out of retirement” to be a substitute teacher this semester for the 10th grade world history students.
I was born and grew up near Philadelphia, PA. As an eleven year-old boy I trusted Jesus Christ to save me from my sins. My growing up years were marked by a wonderful support system of a Christian family and friends all within a solid church grounded in strong biblical teaching.
I earned my BS degree from West Chester University in secondary education and that next school year started teaching in a public school in Lorain, OH. It was during those two years in Lorain that the Lord was placing on my heart a desire to move into Christian education. I then accepted a teaching position at a fledgling Christian school in Toledo, OH. There I taught elementary level students into the middle school grades as the school added students and grades.
I remained at that school for 17 years primarily as an administrator and while there earned my M.Ed. degree from the U. of Toledo. It was also there that I met my wife, Dee, who was an elementary teacher at the school. Our two boys were born in Toledo.
In 1986 the Lord led me to Faith Baptist Bible College to be the program chair and to teach in the Christian School Program. I served in various capacities at FBBC and retired from there in 2019 after 33 years. Along the way, in 1997, I earned my Ed.D degree. Together my years in education have totaled 54.
I want to make special note of my wife’s part in my education journey. In addition to her teaching several years in the Christian school in Toledo, she taught 11 years at Grandview Park Baptist School. She then taught for 17 years as an adjunct faculty member in the elementary education program at FBBC all the while being a substitute teacher in the Ankeny public school system for 11 years. It has certainly been a team effort with a majority of our 53 years of marriage involved together in Christian education. We have much to be thankful for!