Without fail, every time I interview, read about, or hear about all the wonderful teachers at The Potter’s School that I haven’t yet been able to take a class from, I wish high school wasn’t limited to four years just so I could have the benefit of learning from these people. After interviewing Mrs. Janis Gaines, my feelings were precisely that.  

Mrs. Gaines was born in Atlanta, Georgia and currently resides about half an hour north of Atlanta, in Flowery Branch, Georgia. “I love that I am close to the lake and the mountains and far from Atlanta traffic!” remarks Ms. Gaines. As a newer teacher to the Potter’s School, Mrs. Gaines likes the freedom that working at home gives her. She teaches English 9 at The Potter’s School and loves working with the students. Certified to teach grades 6-12,  Ms. Gaines says “…this is the highest caliber of students I have ever worked with. As a whole, they are thoughtful, eager to learn, and always contribute their best effort,”

Growing up, schoolwork came easily for Mrs. Gaines. Most of all she enjoyed reading and writing. She describes reading and writing as her favorite activity as well as her great escape. It follows that she went on to graduate from Harding University with a B.A. in English and minors in History and Bible.

As a child, Mrs. Gaines often traveled, gaining experiences which she learned a lot from. Ms. Gaines hopes to do the same for her three children. Samantha, Braden, and Elizabeth, ages 12, 11, and 9, respectively, all attend public schools. They are all very involved in their schools, at their church, and in sports as well. “As a family, we love to play games and watch movies together. I’m very blessed!,” remarks Ms. Gaines.

Often traveling with her father, a spokesman for an organization called World Outreach, she was very impacted by his faith and compassion. Mrs. Gaines relates this experience:

“I was always mesmerized by the vivid stories my father would tell about sick children who were abused by witch doctors in an effort to be healed, and then, having been marred even further, they were often left to die,” she says.

“He told of the physically and spiritually desperate lives of so many in less fortunate parts of the world, places like Liberia and Nigeria in Africa. He would present a tear-jerking slideshow presentation with a touching song by Diana Ross called Theme from Mahogany that I must have heard a thousand times – ‘Do you know where you’re going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you?.. Do you get what you’re hoping for? When you look behind you, there’s no open door'.”

“Hearing this song over and over again made me question my purpose in life from an early age. My father’s faith was a faith you could see. It was real and practical and had impact, and I wanted that. He demonstrated that if you love God and love people, then you work hard to find real ways to help them. He did what he could to meet the needs of hurting people that he didn’t even know, and he still does."

“It impressed me when I was a child and even more so as an adult, as I realize that kind of love and service is noble and rare. From my father I learned how to be a good speaker, how to connect with people, and how to love others. His compassion impacted not only the thousands he must have spoken to during those years and the thousands more that were helped by the doctors who responded to his message, but it also shaped my character and remains a significant part of who I am today.”

At the moment, Mrs. Gaines' favourite Scripture is 1 Corinthians 14:1a, which says, “Follow the way of love….”

“A lot of things have been done in the name of Christ that have nothing to do with love,” says Mrs. Gaines. “When I read this the other day, it was a wonderful reminder to me that love should be leading me and that I should follow,” she states.