For 26 years, Jen Buxton coached swimmers. Not just recreational swimmers, but athletes competing at the highest levels. She earned Level 3 coaching certification, an accomplishment achieved by only a small percentage of swim coaches nationwide. But somewhere along the way, her heart began to change.
While many coaches focused on developing the strongest athletes, Jen found herself drawn to the students who struggled, the ones who loved the sport but often felt overlooked because they weren’t the fastest or the most accomplished. Increasingly, she worked with students facing emotional challenges or disabilities and discovered that helping them grow brought her the greatest joy. Then came an unexpected opportunity.
A friend from church asked Jen to help her son, who had significant disabilities, with his schoolwork. Although people had encouraged her for years to become a teacher, she had always resisted the idea. That experience changed everything.
“You can’t break away from God when He has a plan for you,” Jen reflects.
She returned to school to earn her Master’s degree in Education with a certification focused on disabilities, then spent several years serving students in public school special education programs. But she longed for a place where she could openly share the faith that shaped her life.
This year, she found that home at Logos Academy Harrisburg. As our second-grade teacher, Jen has challenged her students to believe they are capable of more than they imagined. By setting high expectations for classroom projects, she has watched students rise to meet those expectations with creativity, perseverance, and pride in their work.
She has also loved watching quiet students find their voices and become more confident throughout the year. Building relationships with her Spanish-speaking students became one of her greatest joys. Although she initially worried about communicating across a language barrier, she discovered students who welcomed her efforts with patience and grace, enriching the entire classroom community.
For Jen, teaching is about much more than academics. “I hope my students leave with confidence,” she says. “Not arrogance, but confidence that with God there is always a way forward.” She wants her classroom to be a place where children feel safe asking questions, taking risks, and learning from mistakes. She doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. Instead, she openly shares her own struggles and reminds students that God is faithful to help us through our fears and challenges.
Teachers like Jen are one of the greatest gifts our students receive each day.
Because of your generosity, Logos Academy can recruit and retain mission-driven educators who are not only excellent teachers, but faithful mentors who point students to Christ while helping them grow academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Thank you for making classrooms like Jen’s possible.