Mr. Jameel Daniels – The Prayer Corner

After a year-long search for the right candidate for our school Chaplain, God led OAA and Chaplain Jameel Daniels to each other. After only a few weeks of school, Chaplain Daniels has been a breath of fresh air on our campus. His spiritual leadership has already been felt by students and teacher alike, and we are grateful to count him as one of our own.

In addition to his spiritual leadership, Chaplain Daniels has proven to be an effective and innovative classroom teacher as well. One unique feature of his classroom is what he calls “The Prayer Corner.” Here is his own description of the idea:

When I began to consider how to decorate my classroom for the school year, I knew that I wanted to make it a place where students felt comfortable and safe enough to share things that were personal and challenging. Then I realized, I don’t need them to share it with me, but I do want them to share it with the one Person who could never betray their trust, who would never begrudgingly listen, who would never turn a deaf ear to their heart’s song. Then the Holy Spirit inspired me to create a space that would be treated as sacred, private and inviting. I would call it “The Prayer Corner.” If we are truly going to inspire our students for God, if we’re going to build true community, we need to make it okay to be vulnerable in front of one another. The Prayer Corner is a step in that direction. It’s a space designed to be a respite from life’s difficult moments, a place where you can kick your shoes off and have an honest conversation with God about what’s going on.

The Prayer Corner is just one example of how Chaplain Daniels already has OAA in his DNA!