They are children between the ages of 15 and 18, and they are incarcerated in a juvenile jail, but many of their hearts have been moved by the Holy Spirit and the love of a teacher. In fact, they often ask Sonia Osborne if they can be put on her “Top-10 Prayer List.”

“They know who I am,” says Osborne, who’s been teaching for Alameda County for 10 years, two of those in juvenile hall. “They know what I’m about, and they ask me to pray for them. Their minds are hungry, and they are primed for something to come along.”

The students aren’t the only ones who know who she is. In fact, this year her peers and administrators recognized Osborne when she was nominated the 2003 Teacher of the Year for the Alameda County Office of Education.

After a decade of working with troubled youth, Osborne is sometimes amazed that she’s still working with the kids she refers to as “hard heads.” “Most teachers in community schools don’t stay there very long. I think I hold the record,” says Osborne. “But it hasn’t been easy. At first there were Mondays when I wondered whether I could go back to work at all.”

Osborne didn’t start out to teach troubled kids. As a graduate of California State University, Hayward, she was a stay-at-home mom for her five children. When the youngest was 3-years-old, Osborne started substituting in church and public schools. Throughout the years, she’s taught all of her children at one time or another, including in Africa when the Osborne family served as missionaries in Kenya.

Upon return from the mission field, Osborne searched for a job. “It’s funny,” she says. “Sometimes it’s easy to get a job and sometimes not. I was praying for a job and also looking for a ministry.”

Although her first choice would have been to teach at a Christian school, her prayer for ministry was answered by Alameda County. “Ministry is not just done in church, in church schools and church settings,” she says. “It’s everywhere. I see myself as more in the mission field here than when we were in Kenya.”

Osborne, who was inspired by teachers in her family, has passed the spirit on to her children—three of whom majored in education in college. Her husband, Elliott, has also spent many years teaching. He is now pastor of two churches: San Francisco Philadelphian and San Francisco Rainbow.

Elliott isn’t surprised at the acclaim his wife has garnered. “I’m overjoyed because she puts in some really long hours,” he says. “Her teaching goes beyond teaching—it includes attending funerals and going to emergency rooms.”

“This commitment is one of the qualities that got her the award,” says Alameda County Schools Superintendent Sheila Jordan. “Sonia’s professionalism, enthusiasm and strong commitment to teaching some of our most troubled youth really make her a wonderful example of what the county office of education stands for.”