Week 1 - #CathEdSocial - Why I Chose Catholic Education

This is my 18th year working in a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. And this is my 1st year officially teaching PSR, Parish School of Religion (St. Louis’ version of CCD). And here is why. Catholic schools changed my life when I was a teenager. I encountered Christ in a personal and significant way in my school. And I am forever dedicated to Catholic education because of this. 

When I was a sophomore in high school in 1994, I attended St. Mary’s Academy, an all-girls Benedictine boarding school in Nauvoo, Illinois. My mother and I decided that it was the  “best thing” for me, as I was “moody” and “difficult to live with.” Basically, a teenager. So I was sent to a Catholic boarding school with ALL GIRLS (a horrible thought for me as a 15-year-old) in the middle of NOWHERE (no shopping mall or big stores within an hour). This was before the internet and before cell phones. So being sent to a Catholic boarding school was basically the end of the world and my social life. I was devastated. 

When I was 15, I had no prayer life. I went to Mass when it was convenient or mandatory.  I knew Jesus, but only as a character in a book. I didn’t know Jesus personally. Until one of my teachers changed my life. 

My teacher invited a group of us to pray the Rosary with her once a week in the evening. This teacher was also my volleyball coach. She lived a joyful life. I wanted to be around her joy. I wanted her joy because I had none. There is nothing more attractive than someone living out holiness in their lives and truly knowing Jesus. So I went. We prayed. Week after week. We prayed our petitions out loud, and we immersed ourselves in Scripture. I met Jesus for the first time in my life. I started to talk to Jesus on my own. He was real for the first time. 

And then that same teacher took us to a youth conference. That was really when my life was changed. I heard and felt for the first time the incredible and overwhelming love Jesus has for me. And I heard that even if I was the only person on Earth, He still would have died on the cross. Just for me. Because He loves me. 

My Catholic school teacher led me to Jesus to personally know Him and fall in love with Him. And once I figured that out, my life was never the same. I STRIVE to be that same Catholic school teacher to my students. I want to lead them to fall in love with Jesus through my joyful witness, through prayer (especially the Rosary), through being immersed in Scripture and the Sacraments, through serving others, and through retreat encounters. God called me to be a Catholic school teacher, and I said YES. I continue to say YES every day by showing my students Christ’s love. Every day. 

So, thank you, Ms. Koshiol, for being the best teacher I ever had (Catholic school or not), and for leading me to know how God is calling me to serve Him. Through being a Catholic school teacher. This is why I choose Catholic education. #CathEdSocial

Week 1 - #CathEdSocial - Why Catholic Schools?

This is my 18th year in Catholic education in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.  I almost left last year, but God called me to reconsider.  So I stayed.  I make enough money to live and to be happy.  I drive really far every morning to school, but that gives me time to pray for my students, for my students' families, for my co-workers, for my principal, for my pastor, and that I may allow God to work through me on that day.  I am blessed.  I am joyful.  I am on fire for my faith.  I love working in Catholic education.  And God put me exactly where I am supposed to be.  And here is why I chose and continue to choose Catholic schools:

1.  JESUS - No question.  Jesus is present in everything that we do in our Catholic schools.  From the way we speak to our students, to their families, and to each other as educators, Jesus is guiding us to evangelize and educate.  There is prayer every day, opportunities to receive the sacraments - especially Reconciliation (2x/year) and the Eucharist (weekly), and monthly prayer opportunities - including the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Holy Rosary, and the Stations of the Cross.  Jesus is kept at the center of our lives and at the center of our Catholic schools, and excellent evangelization and education happens.  And those are the goals: to get our students to heaven and to high school.  In Catholic schools, we emphasize moral development and self-discipline.  As Catholic school educators, we #TeachThemToHeaven.

2.  COMMUNITY - We partner with parents for the faith formation of their children.  We support each other.  We pray for each other.  God created us for community, and in our Catholic schools, we strive to learn from and support one another.  I know that when a tragedy happens, we come together as a community to support and hold up each other in prayer and love.  This is one of the main reasons I chose and continue to choose Catholic schools, for the community.

3. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE - In Catholic schools, we set high standards for students to achieve, and then we help them succeed.  We prepare our students to use their gifts in the world for the glory of God.  We help them reach their potential, and 85% of our Catholic school graduates go to college.  Technology is used in Catholic schools, and the learning needs are meet of students.  Students have come back after graduating to thank our teachers for preparing them for the world beyond our Catholic school.  We set the bar high and then we lovingly help them reach those expectations.

Source Cited (where you can download your own "A Dozen Reasons to Choose Catholic Schools" poster from NCEA):

https://www.ncea.org/csw/CSW/Planning_Tools/A_Dozen_Reasons_to_Choose_Catholic_Schools.aspx 

My Catholic Educational Philosophy, Part I

I have come to realize that my current practices and beliefs regarding education have changed dramatically since I last wrote out my educational philosophy. As in, I have come to know the beauty of students collaborating, not always sitting quietly in neatly lined desks, and using technology to meet the learning objectives. In my current Catholic school, there are amazing and dedicated teachers. I am blessed to see many of these practices in action. Here are some tenets of my philosophy of education (#TopTen and Part I because I know I will forget something). 

1. Unite yourself to the mission of Catholic schools. Teach the truth and lead your students to heaven. 

2. Pray. Every single day. Pray for your students, their families, your co-workers, your principal, and your pastor. 

3. Love your job. Be excited to come to work each day. 

4. Love your students. Lead them to heaven with love. Ask them about their lives. Care about what they say. Build relationships of trust!

5. Like your students. Be excited to spend time with them, even if it is giving up a prep time to watch them give presentations to the younger students. 

6. Make it easy for students to learn. If a student needs a pen or pencil, then just give them a pen or pencil! In my classroom, students can freely borrow (or KEEP) any writing utensil. 

7. Students learn at different rates. Give students redo opportunities to learn objectives that were not previously mastered. Perseverance in learning more difficult skills is a valued life lesson.

8. Believe that there is always more to know and learn. Be a lifelong learner and always seek to improve how your students learn. 

9. Be a valued team member. Always. Support your co-workers, even if you do not agree with them. 

10. Have integrity. If you made a mistake, own it, even if it means apologizing to a student or parent.