First Week of Classes

When I  interviewed for my present teaching position (computers K-8) I will never forget that  the priest followed me out into the parking lot afterwards, called after me and told me, "Mary teach the faith in all that you do." That moment impacted me, the words he spoke to me, and how he must have found it so pressing to tell me those words that he followed me out into the parking lot. You might wonder how I teach the faith when I do not have a homeroom, and teach a special-subject like computers but with the administration, staff, faculty and clergy that I work with...it is easy! Daily I actually feel like I am challenged to be a better person, Christian, but challenged in good loving ways. I am taught so much by both the adults and children I encounter each day.  I just wanted to share some of these moments after completing my first full week of classes.

 

Morning Prayer
Every morning we have announcements. Before our announcements our principal reads the Gospel for the day as well as a prayer. When kids are in the lab with me I have them stop what they are working on, stand and pray reverently. When I am in the hall I stop and pray when I hear the announcements (no matter where I am in the building). Well last week, there was a worker in my lab performing maintenance on the phone line. During the announcements I stood, signed myself, bowed my head and prayed. When prayer was over I saw him raise his head and put his baseball cap back on and go back to work. It just struck me that this man also stopped his work to pray with us. His witness and devoutness to the gospel really struck me. He could have kept working instead he stopped to give thanks and praise to God too.

Gifts

During my 4th grade class we started out the school year watching a YouTube video Created to Be Happy. I like to watch this with the kids because of several reasons...first the video is funny so we get to laugh together. Second, it is good for vocation reasons. The video is put together by seminarians and priests and I actually had a couple students last year who didn't believe that it was a real video because the priests were too funny! So that opened the floor to a whole other discussion about vocations and if a priest or religious sister can laugh and have fun or if there is a stereotype. The reason why I show this video primarily though is to so the kids understand that God created all of  us and everything that is good in the world so that we can be happy and because he loves us. At the end I asked the kids...how does this relate to computer class? And one child raised his hand and said, "because computers and technology are gifts from God."  Bingo! I ran over and gave him a high-five and my heart melted. Just the answer I was looking for, couldn't have been planned more perfectly. "Yes. I reiterated. Computers are a gift from God. Just like all other things that are good in this world...our lives, every breathe we take, the food we eat, etc." Then we began to discuss how we could use these gifts; computers and technology, to spread the love of Christ and the Gospel vs. inappropriate ways or unloving ways (spreading rumors, posting inappropriate photos, etc). (We continue to visit this through the year, and this remains our premise and theme).


 

Our Lady

We had an impromptu visit from The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Our school was invited to church to go and pray the rosary. Our lessons and day were put on hold so we could  pray as a school community together. The children (and adults) were able to write prayer petitions too. As we were leaving church each person was given an Our Lady of Fatima Prayer book!

 

May Our Lady of Fatima pray for us and protect us!

 

Creatures of God

My 2nd graders and I read this story, Who Me?, which is a great story to kick-off the school year. It is about a monster that goes to school with humans. The monster does not know how to behave and makes some choices that are not good and gets into trouble. At one point in the story I asked the kids if they would like  to have a classmate who behaves like this. One child raised his hand and said, "Yes. The monster is still a creature of God and maybe I can teach him how to act right." Humility at it's finest right there....I was expecting a different answer when I asked the question. But he was right in his response. I smiled and told the child how right he was and how beautiful his words were. We continued to read the story and were able to see at the end that the monster did learn how to make better choices and behave better...but not on his own, with help from his friends and teacher.

 

 

Where's Jesus?
 

During my Kindergarten class I was sitting on the floor with the kids getting to know them and talking about the lab, rules, etc. I asked them if they were in a classroom and after some hesitation they came to a group consensus "yes". But then one little girl asked (after looking frantically around the room), "but where is Jesus?" And I knew what she meant, she meant the crucifix. So I told her, "Oh, Jesus is here in our room. See if you can find him." So their eyes looked all over. They found the crucifix, they  also found him by Mary, they found him in every place that I have a photo or image and they smiled each time as they pointed and said, "there's Jesus." Now that I'm writing this I should have said he's in each one of you too...and pointed to their heart. (I'll do this next class...thank you Holy Spirit for that impromptu lesson extension). What I thought was such a testimony of their faith was how the students wanted to be certain that Jesus was in this classroom too....that was important to them and they wanted to be certain it was important to me too. I think they are going to have high expectations of me!!

Such a blessed week at school all praise and thanks be to God!

 

 

 

Prayer to Saint Thomas Aquinas for Catholic Schools
Saint Thomas Aquinas, you are called by Holy Mother Church, the Angel of the Schools. Your wisdom, gathered through long meditation from the source of all wisdom, the most holy Trinity, has long been a shining light in the Catholic Church. Ignorance of the things of God is a darkness now enveloping the minds of many of our countrymen. In this darkness, we need an angel like you who will protect, foster, and nourish the schools we have, and guide and strengthen us in establishing and building newer and more adequate schools for the instruction of our children in the ways of Christ. Help and bless the generous sisters, brothers, and priests who labor so unselfishly in the classroom to spread the knowledge of Christ. Inspire our Catholic men and women to be most generous in the support of the schools we have. Grant to parents the wise generosity they need to give their child back to God when that child wishes to follow a priestly or religious vocation. Help us, Saint Thomas, Angel of the Schools, to understand what you taught, and to follow your example. Amen.