St. Francis Xavier teacher enjoys cultivating students’ passion for science

Could you trace your teaching journey for us?

I probably knew from an early age that I was supposed to be a teacher, but I was resistant at first. I was working on a degree in engineering, but something didn’t feel right. I made the decision to teach in my sophomore year in college and never looked back. After seven years of teaching eighth-grade science, robotics and math at a Jefferson Parish middle school, my principal encouraged me to work on my master’s in administration. I finished my master’s and pretty quickly moved to administration – as an assistant principal and principal at two public middle schools. After retiring, I continued to work as a substitute teacher. Two years ago, St. Francis reached out to me, and here I am back in the classroom. This is my 28th year in education.

What do you love about teaching at a Catholic school?

It has brought me to a different appreciation of my faith. There is nothing better than being able to participate in a school Mass and watch the students that you teach serve at Mass, whether they are altar servers, lectors, members of the choir or guiding their buddy through the different parts of the Mass. Sometimes I am moved to tears during school Masses.

Why do you like teaching science?

Wow! Science is probably the most amazing subject to teach! I can really nerd out over it. You can literally make every day something different. What I have learned is to never underestimate the power of doing, and I am excited when my students get excited.
I partner with our STEM teacher, Kyle Manning, who has the benefit of teaching all the students in the school. Because of this, we will often pair my middle-school science students with his lower-grade STEM students.

For example, this year we created a “space experience” for pre-K3. My students staffed a glovebox (simulating the equipment astronauts use to conduct experiments on the International Space Station) and built a planetarium. One station I loved was making sewing cards with the constellations on them. I watched seventh graders exhibit the most amazing patience and excitement as they worked with the pre-K3 students!

We also did a pumpkin dissection and had the students take measurements of their pumpkin’s mass, circumference and density. They cut the pumpkin and measured the seeds. We also split seeds to make a wet mount slide and looked at them under the microscope. The students had so much fun!

During Advent, we created a zip line to help the Gingerbread Man “escape.” It was fairly simple, but the students loved it.
The best part about my day – and it could be any day – is when someone says, “Thank you!  That was fun!”

What is so special about teaching at St. Francis Xavier School?

It is like teaching with my family. Many of the staff members taught my son. We have been involved with the parish and school for 13 years. Teaching here is like coming “home.”

What might people not know about your kids?

I think that people in general do not realize how amazing it is to teach middle school. I could not imagine teaching any other group of people. They are a series of contradictions, and I appreciate their daily struggle to find their place in the world. I am constantly inspired by them!

Do you have any funny classroom anecdotes? 

It is great when you can share a joke with a student – a moment, even in a class of 20, when it’s just a moment between them and you. Silly moments, such as when they “scare” you, or catch you singing, or when you trip – when you seem like a “human” to them. Then, later on, it’s great when you relive that moment or they smile at you because you both know.

Could you share some stories that have moved you?

I am constantly moved by the way students will go out of their way to help someone else. Again, people think that middle schoolers are so hard and self-centered, but I have seen quite the opposite. I have seen students who will not let someone sit alone. I have seen students who will offer a helping hand. I have had students who have helped me clean up a mess from a lab. I have seen students who will pair up with a student who may be on the “fringe” or may need extra help, and not give it a second thought.

What does “the Catholic school difference” mean to you?

I once attended an active-shooter training. We listened to a speech a father made before Congress. This was a dad who had lost a child in a school shooting. We thought we were going to hear about gun control, and then the man began to speak about the importance of prayer in school. That is the “Catholic school difference” –   being able to pray, being able to attend Mass with your students. I have tragically lost many students, and sometimes I wonder how different the healing would have been had we all just been able to participate in a Mass together or even just pause and pray. I have worked in a school where profanity and fighting were the norm, and that negativity impacted my life greatly. I was an angry person. So, coming to a school where you can center yourself in prayer makes a tremendous difference. Prayer is a very powerful force!

What are some challenging aspects of teaching?

It is hard to be a teacher in a climate of doubt and mistrust. I wish people would understand that we come to work every day with one motivation – and that is our students. They are the driving force behind all of our decisions.
What is the most rewarding part of your teaching vocation?
I have a former student who is in his 30s. He has overcome many challenges in his life, and he just recently graduated from college. He reached out to me a few years ago and let me know what I meant to him.

Another former student reached out to me and sought my advice on her son and various schools he might thrive in. That is my “why.” Often, we teachers go home and wonder, “Why do I do this day in and day out?” 

But then there is the reality. We do truly make a difference, and one random day, someone is going to come back and remind you of that!

What lessons have your students taught you?

To be humble, to actively listen and patience!

Any parting wisdom?

My mom always stressed, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I try to live by that as best as I can.

I also pray the rosary – often!

– Interviewed by Beth Donze