I am a teacher!

I am a teacher.  Finally!  As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a teacher, with the exception of wanting to be a vet because of my love for animals.  

I am very fortunate to have a job and to be doing what I love.  My grandfather always says, "If you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life."  Teaching has always brought me so much joy and fulfillment so that's why I have pursued it all along.

I can't begin to say how excited I was to get my own classroom and to begin my teaching career.  As you know, I attended Catholic Schools for 16 years of my life (aka my entire life).  My understanding of what it means to be Catholic comes from both formal and informal education, a number of different people, and a ton of experiences.  

When you ask kids what they want to "be" when they grow up, you don't typically hear anyone say "A religion teacher!"  Since my freshman year of high school, that's always something I've wanted to do.  I majored in English Literature, minored in Religious Studies, and received an Endorsement in Secondary Education.  I am able to teach in both the public and Catholic school systems in Illinois and Iowa.  

If you know anything about me, you know that I am a very faith-filled individual, and I believe that God has something planned for us well before we ever come to recognize what that is.

I student taught for a semester at a public school teaching sophomore English and a little bit with juniors and seniors for Publications and AP Literature.  I really enjoyed that and I thought realistically, I would end up teaching High School English somewhere around the Chicagoland area for my first teaching job.  English has always been my favorite subject in school.  Most would assume it was Religion, but I received such a watered down education of my faith in high school that it made me search outside of the classroom for more.  But yes, English and Religion were always my favorites!

Back to God's plans...I received a phone call on my last day of student teaching (4 days before my graduation) from the Director of Religious Education of a small school in a small town in Iowa.  A principal had recommended me for a job and passed my resume along to her.  With that, I went in for an interview 2 days before my graduation and found myself accepting the job 5 days after I graduated!  And boy, could I have been more excited or relieved?!  In a matter of moments, I accepted the most unique teaching job I could ever imagine.

Get this- I work for the St. Paul School of Religion.  I am the only teacher.  I am a full-time religion teacher.  My students go to the public high school which is about 2 blocks away.  The softball and football fields are right next to my building.  They sign up for a "release time" and get bussed over to my school for their Catholic education!  I have them for 80 minutes everyday.  I will have the same group of students for a term (8 weeks) and then I will receive an entirely new group of them!  I will teach the same curriculum 4 times (4 terms in a school year) to all of the high school students that sign up.  They are not required to take this class and they receive zero credit or recognition on their high school transcripts.  These students are there for a purpose.  They (or their parents) want to continue their education on matters of our faith.  

Oh, and days before I accepted the job, this is what my Grandma texted me (white box):

I can't remember, but I don't think I had told her about that job interview or how it had all come together until after I accepted the job.  All along it had been her prayer and I truly believe God's will for me to teach high school religion.  

The fact that I was able to be an "answered prayer" for her has been one of the reasons why I get out of bed and make the most of each day since her passing (July 11, 2013).  Here are a few more messages from her regarding the job (start reading from the first white box):

It has been 5 weeks since my Grandma, one of my biggest fans, has entered into eternal life.  As a Catholic, I know this is the greatest thing imaginable because she is no longer facing any kind of pain or suffering, yet, it is still one of the hardest realities that I am facing because I miss her SO much.  However, deep down in my heart, I know that she will always be with me, watching, and hopefully smiling because of all of my efforts.    I love you, Grandma Buddy!

I could not feel more privileged and excited for this huge undertaking.  We are all called to share our faith, yet I get to do it as a career this school year!

As crazy as it seems, I did take a leap of faith, and accepted my first teaching job in a small town in Iowa.  Everything is different here, yet the one reason why I am here is what is keeping me sane.  My faith is something nobody can ever take away from me, and that is what gives me comfort in this time of transition and change.

(The face of a teacher.  I know it's a selfie, but hey, when you're on your own that's about all you can do.)