Viviana Gonzalez is a Seton Teaching Fellow at Brillante Academy in Mission, TX. She reflects on the experience of the Lord transforming her struggles into an opportunity to teach and connect with her students, particularly her goddaughter.
Growing up, I struggled in school. Almost all of my teachers expected me to be like my classmates, and no matter how hard I tried, I never felt like I was enough. Over time, I began to believe that my worth was based on how well I performed in school. Yet, even in the midst of these struggles, the Lord was at work in my heart. During my sophomore year of high school, I attended my first retreat, and while kneeling in adoration, the Lord revealed something to me that changed the way I would view myself: school no longer defined me, He did!
That encounter with Jesus has stayed with me, and as a Seton Teaching Fellow, I began to see more clearly how that moment would influence the way I walk with my students today. At the beginning of the year, one of my lead teachers challenged me to find a student who reminded me of my younger self. At first, I found it strange, but as weeks went by and I got to know my students, I began to see myself in one particular first-grade girl. When she started school, she would often leave the classroom in tears, frustrated that she was not at the same level as her classmates.
“That encounter has stayed with me, and as a Seton Teaching Fellow, I began to see more clearly how that moment would influence the way I walk with my students today.“
One day, as I was preparing for my El Camino class, I received a call from her teacher saying she would not stop crying. Her teacher brought her to me, and we sat on the floor until she calmed down. She didn’t say much about what she was going through, but deep down, I felt her pain.
That same day, the Bible passage I was planning to teach my El Camino students was the Blessing of the Children, where the disciples did not want Jesus to bless the children, but Jesus said, “Let the Children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these”. As she sat beside me, she saw the image of Jesus surrounded by the children and asked, “Who is that?” I told her it was Jesus, someone who loves her, wants to help her in the midst of her struggles, and sees her as a beloved daughter.
“I told her it was Jesus, someone who loves her, wants to help her in the midst of her struggles, and sees her as a beloved daughter.“
For this first-grade girl, it was the beginning of her walk with Jesus. Since then, I have witnessed her grow in confidence and joy. She now knows how to write her name beautifully, has started to read, and loves to solve math problems. Just a few weeks ago, she was also baptized, and I had the honor of becoming her godmother.
As a Seton Teaching Fellow, I have the opportunity to become the teacher I once needed. The Lord has used my struggles and led me to reflect Christ the Teacher to my students, helping them believe that they are capable of succeeding in school. It’s a privilege to help my students excel academically! More importantly, their identity is found in God and not their performance. And once they know that, they will flourish and live out the words of St. Catherine of Siena: “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”
