This special reflection comes from Cohort 9 STF Anna Stevenson. Anna, who studied English and education at the University of Dallas, shares some of the hard-earned fruits of her first year as a middle school teacher. Are you new to teaching? Wondering what education and mission work might have in store for you? See the eight lessons Anna has to share with new teachers in this blog post.
This reflection is from Anna Donnelly, a Cohort 9 Seton Teaching Fellow. Anna served in our founding Catholic school, Romero Academy at Resurrection, where she taught Catechism and literacy blocks. We are blessed to share that Anna will be joining her community members as one of the founding teachers at our second school in Cincinnati, Ohio: Romero Academy at Annunciation. In this meditative reflection on grace and the movement of God in our lives, Anna shares the trust she has in the Lord and the mystical ways in which He works through us.
While I was yet discerning and preparing for my possible year as a Seton Teaching Fellow, I distinctly remember reading that Fellows “live simply” and instantly panicking. There are a number of things that inspire a life of simplicity—detachment from money, vastly reducing your possessions, seeking necessity over luxury, placing people before comfort—and to a young person considering entry into the professional world this doesn't often seem attractive. Despite concerns around self-denial, I was drawn to the mission of the New Evangelization and I said yes to Seton Teaching Fellows. I then braced myself for what I thought would be a year of discomfort and—reluctantly, I admit—left half of my wardrobe behind as I packed up to move to the Bronx.
The formation and education I received throughout life taught me the head knowledge of the Catholic faith. It was a gift—a valuable and important thing for a young man to have. However, it was an incomplete education because I lacked the heart knowledge which directs our faculties in charitable ways; it wasn’t until I became a Seton Teaching Fellow that I really started working towards the gift of Charity.
In this reflection, STF Adam Grand shares how the process of reframing, seeking out opportunities, and tackling challenges helped him pursue God in the everyday and lead with love in the classroom
Men are made to be leaders; they have the natural authority of fatherhood in their essence. When men are on mission, they pursue and serve what is good and communities flourish. Here's a call for young men to see what they have to give and receive by serving on mission.
To be an authority in the classroom requires authenticity, and that includes choosing to acknowledge our mistakes. Teaching students the gift of error, and how to respond freely and virtuously to it, is a necessary facet of the Christian experience.
By: MaryJane Plote, a member of STF Cohort 4 | MaryJane graduated from the University of Dallas in 2017 and joined Seton Teaching Fellows as a 4th grade teacher. Upon the completion of her missionary year with STF, she entered University of Dayton's Pastoral Ministry Program, where she is working in campus ministry & on her masters degree. Seton Teaching Fellows will forever be blessed by Ms. Plote's love and dedication to the children she served, her coworkers, & her community members.