By D.A. Barsotti
“Great teachers try to lead students to be the best they can be,” said Sister Grace Marie, principal at Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Newfield. By their example, she said, teachers help students understand what it means to be a Catholic in today’s world.
With a new academic year just underway, schools in the Camden Diocese – and across the country – are filled with students still sizing up the authority figure at the front of the room.
What are the qualities of a good teacher? How do students, parents and principals describe their ideal teacher?
“Catholic teachers promote the formation of young Catholic minds,” said Lynn Domenico, principal at St. Joseph High School, Hammonton. Great Catholic school teachers inspire students, helping them grow to their potential as practicing Catholic adults, Domenico said.
To describe what a great Catholic school teacher is, Sister of St. Joseph Sheila Murphy, principal at St. Ann Regional School, Wildwood, quoted Pope John Paul II: “To teach means not only to impart what we know, but also to reveal who we are by living what we believe. It is this latter lesson that tends to last the longest.
“We have these words in our handbook and I am very fond of them,” said Sister Sheila. “I can say I know good teaching when I see it – and I am blessed to see it every day.”
Beyond the lessons
When Catherine Burns and her family moved into the diocese, she noticed a change. When her younger children started classes at Bishop Guilfoyle Regional Elementary School, Carneys Point, they were excited about going to school. Learning became “accessible and fun,” Burns said.
Daughters Emma, age 9, and Colleen, age 5, and son Kieran, age 6, like all school children, are starting a new school year with new teachers.
The two younger children are hoping that their teachers will do “cool projects” and spend “time outside for recess.” Emma said that her favorite teacher “found time for every student – every day.”
“Great teachers get students involved,” said Burns. “They make students want to go to school.”
Sisters Katie and Chrissy Koestler agreed. Chrissy, who is in eighth grade at St. Catherine of Siena School, Clayton, and Katie who graduated from there and is now at Our Lady of Mercy Academy (OLMA), agree that their favorite teachers help students connect their lessons to real life.
Chrissy said her favorite teachers moved beyond the textbooks and used other resources, and they took the extra time to help her through the rough spots.
Katie said that when math lessons became lessons in real life, with applications for budgeting, incomes and bank loans, or when science helped her understand the world around her, she looked forward to learning. Katie said that her favorite teachers did this while “pushing us to do our best.”
Students appreciate the teachers who show interest in them, said high school student Joshua Nevitt.
Joshua, who is also a graduate of St. Catherine of Siena School, said, “Great teachers can relate to students in and out of class. They are there for each student. That is a nice quality.”
Students gravitate to the teachers who have an easy rapport with their students. They will seek out the teachers who make themselves available to the students.
Sister Grace, a Daughter of Mercy, who has served as principal at all-girls OLMA for 27 years, said that she’s observed those teachers who have those “winning ways” with their students.
It’s not an indicator of their intelligence quotient, or their knowledge of subject material, although there’s no shortage of that across the diocese, said Sister Grace.
“A great teacher is consistent, caring and fair,” said Sister Grace. “Not rigid, but consistent, day to day, month by month. Students know what to expect – and what’s expected of them.”
That’s why good parent-teacher communication is key, said Burns. A good teacher articulates the year’s goals and expectations to students and their parents. “Parents like to know when and how they can help – with projects, with classroom supplies, with problems that might come up,” Burns said.
Reaching each student, Teaching each student
Parents appreciate the teachers who don’t just lump the students together, said Burns. “Getting to know them as individuals is so important,” she said.
“Great teachers recognize and support the needs of each student,” agreed Domenico. “They seek ways to engage each student.”
The best teachers become “facilitators, inspiring students to ask questions, providing resources to help them find the answers,” said Domenico.
Domenico, who was recently recognized for her leadership as principal at St. Lawrence School, Lindenwold, said that educating the “whole person” takes a collaborative effort. She said that teachers who recognize their strengths and the strengths of their colleagues can come together to work across the curriculum.
“Great teachers can help students do more than follow their dreams,” Domenico said. “They can help students live their dreams.”