By Linda Busetti
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 1/31/02)
"I always wanted to be a teacher. I don’t remember wanting to be anything else," Kenney said. "I think that teaching is in some ways an extension of the mother’s role," said the mother of six. Her children were always playing school, but Barbara, the oldest, always insisted on being the teacher, Kenney recalls.
"My Mom and Dad and my grandparents, as well, were great models of faith," Mertens said. "That is what we are about — we are passing on a faith tradition that our grandparents and ancestors fought for. They were Irish immigrants who had suffered tremendous prejudice about their religion. We have the opportunity in America to have that freedom. I think that is a tremendous value and gift that we were made very aware of by our parents. It’s kind of a sacred trust that we need to make sure that our own children and the children we work with value that gift," Mertens said.
Mertens’ grandparents introduced her to music and art. Both grandmothers "were wonderful models of faith," she said. "I grew up in the ’50s and ’60s. My Mom was always a good example to me. While her family was always the most important thing, I always viewed women as very, very capable. My mother worked, but she put her children first. She balanced it with work. My father’s Mom was in business in New York City. She was a tremendous role model as a very independent, very strong working woman. I really felt, as the mother of a daughter — Beth is my oldest — that was a particular value that I always wanted her to understand … you have talents and gifts and as a woman you need to be able to use those."
Mertens, who was born in New York City, was among the first graduating class of Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, N.Y. "Trinity was a formative place for me, almost more than college because of the very supportive community," Mertens said. "We had a wonderful faith experience. That was a turbulent time. The emphasis on religion and community really formed our values. People who graduated 30 years ago are now in many areas of service. All the wonderful sisters, Dominican and Mercy, who taught there were inspiring people who gave their lives to the Church," Mertens said.
While Mertens was at St. John’s University in N.Y. — her mother’s alma mater — the family moved to Virginia. Two other Kenney sisters became teachers, one in Richmond and Mary Alice Rogoskey at St. Bernadette School in Springfield.
Kenney, who is retired, volunteers weekly at Holy Family in Dale City. She works with reading groups and children with special needs. "I still think it is important to pass it on. Teaching is like a garden. You have fertilizer, seeds and water. You have to weed. And then you have to wait," Kenney said.
Although Kenney doesn’t like to talk about herself, she does have strong opinions about the future of Catholic education. "Years ago I was the recipient of a good Catholic education. Now it’s my turn to help those who are heavily burdened. We older guys need to help. The schools are the future. It needs to be done on a regular basis, even if it’s $20 a month. We need to support the schools — a senior citizens campaign. We need to accept this in a grandparent role, whether they are your grandchildren or not, they are the future of the Church."
Mertens, the mother of three children, taught in the diocese for 11 years before becoming principal at Holy Family. She has benefited from her mother’s advice about balancing home and work. "You do what you can and you give as much as you possibly can and then you have to leave it in God’s hands," Mertens said.
Mertens-Batarla is teaching junior high part-time at St. Timothy and working as a counseling intern part-time at Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Vienna toward her master’s in counseling. She counsels eighth-grade students for the transition to high school.
Following her mother and grandmother into teaching "was so natural for me. It was something that they did and they enjoyed and really worked for their lives. … that made it very appealing for me.
Mertens-Batarla taught CCD in high school, mentored children in service projects and went into the teaching program at William and Mary. Although she thought about going into law or psychiatry, "I just remember [Catholic schools] being such a nurturing environment. I had an extended family…but I also had teachers who would look out for you, who I knew loved me … We moved, but when I went to a new Catholic school, it would still be comfortable to me and welcoming, an environment I was familiar with. I wanted to be in that as an adult. I wanted to be able to give that to children as it had been given to me. I remember a diocesan institute my first year teaching. Someone there said we were called as teachers and that … put words to what I had been feeling … that I wanted to continue in the diocese."
"My fifth-graders [at St. Timothy] over the past three years brought me closer to God," Mertens-Batarla said. " Seeing religion through them, learning through them, made me want to participate more, to explore more. We start the day with a prayer. We end with a prayer. We pray for intentions when things happen in the world. To be able to participate in those ways with the children is really important to me," she said.
Catholic education "is a life of service, whether we choose counseling, specialties, classroom teaching or administration, all are a life of service," Mertens said. "My joy is to bring Christ to our children. To teach Jesus to the children and to have them" show Him to us. "We are all together on a faith journey," she said.
Copyright ©2002 Arlington Catholic Herald. All rights reserved.
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