Students at St. John the Evangelist preschool may notice a close resemblance between two of their teachers.
“It takes them a little while to figure out that we’re mother and daughter,” said Stacy Byrne, a teacher at the preschool. Her daughter Jessica Byrne teaches only a few steps away.
Jessica has been an extended-day assistant since she was 19. Stacy is the lead teacher for the 3-year-olds. “I’m going into my fourth year, so Jessica’s been here one year longer than I have,” she said with a smile.
The Byrnes enjoy the close proximity of their classrooms. “They’re right next to each other,” Jessica said.
As a part of her extended-day teaching, Jessica leads preschoolers of multiple ages in educational and developmental activities using magnets, music time, and manipulatives to help the children develop fine motor skills.
For the 3-year-olds, Stacy’s activities often focus on a letter of the week. For the second week of this school year, the preschoolers will learn about the letter M and do various M-themed Catholic activities. “We have a little Mary craft that we do, and then this year, we’re going to be doing a monstrance craft in addition,” she said. “We’re going to be able to walk over to the church on a Thursday or Friday to see the monstrance on the altar at adoration, so that’s a really nice perk for these little guys.”
Incorporating Catholicism in the classroom feels natural to the Byrnes. Whether it’s starting the day with easy-to-learn prayers such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, Angelus, or Memorare; creating Catholic-themed crafts; or teaching the children hymns including the “Regina Caeli,” the mother-daughter duo enjoys helping little ones grow in their faith.
“I really liked the idea of working in a Catholic environment, to talk about my faith at work,” Jessica said.
The Byrnes also take their preschool classes to daily Mass with the elementary school students once a month. “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, my goodness, you take preschoolers to Mass (with) 12 or 13 of them?’ But it works really well,” Stacy said.
Many of the preschoolers eventually figure out the family relation. “One of them came back to me this year and said, ‘I know you’re Miss Jessica’s mom,’ ” Stacy said. “They’ll come right up to us after (Sunday) Mass and be like, ‘Miss Jessica was singing in the choir.’ ”
“I love seeing them at Mass on Sundays. It’s just a really great environment,” Jessica added.
Their love for Catholic education often extends into the evenings, when they teach religious education. “Jessica teaches first grade on Mondays, and I teach second grade,” Stacy said.
Over the course of her career, Jessica has been working toward her bachelor’s degree in elementary education through Old Dominion University Global, an online school. She will begin student teaching next spring and will graduate in May.
“She is a great Catholic role model for the kids,” Stacy said. “She has always had a special gift for connecting with children.”
