Sarah Boddie was reminded of how grateful she was to be teaching at a parochial school in a time of tragedy at All Saints Catholic School in Manassas.
When parochial vicar Father Daniel S. Reuwer’s dad died unexpectedly Sept. 13, the entire school came together to pray for the repose of his soul. “I mean, there were 300 people in the church school praying for one man’s soul, and it was just very powerful,’’ said Boddie, who teaches first grade. “You can’t really experience a community like that if your church life is separate from your school life.”
In her second year at All Saints, Boddie returned to the classroom after teaching eight years in Fairfax County public schools. She took six years off teaching to focus on educating her son and daughter, and came to the conclusion that education and faith go together.
“I had a positive experience in Fairfax. I really did,” she said. “But I think it comes down to the fact that it’s so hard to separate school from faith formation. Here, we pray in the morning, we pray the Angelus, and we pray at dismissal. When I talk to kids about behavior, I can quote the Bible.”
Jennifer Fairchild left Fairfax County schools in 2012. She found a home at St. Timothy School in Chantilly where she teaches fourth grade. “We can be open about seeing life through the lens of faith,” she said. “The environment as a whole is very supportive and welcoming. It’s nice to know that everyone I work with shares the same values.”
Exposure to non-Catholic values becomes especially risky in middle school, according to former public school teacher Mary Bilbo. “Each year, children are exposed to more and more things that are inappropriate,” said Bilbo, who teaches literature to middle school students at St. Joseph School in Herndon. “Without the understanding of our faith, children are susceptible to values that cause anxiety and often depression. Our faith offers support in difficult times and having that present at school as well as at home is a blessing.”
Jennifer Tauscher, reading specialist at St. Joseph, emphasizes that Catholic school teachers are able to “teach the whole child, including academics, faith, social-emotional, and character development.”
She believes that the “whole child” philosophy to education means students don’t have to be perfect. “Having faith-based discussions with students and reminding them that only God is perfect allows them to understand that mistakes are okay and we grow and learn from our challenges,” said Tauscher.
Welcoming former public school teachers to diocesan schools offers many benefits according to Joseph Vorbach III, diocesan superintendent. “We are always fortunate when experienced teachers from other school settings are drawn to the vocation of Catholic education,” said Vorbach. “They enter our classrooms with skills and knowledge that are essential to the fostering of an engaging learning environment for students. In particular, lesson planning and classroom management skills are foundational. They also come joyfully to the opportunity to teach the faith to the future of the church.”
When describing the environment at All Saints, Boddie frequently talks about culture. “Many of the staff and parents went to school here,” she said. “That’s this thing we call building a culture.”
“I love being able to pray with my students and discuss the faith with them,” said Fairchild. ”I teach at St. Timothy and I’m also a parishioner here and love seeing so many of my students at Mass on Sunday. I’m honored to support their families in setting the foundation for a lifelong faith.”
