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Catholic faith is crucial teaching tool for new teachers

George Goss | Catholic Herald Multimedia Journalist

Tom Opfer, principal at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, fields questions from a classroom filled with new teachers at St. Thomas More Cathedral School Aug. 14. GEORGE GOSS | CATHOLIC HERALD

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New diocesan teachers listen to advice during a breakout session at St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington Aug. 14. GEORGE GOSS | CATHOLIC HERALD

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In preparation for the start of school, 180 new teachers gathered
at St. Thomas More Cathedral School for orientation Aug. 14 and 15, which
included icebreaking exercises, breakout sessions and a meeting with Bishop
Michael F. Burbidge. The goal was to help them prepare for the more than 17,500
students who attend Catholic schools throughout the diocese.

“We had the pleasure of having Bishop Burbidge visit us this
morning,” said Julie Rubio, who will teach middle school math at Our Lady of
Good Counsel School in Vienna. “I was very inspired by his encouragement of us
and his sharing of how important our vocation is as Catholic school teachers.”

In his impromptu pep talk with the new teachers, Aug. 14, Bishop
Burbidge thanked them for “saying yes to teaching in the diocese” and urged
them never to lose heart. He also mentioned how both his niece and nephew are
Catholic schoolteachers, and marveled at how hard they work.

Leslie Lipovski, assistant superintendent of schools for the
diocese, was inspired by the youth of the teachers.

“What I saw during orientation that was really encouraging was a
lot of young teachers,” Lipovski said. “I saw a lot of young, fresh faces, and
it is exciting to me that they would pick Catholic school over the public
options. They had a lot of choices and they chose us.”

For Audrey Allman, a 2018 graduate of Franciscan University in
Steubenville with a bachelor’s in middle childhood education and concentrations
in social studies and language arts, this will be her first teaching position.

Allman is convinced that it is through Catholic education that
the whole student can be taught, in contrast to public schools where faith
cannot be expressed as freely.

“I look forward to teaching about the faith — virtue, goodness
and who God is,” Allman said. “It matters greatly if students are able to love
the Lord and do his will in their lives, the significance of which is often
lost in a public school education.”

In the breakout sessions, she learned from current diocesan
teachers as well as her peers about the kinds of questions that future students
may raise and how to address them properly. In an icebreaking exercise she also
learned how diverse the teachers are.

“It really showed me the kinds of people called to teach. Not
everyone was a recent graduate like me,” Allman said. “There were veteran
teachers, bilingual ones and others who were gifted in music: the Diocese of
Arlington will be able to reap the benefits of these diverse talents.”

Allman will teach fifth-graders at St. Bernadette School in
Springfield.

Kelly Herlihy, who also will be teaching fifth-graders, always
knew she wanted to be a teacher. It was during her senior year at Notre Dame University
in South Bend, Ind., that she enrolled in Alliance for Education’s program that
pairs future teachers with Catholic schools. She earned a bachelor’s in psychology
in 2013 and a master’s in education in 2015.  

Even though she has taught before, the orientation helped her
prepare for the start of school Aug. 27.

“It’s always a little stressful starting a new job, but to see so
many people excited to share faith with kids makes it a lot easier,” Herlihy
said. “Also, Bishop Burbidge really encouraged us to live our faith since the
kids are going to experience their faith through us.”

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