The John Family
St. Theresa’s Catholic School is a school that is putting down its roots. Because of that, there is room for growth, flexibility, and understanding. Being there from the beginning gives one a sense of belonging, ownership, and pride. STCS is small enough that most parents have already developed friendships that are not confined to the carpool line or PTA meetings. There is a strong sense of community and family.
The Curriculum
Listening to my daughter talk about what she is learning in school makes me think of the show “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” except that the new title should be “Are You Smarter than Your Kindergartener?” She knows how to read using sight words and phonics skills. She is sorting, adding, subtracting, learning patterns, and skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s in math. Her teacher shares her love for science when teaching them about the planets, body systems, “sink or float” and animals. I have had to relearn the states and capitals just so I can keep up with Social Studies. The time she spends learning about religion is didactical. God, Saints, the Bible and prayers are not something the kids are just reading about and getting tested over. They believe. A few days ago my husband was practicing tennis ball with our daughter; in between each serve we could hear her mumbling something repeatedly. After some coaxing, she finally told me what she was saying under her breath, “God please let me hit the ball.” She had conviction in her voice and faith in her heart.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
It is the third week of school and I am ready for the first parent conference meeting of the year. I was worried. The meeting was scheduled for 5:00 – 5:20. It is now 5:35 and I am just leaving the teacher. Even though my meeting was only supposed to be for 20 minutes, her teacher devoted the “free” minutes that she had between parents to continue conferring with me. And those extra 15 minutes mattered. It showed me that her teacher truly cared. I felt that the relationship between the teacher and myself is valued. After the meeting finished, Mr. Beeson (the school principal) asked me how I felt things were going for my daughter. The discussion focused not only on the academic needs of my child, but also the physical and emotional well being of my daughter. As an educator working in a public school, I can attest to the fact that principals normally do not have the time to meet with parents and simply ask for feedback. I work in school that has a student population of 810 students. Normally, parents walk into our building to meet with the principal because their child is in trouble. I was able to talk to the principal simply because he made the time for me; he cared to get feedback so that he could have his finger on the pulse of the school. It was a moment that really touched me. St. Theresa’s Catholic School is more than a new building with classrooms, curricula, religion and education. It is a place where we grow as a community. A place where relationships are nurtured with time and trust, family and friends, and most importantly our Catholic faith.
–Sonia John