My Ministry - Visitation Catholic School

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I do at Visitation, and it varies depending on the day. There are so many pieces of the puzzle, but put them all together and you have one great experience. But let me break it down for you so you know what I do.

5 am…wake up. I’m not telling you this to complain, just to be honest about what I am doing this year. Hopefully some future volunteer is reading this and thinking…”Wow, that sounds early, but I think I can handle it. It would be a good challenge.” I get ready for school, make my lunch, pack my bag, and try to make the 6:30 bus, usually barely catching the 6:40 bus.

7:25…get to school. I spend the bus ride praying, reading, and reviewing/writing my lesson plans for the day. As much as the bus ride stinks, it is nice to have that time in the day to relax and reflect on what I have to do that day. It’s a good time to compose myself. This way, when I get to school, I can get my stuff together, making copies and digging out all the tools I need for my lessons.

7:45…the bell rings. Kids start piling in, and I spend my time still getting things together, and also redirecting those kids that have a tough time getting started in the morning. They need reminders to get their coats and backpacks put away and get started on their morning work.

8 am…the tardy bell rings. Everyone should be in their seats by now and working on their morning work. After about 15 minutes the 3^rd grade teacher starts going through the questions so that kids can correct their own. I spend that time finishing getting myself together. It takes me a while sometimes!

8:30…teach religion. This is one of my favorite parts of the day. Rather than lecturing, I really just get to lead a conversation about Jesus, God, and what he wants from us. Sometimes I follow a book, sometimes we just talk about bible stories, but either way, I have their attention. They really enjoy learning about this and hearing stories about God and Jesus.

9am…I start my literacy pull-outs. I pull out a total of 7 kids, and here is where I need to stop and tell you about one of my kids that I has turned out to be one of the most challenging but most rewarding. Also…changing her name.

Sarah is a tiny little girl that is new to our school this year, and lives in the homeless shelter with her mom, brother, and two sisters. Three of the kids go to my school, the other is a baby. She and her brother and sister are a few of the cutest kids, but they are very behind in school. From what I know about her, it seems like no one has ever given her or her brother and sister the light of day. They are all very behind in school, and need lots and lots of help. Sarah is in 3^rd grade, and I pull her out for work from the 1^st grade phonics book. We are half-way through our short vowel sounds. What breaks my heart the most is her potential. She is picking up the phonics very well, and works hard, so I know she is capable of so much more. Her situation just prevents her from getting the attention she needs in this area.

It is for this reason that I believe God sent me here this year. There are a few other kids, too, that I hope to have an impact on, but I will save their stories for another time. But without the grace of God putting me at this site, she may not get the help she needs. I am so blessed to be put in this role, and do not take my responsibility lightly. I can’t wait to see the progress she will make by the end of the year.

10am…on Monday’s I get to do something really exciting. I am co-leading a group called Strongirls, a program geared toward teaching girls how to have healthy friendships and the negatives to bullying. Every Monday, a counselor and I pull out the 6^th grade girls and we get to sit in a circle and talk for an hour about things like prejudice and stereotypes. It’s one of my favorite parts of the week because I get to take on the role of a counselor. It has also affirmed my desire to go into school counseling, and I will soon be looking at grad schools for counseling programs. I really enjoy being there for these kids and take a more nurturing role, which sometimes can’t be found in teaching when you are trying to keep control of a classroom.

11am…I get ready to switch over to 2^nd grade. I have lunch with the teachers and take the kids out to recess. It’s another one of my favorite parts of the day, and the kids love it so much. They don’t always get to go play outside. They don’t exactly live in a safe neighborhood. So they love being able to run and jump around on the playground.

12pm…We come in and I help out the 2^nd grade teacher with her 24 crazy kids! I also help out with math. We started Everyday Math, which, for any teacher out there, is amazing, and a great way to teach math. However, the kids are new to the program, so can’t work independently yet on some of the worksheets. The 2^nd grade teacher had a brilliant idea to do math centers, and since then, the level of crazy has gone down. I am one center, the teacher is another, and there are two more where the kids work independently on a worksheet after receiving considerable help from the teacher, and also play a math game. Trying to keep the focus of six kids working on math is considerably easier than 24, or even 8. I feel like I can reach them a lot better, and get to know their needs more, and where they need the most help.

I would also like to note all the great things I am learning about teaching from being in 2^nd grade. The teacher probably wouldn’t agree, but she is a volunteer, too, and is great with the kids. They are just a crazy class, but I can’t imagine myself trying to teach them. She just knows all the right things to say to them, and has so many great techniques. It’s great!  

2:30…time for pack-up. You would think this would be easy, that kids would be excited to go home…but you would be mistaken. Pack-up is the craziest, most chaotic part of the day. And I don’t know what we can do about it. I am still in 2^nd grade for this, and I can’t help but laugh at the chaos. That is all I can do sometimes. But I still love it!

2:45…we finally make it outside and the kids go home. I spend the rest of my time at school getting cleaned up and processing the day. I look for new ways to teach literacy, and I re-evaluate what I did and how it worked. What I teach is always trial and error. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I really have no idea what I’m doing. I just put things together and hope for the best, and eventually will have a good handle on how kids learn and what I need to do to keep them entertained.

4pm…head home or church. Some days I am so tired, and still have more to do at home, so I just head right back to Pilsen. Other days I really need to refocus, so I head downtown to daily mass at St. Peter’s instead to pray and to process what happened in my day.

I love my job, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. It has its challenges, but its character building, and a great way for me to learn and grow. I am very happy and blessed to be where I am, and can only hope that I am making a difference in these kids lives. They need someone to love them and nurture them, because many of them don’t get it at home, and I hope that I can be that someone. I think that I’ve made some difference so far, but I’ll keep you posted! There is still a long time ahead, and I can’t wait to face the challenge…right after Thanksgiving break!!