Brooke Buth
Give Them Tension
Courtesy of Artnow314/Creative Commons License It seems like everyday we are facing a new issue whether it’s bullying, sex trafficking, gay marriage...
Educators face a tough season – whether we are staff, faculty, or administration; whether our schools are Catholic, charter, or private, whether we are in person, online, or doing a hybrid model. Although the specifics vary, we are all in a situation of change and challenge. In this season, we are called once again to find God’s presence and fulfill our vocation.
Grieve the Year You Aren’t Having.
Although this isn’t new, no amount of time could have prepared us for change in our schools. We had plans for this year, and they have all changed. Some projects can’t be done via distance learning; some lessons can’t be taught over Zoom. Many extracurricular clubs and programs have stopped. Many of our families have left for homeschooling or public schools. Some coworkers didn’t come back. Many Catholic schools are facing significant budget cuts or closing altogether.
We must take time to grieve. Even an hour in prayer can lift a burden from you. If you are already a month into the year but still find sadness lingering, take the time to grieve and share the disappointments with our Beloved God.
Pray For Your Students BY NAME Each Day
This practice was instituted in my school before the pandemic. We work in education because we love children, and praying for them by name will focus on our vocation, even through Zoom and masks.
Start with the children in your classroom, virtual or in person. If you miss your students from last year, add them to the list. Administrators and staff members make your list in concert with the Holy Spirit.
Spend Time in Adoration
Our perpetual adoration chapel is a supreme blessing at our school. Spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament provides peace in the craziness and change of the world. My principal said it best: “Our worries, concerns, anxieties, and doubts amount to nothing when we understand the finality of our earthly lives and Divine Providence’s promptings to be courageous in the present time.”
If you do not have adoration opportunities at your school, find a local adoration chapel and sign up for a weekly time. The commitment of being signed up for an hour each week will help you maintain the practice.
One passage I read to center myself in peace is Matthew 6:27-34.
Be Open and Honest with Your Support System
We need to stay vulnerable with ourselves, our families, our coworkers, our administration, and our spiritual directors about the challenges and joys of teaching right now. The community of other Catholic educators is especially vital for those working virtually.
My last piece on MYM was about spiritual direction. If you don’t have a director, now is the time to seek one out; take an hour each month to discuss how you are relating to God, your vocation, and your community at this moment when it is more challenging than ever to connect.
Look for Consolations
Things will change again – whether we shut down or fully reopen. In my open classroom, I am relishing the time physically present with students, even with masks and extra hours of cleaning, because I know we could close again. At the same time, we could only enroll half as many students to accommodate distancing, and I miss the vibrancy of a more extensive classroom. However, it is a gift to spend significant one-on-one time with students, a blessing I won’t have once we fully reopen.
While you might feel stir crazy (like my husband, who has been working at home since March), I encourage you to find the consolations. Enjoy cooking a long breakfast, because the 7 am bell will call soon enough. Take a long lunch – heck, visit the restroom whenever you want because when schools reopen, you’ll be racing between bells again! Everything has its season, and every season ends in its time. All we can do is find the consolations that God’s grace provides in every season.
A Prayer
My Dean gathers her team to pray this beautiful prayer each morning.
“Dear Jesus, when you lived and worked and talked amongst the people, they called you Teacher.
Help me to remember the greatness of the work which has been given to me to do.
Help me always remember that I work with the most precious material in the world – the mind of a child.
Give me patience for those who are in my care.
When I have to exercise discipline, helps me to be firm with love.
Help me to help these children not only to store things in their memories but to ground their hearts, minds, and bodies in faith, joy, and love.
Amidst the worries and the irritations and the frustrations of my vocation, help me to remember that the future of the Church, the nation, and of the world is in my hands; this I ask for your love’s sake. Amen”
Brooke is a cradle Catholic who has done a bit of everything in Youth Ministry – summer camps, high school campus ministry, parish ministry, youth conferences, etc. Currently, she lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and works at a Classical Catholic school teaching second and third grade. She loves her job because every day she gets to go to Mass and her kids love to spend time outside. You can find her at https://brookeannbuth.wixsite.com/writer.