Category Archives: CSJ

My word for the year: ABANDONMENT

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Last fall, a colleague asked me to choose a word that I would use as my focus for the year. A million words swirled around in my head, but then one just kept coming back to me…so I chose it. My word is “abandonment.”

Let me explain…

I love to be busy and I feel joyful when I’m doing my work because I’m doing what I love. However, there are those moments when I feel overwhelmed. During those times I read this quote that I have posted in my office. It’s from a stack of CSJ Maxim Meditation Cards that I received when I was first hired and attended a CSJ retreat down in San Diego. The cards take quotes from the writings of Jean Pierre Medaille, and some clever person made a 26 card stack of them and gave them to each of the new hires. When I got them, I used to shuffle them up and read/reflect on one word each day. Something different happened the day I read “abandonment.” That day I was particularly overwhelmed with work that I wanted to do, and was trying to multi-task and switch-task to get things done. I realized that I was losing focus, so I stopped and read my card of the day:

Abandonment-
“Never think of the future unless it is somehow necessarily related to your present work: abandon everything to the Providence of God your Father.” And another quote, “Recognize and tenderly love the presence of God in all the events of your life, however trying they may be.” 


I stopped shuffling the cards that day and have kept that quote posted. In this day and age where we are talking more and more about focus, the importance of boredom, multi-tasking, and switch-tasking…it is this quote that keeps me grounded.

Death, Sex, & Money Podcast– When a Banker was Called to the Convent

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I recently listened to an episode from the Death, Sex, &
Money podcast that featured an interview with Sister Josephine Garrett who recently
took her final vows with the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. It was a
super moving/honest look at one women’s journey from the finance world to the
convent – and yes I am recommending this everyone, not just religion teachers.
So much of the recent stuff out there about Catholic Sisters
are super dated and un-relatable, super scandalous (aka the gambling CSJs in
Southern California), super irreverent (The
Little Hours –Netflix) or so brutally sad (The Innocents – Netflix) that nuns almost become caricatures instead of people. This podcast was a breath of fresh
air.
Teaching about religious vocations is already so obscure to
so many of our students who can’t imagine why anyone would choose the religious
life – I think what makes it even cooler is the fact that a non-religious host
brought so much respect and dignity to a lifestyle misunderstood by so many.  I cant wait to share with my juniors.
It’s a super easy listen for the drive home or while doing
stuff around the house – if anyone ends up listening let me know!

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I have never thought of myself as a teacher. I think of myself as an artist. Perhaps, I could be a thought of as a teaching artist.  Actually, this is has always been a temporary career. I was offered my first teaching position without applying so I gave it a shot. Initially, I intended to give it a solid 5 year trial.  I have modified that trial period repeatedly.  

Now I try to fit in during PD days and the such.  This is never easy for me.  I can tell I make some contributions occasionally but in that context, I also feel like an outsider every single time.  There are times where the words I am hearing confuse me so much, I try to sit next to people that I have secretly pegged as “friendly interpreters”.  
As an artist, I suppose I bring something else. My theory is based on a connection between my practice and that of our CSJs.  When I was interviewing in 2001 for a position at CHS, I first met Sr. Kathy.  Soon after that, I also met Sr. Madeleine.  I was instantly impressed and scared.  After I was hired, my CSJ education began.  All the new hires were flown down to LA for a team sleepover, to see the schools, the residence and some of the clinics.  Walking into the breakfast the next day, I met so many of the sisters and heard many stories. My biggest takeaway is that there were radicals.  They were empowered and intelligent women who did things. These were often things that went against the direction of mainstream society and sometimes, against the patriarchy of Catholicism.  It was the best of introductions.
My education has always centered around creative experiences, invention, and a dualistic approach to tradition: Connect and Deconstruct.  An arts education can be immersive; classes all morning, open studio time all afternoon and early evening. And I benefitted from living in the Bay Area in the early 90s.  There was live music nearly every night someplace.  The musical attitude of punk was the nightly half of my education.  
Classroom 9/2018

Studio 9/2018
I recognize parallels between being an artist, a punk musician, and the CSJ. They all just pursue their goals determinately, they aren’t limited to conventions, do what it takes to get it done and know that there may be a mess in the process.  Somewhere in there is my contribution.  I try to transmit that outlook to the students.  When my 25 year trial period is up in a few of years, I will reflect back on this side gig and share some discoveries.

CSJ National Conference-a reflection

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One of my fondest memories upon being hired three years ago was a trip to the CSJ Center in Los Angeles for an orientation with Bonnie and Michael McKeown, one of our board members.

The session consisted of an introduction of many of the Provincial leaders and a history lesson on the CSJ’s.  I’m not sure that I’d call it a dynamic day, but it felt like I was being welcomed into a home.  It is probably a result of my Catholic upbringing, during a time when nuns played a huge role in my elementary days, but I felt such a respect and admiration toward these women who have dedicated their lives to their faith and belief in the teachings of Jesus….and that mission!  The focus on serving others and doing so in such unique and daring ways….how do you not fall in love with that?

I had the great fortune of following up that experience with the national conference in San Diego in November of that year.  Sister Joanne did an amazing job of sharing that history again, and I was able to connect with other Principals and CSJ leaders from around the country, and the breakout sessions and affinity meetings were so amazing-I could feel that tangible connection with others.  And the students we interacted with-they were Carondelet girls.  That CSJ thing was so evident in the students of OLP.

And I have seen that over the past two years.  I wish I could bring everyone back to these conferences.  You would be amazed at how we are all on the same page, that we all speak the same language, that we all have a deep and abiding belief in this amazing mission, in these amazing women.  I have said numerous times that our mission is the single most important thing we do as CSJ educators, and this conference reinforces that so often, and so deeply.

I hope you have a chance to glance at some of what I included in my Schoology folder on the intranet course.  It isn’t a lot, but it does provide some links and information on the other high schools around the country that believe what we believe, that are doing the work of our CSJ’s, that our guiding and educating young women with the same goals and hopes that we strive to provide.

I want to do a better job of conveying that connection, of conveying that what we do carries forward the amazing vision and dreams of the CSJ’s.  If you all could have heard Sister Angie talk and heard her common sense and empathy and understanding….she represents all that is wonderful about these Sister’s and what they do, not just in the world of education, but in all their outreach programs in serving the dear neighbor.

We are hosting the conference next year and I want to figure out a way to have everyone be involved so that you can connect and understand that we are not an isolated institution, but are instead a cog in a much bigger wheel that rolls out the charism of all of the CSJ leaders across the country….it is such a cool thing!

The Global Education Leadership Conference: Lessons, Questions & Reflections

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Elizabeth Chaponot and I just returned from the Global Education Leadership Conference in D.C. As a 2014 Teachers for Global Classrooms alum, I was invited to attend the conference with an administrator by the sponsoring partners, IREX and the U.S. Department of State. I presented an identity-anchored framework for teaching literature and Elizabeth presented on empowering teacher leadership.

The focus of the conference was teacher leadership and global education. “Connect. Innovate. Lead” was the theme. It was exciting and inspiring to connect with teachers from around the country. While they are fresh in my mind, I wanted to share some takeaways:

(1) What exactly is global education? As we develop our curriculum and programming moving forward, we must deliberately work toward cultivating a global perspective in our students. Nurturing global citizens ties in with so much of what we are already talking about — the habits of mind, CSJ mission, social justice education, design think, etc. Making sure our students have a global mindset moving forward means that our students are constantly doing the following:

  • investigating the world
  • weighing perspectives
  • communicating ideas for diverse audiences
  • taking action
  • applying disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge
(2)  What is my personal global education vision? My dream is for our students to connect with each other and their local and global communities through ideas, books, and writing. I can’t wait to explore how our students might participate in The Global Read Aloud and connect with the students of other teachers I connected with at the conference.
(3) Adding a “take action” portion to units now feels more manageable. Sara Krakauer, author the Innovation on Earth blog shared a framework for student-centered activist projects that I plan on using with my sophomores and seniors next semester as they research a woman’s issue that they care about. She also broke down activism into five useful categories: direct service, advocacy, organizing, awareness/education, fundraising.
(4) What does it mean to be a good leader/teacher? Some of the best speakers I heard, including the U.S. Teacher of the Year Sydnee Chaffee, shared a vision for leadership that really resonated with me. Good leaders are humble. They listen and empower others. Leadership isn’t about trying to get people to change or to see things your way. It’s about putting values first and creating a space that empowers others and encourages them to grow.
(5) My big questions… What does it mean to provide a global education for young women in particular? How should we be leading our students, as young women, to be global citizens? How can we better partner with our C.S.J. sister schools? 
(6) I want to go IB! I’m convinced that the International Baccalaureatte Programme (1) is way better than A.P. classes, (2) provides a cohesive “big idea”-centered and rigorous curriculum that truly cultivates a global mindset, and (3) is a program we should seriously consider moving forward. It has already packaged so much of what we are trying to do and seems to offer exceptional professional development. We would instantly be tied in with an established network of schools around the world. 

Giving An Assignment Without Specific Requirements Can Produce Amazing Results

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At Carondelet the message I was clearly given was that within the Charism of the CSJ, they had a profound love of God and a love of dear neighbor without distinction. I believe that I’ve seen this embodied by the senior class that I teach, and I wanted to introduce it to my Freshman class.

Each individual student in my Freshman classes were asked to “show” the profound love of God and love of dear neighbor without distinction. I told them that there were now boundaries to how they could show me this. They could use any form of media or any medium that spoke to them. They could use technology, but it wasn’t required. Essentially they were permitted use their gifts to best create an assignment that was individual to themselves, and enlightened the class on how to think outside the box.

I know that this could sound like an assignment without enough direction and that the students would need more information in order to succeed. I am happy to say that these young ladies did the exact opposite. Not every project was outstanding, but the outstanding assignments went so far beyond my imagination, that I wouldn’t have done this differently if I had to do it again.

Four examples I would like to share show the creativeness of the young ladies and very different ways that they achieved the goal of the assignment. The examples that you can see below include a young lady that texted her friends messages of affirmation, The assignment written out in different languages, a video showing concrete ways this assignment can be lived out, and lastly an original composition that was performed in front of the class.