My Best Teachers Were Saints: What Every Educator Can Learn from the Heroes of the Church, by Susan Swetnam. Loyola Press. Printed Length: 298 pages. Kindle Price: $9.99

Dry spells and indifferent students, acrimonious meetings and recalcitrant colleagues, isolation and self-doubt–the stresses of the teaching profession are plentiful. In times of strain, many teachers draw on the wisdom of their mentors, the seasoned teachers who taught them classroom skills and became trusted models and friends. For Susan H. Swetnam, some of the best, most inspiring, and most insightful mentors she has are saints of the Catholic Church–and a remarkable number of these men and women were teachers themselves. In fact, many of the church’s heroes achieved their saintly stature by facing challenges identical to those that teachers face today.

Some of the fifty-two saints described in My Best Teachers Were Saints give lessons on how to overcome the teaching profession’s unique problems; others show today’s teachers how to identify successes that are often quite difficult to discern. All of the saints in this book share one thing in common: they persevered in the educational work that God called them to do. Swetnam brings to life each story of perseverance and makes it easy for today’s educators to discover mentor-companions who can help them rekindle and fortify their passion in the classroom. – Amazon.com

Quest for Shakespeare: The Bard of Avaon and the Church of Rome, by Joseph Pearce. Ignatius Press. Print Length: 367 pages. Kindle Price: $13.17.

Highly regarded and best-selling literary writer and teacher, Joseph Pearce presents a stimulating and vivid biography of the world’s most revered writer that is sure to be controversial. Unabashedly provocative, with scholarship, insight and keen observation, Pearce strives to separate historical fact from fiction about the beloved Bard.

Shakespeare is not only one of the greatest figures in human history, he is also one of the most controversial and one of the most elusive. He is famous and yet almost unknown. Who was he? What were his beliefs? Can we really understand his plays and his poetry if we don’t know the man who wrote them?

These are some of the questions that are asked and answered in this gripping and engaging study of the world’s greatest ever poet. The Quest for Shakespeare claims that books about the Bard have got him totally wrong. They misread the man and misread the work. The true Shakespeare has eluded the grasp of the critics. Dealing with the facts of Shakespeare’s life and times, Pearce’s quest leads to the inescapable conclusion that Shakespeare was a believing Catholic living in very anti-Catholic times.

Many of his friends and family were persecuted, and even executed, for their Catholic faith. And yet he seems to have avoided any notable persecution himself. How did he do this? How did he respond to the persecution of his friends and family? What did he say about the dreadful and intolerant times in which he found himself? The Quest for Shakespeare answers these questions in ways that will enlighten and astonish those who love Shakespeare’s work, and that will shock and outrage many of his critics. This book is full of surprises for beginner and expert alike. – Amazon.com

Through Shakespeare’s Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays, by Joseph Pearce. Ignatius Press. Print Length: 364 pages. Kindle Price: $9.99.

Fulfilling the promise he made in his previous book, The Quest for Shakespeare, bestselling literary writer Joseph Pearce analyzes in this volume three of Shakespeare’s immortal plays – The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet and King Lear – in order to uncover the Bard’s Catholic beliefs.

In The Quest for Shakespeare, which has been made into an EWTN television series, Pearce delved into the known biographical evidence for Shakespeare’s Catholicism. Here the popular and provocative author digs into the plays, which were written and first performed during the English crown-s persecution of Catholics. English history and literature were taught for generations through the prism of English Protestantism. Of late both of these fields have been dominated in universities and academic presses by modern scholars with filters and interpretations of their own. Though the evidence for Shakespeare’s Catholicism has been studied before now, thanks, in part, to the unique contribution of Joseph Pearce, the Bard’s genius is being analyzed in the open air of the public arena, the very place where Shakespeare intended his dramas to entertain and edify. – Amazon.com

Here are some choice quotes from the essays:

The answer, in other words, lies not in writing off popular culture and entertainment as some are inclined to do. Instead, Catholics need to become part of this world and transform it from the inside. – Tony Rossi

Use new media pro-actively; let the Holy Spirit guide you to the allurement of God’s people — as in Hosea 2:14 — in bold and sanctifying contrast to the vast wasteland that clutters the mind and warps the soul. Mount a website, get something on YouTube, pod-cast your sermons, post advice on FaceBook and tweet daily. – Fr. Robert Barron

The Eastern Church has managed nicely with a married clergy for hundreds of years. And I believe the Latin Church will one day adapt the same model: permitting married men to be ordained, but still retaining celibacy as an option (and, most likely, reserving the episcopacy only for those who are celibate, thus ensuring that the Vatican won’t have to contend with the peculiar circumstances of having a Mrs. Pope standing at her husband’s side while he offers a blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s). – Deacon Greg Kandra

Unfortunately, many now know Catholics only by what they oppose: same-sex marriage, women’s ordination, abortion, etc. In the future, let’s be known by what we advocate. Let’s focus on the positive. At the very beginning gushed forth a wellspring of compassionate life so dramatic that centuries haven’t quenched it. Let’s hear that call of Jesus again — to love the “other,” to do justice for the weakest members of our society, to savor the beauties of this world, to serve God magnanimously. – Kathy Coffey

Take a look at all of the essays at the Patheos website.

Alan Grant

I guess the biggest challenge that I’d like to pose to those involved in Catholic schools in particular is we need to work out where the Church can find young people and connect with young people. Traditionally I think we’ve been quite lucky that people have come to the Church and the Church has therefore had that opportunity to connect; now, I think it’s more a case of the Church needing to find these young people and find ways to connect with them. I think young people have that desire still, I don’t think that’s changed, and obviously what the Catholic Church is and has to offer is as rich now and as needed now as it has ever been; but I think there’s less opportunity for connection now, and the Church, I think, has to take the initiative and make those connections. We need to take the Church and take it to young people, encourage young people and give young people opportunities to engage with the Church.

How can we as Catholic educators respond to that challenge? Are we making connections with our students? Are we reaching them where they are at? For instance, how many of our schools have a Facebook page? A Twitter account? Are we communicating via text messaging? These new technologies define the world in which our students live and breath each day.

I disagree with Grant that there’s less opportunity for connection now, but I think he’s dead on about the Church needing to be more proactive with young people. What do you think?

Here’s the full interview:

• Do they worry about being made fun of for appearing too “religious”?
• Are they afraid to raise their hands in class out of fear of being wrong?
• Do they hesitate to come forward and tell you about how they or their friends are being mistreated?
• Is it safer for them to ignore their homework, rather than take the risk that their work might be judged less than perfect?

The following video might be a good way to begin a discussion about the educational value of failure and the importance of taking healthy risks.

Afterward, students could be given one of the following questions to either discuss in small groups, act out in a short skit, or write about:

• What are some risks Jesus took, and what was the result?
• Describe some moments that Jesus’ disciples failed.
• When did you experience failure that ended up being good for you?
• Talk about a time that you took a risk and it paid off.
• Comment on the following: “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived.”

Justin, Curt, Nick and Adam have developed a sensor that “sniffs” out biological changes that occur in a body before a seizure occurs.

There are few things more gut-wrenching than watching your child experience a seizure. Maybe these sixth graders will help contribute to the fight against epilepsy. Great work, boys! And kudos to your teacher.

Check out the full story at MyFoxOrlando.

Cross posted at One Catholic Life.

If you’re not familiar with Diigo or social bookmarking, watch the following video for an explanation. I hope to see you there.

Maddie

Maddie hopes to be a Pre-K teacher someday, just like thousands of other college students. What makes Maddie’s hope unique is, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story:

My favorite line from the video: “She has broadened what I understand as the Body of Christ.” I hope to see Maddie visiting this site some day as a Catholic educator.

Here are some ideas for using the video in the classroom:

• Inspire students to talk about their own limitations and how they can overcome them;
• Show it before beginning a unit on the dignity of all human life;
• Introduce the video before teaching about the US Bishops’ Pastoral Statement on People with Disabilities.

Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk from TeamRCIA on Vimeo.

Okay, so the speech was eight minutes, but the summary didn’t begin until about 3 minutes in. In any case, it’s a terrific distillation of Catholic teaching. It’s simple enough that it could be presented to young children, yet profound enough that it could be meditated upon. Here’s my transcription of just the summary portion of the archbishop’s presentation:

The most important thing in the world is that God is madly in love with us. There’s no reason for it, God just loves us. That’s why there is a world. That’s why each of us is here. God has loved us for a long time, ever since the beginning of human history. And God has never stopped loving us, even when human beings made a mess of things and did their best to forget about God’s love for them.

But that’s not all.

God loves us so much that he wanted to be one of us. In Jesus God became a human being not just to tell us who and what God is, but also to show us who and what we are supposed to be. Jesus was faithful to that mission even when it cost him his life.

But that’s not all.

Jesus is still alive, because his heavenly father wouldn’t let him stay dead. Jesus is with us still and has sent us the Holy Spirit that unites him and the Father to make us live God’s life in addition to our own. To be part of that life, we don’t have to earn it, and we don’t have to deserve it. All we have to do is accept what Jesus offers us, and then act in accord with what he has made us to be.

But that’s not all.

Jesus has established a community of those who have accepted him so that none of us ever needs to be alone. Jesus nourishes that community with himself and he marks every major moment in the life of every member with his personal action in the sacraments.

But even that is not all.

God loves us so much that this life of Jesus that we have been given to share will never end. God wants us with him forever. No matter how confusing and painful our life may be, we have God’s guarantee of final fulfillment. In the most literal sense, God has promised us that everything is going to be all right. God invites us to take constant joy in hope.

But there’s still more.

Because we share the life of Jesus, we share the mission of Jesus. Each of us is called to extend the love and care of the Lord to those around us. We may not seem as individuals to have all that much to offer, but what we do have to offer is eternally important because it’s not just ourselves that we offer, but the Lord Jesus himself. The Lord has chosen to need each one of us to get his work done. Nobody’s life is insignificant.

The long and the short of it is that God is crazy about us, and once we accept that, everything else falls into place.

I’ve interviewed dozens of applicants over the years, and one of the questions we often ask is, “Why do you want to work in a Catholic school?” Here are three responses to avoid:

1. The students are more well-behaved in Catholic schools.
2. Parents are more involved.
3. I like small class sizes.

I have heard all three of these reasons during interviews over the last fifteen years. More than once. The problem is, they totally miss the point of the question. What’s more, they totally miss the point of Catholic education.

Here are three alternative answers to the question, “Why do you want to work in a Catholic school?”

1. Jesus.
2. Jesus.
3. Jesus.

If Jesus is not at the core of our reasons for teaching in a Catholic school, then we have our priorities out of balance.  Jesus has called us to be teachers.  Jesus has given us the ability to touch hearts and minds.  Jesus wants us to bring the Good News to the world. There is no more important reason than that to teach at a Catholic school.

We don’t teach in Catholic schools because it’s easier than teaching in a public school. Catholic schools are not the minor leagues of the academic world.

Catholic schools are where teachers assist parents in fulfilling their sacred mission to tell the Good News to their children. And what is the Good News? Not a what, but a Who: Jesus Christ.

Our goal as Catholic educators should be to so design our lessons, our classroom management, and our lives, that Jesus Christ stands clearly at the front of it all.  He can be found in the novels we choose to teach, the writing prompts we assign, the historical events we study, the natural world we examine.

Street-corner evangelist Frank Sheed once wrote that Catholicism is the union of humanity with God through Jesus.  The goal of every Catholic school teacher is to do everything in his or her power to foster that union.