Dear Friends,
We've come to the beginning of another school year. I've opined that school shouldn't start until the day after Labor Day. Part of the reason for my assertion is that the beginning of the school year implicitly signals the end of the summer, and I prefer to extend the summer as long as possible. While most students may claim they don't want to go back to school, I think most are ready and maybe even excited to go back to school. I know I was always happy to go back to school: being at school allowed me to be around my friends everyday. I may look young, but most of my classmates didn't have a cell phone until they were seniors in high school—I didn't have one at all—and the iPhone was still a few years away, so we weren't in constant contact with each other.
I taught freshmen theology at St. Mary Central Catholic High School in Sandusky for a year on top of my priestly duties at the parishes, and my students from that year just graduated and are moving into college now. That year of teaching was challenging, frustrating, but also very rewarding. Without a doubt, I learned that teachers work hard. A single lesson each day requires hours of preparation. While students could be apathetic at times, especially at the end of the day, the interaction with the students was the best part. I've joked that freshmen are a lot like kindergartners: one my students asked for my class notes, and when I pressed the class about them not taking notes, their response was that I never told them everyday to take notes!
As we begin a new school year, I pray that God bless all students and teachers of all schools, catechists, and parents. May they all be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord. May the students learn to seek, know, and appreciate truth, goodness, and beauty. Through coming to know the Truth, may all students, teachers, catechists, and parents better come to know Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Life, and the Truth. Have a great week and school year!
In Christ,
Fr. Matt