Lasallian Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher—SILENCE

(Reflections by Two Seniors on Teachers who epitomize the Virtue of Silence–completed for Ms. Naughton’s Senior Religion Class)

silence

Mr._____ is another teacher who possesses both zeal and patience, but also possesses silence. Mr. _____ is a new teacher at school and he does not speak a whole lot all together, but in his teaching he has a unique method. He gives us a problem and he allows us to solve it on our own. He teaches very little before hand, but he watches us attempt to solve the _____prompt. He allows us to try to teach ourselves, watching us, and then stepping in just as we are at our lowest and need an extra hand.

Mr. _____was my ____ teacher junior year. It was by far the best ____ class in my four years at La Salle (the others were also good so as not to pick favorites). ____ is my least favorite subject and I didn’t like this class because it was entertaining or had people that were funny, but because I understood it. I think that the virtue that Mr. _____has is silence. For those who know him, they know that he is a man of few words and I think that this is what enables him to be such a great teacher. I remember that in each class it was calm. It was a place where you could concentrate and even the loudest of people were quiet. He answered everyone’s question straightforwardly. He didn’t just go around the subject or answer the question in a way that the person who asked it forgot their question trying to figure out the answer the teacher gave them. He listened and always made sure that everyone was truly okay. He also didn’t put people on the spot. He always tried to make it a little interesting.  However, those who have taken his class might also realize that he is a little sarcastic but in a funny subtle way, which made the class not boring. I think that Mr. _____’s ability to be silent allowed him to really teach in a way all his students could learn.

 

 

THE TWELVE VIRTUES OF A GOOD TEACHER

In 1706, John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, listed twelve virtues of a good teacher in his Conduct of the Christian Schools. In 1785, Brother Agathon, the fifth superior general of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, reissued the list in a much longer letter titled The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher. His letter was widely distributed for many years, and even up until the 1930s, a number of Catholic colleges used it as a text in education classes.   (Saint Mary’s Press)

12 virtues

Lasallian Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher—GENTLENESS

 (Reflections by Four Seniors on Teachers who epitomize the Virtue of Gentleness–completed for Ms. Naughton’s Senior Religion Class)

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Mrs. _____ is just by far the sweetest, most loving human I have ever had the pleasure to meet and have. One of her best virtues (there are many!) is gentleness. To have the virtue of Gentleness is to be sensitive towards others, tender to everyone’s thoughts and situations, and just be a good person in general. Mrs. _____embodies this virtue and truly deserves any recognition she gets for being an amazing woman. She was never mean to me, once. Like, legitimately, I have never seen her mad. She is so sweet to everyone, even the kids that aggravate her (me sometimes) and she never holds anything against you, even if you have messed up. She will go to the end of the earth to help you excel in her class and she will give you anything you need if she can. Now, I really don’t understand why bad things happen to the most amazing people. I do however know she is one of the most passionate and loving teachers I have had. During one of my rough school years (they are all kinda rough), she was there for me and always listened when I was telling her about things happening to me. The amazing thing about her is that she will always give you help and if you want, a hug :’-). You could be the worst human on earth and I think Mrs. _____ would still manage to like you and help you any way she can. She is like my mom too. I know I can count on her and she knows she can count on me if she needs anything.

Another teacher is Ms. _____.  She was my teacher sophomore year and this year. Her class is one that I enjoy very much. I think that the way she teaches allows her students to really know what the subject is about. I think that Ms. _____ has the virtue of gentleness. In the classroom there are many kids who like to talk every once in a while and that much talking I think would make a person really upset but everyday she calmly asks for silence or waits. I see her in the hallways all the time and when she sees me she always says hi and she remembers my name. These are small ways of showing gentleness but none the less it shows it. She also shows gentleness in the way that she treats the students. There are some topics in _____ that not everyone agrees on and when someone disagrees with others she allows them to. Some teachers would try to perhaps sway the child in the direction they think is right. However Ms. _____ allows the person to know what she believes and she makes people feel as though it is okay to say what they think in the class. I feel as though Ms. _____ is one of the those teachers that if I needed to talk to her about something I could go to her.

Mrs. _____ was yet another teacher that I’ve had during my career as a student that exemplifies a particular quality on this list. I had her for both freshman religion as well as half a year of sophomore year, which focused primarily on the Old Testament. It is throughout this year and a half long relationship that it came to my attention how gentle of a person she was. Everything she said and did was executed with the kindest demeanor you will ever see. This is not to say that she was afraid to reprimand her students. In fact she did this quite often. Many members of my class were rowdy and arguably disrespectful. I was among them. It wasn’t rare to see me after class with Mrs. _____, being disciplined because of my childish disruptions. Never once throughout our 18 month tenure did she ever break in her gentle way of speaking. She disciplined her students, but in the kindest possible way. It was almost the way that a mother would reprimand her kids, but at the same time, not nearly as creepy as the way that analogy sounds. She never forced her students to learn, but we eventually got to a point that we listened simply because we didn’t want to upset such a kind woman.

 

When discussing the virtue of gentleness, the first person that comes to mind is Mrs. _____. I never had her as a _____teacher, but she was my freshman homeroom teacher. At the beginning of my time at La Salle, things were very difficult outside of school and I needed someone to lean on in my time of need. I found that person to be Mrs. _____. She was there and has been there for all four years of my time here, giving me the right advice I need— “judgements without harshness or emotion.” She never judged me for the things that I know she had never experienced and she spoke to me like I was equal to her despite her supposed superiority. She has always been a friend to me and made sure that I survived my difficult yet exciting four years at La Salle. Without Mrs. _____, I would have most likely transferred at the end of my freshman year when I had doubts about this school. She supported me and never once did I feel a judgement or a negative vibe from her. Mrs. _____ is a very good woman at heart and I know for a fact that this is universally known in the La Salle community

THE TWELVE VIRTUES OF A GOOD TEACHER

In 1706, John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, listed twelve virtues of a good teacher in his Conduct of the Christian Schools. In 1785, Brother Agathon, the fifth superior general of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, reissued the list in a much longer letter titled The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher. His letter was widely distributed for many years, and even up until the 1930s, a number of Catholic colleges used it as a text in education classes.   (Saint Mary’s Press)

12 virtues

Lasallian Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher—VIGILANCE

 (Reflections by Three Seniors on Teachers who epitomize the Virtue of Vigilance–completed for Ms. Naughton’s Senior Religion Class)

Vigilance

Mr. _____ has the virtue of Vigilance. He is always watchful of me and pays attention to my life, inside and outside of school. When I see him in the halls he always greets me with “How are you doing, _____?” He is always concerned with my well being and my daily life. He would always call me down to his office every now and again to check in and help me with anything that I need. During college applications, Mr. _____ was always vigilant over me and helped me step by step to get through it. He always has a watchful eye for his students and is always helpful even when you don’t expect it.

 

Mr. _____ (my gym teacher) is extremely representative of the virtue of vigilance – during fitness class, Mr. _____ would always watch over us to make sure that we were doing each workout correctly – not only for our safety but also so that we could all get the proper workout that we all enrolled in fitness to achieve. Mr. _____ left no student behind, and always kept an eye out to see who he could help.

 

Another teacher would have to be Mrs. _____, the science teacher, and her virtue is vigilance. Even though a lot of students say they hate her, she is just looking out for everyone, making sure our shirts are tucked in, and making sure we are doing the right things. I have her as a teacher for biotech this year and we do a lot of labs and when we do the labs she is watching over all of us because she wants us to get it right and feel good about ourselves when we get the right results. She seems to genuinely care about us now and in our future, showing us what to do when we mess up and letting us learn from our mistakes when we do a little thing wrong. She seems to be the leader of the pack and we are the cubs; we watch what she does then try to replicate it.  She showed us how to pipette and showed us little tips and tricks that we could use to help us in the future. She makes sure we are all dressed proper and if we show respect for her she respects us back and doesn’t treat us like children.  She treats us like people who want to learn.

 

THE TWELVE VIRTUES OF A GOOD TEACHER

In 1706, John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, listed twelve virtues of a good teacher in his Conduct of the Christian Schools. In 1785, Brother Agathon, the fifth superior general of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, reissued the list in a much longer letter titled The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher. His letter was widely distributed for many years, and even up until the 1930s, a number of Catholic colleges used it as a text in education classes.   (Saint Mary’s Press)

12 virtues

Lasallian Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher–ZEAL

(Reflections by Four Seniors on Teachers who epitomize the Virtue of Zeal–completed for Ms. Naughton’s Senior Religion Class)

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Ms. _____ is my English teacher last year and this year. She is my spirit animal to say the least because I think I will be just like her when I get older. She has the Virtue of Zeal and she makes that evident every day that I have had her class. She starts off every class by yelling, “Good morning ladies and gentlemen! It’s a pleasure to see you today!” if only to wake up all those students who were planning on falling asleep in her class. I have to say that I cannot think of one class where I was completely bored. She teaches material that can be very dry at sometimes with zeal and makes it so that all of her students are involved with discussing and analyzing the stories or material. At times she will act out what is happening in a Shakespearean play so that the class can have a better understanding of what was going on. She has more than once sparked my interest in the books and stories that she makes my class read because her passion for the literature is so contagious. I have to say she is probably at the top of my list of teachers who have the virtue of Zeal.

Mr. _____ (my 9th Grade English teacher) is extremely representative of the virtue of zeal. Freshman year, Mr. _____ underscored the importance of creative writing, and he made it clear throughout the year when we had to do numerous creative writing assignments in his class – these ranged from creating our very own Frankenstein monster, to rewriting a chapter of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, to writing our own haiku’s. Each day that assignments like those were due, Mr. _____ would praise each and everyone of us for our writings, and he’d tell us what he liked about each one. It was this kind of attitude that sparked my interest in writing, and it eventually led me to today, when I can say I am proudly going to college next year with a major in Television WRITING.

Mrs. _____ is one of the most dedicated people who I know. Mrs. _____is dedicated to her students, the theater, and her family. She treats her students as if they were her own children, and though she often wants to yell at us, she never does. Mrs. _____ possesses zeal in her teaching because on late nights during the shows, she makes the sacrifice to be there late away from her baby. She stays with us miserable kids up in the booth so that she can make sure that everyone performing looks good on stage. She also makes the sacrifice to come in the mornings for WLSA meetings, and she sits with me and critiques my work. On my music video, which was the hardest thing I had ever directed, shot, or edited, and frankly I thought it to be garbage, Mrs._____ heard me say all this for months. I wouldn’t let her watch it; I thought it was so bad. She did and told me that it was great; she went through and told me everything that was good about it and would not acknowledge any of the bad I saw in it. Mrs. _____ is committed to having her students succeed, and makes sure of that despite our worst work.  She finds the good in all that we do.

Lastly, I realized the virtue of zeal is extremely present in Mr. _____ and his teaching methods. In the video it states that the definition of zeal is ‘a strong feeling of interest or enthusiasm that makes one eager or determined to do something.’ Although physics is most certainly my weakest subject, Mr. _____ does his absolute best to include everyone in such an enthusiastic manner. He knows that I struggle with the material, so he does many interactive activities to truly help me understand the physics concepts that he teaches. His classroom is so vibrant and full of laughter that it makes me truly want to participate and show him that I really am trying. His is one of the most animated teachers I have and if anyone were to walk into his classroom they could see that and feel the “electricity” that runs through him and his students. I know for a fact that without his teaching methods and enthusiasm to teach, I would’ve lost interest and the drive due to the fact that I struggle immensely with physics. Instead, he fills the classroom with laughter and smiles and makes sure that we want to learn even though it may not be the easiest thing. I appreciate him for the effort he puts in, therefore I put in as much effort as possible.

THE TWELVE VIRTUES OF A GOOD TEACHER

In 1706, John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, listed twelve virtues of a good teacher in his Conduct of the Christian Schools. In 1785, Brother Agathon, the fifth superior general of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, reissued the list in a much longer letter titled The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher. His letter was widely distributed for many years, and even up until the 1930s, a number of Catholic colleges used it as a text in education classes.   (Saint Mary’s Press)

12 virtues

Lasallian Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher—WISDOM

(Reflections by Seniors on Teachers who epitomize the Virtue of Wisdom–completed for Ms. Naughton’s Senior Religion Class)

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The wisdom that Mr. ____ possesses is something that I found quite incredulous- it is even something I recognized the first time I spoke with him. As I had my first conversation with Mr. _____, I realized that Mr. _____ is one of those people who listens to everything you have to say, ponders it, and then offers you the best advice through his knowledge, experience, and judgement. He always knows the right thing to say- and for this, he is wise. His constant guidance, opinion, and input always helps me make the right decision. Mr. _____’s insight is so reassuring, and that’s why numerous people often see him just to chat, especially when they may be going through tough times at home. Although I have only known Mr. _____ since last year, I am so glad that he was welcomed into my life. He’s always there for me, especially when I simply just need someone to listen. I always know where to find him and I am forever grateful that his wisdom has helped me choose the right paths in my high school decisions.

Coach _____ was really the first adult at La Salle that I met. I met him the beginning of the summer before my sophomore year at summer practices. And from that hot day in late June he made an impact on me. To me the virtue he exemplifies is wisdom. Although he is not very old, he is very wise, and probably one of the people I know that commands and receives the most respect. I really have not met a lot of people that dislike Coach _____. I know many that are afraid of him, but no one dislikes him, or has anything negative to say about him. Being a player of his I can attest that although his job is to win games his primary priority is that his players leave the field and leave La Salle a better man. He understands his players and the struggles that we deal with being teenagers in this day and age. He knows where we fall down and fall into temptations because he too is not perfect yet he has learned from past mistakes, and wants to instruct us on how to avoid them. He is not out there to show off or to win any awards; he is truly out there to make us better people. He preaches about family, about school, about sports, about friendship, love, and he says that we need to want to be above average. If we strive for average we will get average. In all areas of our life. He is huge on the principle of consistency and says that it is the single most challenging thing to do, to be consistently positive and good. He speaks about character, and how the real definition is what we are when nobody’s looking. He doesn’t sugar coat things, and because he is sometimes harsh, we as kids, who often don’t listen to adults, get his messages, and they really stick, at least with me. His wisdom has made me a better person I feel, not because it has literally changed and formed me into something better, but because it has made me aware of myself and his messages are always in my head, encouraging me to do the best I can in all areas of life. That is why I feel Coach _____ is very wise.

Next, wisdom is a definite when it came to Mr. _____’s  English class sophomore year. I absolutely adore English, and everything that comes with it, but he opened my eyes wide every time I set foot into his classroom. I learned so much more that just how to write, analyze books and form a sentence. Whether it was a mini history lesson, a life lesson or just a talk about his family, I learned something new everyday. It was amazing. There was always some type of wisdom that he passed onto his students each and everyday. Of course, I also learned a ton of English in the class also. This particular class made me finalize my decision of wanting to be a High School English teacher. I was always thinking about such a career, but Mr. _____ put that into perspective. His innate wisdom that he so unknowingly shared everyday made such an imprint on my life. I’ve thanked him many times, but he just thinks he was doing his job. Yet he has done so much more than just his job.

THE TWELVE VIRTUES OF A GOOD TEACHER

In 1706, John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, listed twelve virtues of a good teacher in his Conduct of the Christian Schools. In 1785, Brother Agathon, the fifth superior general of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, reissued the list in a much longer letter titled The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher. His letter was widely distributed for many years, and even up until the 1930s, a number of Catholic colleges used it as a text in education classes.   (Saint Mary’s Press)

12 virtues

Bringing Our Questions to God

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Wednesday morning, 27 May 2015)

Good morning.

Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of a loving God.

I once heard that teachers are asked hundreds of questions in any given day. So, last week, I decided to try and count how many I was asked from the time I arrived at school to the time I left.

questions

While this enterprise was shamefully unscientific, probably not very accurate, and overall pretty stupid, it did make me think. And it did make some of my freshmen very curious, seeing me jotting down seemingly everything they said in a petite blue notebook.

My grand total was somewhere around 215 questions – but I know I missed at least a few dozen throughout the day. And those were only questions asked out loud… email inquiries didn’t count.

I was already at nearly 40 questions before homeroom had even ended… woah.

Here’s a sampling:

Do you have tissues?
Do you purposely pick the tissue box patterns that match the stuff on your desk?
What would happen if I just didn’t come to school again until exam week?
Do you think that if you ate hand lotion, you’d die?
How much hand lotion do you think you’d have to eat before you’d die?

You can probably imagine some of the questions from the rest of the day. For instance: Can I go to the bathroom? We teachers get that one a lot.

Then there were the generic questions: How are you, what class is first today, do we have homework tonight, etc.

Then there were questions unique to the situations and personalities that each class period presented:

Do you have a glue stick?
Do you have a band-aid?
Did Gene really push Finny out of the tree on purpose?
Was Gatsby a bootlegger after all?
Did you grade our research papers yet?
Do you have any snacks I can eat?

When my students caught on that I was writing down everything they asked, you can imagine the field day they had. At one point, during period B, I had to close my little blue book and threaten a quiz because my hand was ready to fall off from trying to keep up with capturing their inquiries.

How many questions are you at now?
What’s the meaning of life?
Is the final exam going to be hard?
Why is the sky blue?

While most of these questions had answers, and pretty simple ones, answers I knew, some of them did not.

This past Sunday, the church commemorated Pentecost. And I can’t help thinking about the Disciples, who, throughout so much of their journey with Jesus, were full of questions of their own.

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And, even when Jesus tried to give them answers, they were probably like… huh? What? I don’t get it.
Jesus is often referred to and depicted as the consummate teacher. But I can imagine that sometimes his “lesson plans” didn’t always go smoothly. And in this I find some solace. What if, for example, Jesus wanted to move on to a lecture on loving the poor, but his disciples just couldn’t get past the “fishers of men” bit. Is that a metaphor? Or do you really want us to go fishing?

Jesus-the-Teacher

And… let’s be honest. The Holy Spirit? It’s still hard for us to fathom, even with centuries of church doctrine to help us. If someone told you that you were going to receive a gift, a bunch of gifts, 7 to be exact, but that they’d sort of be invisible, and so would the giver, but also maybe the giver would be like a dove, but also like a fire, which if you know anything about literature, those things have pretty different symbolic meanings… you’d have a lot of questions too.

And that’s where prayer comes in. Sometimes, more important than answers we receive, is bringing our questions to God.

God questions

Let us pray.

Lord, help us never to be afraid to ask questions, and keep us open enough to your presence in our lives to hear the answers you are giving us.

St. John Baptist de la Salle….

Pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts….

Forever!

Julianne Frega–English Teacher

One Day–One Moment–One Decision

(Prayer offered on the intranet and the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Friday morning, 22 May 2015)

Let us remember we are in the holy presence of a loving God.

The six women in that video used to be mothers—three of them are mothers whose children have been adopted victims of La Salle Academy. Everyday they thought of their children’s futures. They imagined them growing up to be the amazing people they had always prayed for them to be. But in one day, one moment, all of those dreams were taken away.

The lives of those people were taken from them, from one bad decision. Not just a decision they chose to make, but one that someone else did.

Think about all the great things you want to do in your future and the family that you want to have. The places you want to go and the people you want to be. Those people were never able to experience that. Just because of one bad decision. Its not always you that makes the destructive decision, but someone else, and you could be in harm’s way.

Let us pray: Lord, give us the gift of wisdom to know right from wrong. We pray for the mothers in the video and all people who have lost loved ones due to the destructive decisions of another person. Keep us holy and safe in your care. Amen.

St John Baptist de La Salle………………………..pray for us!
Live Jesus in our hearts…………………………..forever!

Courtney Caccia and Gabriella Celico—Class of 2018 and SADD members 

When I Have Nothing Left to Give

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Prayer When You Have Nothing Left to Give
Lord, I have nothing left to give.
I’m exhausted and worn out.
Yet so many still ask for more.
Grant me that last ounce of strength
that sustained you on the cross
and allowed you to give
one last word of forgiveness,
that I may be gentle
with others and with myself.
And when that too is spent,
help me stay present even in my emptiness,
and let my presence be
the first and last gift
I have to give.
Amen.
—Diana Macalintal, The Work of Your Hands
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A suggestion from Father Michael Najim–Academy Chaplain

Thank You, Seniors

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Wednesday morning, 20 May 2015–the last day of classes for the Seniors)

Let us remember…we are in the holy presence of God.

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Over the past few days , we have heard many of our seniors lead us in morning prayer. As I listened to their beautiful reflections about their experiences here at La Salle I was moved by each of them. Although they talked about many aspects of their high school careers, I couldn’t help but notice that the underlying message in all the prayers was that they were thankful–thankful for the relationships they have built and the individuals that have touched their lives.

Thankfulness

For a moment, let us turn the tables and thank the the Class of 2015 for their contributions to our school community. An amazing and talented class, I could thank them for their academic achievements, their athletic championships, their outstanding theater productions, or their strong leadership skills, but that is not what this senior class holds dear. These are only the fruits of their labor.

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Seniors, we thank you for the many lessons we have learned from you. As individuals, your willingness to grow and to be open to new ideas and situations is an asset to all of you. Your collective energy and enthusiasm has made a lasting impression upon our faculty and staff and our underclassmen. You have inspired us with your intuitive sense of what it means to be a part of a community, and we are continually impressed with the compassion and kindness that you show one another. Your loyalty to one another and to La Salle Academy has been a gift to all who have witnessed it.

loyalty

Let us pray,

Loving Father, Let us give thanks for this amazing community and all the blessings that come with it. As the seniors so eloquently prayed, we pray too that you help us see more clearly those in our lives that care for us and remind us to say thank you to them. We pray in a special way for the Class of 2015 as they finish their time here at the Academy. Give them confidence as they take their exams and keep them safe as they enjoy all of their senior activities. Dear Father hold them close to you as they begin their new journeys. Remind them always of what together they built here, and give them courage and zeal to go from La Salle to create new communities of love and loyalty always serving in your name. Amen.

following jesus

St John Baptist de La Salle…pray for us

Live Jesus in our Hearts…Forever.

Wynter Kelly–Dean of the Class of 2015