Happy new academic year! As schools start returning from summer vacation, 34 new recruits to teaching gathered earlier this month at Saint Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt to prayerfully prepare for their frontline role in forming saints and scholars in classrooms across the Diocese of Lansing.
The two-day retreat, August 6-7, was facilitated by the New Teachers Institute, a new initiative of the diocesan Office of Catholic Schools, which has been made possible by your generosity in giving to the Diocese of Lansing’s capital campaign, Scholarship for Saints and Scholars. Thank you. God bless you.
“One of the four pillars of the Scholarship for Saints and Scholars campaign is a recognition of the need to attract, form, train and retain excellent, faithful teachers and administrators if our schools are to be evermore ‘on mission’ in putting Jesus Christ and His Holy Church at the heart of each school community,” explains Tom Maloney, pictured above, Superintendent for Catholic Schools, August 18.
“That is why the New Teacher Institute is so amazing and so necessary – it permits us the time and resources to explain an authentically Catholic vision of education to our new teachers while also forming them in prayer and providing them with community ahead of the new school year.”
Over two days, the new teachers enjoyed sessions on the mission and vision of Catholic education led by Tom Maloney along with the diocese’s two Associate Superintendents for Schools, Mandy Wildern and Steve Vaughan.
The timetable also included a retreat on how to find your identity as a Catholic school teacher which was led by Father Seamus Kettner, Parochial Vicar of Saint Francis, Ann Arbor.
The participating also prayerfully discerned a patron saint for their group which will continue to meet for ongoing formation over the next three school years. The saint chosen was Our Lady of Champion. Just three of the anonymized feedback comments following the course read thus:
"The New Teacher Institute was such a great way to get into the right mindset for the beginning of the school year. Coming from a public school, I felt so inspired and blessed to be joining the Catholic school family," said one new teacher.
"I am very thrilled to be a part of this first cohort of Catholic educators and look forward to learning more as the year progresses," added another new teacher.
"I absolutely loved my time at the retreat. Coming in new to the diocese, I felt the topics and sessions were valuable and reaffirmed my decision. I am excited to come back!" said a third teacher who experienced the event.
After attending the two-day course, the new teachers are now eligible to receive a $1,000 signing bonus from the Diocese using funds from the Stewardship for Saints and Scholars campaign. They will also be eligible for additional $1,000 signing bonuses after attending future new teacher formation and development days, up to a total of $6,000.
* For more on Stewardship for Saints and Scholars, go to: https://stewardshipforsaintsandscholars.com/
