Teaching ministry brings sisters into the classroom

By Kenny Keane, Globe staff reporter
Posted January 23, 2003

There was a time when the presence of a sister in a Catholic school classroom was almost a given. Those times are long gone for most schools in the Sioux City Diocese, but there are still a few schools that offer their students the opportunity to have a sister as a teacher.

This is not to say that these schools are better in any way just because they have sisters within their walls, it's just that they offer something unique in this day and age.

"There are a lot of things that come to mind initially when you mention that you have someone of that vocation working within your district," said Kristy Liechti, principal of Danbury Catholic School. "We happen to have two sisters, and their work here is outstanding. They have a wide knowledge base in Catholicism, which definitely adds to the children's intake and learning process."

Sister Jane Conrad, PBVM, and Sister Ellen Mary Garrett, PBVM, are the two sisters who teach at Danbury Catholic, and Liechti said they are very committed to the work they do.

"Whenever you ask them to do something they're very compliant and do their work very well," she said. "I think that's very evident in their vocation area. They've been trained, so to speak, and have been taught that obedience is one of the vows they take, and that comes through very clear.

"What better way to illustrate or to model that for our kids? It's an experience that all children should be able to have."

For those sisters who chose the teaching ministry, it seems to be a decision without regret.

Her religious vows were the primary influence for Sister Jane's decision to become a teacher. She said she chose the teaching order to work with children, specifically on their reading skills so that no child would ever leave her classroom without learning to read.

She said that Danbury Catholic is very unique because they are able to work one-on-one with the students.

"I really feel the parents promote the value of education here, and they really want their children to have a Catholic education. We can provide that here in a small setting," said Sister Jane, who teaches first and second grade. "Our children leave us, after sixth grade, being put into a group of 60 to 80 kids in the public school, and they rank anywhere between the middle to the upper range of academics.

"So I really believe the smallness makes a major difference. It puts them ahead because they have more opportunities to explore and have one-on-one attention when needed."

Sister Ellen, a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher, said she chose to teach mostly because she had good teachers, especially in high school. She appreciated what they were trying to do and wanted to emulate them.

As for the advantages of teaching in a Catholic school, she said she enjoys the fact that she is able to incorporate the Gospel teachings and values into everything.

"You can relate it to things that are going on in the world through the newspaper and TV - things that the children have seen," she said. "Basically, you can practice your religion through decision making on how you feel about these issues that are happening."

For Sister Mary Barbara Rosener, OSF, she knew from the time she babysat that she worked well with children, which made her decision to teach an easy one.

"When I went to the convent, we only had a choice to be a teacher or a nurse," she said. "They put me in a classroom with 50 kids when I was 20 years old, and I did a wonderful job. So I knew that God had put me where I should be whether I thought about it or not."

She is currently located in the second-grade classroom at Holy Cross School in Vail, and although see has now taught for over 30 years, she said she still feels as effective today as she did when she started teaching.

"My methods are always to attend workshops and pick up the good things from the workshops but never let go of something that has worked," Sister Barbara said. "The priest that was here before said, 'Sister Barbara could even teach a frog to read.' So my reputation as being an outstanding teacher and making sure all my students who pass through are excellent readers when I get through has been a strong point in my teaching."

Sister Rosalie Erdmann, SLW, a religion teacher at Heelan High School in Sioux City, said she used to pretend she was a teacher when she was in grade school. So for her, teaching is not a job, but rather something she enjoys.

"This is what I like, and that's one of the reasons why I stayed with it. The day I don't like teaching, I'm out. I think if you can enjoy what you're doing it makes a world of difference in how you live your life."

The principal of St. Mary School in Humboldt, Sister Louise Scieszinski, PBVM, said she chose the teaching ministry because she wanted to be part of the whole mission of education in the church.

"I see the role of principal as facilitating teachers' work in instruction of children," she said. "I see working with parents as extremely crucial to Catholic education.

"So the mission of evangelization in the direct instruction of our faith and providing an instructional program where those faith values can permeate the entire curriculum and all the experiences of the children seems to me an effective way to make the name of Jesus known and loved."