Father Joe: Teachers Know and Serve God Amid the Unknowns

What does it mean to be a teacher in the Alliance for Catholic Education?

This is a simple question that poses a helpful challenge for those thinking about applying to ACE Teaching Fellows—and even for those who are in formation now. Many who have completed their ACE commitment say, “It’s the hardest thing I have ever done, but also the most fulfilling.”

Let us explore this question by reflecting on a Gospel passage from Matthew 4:18 -22.

Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee when he offered an invitation to Simon (who becomes Peter) and his brother Andrew, as well as two other brothers, James and John, calling them to leave their boats and become fishers of people. Notice the invitation is personal. Jesus calls his first followers by name and describes their relationships and their profession.

They are two sets of brothers who work as fishermen. James and John are working with their father. They leave what they know and are comfortable with to follow this person to do something that is unknown to them.

ACE teachers are called to move to a new area of the country, live in community, and teach students. They are sent together, but they may not know the other members of their community. They don’t know all that is entailed in teaching. They have to get to know their students. This is a call to live in the unknown—clearly a challenge for students who have enjoyed the familiar, comfortable and successful aspects of their lives as undergraduates.

A first-year ACE teacher was sent to teach in the South. He was disappointed to learn that most of the students did not care about Math, and it did not take long for him to feel like a failure. He reached out to his students’ parents, asking that they encourage their sons and daughters to do their homework. But most of the parents did not respond either. He began to ask himself, “What am I doing?”

It is important to realize that this ACE teacher and all of his colleagues are like the brothers that Jesus called to leave their nets and follow him. They went into the unknown, and teachers do as well. Responding to the call of Jesus means taking on the attitude of Jesus—namely, a readiness to give everything and a driving concern for the other. This attitude accepts students where they are and motivates a teacher to encourage and inspire.

The follower of Jesus is called to put aside one’s feelings, to show love and compassion toward all students. Jesus’ call to follow him as an ACE teacher invites one to become Christ the Teacher, ready to confront the unknown in every classroom, every day.

Let us pray that many generous men and women will answer the personal invitation to serve children as an ACE teacher, prepared for loving encounters with the unknown. Everyday acts of responsiveness and trust are truly instructive, making God known, loved and served—bringing hope in each moment and a future of fulfillment.

Father Joe Carey, CSC, our ACE chaplain, writes regularly about our commitment to follow Christ in faith and hope. His blog posts focus on connecting our lives as Catholic educators to the call of Christ the Teacher.