From the Field: Julianne Corroto

At a time when teachers are the whipping post for all that ails America's schools, Julianne Corroto (ACE 18) brings hope, embodying as she does the Holy Cross ideal to educate, expand, and enlighten minds and hearts.

"I lead my students from behind," writes the teacher in ACE STT cohort 18, "supporting, encouraging, sometimes shouting directions to those at the head of the pack." Covering 8th grade science, 10th grade religion, and high school chemistry, Julianne also seeks to lead by example. "I learned really quickly," she says, "that sophomores in my morality class are more likely to watch me than they are to actually listen!"

Ultimately, her aim is to help students find—and use—their gifts, and Julianne attests to the importance of doing this in the context of a Catholic school classroom. "We talk about faith, vocation, life-plans, God at work in our lives--on an almost daily basis," she says. "Hopefully I inspire [my students] to do more than just pass chemistry: to problem solve, to look and listen for God, to find life in service, to love our neighbors, and to ultimately be the people that God created them to be."

Julianne's students frequently ask her if she likes teaching at their small Mississippi school. Her answer is always the same: "I love it." She tells us, "The other day one asked me why I didn't go to medical school or become a researcher to find the cure for cancer. And another student chimed in, 'She's here to teach us how to find the cure for cancer!'"

Julianne Corroto, a teacher with hope to bring, is pictured above with her housemates, also ACE teachers in Biloxi. Learn more ACE Teaching Fellows program here.