New Jersey Teacher Embraces Community through English Language Learning

Saint Cecilia Catholic School in Camden, NJ, is permeated by what the students and faculty like to call a “Beatitude Attitude.” No one encapsulates that phrase better than Charlotte Brown Perez, the school’s resource teacher and a member of the 10th cohort in ACE’s English as a New Language (ENL) certification program.

Even though the local community is afflicted by poverty and violence, Perez’s school is part of its own small community that works against those negative influences.

“When the parishes were no longer able to support the schools financially,” Perez explained, “the diocesan school leaders decided to pool their resources.”

Today, the five Catholic Partnership Schools of Camden maintain their unique identities and traditions, but work hand in hand to advance the mission of Catholic education.

Even before teaching English, Perez was responsible for supporting the learning of all students as her school’s resource teacher. Many Catholic schools lack the means to support various forms of differentiated instruction, so her presence is a blessing to all.

“My lesson plan book looks like an intricately woven tapestry of grades and subjects,” Perez said. “I might be teaching seventh grade math and fourth grade reading during the same period, or eighth grade writing and fifth grade social studies the same block.”

There is no doubt that Perez’s work helps alleviate any stigma against students with special needs. Children at Saint Cecilia have come to embrace the notion that everyone learns a little differently. Perez particularly loves how she is able to empower and encourage parents.

“I get to see parents who were told their child ‘can’t’ and tell them ‘they can, and they did!” Perez said. “How amazing is that?”

Saint Cecilia, like many Catholic schools in urban areas, is full of minority and immigrant students who need extra instruction in English in order to thrive academically and socially. Perez’s particular role at Saint Cecilia did not, until recently, involve teaching English to non-native speakers. A few years ago, a colleague asked for her help during a summer ENL program, and she fell in love.  It was a smooth transition from helping her special education students to helping non-native English speakers, as the underlying principles—justice and equal dignity—are the same.

As much as Perez loves her students, though, her background as an educator was not always sufficient to help them learn English.

“My lack of formal training was preventing me from being as effective as possible,” she said.

The ENL program at the University of Notre Dame was just what Perez needed. She wanted a program that would allow her to teach—and learn—with a holistic view of her students’ lives in mind. Many of them have experienced very difficult situations, and the non-native speakers are no exception. ACE’s ENL program was a Catholic institution, she knew, designed particularly to form and educate leaders in Catholic schools.

“I am so thankful that I can talk about religion when comforting students who have experienced trauma,” Perez said. “I'm not sure I'd be able teach without talking about faith.”

Today, Perez is better equipped with skills and strategies to be an effective ENL and special education teacher, but she has always been a powerful presence in her students’ lives because of her advocacy and love.

“I pray every day that those students feel validated, that they know how special they are to know two languages, and that they know how important their cultural traditions are,” she said. “My goal in Catholic education is for all students to thrive academically, socially, and spiritually.”