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Happening ... in the Local Church
 From
left are Kathy Brinson, Cristina Jones, Karen Moore and Joan McKinley.
Each of the four women has taught at St. Lawrence School in Muncie for
30 years or more. “We have a lot of continuity and it’s really
wonderful,” Principal Lynn Ranieri said. (Photo provided) |
By Kevin Cullen
The
Catholic Moment
MUNCIE — They have seen pastors and principals come and go. They have experienced the rise of the Internet. With knowledge, faith and love, they have shaped the lives of hundreds of students.
Cristina Jones, Kathy Brinson, Karen Moore and Joan McKinley have taught at St. Lawrence School for 30 years or more. They and their colleagues will be honored May 3-7 during Teacher Appreciation Week.
“Whenever I mention retiring, someone will say, ‘I have a son in preschool; could you wait until he is out of fourth grade?’” said Jones, who has taught fourth grade for 34 of her 35 years at the school. “Every time I get ready to retire, someone wants me to wait.”
In today’s mobile world, it’s rare for co-workers to know such deep, long-term bonds, said Principal Lynn Ranieri, who has worked at the school for 20 years herself.
“We have a lot of continuity, and it’s really wonderful,” Ranieri said. “They obviously are all excellent teachers or they wouldn’t still be here. It makes a huge difference in the quality of education. Everyone has worked together so long so the teachers are very familiar with what the other teachers are teaching as the children travel from one class to another. It’s easier for them, and more comfortable for the children.”
St. Lawrence is small and family-oriented, with a strong Catholic identity, Ranieri said. The veteran teachers have taught the children and grandchildren of some of their first students.
The women are more than professional colleagues, she said. They are friends outside of class, in parish activities, even “at the pool in the summer. It’s nice … we really like each other.”
When Jackie Davis attended St. Lawrence, she had Jones, Brinson, Moore and McKinley as teachers. Now she has two daughters at St. Lawrence: Emma, a second-grader, and Molly, a pre-kindergartener.
“Mrs. Jones, McKinley, Moore and Brinson are more than just teachers,” she said. “They have been role models, mentors, educators and friends. They not only guarantee all of the curricula is covered; they bring it to life, ensuring that all of the students have an understanding and context and they illustrate how to incorporate the information into everyday life.
“They are there with answers, a stern warning, a smile, a prayer and a hug. These things are available to all of the students at St. Lawrence … making certain that no child is left behind.”
In interviews, the four teachers looked back over their decades of service to the children and families of St. Lawrence.
“I just loved everybody here ... I am so blessed”
A
native of Atlanta, Jones taught in a public school in Georgia, and in a
Catholic school in Ohio, before her husband was transferred to Muncie in
1974. She preferred Catholic schools, and applied at St. Lawrence. She was
hired, and never left.
“I taught fifth grade one year, and the rest has been the fourth,” she said. “I had several offers to go to other schools, but I just loved everybody here. The families are so nice. I am so blessed.”
She said she values friendly co-workers. She has worked with the same first-grade teacher for 33 years. They’re friends, part of a team.
“I have friendships with parents and former students that will last,” she said.
Jones said she also likes the ability to teach Catholic values throughout the day. Masses are celebrated in the school three times a week.
“Even in math class, we talk about religion and how we all need to work together, and how some people do things better than others, so we all need to help one another,” Jones said.
The parents, she said, are consistently supportive. She sees many of them every day.
“I can talk to them. They come in whenever I send a note,” she said.
Children have changed. She said they’re amazingly computer-savvy and “more creative because there are so many more ways to be creative.”
“It is like a family here ...”
Moore
had attended Catholic schools in Evansville before moving to Muncie — and a
public high school — when she was a senior. “It was a rude awakening,” she
said.
The Ball State graduate was hired to teach the third grade at St. Lawrence 33 years ago. Four years later, she switched to first grade, and stayed.
“I like the younger kids,” Moore said. “They seem more respectful, easy-going and loving, not to say the other boys and girls are not. They are just beginning their education. I enjoy teaching them how to read and do math. They are very excited and willing to do what you ask.”
As for the faculty, “it is like a family here, and it seems that we all get along like a family. We enjoy going to work and being here. It is not really like a job,” she said.
Moore said she always valued the “open door” policy of the principals, and great parents. She has nine students this year, but she has had as many as 27.
“We try to put Christ first,” she said. “Christ-centered education is our model and our mission. It is blended throughout the entire curriculum.”
Her two daughters attended St. Lawrence, as did two grandsons. She had one of her daughters in her class.
“She called me ‘Mrs. Moore’ here, and ‘Mom’ at home,” she said.
“I can’t imagine being anywhere else”
Originally
from LaPorte, Brinson graduated from Ball State and taught at St. Mary
School in Anderson before joining the St. Lawrence faculty. She has taught
second grade all 33 years.
“I thought (the school) was a good fit, considering my faith and upbringing,” Brinson said. “I felt that I could help the kids learn more about their faith. I guess I always felt that the kids in the Catholic schools were a little more motivated to learn and that the discipline was better.”
The teachers know each others’ strengths and work together well.
“We know how to call on each other if need be, and we know that they will be there for us,” she said. ‘We are more than just colleagues. We like to be with each other, and do things outside school together, in the parish.”
She said she enjoys teaching her second-graders about the sacraments, and infusing God’s presence into all of the subjects.
“God is always there, even when we talk about our responsibility to the earth,” Brinson said. “I ask, ‘What would Jesus do?’ and reinforce to the kids how important we are in God’s plan.”
She praised the parents for their willingness to go above and beyond, whether it’s helping in the classroom or assisting with field trip.
Both of her children are St. Lawrence graduates.
“I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” she said.
“We have always shared”
McKinley,
a Muncie native and Ball State University graduate, has taught kindergarten
at St. Lawrence for 30 years.
Her father went to St. Lawrence School, but she attended St. Mary School.
Initially, she expected to work one year. But when the regular teacher decided not to return after her maternity leave, McKinley got the job permanently.
Kindergarten was “a grade I really wanted,” she said. “I just love the age. They are still a little on the babyish side, with one foot in the door of being grown up. They want to learn. Everything is new and fresh.”
She has had as many as 25 in her class. This year she has 13.
“I like the people I work with,” she said. “You know the names of all the students. Both of my children went through St. Lawrence, and I have had the children of several former students.”
Kindergarteners today tend to be more outspoken than they were 30 years ago, more “grown up,” more worldly, she said.
“I think they are inside too much, and don’t play outside enough,” McKinley said.
But the influence of Jesus is always there.
“I love the fact that we start with morning prayer,” she said. “I love that when things come up, I can bring Jesus in as a teacher. We tell the children that forgiving is as important as saying ‘I’m sorry.’”
The St. Lawrence family loves to celebrate — birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. Teacher Appreciation Week is observed each year.
“I do feel appreciated. The parents are lovely to us. They want the kids to have a Catholic education and they go the extra mile to make sure that they have what they need to have,” she said.
“It will be hard for one of us to retire,” McKinley said. “It will be like losing a family member. I have friends in public school who feel they are by themselves, but we have always shared. If a teacher says, ‘You need to work on this,’ we can take that and not get all bent out of shape. The children are always foremost in our minds.”