Since before the end of last school year, elementary and high school leaders across South Jersey have been deeply engaged in preparations for a school year like none of us has ever experienced. I have referred to the principals of our elementary and high schools, and the presidents and rectors of our high schools, as leaders — not administrators — intentionally. The present moment calls for leadership. It calls for strategy, insight, vision, courage, humility and, above all in Catholic schools, a spirit of service. The women and men who lead each South Jersey Catholic School exemplify these attributes. I am grateful to each of them for their tireless efforts to lead task forces, guide faculty and staff, and accompany parents through the anticipation and opening of school this year.
This year, parents are choosing between two instructional options for their children. Students can come back to school for in-classroom learning, or they can learn remotely, using learning and videoconferencing software to be as present in the classrooms as the technology will allow. I am grateful to the hundreds of teachers who will welcome students in their classrooms or online at the start of school this year. From masks and desktop barriers to social distance, frequent hand washing, and many other extraordinary measures, teachers and students will navigate new challenges as they build their learning communities in the school year ahead.
The commitment of the teachers to accompany their students and ensure that they get the high quality Catholic education that they deserve is unparalleled. For example, early childhood teachers often use “centers” to help their students practice a specific skill. Students rotate from one center to the next during class. This year, traditional centers will not be possible because schools will limit hands-on sharing of resources to promote health and safety.
Not wanting to disappoint their students — or deprive them of a valuable learning opportunity — the Kindergarten teachers at one South Jersey Catholic School have turned their centers into portable “dessert boxes.” Each student will receive a new box weekly and can explore the activities in his or her box after completing assignments (the “main course”). Parents of students who are learning remotely will pick up their box from school each week. At the end of the week, all materials will be sanitized or replaced so each dessert box is ready for the next student.
This ingenuity is the norm among South Jersey Catholic School teachers, who dedicate their time to developing creative solutions out of genuine care for their students. The sacrifice of time that each one is making and will make as the year draws closer, to prepare and engage students in new ways, is undoubtedly an act of love for their ministry and vocation, and of love for their students.
Likewise, each parent of a South Jersey Catholic School student has my deep gratitude for choosing their Catholic school and my prayers for their discernment of the best learning pathway for their children this year. Parents, too, are preparing for new challenges, new protocols, and new opportunities brought on by the necessary adaptations all schools are making.
Catholic schools are Christian communities, and this year invites us all — parents, students, teachers and school leaders — into deeper relationship with and accountability to each other. Each member of the South Jersey Catholic School community will be called in new ways to love one another as we accompany each other on a journey none of us could have anticipated. For all the differences we will experience this year, I am grateful that the shared commitment and love of neighbor that characterize our school communities will remain the same as always.
Dr. Bill Watson is superintendent of schools, Diocese of Camden.
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