Blog | Alliance for Catholic Education

Image of ACE New Orleans on the basketball court. From left to right: Amanda Dempson, James Walsh, Jordan Pavlock, Caelan O'Connor, and Sophia Buonavolonta

Struggle Like Your Students

“It’s a whole body thing. Your shot should be one fluid motion.” “Follow through. Hold your hand up after you release the ball.” “Again.” While preparing for a beloved tradition...

Image of St. Mary's Lake on campus at Notre Dame

A Letter to My Future ACE Teachers

A letter to my future ACE teachers: “I think I’ve made a grave mistake.” This was a sentence I wrote on a teal post-it, tacked to the cork board of...

Andy Shannon and Anna Egalite

Lead, Follow, or Get out of the Way

As I began my 33rd year in Catholic schools this past year, I searched for a professional development relationship that would breathe new life into my tired mind and body...

Hiker with arms stretched out looking at sunset

Being Authentically YOU: Habits of Wellness

As we reflect on Mental Health Awareness Month, the Program for Inclusive Education (PIE) believes that educators need to be intentional about their own wellness. Thus, PIE offers the following...

Ghost renderings from Mr. Diggins' middle school students

Do Ghosts Really Exist? Embracing questions about the faith in the classroom

With Halloween and Día de los Muertos just around the corner, ghost stories and scary movies have been regular points of discussion at San Miguel Middle School in Tulsa, Oklahoma...

ChACE 19 in Ecuador

Spanish Language School & Quito Ecuador

The first morning waking up in a bed that was not my own, in a home with its own smells, and in a foreign country hundreds of miles from anything...

Mr. Sachen's Singers

How Can We Keep from Singing?

During my first week of teaching religion, I like to go through different types of prayers with my class. I know that they are used to the canonical prayers that...

Are you ready to coach a state champion?

“Are you ready to coach a state champion?”

When my McGill-Toolen Catholic High School's head coach brought me on to help coach track and field—specifically hurdles, my favorite event—I was excited, but I was very quickly met with...

Reform Leaders' Summit Presentation

Perspectives on the ACE Reform Leaders’ Summit

When a trusted colleague suggested that I would be a good candidate for ACE’s Reform Leaders’ Summit, I jumped at the opportunity. As a former teacher, principal, and district administrator...

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt (1633)

Solidarity in the Storm: Reflection on Prayer in Community

“Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves...