Alliance for Catholic Education
"This is a place where things are happening. I have never been anywhere like it."
The start of a new school year is a time of fresh pencils and stiff shoes, of organization and anticipation, of name games, and, of course, of hope.
Eddie Jurkovic, a new teacher at St. John the Evangelist in Tucson, Arizona, began his school year this August just like teachers across the country. However, in addition to learning the names of his third graders and the most efficient paths around a new campus, he is also learning a new framework through which to look at education through the Notre Dame ACE Academies model.
Jurkovic's path to the front of the third grade classroom was not typical. He went to school to work in IT Management, and through a series of serendipitous interactions, he came to realize that the field of education could both challenge and inspire him.
"I first started learning about the ACE Academies over the summer," he said. "The business-oriented part of my brain was fascinated by the way the program worked to innovate and use data to drive practice. However, when I got to Tucson and began my daily work, the overwhelming task made it hard to see those big picture ideas actually working. It took time to begin to see the integration of the Academies model with the day-to-day job of teaching."
Obviously, entering a new school is stressful. However, when asked to reflect on his experience over the first few weeks of school, Jurkovic said, "Honestly, I was prepared for the worst." He had read and heard horror stories of teachers experiencing tense interactions with families, having difficulty engaging students, and dealing with general apathy.
At Saint John the Evangelist, however, Jurkovic says, "there is a huge amount of buy in—from the teachers, the parents, and the students. This school has a cultural foundation that I honestly think a lot of schools don't have."
This culture became apparent to Jurkovic early in his time at St. John the Evangelist through his observation of parents and his interaction with children.
"The families really share in the culture," Jurkovic said.
While it would be easier for families to simply drop their children off and expect education to happen, an overwhelming number of families commit to attending Mass with their children weekly. Further, each day as the school lines up for morning assembly and prayer led by Principal Keiran Roche, Jurkovic consistently counts at least fifty parents who stay and participate in the daily ritual.
"The parents here really understand the system. They trust the school."
What surprised Jurkovic even more was the students' buy-in and understanding of the system. How do nine-year-olds conceptualize root beliefs and core values?
"As for the kids, they really grasp the idea of College and Heaven," Jurkovic said. "They buy in. They are goal-oriented."
He said that, during a recent Math lesson, his students were talking about chance—another abstract concept for elementary school children. Jurkovic asked the students to list some things they were certain would happen and some things they were certain would not happen.
A student confidently replied, "I know if I do my work, I will go to college." The rest of his classmates agreed.
At St. John the Evangelist, lofty ideals have become daily practice, and daily practice has become deep belief—from faculty, from parents, and, of course, from children.
"Every day I see my coworkers running around, sometimes struggling to make it through a busy, hectic day," Jurkovic said. "I am amazed by how hard everyone works. Through all of this, things get done. Incredible things get done. I have never been anywhere like it."