Education Changes Every Hour!

Another school year has begun, which happens to be my 35th year in education. You would think that by now, I would have a handle on education with all this experience. There is something you should know about educating our children. NO ONE HAS A HANDLE ON EDUCATION! NO ONE! Yes, the all caps means I'm screaming this.

Education doesn't change every year or even every day. Education changes every hour! The complexity of the human brain in conjunction with the ever evolving human emotional make-up, especially that of a middle schooler, makes every single hour of educating children a mystery. Education is like the 142 staircases at Hogwarts. One minute you are going up, the next down, and the next the whole staircase disappears. But then again, that's why I LOVE being an educator. No two hours are ever close to being the same.

When thinking about all the hourly changes taking place with education, don't forget to factor in the social-emotional and educational problems caused by the COVID-19 shutdown. Most of the students coming to us the past few years who were not in the classroom have been testing between one to four years below grade level. Now, it is up to our school to fix the harm that's been done.

Guess what? I love that challenge. And, I know we will succeed. I know this because I have faith in our work. "Do good and evil will not come your way." (Tobit 12:7) We are doing good!

It will take years to overcome what was deprived the students during the shutdown. It will take time, hard work, long hours, cooperation between parents and educators, patience, grit, compassion, love, and faith. My job in this process is to let the teachers work their magic and be there to support everyone. 

Our enrollment is up once again and we have added more classes. So, I know what we are doing works. Our admissions team is working harder than ever to make certain we can assist the new students. Our team is already making improvements to the admissions process for the 2024-25 school year. God, I love the folks I work with.

As for the 2023-24 school year, let's kick this pig and git 'er done! With lots of kindness, love, and doing good ahead of us, let the work begin. Like the Skyy song, Let Love Shine. Great throwback to the 80s.

God bless you and love!

What Do Educators Do In The Summer?

There's a misconception out there that educators have summers off. Wish that were the truth. Since most educators aren't independently wealthy, many have a 2nd job during the summer to help support their families. And, when not working, much of the summer is spent preparing for the coming school year.

Our educators have required work and professional development to complete in order to be prepared. Summer is a much needed time to relax but it also a time for becoming better at our craft. Lots of professional development takes place during the summer.

PK educators not only have to complete the diocesan required professional development hours but also have an added 30-hours of specified documented training for the Tennessee Department of Education. Because of the importance of early childhood literacy, 10 of those hours deal with developmentally appropriate literacy practices for pre-kindergarten students. 

All our educators are also required to have an additional 10-hours of documented Catholic religious professional development. Much is required of our educators annually, and even more is required of our PK educators.

On top of this, Catholic Mutual (our insurance company) requires annual active shooter training and the much dreaded bloodborne pathogens training. Cannot forget the first-aid and CPR training every two years. 

And yes, the principal has to go through all this training as well. This includes the 10-hours each of religious training and early childhood literacy. So far this summer, I have completed over 20 of the overall hours needed of professional development.

All the required professional development for our educators is not cheap. The school pays for the professional development. I'm always searching for free professional development opportunities. For certification purposes, many require payment. I get it! The people and organizations leading professional development sessions have to make a living.

13 of our educators will participate in The Bodine School's Structured Literacy Institute this summer. The cost is $50 per educators; inexpensive but adds up.

Educate LLC out of New York will host 2-days of professional development for the educators in our diocese. Just the cost to St. Ann for the 2-days is $4,020.

The required first-aid and CPR training isn't cheap either.

If you are looking to help St. Ann, donations to help pay for professional development are a great way to support our teachers and their work with the children. Your support is much appreciated.

Just know that many educators have been at school this summer working camps, administering screening assessments for new students, and getting their classrooms ready for the new school year. Summer is a time of renewal and re-energizing, but St. Ann educators are always available to do what needs to be done, and I love them for their dedication and passion.

Hope this gives you a better perspective of what educators do during the summer.  So, please help support your local Catholic School educator.

Help Support Our Teachers!

God bess you and love,

Didier Aur, Principal & Professional Development Specialist

There is No Finish Line

Learning About Saints

The original title of this blog post was "Preparing to Go Virtual Again." But, doesn't that title give you a sick feeling? The sad thing is we ARE preparing to go virtual again. We spent so much time since the spring shutdown getting ready for school to reopen that we have not spent but a minute planning for another shutdown. Not planning for a future shutdown as of now has completely changed. We were super-well prepared for the last shutdown, but we plan to be even more for a next possible shutdown. So, if you are wondering what fills our days at St. Ann besides the usual, everyday, procedural-laden, Covid-19 form of education; well, getting ready for a shutdown is what we are doing.

Reading Time

So, why did I change the title of this blog post? In our virtual principals' meeting yesterday, one of the principals talked about how everything we do in education typically has a finish line. With this pandemic, there is no finish line. Not having a finish line causes stress and anxiety with many folks. Nationally, quite a few teachers are experiencing these in big ways, which is leading to an educational exodus that will have negative affects on learning for generations to come.

People can endure just about anything if they know where the finish line is. With what's happening, there is no finish line. The finish line might be this fall. Many have heard it said that this will all end on Election Day. I am not a conspiracy theorist, at least not yet. So, I don't buy that. The finish line might be the fall of 2021. No one knows. And, this is going to increase stress and anxiety levels. Bottom line is there is no finish line. There is no end in sight. How many of you keep forgetting what day it is? Some folks have to remind themselves we are nearing the end of July, I mean August. 

Writing Time

So, we are preparing for what we can prepare for and putting the finish line in God's hands. We are going to put our stress and anxiety in His hands as well. Personally, I'm going to not question so much. I'm not going to cause others more stress and anxiety by questioning everything.

I mentioned in my blog post "Honey in My Lemonade" that this has been one of the best summers of my life. The best summers of my life were the summers my family spent on Santos Beach in Brazil, my native country. My plan is to have one of the best autumns of my life in 2020. Every day will be me enjoying Santos Beach. Instead of seeing the end of this pandemic as the finish line, my finish line is going to be the end of every day when I go naninha (Portuguese for night-night). The race will start again the next morning. 

Peaceful Protest

Here's how we are planning for a possible shutdown. Led by Annmarie Ghio, every teacher is designing a shutdown plan. Yes, they are putting their plans in writing because we want to be ready to distribute the shutdown plans if it happens. Their plans will list all the websites we will be using (FACTS, blogs, IXL, ReadWorks, Be My Disciple, Google Classroom, Seesaw and about ten more) and where to find your child's passwords to log-in to these sites. The plans will even have a daily academic schedule for your child to follow.

We have spent the last few days getting all students and educators registered with Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt's Journeys for English Language Arts (ELA). This is the new ELA curriculum we purchased with online components in case of the dreaded shutdown. The online components of Sadlier Math have already been put into use. This is the updated Math curriculum we purchased for virtual learning. We have added science and social studies to IXL language arts and math. We are currently exploring other programs such as BrainPOP that teachers can utilize to help students.

Learning About Saints

It is bizarre to think that while the school year moves forward in-person for 90% of the students (10% of the students are virtual), we are preparing to go 100% virtual just in case. I am hoping that all the preparation for virtual learning is done for naught. If we are able to go live all year without a shutdown, think we will have to throw a massive end of the school year party for everyone at St. Ann. If that were to happen, then that massive party will be our finish line. Until then, I'm just going to jog and not sprint to the finish line because we are only in week three of thirty-seven.

Will we be prepared if we go 100% virtual again? There is no doubt we will be prepared academically. Mentally will any of us be prepared? Hopefully, we will never have to answer that question.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

Finding It Hard to Concentrate

Has anyone else had a hard time concentrating since March 16th? I find it hard to concentrate on anything for more than maybe five to ten minutes. If I stay focused for a full ten minutes, I'm doing a great job. It is the craziest feeling. Actually, it is an uncomfortable feeling. Thank God I've had a series of guest bloggers or there would not have been a blog from me since March 29th. For me, since the middle of March, completing a task has been monumental. Writing this one paragraph has taken me about thirty minutes.

In the thirty minutes since starting this blog, I have stopped writing (blogging) to watch a little bit of Newcastle vs West Ham. I have it on but muted. The noise from the TV doesn't bother me. Listening to announcers state the obvious is annoying. I usually watch sporting events on mute. I have also made a bowl of fruit salad for breakfast. And, I counted the number of books I have on my nightstand I have started reading but have given up on. Someday, I'll finish those books. Just don't know when.

It is the strangest thing, I have started reading those six books but cannot concentrate long enough to even comprehend what I'm reading. Many times, I have to read the same paragraph two or three times just for comprehension purposes. It is frustrating. I love to read. Since March 16th, reading hasn't been much fun.

I do not know why this is happening. Just during this past Christmas break, I read five books. There was no problem with concentrating. And, there was no problem taking a break from work for mental and physical health purposes. We need those breaks. Right now, it is as if our brains aren't turning off. There is no mental health break. Maybe we can turn off our brains for a day trip to the lake. But, that's just one day. A weekend away from work hasn't happened since the middle of March.

I have to think through the situation to try to figure out the sudden changes. Don't think I'm suffering from Alzheimer's or some form of depression. Why has someone who loves to read and is constantly reading all of a sudden lost that desire to read? Why has someone who really enjoys going to work everyday had such a hard time concentrating? Why has someone who looks forward to the next challenge all of a sudden, having difficulty finishing a project before moving on to the next? This can be a little disconcerting. Actually, it is very disconcerting.

The way I see it, we have gone from a normal mode to a firefighter mode. Since March 16th, we have been putting out fires not on a daily basis but on an hourly basis. So many fires have been popping up that we cannot even finish putting out one fire when we have to start fighting another. The more fires you have to fight, the less of you there is to fight those fires. Don't feel as if I'm giving less of myself to fighting the fires. There are just too many fires to fight at one time.

One week the CDC and the health department tell us this is what needs to happen. The next week, the directives change. The next day, the politicians make everything a political battle and forget it is about the people and not political affiliation. In turn, we have no idea what needs to be done. Thank God the Catholic Schools have the task force to help guide us.

The way most of us work, we have short-term and long-term goals. Those long-term goals are usually part of a five-year plan. For now, the five-year plans have pretty much been set ablaze by the short-term goals. The longest short-term goal we are working on is getting ready for August 11th. That's the day we are scheduled to begin the 2020-21 school year.

We are working on a day-to-day basis. Work is tough. The situations we are facing are tough. Families are struggling. Children need to have a normal and healthy routine. Right now, a healthy routine is different for everybody. Some parents are scared to death about schools starting up. Some parents cannot wait for schools to get started. We all have tough decisions to make with super-mixed information coming our way. We hear this. We read that. This person advises this. That person advises that. Everyone's an expert yet no one knows anything.

The way I look at it, times have been tougher. Situations have been more severe. I'm going to keep putting out fires the best I can. I'm going to make the best decisions I can to educate my students while doing my best to keep them and the St. Ann staff as safe as possible. My job is to provide students and families with a Catholic Education. Along with a team of experts (Diocesan Transition Task Force), fellow Catholic School administrators, incredible staff members at St. Ann, and lots of prayer, we are working on the short-term goal of the first day of school. We are getting closer to seeing what that will look like. Yet, on the constant changing stream of information, the picture is still very blurry. It will become clear. We just have to remain patient and continue working hard to achieve the best possible outcome for everyone involved.

For now, I'm not going to worry too much about my inability to concentrate on reading a paragraph from a book I'm wanting to read. But, I will be more compassionate when one of my students has a hard time concentrating on a paragraph they are supposed to read. If anything, I have learned something through all of this.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

We Never Did It That Way Before

This is the second in a series of blogs where I have asked St. Ann educators if they would be willing to write a blog on what it has been like teaching during this pandemic. Several of our educators took time to write down their thoughts. So, the next several blogs will feature St. Ann educators reflecting on teaching during the pandemic. Next up is our first grade educator, Melanie Wall.

This is my first year teaching at St. Ann. While I could take this opportunity to let everyone know about the incredibly warm welcome I received and how helpful and patient all the staff and families have been, I think I'd like to share about what I’ve witnessed at St. Ann over the past two months.

Let me give you a little background first. Many people don’t know that I come from a rather diverse employment background. One job I held while working on my undergraduate degree at the University of Memphis (Memphis State, at the time) was at my father's small medical practice. I was in charge of filing insurance claims. During my time there, the big shift was made from keeping medical records and insurance claims on paper to submitting all electronically. When it was announced that we'd no longer be using the more “traditional“ ways of record keeping, I was shocked at the reaction from some of his staff, especially those who had been with him the longest. They weren't happy at all, and were quick to grumble and argue about the changes taking place. My father patiently listened to their grievances but kept moving forward. I'll never forget walking into the office break room one day during this transition and seeing a sign he had posted. It read “ . . . the last words of a dying organization are ‘We never did it that way before.’” The office eventually successfully transitioned, but the grumbling remained for quite some time.

Christmas Party

Fast forward to Friday, March 13^th this year. Mr. Aur called an emergency faculty meeting to deal with the school closing due to COVID -19. As I walked into the library that day, I was nervous. What was the atmosphere going to be like? Would I see the same resistance to change that I’d seen in the past? While I knew the situations were very different, I felt in many ways that this change would be more frightening.

What I saw was amazing. In spite of the uncertainty of the situation, there was an incredible positive attitude. I heard about ideas based on how we were going to make distance learning work instead of complaints and negativity. The teachers immediately began sharing and offered to help each other as we entered this new realm of education.

Since that day in the library, there have been incredible virtual meetings and professional development sessions. Has it been perfect? No. While there have been a few tears of frustration and sadness, the teachers and administrators have continued to work together. Distance learning has been and is a work in progress and I, especially, have struggled. But the focus from the beginning of this journey has remained on solutions. I have not seen or heard any issues of “we've never done it that way before;” instead, the prevailing attitude has been “Let's do this!” That's one of the many reasons why I’m so proud and thrilled to call St. Ann home.

"I can hardly wait to see the precious St. Ann students and their families when school opens. I hope you all have a wonderful summer!

With much love,

Melanie Wall

More Blogs on St. Ann:

Annmarie Ghio https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/05/an-educators-take-on-remote-teaching.html

Liz Wehmeyer https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/05/an-educators-take-on-remote-teaching.html

Kris Crews https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/05/re-opening-catholic-schools-this-fall.html

Joseph Gulino https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/05/just-keep-doing-what-you-are-doing_9.html

Laura Battle https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/04/dr-laura-battle-this-weeks-guest-blogger.html

Anthony Maranise https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/04/holy-week-and-easter-during-time-of.html

Christy Matlock https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/04/from-st-ann-to-new-jersey-nurses-story.html

An Educator's Take on Remote Teaching

I have asked St. Ann educators if they would be willing to write a blog on what it has been like teaching during this pandemic. Several of our educators took time to write down their thoughts. So, the next several blogs will feature St. Ann educators reflecting on teaching during the pandemic. First up is our 3^rd grade educator, Annmarie Ghio.

Remote learning. Ugh! It’s not for every student. And remote teaching, it's not for every teacher. For me, it was heart-breaking, yet heart-warming.

It was heart-breaking, because I saw students and parents struggle. Home is not a school. We have a different mindset when we’re at home in comfy clothes surrounded by snacks, toys, and television, away from the structure of a classroom and the support of a teacher. I struggled as well, both professionally and personally when my dad died unexpectedly. I was disappointed as I cancelled field trips, projects, and other special events. But a strong faith, hope, surrounding myself with supportive people, and a new routine helped.

For me, I feed off of my students. I love to see my scholars every day, and I gauge how my lessons are going by how my students are reacting. Are they engaged? Are they smiling? Do they look like they’re falling asleep? I adjust immediately. To be a teacher is to be creative and flexible. But during this time, I doubted myself. Remote teaching challenged my capacity for being creative. It drained my energy as I planned and taught like never before. When I am remote teaching, even in Hangouts, it’s hard to get feedback from students. It’s sometimes difficult to see their faces, to assess their body language, or to have a good, honest back-and-forth conversation. And I miss the socialization as much as they do. I miss their high-fives and hugs. I miss their anecdotes and endless curiosity that challenges me to dive deeper into content or broaden my scope on a lesson. Then there’s the end of the year goodbyes. We really didn’t get a proper good-bye, did we?

However, we all know that life gives us challenges. They are inevitable. But how we faced this challenge was crucial, not just for us as educators, but for the expectations and example we set for our St. Ann students and their families. Remote teaching was not optional. It's not what we were trained to do or even what we wanted to do. It’s what we needed to do, and we needed to do it well. So we researched. We learned. We changed. We adjusted. And we learned some more. And adapted again. The cycle still continues as we look toward an uncertain future. I should be preparing for summer camps, but instead I'm measuring my classroom and deciding what stays and what goes as I rethink my teaching styles and strategies for the fall.

Despite the distance, my students and I discovered new ways to stay connected. That’s what family does! Thank goodness for Hangouts, home videos, Doceri, hand-written letters, and PicCollage. I also saw not only teachers do things they never thought they could, but I also saw students and parents discover new talents and strengths. It has been amazing to see our young learners shine in a new light! And our parents stepped up to partner with us. You are all amazing, too, and we will never forget how you helped us. So even though remote teaching had its heart-breaking moments, there were unexpected opportunities over the past 10 weeks that were heart-warming. And the end result of those outweighs the bad. Those memories of seeing our students make new discoveries are what teaching is all about. Those moments are permanent. Remote learning is temporary.

No one knows what the fall will look like, but I am 100% certain that the teachers and administration at St. Ann can and will meet any challenges head-on, prepared to lead our students into another safe, meaningful year of learning filled with faith, service, and love.

Have a safe, healthy, and fantastically fun summer. I love you, and I miss you...all.

Annmarie Ghio

A Previous Blog by a St. Ann Parent, Liz Wehmeyer: https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/05/why-st-ann-by-liz-wehmeyer.html

Re-Opening Catholic Schools This Fall

Kris, Michaela,
Alex, and Sophia

This week's guest blogger is Kristine Crews. She is a St. Ann parent, soccer mom, and researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She directs a Residency in Clinical Pharmacogenomics at St. Jude and teaches student pharmacists at University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. She serves on the Diocesan Transition Task Force. She has been asked to give us all an explanation of the work being performed by the Task Force regarding re-opening Catholic Schools this fall.

We are all in this together! As the 2019-20 school year comes to a close-- one we won’t forget anytime soon-- the Catholic Diocese of Memphis is looking ahead to what the return to campus in Fall 2020 will look like. As a St. Ann parent and a healthcare professional, I’ve been asked to serve on the Diocesan Transition Task Force, which is chaired by Teddi Niedzweidz, principal of St. Louis Catholic School. This task force will advise Catholic Schools on safe practices for reopening campuses in Fall 2020.

St. Ann is a school like no other. Jimmy and I send our daughter Sophia to St. Ann for the strong and nurturing community and for teachers who care for each child as a whole. I am a product of K-12 Catholic education in my hometown of Chalfont, PA. Without a doubt, my strong Catholic school education propelled me to my STEM career and formed me into a well-rounded adult. It’s the education Jimmy and I sought for our three children - Sophia, a rising 7^th grader at St. Ann; Michaela, a rising 10^th grader at St. Benedict; and Alex, a soon-to-be senior at Christian Brothers High School.

Kris and the empty halls
at St. Jude

As the diocesan task force make plans through the summer for the start of the new school year, we will keep in mind these important goals: educating our kids, continuing to provide a strong faith community in which they can grow, and keeping COVID-19 off the St. Ann campus.

No one can predict the future of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all much smarter and more experienced, however, in safety measures in our own homes and in our community than we were 2 months ago. The pandemic came upon us in Shelby County and across the country so quickly this past March. We had to adapt instantly and change the way we taught our kids. We have more time to plan for the fall return to school. The task force recognizes that we essentially need 3 separate plans for return to school depending on the level of COVID-19 transmission in August:

1.    If there remains a high level of transmission in the community: start the school year with distance learning if schools need to remain closed.

2.    For a moderate level of transmission in the community: return to school with social distancing restrictions in place.

3.    For a minimum level of transmission in the community: schools will open; some precautions may need to stay in place.

Sophia on the 1st day of 6th grade

The task force is focusing on Situation 2 above and will advise on what plans need to be in place to return to school in the case of a moderate level of transmission in the community. Those of us who are essential workers and have physically gone to work over the past few weeks have seen our places of business morph into something nearly unrecognizable from how they operated in other times.

It’s likely that St. Ann will open for the 2020-21 school year looking and running very differently than it did last fall. Over the summer, Mr. Aur and his dedicated faculty and staff will be doing previously unheard-of activities, like measuring classrooms and common spaces throughout the school to know the occupancy limits of each space for social distancing requirements. St. Ann will set up a screening protocol for students as they enter school each morning in the fall. We’ll have a renewed focus on cleaning and disinfecting the school at night. We’ll plan for hand hygiene breaks throughout the school day. We’ll look at traffic patterns to limit mixing of students as they move through the school. And we’ll consider accommodations that will be needed for vulnerable students, faculty, and staff members so that the school environment is safe for all of us. Again, we don’t know yet what precautions will need to be in place but be assured we’ll work through the summer break to have our beloved school ready to teach these kids.

What can you do this summer? 

·      Keep informed by checking for updates to evidence-based guidance on the CDC and Shelby County websites. 

·      Experts recommend helping your child stay socially connected with friends digitally for the time being. Resist the urge to start back sleepovers and Jumping World parties just yet. What we do now to stem the transmission of the coronavirus in the community will help us be in good shape to open schools in the fall.

·      If someone at higher risk for COVID-19 will be providing childcare (an older adult, such as a grandparent or someone with a chronic medical condition), limit your children’s contact with other people.

·      If your children ride bikes or play outside with neighborhood friends, reinforce 6-foot distancing from anyone who is not in your own household and keep them playing outside.

Have a great summer and see you next year!

~Kris

I would like to thank Kris Crews for saying "Yes" to serving on the Diocesan Transition Task Force. Her work along with all the other members of the task force is crucial to the planning efforts of re-opening Catholic Schools this fall. This task force is giving all school leaders a roadmap on how best to prepare with student safety at the forefront. Thank you for giving of your time and talent to helping all the children, both in Catholic Schools and St. Jude. You are making a positive difference in the world.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

St. Ann Catholic School

Previous Blogs:

Dr. Joseph Gulino: https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/05/just-keep-doing-what-you-are-doing_9.html

Liz Wehmeyer: https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/05/why-st-ann-by-liz-wehmeyer.html

Just Keep Doing What You Are Doing

Dr. Joseph Gulino

This week's guest blogger is Dr. Joseph Gulino. Dr. Gulino has spent several weeks over the past two years working with the St. Ann educators with a focus on gifted students and learning. You can learn more about Dr. Gulino by visiting the Gulino Group website. https://www.thegulinogroup.org/  I'll let Dr. Gulino take over from here.

“Just keep doing what you are doing,” music to the ears of an educator who has just been observed by a supervisor. Also, music to the supervisor who loves to watch excellent educators at their craft. These were words I was fortunate to utter to educators at St. Ann Catholic School in October. I stated those words more times at St. Ann than at any other school I have had the opportunity to observe educators. I have been at St. Ann working with the faculty approximately three weeks, May and August of 2018, and October of 2019. The first two visits were to make presentations and identify resources re: ‘How to help all students achieve,’ ‘Resources to challenge all students think critically and creatively,’ and ‘What all educators need to know about trauma, their students, and education.’

I was asked by Mr. Aur on the third visit to observe each educator and give them feedback re: the implementation of resources they had chosen the previous year. I am the former Director of Education Clinical Experiences and Master Degree program at Central Methodist College, Fayette, MO 1994-99. Working with educators and helping them become better at their craft was my favorite position in my education career.

What I Observed working with the Educators

Important behaviors of great educators that are most important to me:

Educators were deeply committed to developing relationships with their students. I could feel it, see it in their demeanor, hear it in the works they used working with students, and observe it in the reactions of the students.

Words to describe further would be caring, kind, and most importantly patient as St. Ann is serving many students with special needs and life situations, and patience is a virtue needed greatly and observed often.

The way we feel sometimes
during this pandemic.

Logically what follows is their keen knowledge of their students: the needs for all (the group/class), and the particular needs of each student. This was observed watching them work with their classes, and more importantly hearing/seeing their conversations with peers re: particular students sharing strategies and getting feedback from each other in faculty room or private settings.

Being a former principal and college professor and now consultant, I was particularly impressed with their dedication to being educators, not just teachers.  Educators do not hold down a job and JUST go to work at 7:30, get off at 3:30, play with kids all day, and have their summers off. Educators are professional. They act like professionals and love what they do more than anything else. They are always on the lookout and desire to learn more about their craft, not having more time away from their students. Whole group discussions regarding my presentation material and then later one-on-one discussions with St. Ann educators were very impressive and showed me the desire to learn, and knowledge gained. I look forward to future visits to see how all grow even further.

Lastly, the time engaged in learning was outstanding.  There was little to no, down, “get started on homework,” or wasted, time. There are only so many minutes in a school day and every one of them is important, and these educators use as many minutes as possible for learning.

Being at St. Ann for so many days also gave me a great feel for the school as whole, and I feel I should share that with you as well.

Principles of
Fearless Leadership

St. Ann Catholic School

Important characteristics of a great school important to me, what I observed as a whole:

Great schools smell good. You can tell when you enter a building by what you smell and pass judgement mentally. The cleaning staff does an excellent job of preparing the school in this area. I always liked the cafeteria to be close to the front door, so the smell of good food could be experienced by all who entered.

St. Ann is a safe, civil, and healthy environment for students to learn. Walking the halls and popping into classrooms, it is very obvious that students feel respected and connected with the faculty and staff. 

There is a clear understanding that this is a Catholic School with strong common beliefs and values. That Catholicity is openly observable as well as shared with all who come into contact with the school, its staff, and communications that come from the school or its staff.

I observed that the educators I worked with believe that all students can learn and meet high standards. Students are challenged, and guided, to be the best they can be; and those who come to the school with special needs or life situations are given the resources and help they need.

Your principal, Mr. Aur, is an outstanding leader. He is a visionary, creative, and very proactive. He knows what is needed in many situations and is very open and asks others what is needed. He also knows how to get the help needed to obtain those needs. He brings in quality staff members and then turns them loose to be the best they can be for the students, parents, and St. Ann community of faith. Professional development of the staff is important to him and he sets it up properly with continued work with professional individuals over time to strengthen trust and relationships, not just one shot one-time in-service experiences.

Possibly the strongest area I noted in the St. Ann staff after their care for students is their high level of collaboration. I observed selfless teamwork across all grades and subject areas. Another big bonus to St. Ann is the high degree of parent and community member participation in the daily school operation.

In closing, I hope you take from these observations that this professional feels/knows that St. Ann School is a special school in a special time and should be appreciated, taken care of, supported, shared, and allowed to continue to grow. The children/students are in great hands and many will be achieving great things because of the foundation they are receiving here. I look very forward to my next visit to share more with the educators and grow myself though their reflections back to me.

God Bless,

Joseph Gulino

Support St. Ann Catholic School

Thank you Dr. Gulino for your insights. You have been a tremendous help to the educators and students at St. Ann. We greatly appreciate the time you have taken to make St. Ann and even better Catholic School. We hope to see you around in 2020-21.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

Read our previous blog: https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/05/why-st-ann-by-liz-wehmeyer.html

How Are You Doing?

This morning I received a text from my sister-in-law asking the question; How are you doing? Thought I would take that question and make it the subject of this week's blog.

How am I doing? I'm doing well. Thank you for asking and for your concern.

In a running email conversation with a St. Ann parent, I wrote that I actually thrive on a bit of chaos. When things are smooth, I’m not at my best. I need to constantly be challenged. What is happening now, is definitely a challenge. This is my ideal work situation with fires everywhere!

There are three phrases that just drive me crazy. They are 1) Let's maintain the Status Quo, 2) I don't like change, and 3) We've never done it that way before. That cannot be said of our current world situation. If you want status quo, don't like change, and never done it another way, this is now a time for you to grow and embrace the changes in our lives. Time to change your way of thinking and doing. Definitely cannot bury your head in the sand.

Albert Einstein said, "Creativity is intelligence having fun." I absolutely embrace the opportunity we have been given to use our creativity to the fullest to improve our global situation. I think many people are just now realizing we have to start thinking globally and about others. We had a few days to change the way we live our daily lives. We've had to change the way we work. We've had to change the way we interact. It is a time for us not to despair, mope, think and act negatively. Anybody can complain. So don't. We are given an opportunity to shine. So, Shine! Every day, I see more people using creativity in helping to make everyone's situation just a little bit better. I want to be a part of that!

I took yesterday off from school work. I figured out yesterday that I had worked 17 days in a row and put in more hours each day than I normally do. Staying on the leading edge of this process we are creating is exhausting. I’m beat. Yesterday, I stepped back and let my mind rest. Spent most of yesterday doing chores: gardening, washing clothes, cleaning the house, even went shopping at Aldi’s and Big Lots (my two favorite stores along with Lowe's and Barnes & Noble). I also purposefully stayed away from the computer for most of the day. Today, I'm much better and looking forward to starting up again, but just maybe slowing down a bit.

View from my front porch

I am writing this blog while sitting on my front porch enjoying this cool, calm, beautiful morning, while soaking up some much needed sun, and listening to the birds chirp and sing. Since I have been sitting here, very few cars have driven down my street but lots and lots of neighbors have walked by with their dogs. Dogs are loving this.

A squirrel just came by and didn't notice me working on my blog. Neither did the squirrel realize it was going to become part of my blog. The squirrel was about 20 ft. away from me. It dug a little hole in the grass, buried some food, covered it up for safe keeping, and scampered away.

The reason I am sitting on my front porch is because our "Shelter at Home" ordinance and I cannot go anywhere. I don't want to sit inside on such a beautiful day when it is nice and peaceful out here. I could complain about the situation, but it is not in my nature to complain. To me, the glass isn't half full, it is overflowing. So, I'll make the best of it. If I would not have made the best of the situation and come sit out on my front porch, I would have never witnessed that squirrel burying its food in the ground. I've never seen that before. To me, squirrels are something my dogs chase, who climb all over my trees, and are constantly trying to chew their way into my attic. Today, I witnessed something different. I witnessed another one of God's creatures doing what it does every day, trying to survive.

Gacha Life Mr. Aur

All this to say, with the long weeks and days we have endured and will continue to face for God knows how long; with all the work that is required of us in these changing times; with the little sleep we are getting; and for the many unknown challenges we all face in our new world, let's embrace what is happening with some gusto. Be creative, do something different, accept the challenge, and thrive on the chaos.

In yesterday's homily, Fr. Ben Bradshaw said. "Let's hope that this will have some meaning and God will make us stronger." What we are going through will only have meaning and God will only make us stronger if we accept the challenges before us with love, compassion, generosity, and patience in making the best of what we have. After this is all said and done, I hope to be a better person, husband, father, son, brother, friend, educator, and most of all a better Christian.

So, as far as my situation and how I'm doing? Think I'll follow the squirrel's example and go plant some flowers, a few tomato plants, and maybe even some okra because my wife loves okra.

St. Ann...Pray for us!

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

St. Ann Catholic School

Previous blog: https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2020/03/apollo-13ed.html