"Never worry about numbers. Help one at a time, and always start with those nearest you." - St. Teresa of Calcutta
Reflection on Catholic Education
The education of a human being is life-long. It cannot be done quickly and it must not be utilitarian. In schools, we work in classrooms, not emergency rooms, and the time we have is sacred, not urgent. As St. Teresa says, our task is to help one child at a time, and we do that by respecting the child’s time. The Holy Spirit is the most powerful teacher there is, and Catholic teachers have the tremendous blessing of cooperating with Him in the classroom. He is the Shepherd, and all we need to do is listen to His voice, trusting that His time is perfect and he loves His little lambs even more than we do.
My vocation as a teacher is to love those nearest to me in the little ways that I can and to invite them to contemplate truth. St. Therese of Lisieux, one of my best friends in heaven, says that “love comprises all vocations, love is everything, it embraces all times and all places because it is eternal!” and “When one loves, one does not calculate.” The gift of Catholic education is that we can take the eternal view. Our one hope is that our students will be saints of God one day, but how exactly that happens is up to the Holy Spirit.
Mrs. Marie Becklo is a wife, mother, teacher, and singer and has over 10 years of teaching experience at a variety of grade levels. She began her teaching career as a Rhode Island Teaching Fellow in a public school and since then has worked at multiple Catholic elementary schools. She was fortunate to have attended a variety of different schools growing up (including a Charlotte Mason homeschool and a boarding school), and is thankful for the broad experience. Mrs. Becklo is also an accomplished singer and actor and has a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Barnard College of Columbia University. Originally from Andover, Massachusetts, Mrs. Becklo met her husband while she was living in Manhattan and accepting that she didn’t want the life of a professional actor. Mrs. Becklo lives with her husband, Wesley, and daughter, Evangeline, in Alexandria, New Hampshire and is excited to be back near lakes!