Mr. Loveman

Running simultaneously aside my second and third years in Southie, a different story of my life was being told in the Savin Hill section of Dorchester. Huge changes were being made to the leadership and layout of the Catholic schools in Boston, and I was pitted deep into the core of it all. Simply put, the old model was failing, and fresh air needed to be breated into the old souls of the parish schools. To do this meant closing the doors on the learning sactuaries that were once the cornerstones of these respected communities. In what was called the "2010 Initiative", Catholic Schools were going to adapt.

I remember sitting through meetings held by Sister Paula at Saint Kevin where teachers would question and wonder while she delivered sobering news. Of the 8 parish schools in Dorchester and Mattapan, only 5 would be selected as the foundation of the new Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy. Each principal would have to plead their case as to why theirs should be kept. Saint Kevins was old, incomplete, and in dire need of a makeover. We were an obvious target for closure. I could see this clearly in my first year, but denial quickly spread through our faculty and staff. Eventually their fears became reality, and we all would receive the news that we would need to move on. I can't say I was surprised or unhappy at first, but the words and faces of those teachers who had sacrificed so much for their school depressed me in a way I had never felt before. In feeling this, I quickly adopted a comraderie with my peers and wanted to make the spring of our last year the most memorable. We did our best to stay focused while updating resumes, filling out applications, and going on interviews. It was terribly difficult, but we stood as cruches for one another in times of need and celebrated with cake when good news was told. I quickly felt part of the community, and learned more from those people than I ever did in any classroom I ever sat down in. Luckily, as a young male teacher I was at a high premium. I was a novelty in the Catholic schools, and possessed ambition and energy that was absent in many of the candidates. Because of this, I was hired at the new PJP Columbia Campus, the biggest and most innovative K-8 Catholic School in the city of Boston.

I spent two years there, contributing more time and energy than I ever put into anything. I rarely missed a day, and when I did it was for good reason. At different points, I taught English/language arts and religion to grades 5,6, and 8. I also spent time working for the afterschool program and creating the Sports Academy. I even volunteered more of my free time to coaching a boys 5-6th grade CYO basektball team that improved from 1 win in our first year to 7 in the second. I proudly watched as my former students graduated, and continued onward into high school. I helped tutor and mentor a few students that I'd eventually help gain entrance into Xaverian and BC High, two of the most well respected college prepatory schools in Massachusetts. I grew fond of helping people, but not with the politics of teaching. I really started to notice that the culture of a school is similar to the corporate world I tried so hard to avoid. The hours of a teacher are advertised as 6 hours a day, 180 days a year, at least that's what we were compensated for. What goes unnnoticed is the amount of energy put forth toward planning lessons, assessing performance, and meeting with colleagues. I will never miss the days of getting into my classroom before the sun rose and leaving during a dark, blustery winter night. I worked 50-60 hours a week, but surely wasn't being paid like it. Not to mention during those days how little free time we were given to prep. This meant that our lessons suffered, and in turn, the quality of education for our students. I try not to speak negatively about my experience, but it became obvious to me during these 3 years that the leaders of Catholic schools take full advantage of the hospitality and generosity of their teachers and staff. I feel that this is going to haunt them as they continue with their mission to rejuvenate Catholic education. However, the positive things I took from this experience far outweigh the negatives, which gives me hope for them in the future.

One thing I will most certainly miss is the diverse community of students. Like Saint Kevins, there was a convergance of cultures that is rarely seen. When we closed, so did Blessed Mother Theresa in Fields Corner and Saint Peters in another neighborhood. It wasn't forced integration, but it was an absolute melting pot of learners. This past year I asked each class which students spoke a language other than English when they went home in the afternoon. Half of the students in each class raised their hands. Out of those 10 students some spoke Creole (which comes in many forms ranging from Cape Verdean Creole to Haitian Creole), Vitnamese, Korean, Polish, and Spanish. Aside from ethnic differences, I really got to observe the differences between male and female learners, especially at the pre-teen level. I now realize why teachers always told us that girls developed cognitively more rapidly than boys. We always bood and hissed, but I can now say it's absolute fact. Lastly, there was a huge disparity between learners in respect to their personalities. Never in my life have I witnessed this many people having a new experience and socializing in a way I saw in my two years at PJP. To see each student find their niche in such a short time was absolutely astounding. Furthermore, to see the way in which each culture rubbed off on one another was equally amazing. I witnessed as a Cape Verdean class clown taught his white and Asian classmates how to loosen up and have fun while learning himself how to take his academics more seriously. I can also proudly say that in those two years I didn't witness one single fight. Of course there was conflicts, but never did they come to physical altercations. This was a far cry from the race riots that resulted from forced bussing 35 years prior.
Aside from hands on practical teaching, I spent time in a classroom as a student myself. For 10 straight semesters I attended Emmanuel College graduate school of education. In two and a half years I had earned my master's degree in the arts of teaching. There were a few points I thought I'd rather commit myself, but the dream of travelling upon graduation kept me motivated. It was a great experience because I was able to put to use what I was learning in my own classroom. I could easily see the transition in myself between novice teacher and classroom veteran, because I was constantly putting theory into practice.

When alll was said in done, I really felt as if I had grown as a student, a teacher, and a human. People have recently asked me if I miss teaching. I simply tell them, "I miss the kids".