Veteran teachers reflect on their lifetime mission

The Clarion Herald invited teachers retiring this month after 30 or more years of service to reflect on their vocation of Catholic education.
 

Sacred Heart Brother Neal Golden, '57 Cor Jesu 
Brother Martin High School

Fresh off a year at LSU getting a master’s degree in mathematics in 1965-66, I was assigned to St. Aloysius High School as the chairman of the mathematics department. I quickly found out why I had been sent there.

The new principal, Brother Flavian, S.C., who had been my principal and teacher at Cor Jesu High School, had asked for me. Shortly after I moved into the brothers’ house in August, Brother Flavian told me, “We have announced a data processing course for seniors, and you’re going to teach it.”

“Do you have a syllabus for the course?” I asked.

“No, you make one.”

“Do you have a textbook in mind?”

“No, you find one.”

“Do we have any computers for the students to use?”

“No, but we do have punched-card machines.”

That was the start of the first high school computer course in the state of Louisiana. We know it was the first because we had to submit a syllabus to the state Department of Education for its approval. “Data Processing” was the only approved course name that came close to fitting what was taught.

It was also the genesis of the first high school computer programming text published in the United States. “Computer Programming in the Basic Language” was published by Harcourt Brace in 1975. The publisher budgeted the book so that it would break even if it sold 33,000 copies. It sold 110,000 copies, which led to a second and then a third edition.

I was appointed chairman of the mathematics department in 1969 when St. Aloysius and Cor Jesu merged to form Brother Martin High School. As the computer field rapidly changed, we moved from one time-sharing terminal connected to the UNO mainframe to an entire lab of desktop (personal) computers.

In 1985, I was appointed chairman of the state committee to create the computer literacy course that the Legislature had mandated as a requirement for all high school graduates.

I have taught at Brother Martin since its first year, and I am now retiring after 62 years in the classroom, which started at St. Stanislaus in 1961-62 when I was 20 years old.

In the last years of St. Aloysius, I learned about academic games and founded the local league that still exists. During my career, I have also found teaching in Catholic schools rewarding. In retirement, I will continue to work for the local academic games league and the national organization.
 

Susan Vanderbook
St. Charles Catholic High School

All 49 years of my teaching experience have been in Catholic education. The last 45 have been at St. Charles Catholic High School. 

Being a Catholic educator has given me the ability to participate in and share my faith with our students. I have loved teaching at St. Charles Catholic because of the family atmosphere at the school. The teachers know the students and are always willing to help with anything the students need.

I’ve always enjoyed when graduates return to school and share with me that they are doing well in a history class because they can remember me saying almost the same thing their college professor was saying. They would say it was like a review!

It is also fulfilling when a parent or guardian shares with me that even though it may not have seemed like it, their child really did learn something and talked about it at home.

The memory that will stay with me forever is how my Comet family supported me and my family when my father passed away this year.

Deborah M. Broussard
Brother Martin High School

As an educator of 47 years – 44 of those years in Catholic schools – I have found the greatest gifts of being a Catholic educator are beginning each class with a prayer and seeing the graces of God in every student. 

Catholic education has allowed me to develop the students both academically and spiritually. Hopefully, my students have learned from me that God loves them and that I truly care for every one of them. I have always strived to support, encourage and cherish each of my students as children of God with different gifts and talents.

To see my students become faith-filled and academically prepared for life is my greatest reward as a teacher. Teaching in a Catholic school environment has always been a passion and vocation, never a job. My students and colleagues in each of the Catholic schools where I taught will always be in my heart and my prayers.

I have been truly blessed to have a very supportive family and spend my career in schools that believe in the evangelization of young people and thank all my colleagues who have touched my life in so many ways.
 

Amy L. Verbois
St. Joan of Arc School, LaPlace

As a full-time health and physical education teacher and coach for 41 years, with 34 of those years having served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, I want to express my deep love and gratitude to my beloved St. Joan of Arc (SJA) family in LaPlace. I am very proud to be a Viking and will remain a Viking forever! 

Dominican Sister Mary Germaine, the principal who hired me in 1991, was quite a personal inspiration in my early Catholic teaching career. During these formative years, several of my SJA colleagues made impressionable contributions to what it means to teach in a Catholic elementary school setting, thereby unknowingly aiding me in becoming the teacher I am today.

Margaret Cerami, my “mentor”; Mary Desimone and Cathy Tramonte, whom I tried to emulate, among many others, helped to guide me through my professional life as an elementary Catholic school educator. I want to thank them and every teacher I have been honored to work with. They are forever in my prayers.

My physical education colleague – Coach Richard Sirera – was a blessing from the beginning, being there for me on my very first day at SJA. He has been everything one could ever hope for in sharing the many diverse duties of that department. He has been at my side through everything, multiple hurricanes included. I cannot think of anyone else I would rather have spent the better part of my life with while teaching at SJA. Over our numerous fun and, yes, challenging years together, he became like a “brother” to me. 

I want to thank my parents for instilling my Catholic faith during my youth and throughout my life, which paved the way for my SJA career. I had the honor of teaching religion classes for nearly 10 years. Also, thank you Sister PC for your faith and help in that journey with Jesus. Amen.

As for that next step: Waking up later and “retirement travels.”
 

Sue Hart
Immaculate Conception School

As I reflect on my 45 years of teaching – 31 of those in Catholic schools – I am filled with a sense of gratitude and fulfillment. In my 10 years of teaching at Immaculate Conception School and 21 years at St. Rosalie, I have had the privilege of motivating students and, hopefully, fostering a love of learning, a competitive spirit and a commitment to our Catholic faith.  

About 29 of these years have been spent teaching physical education and coaching after-school sports. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of so many students’ journeys as they worked toward reaching their potential as well-disciplined and fair-minded athletes.

Most importantly, I will always remember the sense of family and community that I have experienced while working in Catholic schools. I have made friendships and connections with so many colleagues – friendships that will last a lifetime!
 

Patty P. Larkin
Brother Martin High School

As a member of the admissions office, it has been a true blessing to work in Catholic education at Brother Martin High School. Working in the Catholic sector has personally helped me grow closer to my Catholic faith, not only as a person but also as a mother, grandmother, colleague, etc. I even had the honor of watching my son, Andrew Larkin, graduate from Brother Martin in 2006. 

As Brother Martin has been my home for 35 years, I have witnessed the growth of young boys into well-rounded and faith-filled gentlemen who have been formed in knowledge and the love of God. In addition, I have loved being a small, but valuable part of a student’s journey in achieving all that he can be during his time at Brother Martin.
 

Peggy Bordelon
St. Charles Catholic High School

After being in the classroom since 1977, I am retiring. I began my career teaching seventh- and eighth-grade English, reading and religion at St. Peter School in Reserve. It was quite an adventure, and I loved being able to share my faith with these impressionable young students.

I then moved on to St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace for the 1981-82 school year. That first year, I taught English I, English II, English III, English IV and one intermediate composition (essay-writing) class. That one class eventually grew to five! That’s a lot of reading!

I also assisted with class retreats and overnight retreats, which were the best part of my job. I didn’t go to Catholic school when I was young, so being able to be a witness to my faith made my life so much better. Being able to pray before every class also gave me a peacefulness that everyone seemed to enjoy. 

I have loved my job and definitely have loved what I have taught, but I am eager to begin having nothing to do for a while. I will miss the closeness I shared with fellow faculty members and with my students and hope that the Lord will continue to steer me where I am needed and can continue to share my love for Christ.

Leah Bakker
St. Margaret Mary School

My story begins in 1992.  After teaching for one year in Acadia Parish, my husband and I moved to Slidell for his employment. I stumbled across a job opening at St. Margaret Mary Catholic School and applied, thinking, “Why not?” A few days before school began, I was offered a first-grade teaching position. Walking into my newly assigned, bare classroom, I was overwhelmed. My two coworkers, who were veteran teachers, introduced themselves to me and welcomed me with a hug. They both offered lots of help to get this new teacher started in her second year. After teaching at SMM for a couple of years, I attempted twice to obtain a position in the public school system. When those attempts failed for various reasons, I finally got the message that God was trying to send me. He wanted me to stay at St. Margaret Mary.

With that being said, I eventually realized that teaching at SMM was my vocation. Some of the most rewarding moments of my career have been watching my students grow academically, as well as spiritually. I am so grateful to have been a part of the lives of the many students who have passed through my first- and fourth-grade classes. Seeing my former students grow up as responsible, Christ-loving individuals is truly the greatest gift of my teaching career.

It is without a doubt that after 31 years, this school has become my second home and the faculty members that I have taught with from the beginning have become my family. The support the faculty and staff have for one another and for our students is second to none. As I retire from being a full-time classroom teacher, it would be impossible for me to retire completely from St. Margaret Mary School. I look forward to continuing my connection with St. Margaret Mary Catholic School in whatever capacity I can.
 

Emma Fiorella
St. Dominic School

As a Catholic educator, I always wanted to teach my students the way I hoped my own children would be taught – with love and respect. I set out each day to bring my students closer to Jesus and his Blessed Mother and make learning fun as well as challenging. A little laughter goes a long way in the face of a complicated subject matter. 

My heart’s goal has always been to instill in my students the ideal that trusting in God and believing in themselves is half the battle in any endeavor and to let them know that they could count on me always and in all ways to see them through any hardship they might encounter. The right portions of guiding, listening, understanding, believing, caring, laughing and learning are the perfect ingredients for success in education.

One blessing that I will cherish forever is former students coming back to thank me for being a part of their education and a factor in who and what they are today. Etched permanently in my memory also is the family of colleagues and administrators who helped me endure the challenging times and celebrate the joyous times during my long career as a Catholic educator. Knowing the adage, “All good things must come to an end,” I am reassured, however, that every ending marks a new beginning.
 

Mary Duet
St. Benilde School

After 39 consecutive years of teaching at St. Benilde School, I’ve determined it’s time to retire. I first got involved at St. Benilde when my daughter was in kindergarten. The teacher at the time asked if I could come and help out for two weeks. I agreed, and somehow those two weeks turned into 39 years!

I have just loved working with the children. Their smiles and sweet hugs; witnessing the way they help and care for each other. I’ve been blessed to teach the children of former students and to even see students come back as teachers here at St. Benilde.

I’ve also appreciated the unashamed Catholicity of St. Benilde School, and that has greatly impacted my own spiritual life. It’s so beautiful how everything in our day revolves around the faith. I couldn’t imagine teaching anywhere else. St. Benilde just feels like home, and I’m definitely going to miss it.

Another blessing has been the Exceptional Learners Program. I’m so glad to see schools beginning to create programs for children with special needs,  creating a space for them within Catholic education. One of the most beautiful things has been witnessing how the other children embrace and love them. They have also benefited from learning so much about compassion and love. I’m eager to be able to spend more time at daily Mass and eucharistic adoration. I plan to visit the school often, and I’m willing to help any time they need an extra set of hands.

 

Kathy Scheuermann
Our Lady of Prompt Succor School, Chalmette

I’m blessed that I have been able to spend my 33-year teaching career in my church parish where I have been able to enjoy weekly Masses with the students. When my own two children attended, I was able to sit with them during the school Masses, and we were able to celebrate together when they received the sacraments of first reconciliation, first Communion and confirmation.

I love teaching siblings. I enjoy learning the similarities and differences. I love teaching generations, and I’m always delighted when kids say, beaming with pride, “Mrs. Scheuermann taught my mommy or daddy!” I’ve been blessed to teach and coach at OLPS. This has been a wonderful job and has rarely felt like work. That’s what made it so special.

Over the years, I have encouraged students to improve their own basic athletic skills, because when they improve individually, it helps the team improve. Learning how to be a team player can take you anywhere you need to go in life. I want them to do well so they can go on to play high school sports, but ultimately learning teamwork can take you into adulthood. That’s a lesson I tried to impart to all my students, not just the team athletes.

Looking back on my career, I know I am blessed to work in a faith-filled school community. My co-workers are my second family, and I have so many memories that I will cherish forever.


Elliot James
St. Angela Merici School

God has blessed me in so many ways:

The honor of working with three great pastors, three great principals, and 40 years with incredible teachers who are all my friends for life. Coaches from other schools who are a part of my family now. Thousands and thousands of children who I have unbelievable memories with.

God told me 40 years ago he had a plan for me. He would guide me, show me the way, and never leave my side. He was even at my side when I was fighting cancer. Cancer never had a chance with God, my family, and all my SAM children praying for me.

Always remember there is nothing more powerful than a child’s prayer. I would like to say thanks to my wife and two sons, along with God. They are my strength. So, for everyone who was a part of my life, I thank and love every one of you.