On Monday, Season 2 of the Catholic School Matters podcast kicked off with a great interview with Fr. Tim Scully of Notre Dame’s ACE program. Here is a link to the podcast.
In the podcast, I jokingly referred to the ACE teaching program as a “cult” because of the zealous devotion that many ACE’rs show. When pressed, Fr. Scully revealed the secret to the program when he mentions that our faith provides a framework to understanding the struggles of teaching. It was a profound comment.
Teaching—especially the first couple of years—is difficult. Having a community (ACE’rs live in communities of 5-6 fellow teachers) to commiserate with certainly helps. But joining your struggles to the Paschal mystery (“How will this suffering be resurrected later?”) can provide hope in a despairing time. The combination of community with the framework can bolster the flagging energy of any new teacher and provide hope.
It’s a revealing moment and a worthwhile listen. To reach Fr. Tim: [email protected] or the ACE website. Here is Fr. Tim’s Bio page and the National Review article on ACE & Fr. Scully.
Looking ahead to the rest of the week:
- Tuesday, Episode #57 will drop and will feature Mr. Ken Willers, the outstanding principal at the School of the Madeleine in Berkeley, California. Ken will discuss his innovative Annual Report that he uses to illustrate the successes of the school. To reach him: [email protected] or the School of the Madeleine Here is an example of the latest Annual Report and the YouTube promotional video.
- Wednesday, Episode #58 will include an interview with marketing guru Stan Phelps. Stan has a great philosophy of catering to our current customers (as opposed to attracting new customers) which has tremendous implications for Catholic schools. Stan can be reached at [email protected] or the Purple Goldfish Here is the Purple Goldfish keynote (20 minutes) and Stan’s IBM page.
- Thursday, Episode #59 will feature Dr. Toni Moore of the University of Dayton’s Center for Catholic Education. She will discuss the Remy Initiative as well as the great work being done in the Center for Catholic Education. She can be reached at [email protected] and here is the 2016 Colloquium page.
- Friday’s Episode #60 will include an interview with Dr. Tad Dickel, the president of Mater Dei High School in Evansville. Dickel will discuss the school choice program in Indiana and its impact on Mater Dei. He can be reached at [email protected]. Dr. Dickel’s alumni profile from the University of Evansville and the Indiana Department of Education’s “Choice Scholarships” page.
It’s a great week of podcasts!
