Mallory, a senior English education major at the University of Mary, finds the fulfillment of her mission in the classroom; however, that isn’t her first and only mission. She says her first mission is to be holy and adhere to the universal call to holiness. Through discernment and through discovering her own passions, Mallory has found that teaching is where she is going to be able to fully serve God and be sanctified. Through teaching, she desires to be a consistent, caring adult in the lives of her students, and hopes to help them know they’re loved, help them find their purpose, and ultimately, help them get to Heaven.
Teaching English, Mallory argues, is about more than just content, more than just reading and writing—though she clarifies it is a very important subject because reading and writing can give one power—rather, it’s more important that students know they are loved, seen, and important. By teaching, she is serving her community, the Church—regardless of the type of school she is teaching in—parents, her co-workers, and, in a special way, her students. She is serving by putting her heart and soul into teaching and by investing in students and investing in relationships with them. Mallory states that, in order to do this properly, she must view education through the lens of seeing students as an entire person, not simply as a letter grade.
Though English wasn’t what inspired Mallory to seek out a teaching degree, she explains why it’s an effective vehicle to reach students in both the public and private school settings. She articulated that English is a unique tool because the study of literature can help one gain Franciscan knowledge, which she defines as the knowledge of things through acquaintance. “Instead of just learning facts about things, with literature you become acquainted with things. Instead of just learning about the Holocaust, you are able to gain a knowledge of the Holocaust through reading a narrative that you wouldn’t have gained otherwise.” She says that English helps readers get into the mindset of others and to really view things from a certain perspective through literature.
Additionally, Mallory says, academic writing can be very vulnerable—especially creative writing. Writing requires one to go out on a limb and share with others a piece of one’s mind. Through their writing, Mallory learns so much about the students she is teaching in a way that she wouldn’t be able to if she was teaching science or math.
There are plenty of teachers out there, many of them being Catholic teachers, so I asked Mallory, in light of this, to explain why her mission as a teacher is unique. To start, she never thought she would be a teacher, but eventually she knew that she wanted to work with students. What drove her to be a teacher wasn’t necessarily the study of English—though she grew to love it—but rather the proposition of having relationships with her students and being someone they can count on.
Mallory is currently student-teaching at a Catholic middle school in the Twin Cities area. Upon graduation, she plans to work with an organization that combines mission work and teaching. Mallory exemplifies what is intended with this blog series: she has found her mission and purpose and intends to live it out through her everyday life as a teacher, whether or not she is teaching in a Catholic setting.
The Lord has given us all particular gifts. May we continue to discover them and use them as we ought: to ultimately glorify Him and lead others to know, love, and serve Him as well.