CSW

Happy Catholic Schools Week!

That statement probably doesn't mean much to most of the people that read this blog, but to me it means the world. Last year I wrote a post on Catholic Schools Week from a teacher perspective, but as my children grow, I am becoming more and more intrigued by CSW from a parental point-of-view. People question why we pay so much in tuition when we have a great school down the street for free. They question how we can spend almost 2 hours each day just doing drop off and pick up. 20 min. to St. Matt's, 10 min. to drop off, 20 min. to work...repeat in the afternoon. They question if my Xavier paycheck goes straight to St. Matthew each week. (Honestly, I question if I could do that and save everyone a lot of trouble). However, I never question our decision to send the girls to Catholic School.

Each day we drop the girls off they are welcomed into this community of support and love. There is no doubt in my mind that at school the people that the girls come in contact with have nothing but the best intentions to help my children grow. This past week alone I have watched my children get pushed out of their comfort zones and have watched them excel. Emma read in front of the whole school at Mass on Wednesday, and then again on Friday led all-school prayer over the intercom to start the day. Though she seems crazy most times, she is painfully shy in front of large groups. Grace has been asked to read in front of the entire church at Mass on Sunday and will sing in the choir. As an adult I still get nervous to read at Mass, yet I have watched my children do it with ease.

Academically the girls have been challenged, encouraged, and then challenged some more. Thursday when I picked Grace up from school she said she had the, "best day ever!" Not because it was her favorite lunch or she had fun with her friends, but because she moved up again in math and nailed her reading exam. Just when she thought her day couldn't get better, her teacher personally told me about her success. Every student should be able to feel this kind of love and encouragement from their teacher, and we have been lucky to feel it year after year at St. Matthew.

Socially the families of St. Matthew are second to none. All three girls have established wonderful friendships and Mark and I have come to trust and rely on our St. Matts friends. Through amazing teachers and supportive families the girls are encountering some of the most amazing role-models they could ever hope to meet.  They model knowledge, service, and compassion like Mark and I could never do on our own. Emma came home this week as the recipient of a "Character Counts" award, no doubt because she is surrounded by people who are shaping her to be her best.

Though I love St. Matthew for all the sunshine it provides, I love it most on the days that it rains. I am proud of my children for their successes, but it's not always rainbows at school. They have failed. They will continue to fail. We have received the phone call that, "Emma and another student used the art scissors to give each other haircuts." Or the impromptu meeting with the guidance counselor when Emma asked a teacher if her coffee mug, "had Bud Light in it to help her get through the day." Or the time when the maintenance man (or as we affectionately call him, Big T) laid in to Emma for opening the door with her foot. As I watched him scold her, my heart filled with joy. He told her what she did wrong. He took the time to explain to her why it was wrong. Then he gave her a high five and a smile. As she stood there and accepted her punishment, I couldn't have been more proud.  He, just like all of the St. Matt's staff, was supplying her with discipline, knowledge, and love.

I have always loved the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." I couldn't ask for a better village to help develop my children into strong, independent, intelligent women of faith.