“Catholic schools shaped who I am”

National Catholic Schools Week – Jan. 31 – Feb. 6

As a senior in high school, Kat Joyce knew she wanted to become a teacher. Now, halfway through her first-year teaching, Joyce leads her second-grade class at Christ The King Catholic School in prayer every day. Those prayers are the cornerstone that led to her vocation as a Catholic school teacher. 

A product of entirely Catholic schools and universities, Joyce was eager to lay the same foundation of faith and knowledge that she received to the next generation of students.

“It is an amazing opportunity to be in a Catholic school,” she said. “It is such a beautiful thing to see students praying for each other, and to watch their prayer life develop as they pray for others outside our school.”

The former Saint Eugene Catholic School student graduated from Bishop McGuinness Catholic School before enrolling at Saint Gregory University in Shawnee. When the Saint Gregory campus closed, Joyce transferred to Benedictine College in Kansas to finish her teaching degree. It was her desire to give students the same experience she had that led to her decision to teach in Catholic schools. 

“I am proud to say that Catholic schools shaped who I am,” Joyce said. “I want to help lay that foundation for them. I want to raise who I became!” 

The desire to keep prayer at the forefront of her life was a major influence in her choice to teach in Catholic schools.

“Having Christ in the center of our schools is such a beautiful thing,” she said.

Although she gave the highest praise to all the teachers she had throughout her educational career, Joyce mentioned her high school English teacher Christine Pankratz-West as an inspiration.

Christopher Sheffield, another first-year teacher, described his students at Sacred Heart Catholic School as a close-knit group. The sense of community and smaller class sizes were a big draw to Sheffield, a graduate of Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School.

“I like that most of these kids have grown up together,” he said. 

Sheffield knew he would find comfort teaching in Catholic schools, even though he isn’t Catholic. A former student at Villa Teresa Catholic School and Saint John Nepomuk Catholic School, he explained that his fellow classmates never treated him differently.

“They always included me in everything, and I never felt like I was looked down upon because I wasn’t Catholic,” he explained. 

“I’ve found a home here at Sacred Heart,” he said. “The kids are incredible! I can see myself teaching in Catholic schools, even at Sacred Heart, for my entire career.” 

Fellow Sacred Heart teacher Tera Albert has been an educator for more than 20 years. This is her first year teaching in Catholic schools. The fourth-grade teacher previously taught religious education classes at her parish in Forgan in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Albert decided to combine her roles as educator and catechist and said she couldn’t be happier with her decision.

“I love my class! I love the sense of community, and seeing everyone come together, especially right now,” Albert said. 

Recalling her own experience as a student at Christ the King Catholic School and Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, Albert said she has many fond memories of her time spent in Catholic schools.

“I made lifelong friends,” she explained. “I have friends from grade school who I still talk to.”

Catholic education is deeply rooted in Julia Anderson-Holt’s family heritage. The chemistry teacher at Bishop McGuinness attended Rosary School as an elementary student as did her mother, maternal grandmother, paternal grandfather and several aunts, uncles and cousins. 

Anderson-Holt, recipient of the 2020 Archbishop Paul S. Coakley Catholic Schools Educator of the Year award, explained that teaching in a Catholic school gives her the ability to make the best choices for each student as an individual. 

“They allow us to make decisions that align with our mission – educating the whole person,” Anderson-Holt explained. “We can make a difference with students that’s not always content-related.” 

For her, one of the most important aspects of teaching in Catholic schools is the encouragement to make choices that help students learn in different ways, allowing them to be more successful.

“Being able to love through teaching is so important to me,” she said. “I am in a far better place professionally, emotionally and spiritually in Catholic schools than I would be anywhere else.”

Sally Linhart is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.


Photos: Christopher Sheffield (above) and Tera Albert both attended Catholic schools and are now Catholic school teachers at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Oklahoma City. Visit archokc.org/schools to learn more about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Photos Chris Porter/Sooner Catholic.