Tips on Teaching at a Catholic or Private School (You are entering a new culture…)

After student teaching at a public school, I found I fit better into teaching at private schools, so over the last seven years I have worked at five different private schools; two Catholic schools and three private Christian schools — one international, one urban, and one suburban. Private schools have a different culture than public school that that takes time to learn.

Have you started teaching at a private school? Want some tips on how to transition even more strongly into that school’s culture? Here you go:

Some of Our Silly Engagement Photos

Last October, we had only gotten a few hours of sleep because we had been babysitting for a friend, so we were maybe a little sillier than usual when we took our sunrise and beyond engagement photos. I’m glad Ryn Manby, our brilliant photographer gave us some of the silly proofs as well!

Mary: “I LOVE being with you!” Stephen: “I know…”

 

Stephen: “What IS that smell?” Mary (keep smiling) “What smell?”

 

Nose to nose is best.

Mary: “Stephen, your pull is SO strong!” Stephen: “Uhh…actually it’s a train.”

Exercising My Trust Muscle

Walking to my work from that parking lot would take 27 minutes and I only had 24 minutes. This was my first day. I had to trust that the shuttle would come or I needed to run.

I wanted to just do it myself and run, but it was nine degrees (Fahrenheit) out, and I would be late for sure.

I chose to trust, and three minutes later the shuttle came, and I got to work early. Helping students register for college classes filled my day, so I had a blast.

This experience brought up my insecurities with trusting people: Can I depend on people to come through? Should I just do it myself?
My family growing up was a “do it yourself” mentality where we made our own candles, bread, and even maple syrup from the sap from our maple trees. Those were good things, but this feeling I was feeling had hurt me in other situations by not opening up, just trusting people, and relaxing.

I used to think I just had to depend on myself, and if I wanted things to happen, I had to, for example, walk to work.

My beliefs have been changing from letting love in and relaxing more. This situation helped me practice trusting more, and I’m glad I did because, man, it was cold outside.

By M. H. Campbell Copyright 2015