This is a photo of a wall in one of the classrooms Ms. Cantu teaches in this year.
Palie Cantu, Mathematics Teacher

Palie Cantu, Mathematics Teacher

I love the start of a new school year! Everyone gets a fresh start, including teachers. Teachers spend the last week of summer in various meetings preparing for the first week of school. Often, we start with a retreat to focus on setting the tone for the school year. This year, we spent time delving into the new 2020 Goals and Criteria. Every 15 years, the criteria are reviewed and updated for all of the Sacred Heart schools. 

As I read the new criteria, I was struck by the changes and updates. The first criterion under Goal V was new! I wanted to share this new criterion with my students as we started the school year together. I also enlisted some help in creating posters to be placed in the classrooms where I would be teaching.

Goal V of Sacred Heart states: Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. Students tend to focus on "wise freedom," but for me, the focus is on "personal growth."

The first criterion of Goal V states: Student and adult members of the school community grow in courage and confidence as they discover new abilities, cultivate strengths, learn from mistakes, develop empathy and exercise resilience in meeting challenges.

I love that this criterion was written for all Sacred Heart schools, including us! Courage and confidence are words that resonate with students and teachers at many Sacred Heart schools. This criterion tells me that my students and I are called to grow as we meet challenges. When we choose to face a challenge, we may discover new abilities, cultivate strengths or learn from our mistakes. We may even develop empathy and exercise resilience. Our students face challenges every day, and they will continue to encounter trials and tests long after they leave us. If we can help them recognize the opportunities that a challenge presents, we set them up to be strong and confident girls.

I invite you to check out the 2020 Goals and Criteria by using the link above.