Pam Heiman is a teacher at St. Agnes Catholic School in Roeland Park, and a member of the CEF Futures Committee.
As Catholic Schools Week quickly approaches, it’s a great time to reminisce about my Catholic education as I grew from student to teacher, and about my decision to join the Catholic Education Foundation’s Futures Committee.
I am blessed to have attended St. Michael’s Catholic School in Axtell, Kansas as a grade school student. Although it was over a decade ago, I can now appreciate how lucky I was to attend a school that offered me the opportunity to learn about my faith, attend Mass twice a week, and be surrounded by the most caring and loving parish community. After graduating high school, I chose to attend Benedictine College. The Benedictine values and faculty helped me to continue to grow in my faith and be surrounded by the community similar to the one I had grown up with in Axtell. Benedictine supported me while I pursued my goal to become a teacher that would help others grow in their faith. When I began my career as a Catholic school teacher, I noticed how some of these same blessings from grade school and college are also present at St. Agnes, where I now teach.
While many people may claim that they love their job, I can’t help but follow that statement with an explanation. I love that I am able to draw closer to the Lord by deepening my faith. I love that I attend daily Mass with my students. I love that I am able to work closely with kind and compassionate parishioners. I love that Fr. Bill Porter and Fr. Bruce Ansems support St. Agnes with such compassion. And finally, I love that I get to work with the best staff, the best parents, and the best students at St. Agnes. There is no denying that working at St. Agnes Catholic School is one of the greatest blessings of my life.
I became involved in CEF’s Futures group to give students the same opportunity to attend Catholic school that I had as a child. The Futures support CEF’s Guardian Angel Fund, which provides emergency scholarships for students in CEF-supported schools whose families face an unexpected financial crisis, like a job loss or medical emergency. I can’t imagine what my life would be had I not attended St. Michael’s Catholic School, then Benedictine College, and later became a teacher at St. Agnes Catholic School. Giving our students the best is my goal as a teacher and as a member of CEF Futures.
Happy Catholic Schools Week!
