‘Bringing God back to the classroom’

Teacher formation program is impactful

Katie Krug already had several years’ experience as a Catholic school teacher when she enrolled in an intensive formation program that is new to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

Having recently completed the program, Krug is convinced of its benefits.

“It’s really helped me to refocus on what is the mission of a Catholic educator,” said Krug, who teaches math at Mount St. Mary Catholic High School. “It is a call from God, and this program helped me to refocus … I learned ways of teaching the students how to wonder about things.”

Krug was part of the first cohort of teachers and administrators in the Catholic Educator Formation and Credential Program. It is administered by the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, which draws on the Church’s tradition of education, aimed at the pursuit of faith, wisdom and virtue.

Graduates of the 18-month program earn a teaching credential and are eligible to receive up to 12 credits toward a graduate degree.

Twenty-eight educators, from the archdiocese and the Diocese of Tulsa, comprised the first cohort. They celebrated their graduation Feb. 22 with a Mass and reception at the Catholic Pastoral Center. The second cohort continues through the end of this year, with Cohort Three scheduled to begin in July. Registration for that cohort is underway.

Cohort One graduate Ashton Smith, a theology teacher at Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School, said the program’s roster of expert teachers proved especially beneficial because she was not formally trained as an educator.

“What I have learned in the program has deeply affected how I approach the art of teaching,” Smith said. “Seeing them teach has taught me more than anything.” 

Wai-Lee Kwan, from Sacred Heart Catholic School in Oklahoma City, also became a teacher after studying something else in college. She said the guidance and encouragement of the ICLE faculty bolstered her confidence that she is “doing something right” with her theology students.

“My vocation, my call as a teacher is not just teaching them the material to memorize and pass a test,” she said. “For me that vocation, that goal is to help them become a better person, help them achieve that plan and fulfill the plan God has for their lives.”

Ultimately, Kwan said, the program is about “bringing God back in the classroom.”

The ICLE program is being paid for by gifts to the Annual Catholic Appeal and by benefactors. Donations to help fund Cohort Three may be made online at cfook.org/givecefc.

Owen Canfield is associate director for Catholic schools development at the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma. Contact him at (405) 709-2700 or [email protected].

The Catholic Educator Formation and Credential Program graduation for the Bl. Stanley Rother Cohort was held on Feb. 22 at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City. Photo Chris Porter/Sooner Catholic.