Educator offers tips to help parents make most of school year

By John Shaughnessy

As a teacher, a principal and a mother, Gina Fleming has experienced the beginning of a school year in different ways.

As a new assistant superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese, Fleming offers four tips to help parents make the most of this school year for their children.

Give your child the best.

“We send our children to Catholic schools because we want the best for them, and we want to teach them our faith,” says Fleming, the mother of two children who attend Holy Name School in Beech Grove. “Given that we know Christ as our savior—as the ultimate best— why wouldn’t we take advantage of every opportunity to join him in his house for worship, celebration and holy Eucharist? Our schools are intended to emphasize and deepen the Catholic faith that is taught and modeled first in the home.”

Model Christian behavior.

“Bullying, teasing and alienation are big problems in our world today,” says Fleming, the former principal of Holy Name School. “When we are in the parking lot at pick-up, at the ball diamonds or at our own kitchen tables, our children watch and listen. Remembering that we are all made in God’s image, we need to show our children how to be inclusive, how to share and how to appreciate differences.”

Listen.

“By creating quiet time together, limiting screen time and sharing prayer time, we are better able to be present to one another, and, most importantly, to be open to the word of God,” Fleming says. “An example of this is when we began allotting time for students to enjoy Eucharistic Adoration each week at Holy Name. Initially, most were restless. Now, students are focused, relaxed and craving even more time in silence with Jesus.”

Support your children’s teachers and administrators.

“Just as archdiocesan employees recognize that all children are gifts from God, it is important that we all recognize and appreciate the gifts in these caring professionals who dedicate their lives to Catholic education,” Fleming says. “Please keep them in your prayers as they give their best to elevate the capacity of all learners.” †

The Criterion