Perhaps unbeknownst to the student body, many teachers take graduate classes during the school year and also over the summer. Many of these teachers take exhausting 3 hour night classes all over the DFW area once a week so that they can get their masters’ degree.
All of the teachers concurred that it was difficult to balance the workload of writing papers and reading required materials for their graduate classes in addition to grading and assigning homework for their Jesuit classes. On top of it all, they must balance a social life and a family life.
Most teachers are studying for a masters’ degree in counseling or education, and although most of the teachers are not counselors or do not plan to go into counseling, they enjoy studying the ways in which people work and how to interact with them.
One of the noteworthy teachers participating in graduate school is Mr. Keith Reese, a freshman theology teacher who currently is studying Scripture at the University of Dallas, in Lewisville. But that is only his most recent endeavor in learning, having under his belt a Masters in Divinity, a Masters in Sacred Theology, and a Masters in counseling (and not to mention his 2 other bachelors in General Theology).
Reese proclaimed that he “loves to learn” and “is always seeking to get more knowledge.” Perhaps the best part about learning for Reese is that he gets to pass on his knowledge to his freshman students, who participate in his discussion heavy classes.
Another teacher, who has been striving for further education, is Mrs. Allison Savoy who also teaches two different subjects, algebra and chemistry. Currently, she is not working on a degree, but rather on an Independent Study project where she observes and records the effects of iPads on high school students.
After searching the internet for reports on the effects of iPads on high school students, Savoy discovered that no information existed on this subject. Unfortunately, the only information that exists is the effects of iPads on college students, which is far different, and she started on her own endeavor to find out how iPads affect, both positively and negatively, a student’s life.
One of the reasons why she is studying iPads is the inherent “cool” factor associated with the tablet. They’re new! They’re innovative! They’re where the world of technology is headed! So far, Mrs. Savoy is trying to get her masters in Curriculum and Instruction with her project on iPads being her equivalent of a thesis.
Much like the students at Jesuit, the teachers always push themselves to advance their education, which is extremely evident in their after-school endeavors, and it is just one of the reasons that Jesuit is such a special place.
The rest of the teachers:
Teacher Name | Subject Taught at Jesuit | University | Major | Date of Graduation |
Mary Beth Farrell | English | U.T. Dallas | Humanities | December 2013 |
Patrick Triplett | History | U.T. Permean Basin | Special Education | Spring 2013 |
Raul Ornelas | Sophomore Counselor and Spanish | SMU | Counseling | Spring 2015 |
Allison Savoy | Algebra and Chemistry | Graduated, but under the tutelage of a professor | Curriculum and Instruction | Graduated, but still working on Independent Study |
Patricia Watson | Geometry and Calculus | U.T. Denton | Curriculum and Instruction | Spring 2014 |
Matt DuRoss | Theology | SMU | Counseling | 2016 |
Keith Reese | Theology | University of Dallas in Lewisville | Scripture (amongst other things) | Never, always studying |
Joseph Nava | Algebra | University of Dallas in Irving | Theology | Spring 2013 |
Anne Blackford | Algebra | Concordia University in Dallas | Evaluation and Assessment in Education; Classroom Teacher as Researcher | 2013 |
Gretchen Crowder | Theology | University of Dallas | Moral Theology | Undetermined/ may want to study more or less |
Matt Trost | Computer Science | Lamar University Online Program | Education | May 2013 |
Dan Lingel | History | Concordia University in Dallas | Education Administration | August 2013 |
Michele Elchlepp | Theology | SMU | Spirituality and Mysticism | 2016 |