Teaching at a Catholic school has been one of the greatest blessings I have received as an educator who is passionate about music and as a Catholic who strives to live a Christ-like life by helping others learn of music and gain essential skills that may benefit them in the future.
IVAN PARGA TEACHES MUSIC AT ST. BONAVENTURE CATHOLIC SCHOOL. PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. BONAVENTURE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
I grew up in a Catholic household and still hold strongly to the beliefs and values I have been accustomed to throughout my life. Specifically, being grateful for what we have, the desire to strive for success and the ability to humble ourselves to genuinely serve others. At St. Bonaventure Catholic School, I witness the same values being upheld and being taught to the oncoming generations of students and future leaders.
This is encouraging to my commitment to teaching in a Catholic setting, but what has been the ultimate determinant in my motivation to teach in this environment is the sense of community I get every day that I spend at my current school. I cannot help to compare my current experience as a Catholic school teacher to my previous experiences as a student in the public school system, and I can say with absolute certainty that I never had this sense of community until my time at St. Bonaventure.
One of the most unique parts of teaching at a Catholic school is the freedom and encouragement to create significant opportunities in music for our students which are not typically offered at other TK through eighth grade schools.
One thing that I have strived for is to offer my students skills and opportunities from having concerts, working with music technology to compose and create original music, learning music theory and learning to play an instrument. My school’s values and mission have created an environment where my students truly engage with the content that I teach them, actively try to learn and master music to the best of their current ability and share their knowledge of music with others in humility. This has allowed me to push my students to advanced levels of music creation, understanding and performance.
Being a part of this community has not only impacted my musical growth, but also my spiritual growth. My experience at St. Bonaventure School has been one of the most surreal starting from my initial application to my time teaching at the school now. There has not been a moment during my time at this school where I don’t feel God’s grace and blessing, from the time that I initially applied for this job to my current position as a Catholic school teacher today. My faith in God has only strengthened. There hasn’t been a day where I don’t look forward to serving my students by teaching them music and I consider this the greatest blessing from teaching in this environment.
All in all, being a Catholic school teacher has proven to be one of the most significant experiences and blessings in my life as a Catholic and music educator, due to the Christ-centered environment and community found within my current school, the ability to provide my students with musical skills such as composition, performance, and collaboration as well as the freedom to practice and identify with my Catholic ideals and beliefs. I look forward to my future as a Catholic school teacher with great anticipation and hope and pray to God that he continues to allow me to serve my community as a music educator, and to give future generations of musicians the opportunities that will allow them to display their creative and musical abilities.