Above: USA Northeast Province educators, including Maureen Reinhart P'94 '99
and Rev. Jim Hederman, S.J., on a summer pilgrimage to northern Spain.

Teachers, Staff Share Summer Learning 

What do teachers do during summer break? For educators at Xavier, the answers vary—ranging from leading a CFX trip to teaching a HAP class to participating in professional development opportunities.

On September 8, six faculty and staff members shared their summer professional development experiences with colleagues during opening faculty meetings. Presentations varied, from sessions on “flipping” classrooms (a pedagogical model that focuses on active learning and student engagement) to managing student behavior to individual retreat experiences.

English teacher Mary-Grace Gannon told colleagues about her summer journey to Edinburgh, Scotland, where she studied Thomas Jefferson and the Enlightenment through a teacher seminar sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. “I was fortunate to be supported by Xavier's Excellence in Teaching Grants to enable me to attend this summer,” Ms. Gannon said. “Professor Frank Cogliano, an ex-pat scholar of American history teaching at the University of Edinburgh, guided 28 teachers in our study of Thomas Jefferson—specifically, the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on Jefferson's thinking, writing, and statecraft. Our collaboration and conversation was lively and open. … I am so thankful for the experience, and my junior American Literature classes and AP classes, I hope, will benefit from my summer enrichment!”

Science and technology department member Mary Anne Woody shared her unique experience with the NASA Educator’s Initiative. “From March to the end of August, I worked as part of a research team at NASA that focused on exoplanet habitability. The team investigated Earth's past (during the Neoproterozoic era) as a window into what a potentially habitable exoplanet might resemble now,” she said. “In addition to participating in the actual research, I also designed STEM curriculum that incorporated NASA resources and content, as well as mentored high school and undergraduate interns this past summer.”

Assistant to the Dean of Students Maureen Reinhart P’94 ’99 and Rev. Jim Hederman, S.J., shared their adventure of following in St. Ignatius’ and St. Francis Xavier’s footsteps in June, when they traveled through northern Spain with 40 colleagues from eight different Jesuit schools from the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus. “Around 20 colleagues heard about our learning, prayer, and growth on this journey to Loyola, Xavier, Montserrat, Manresa, the River Cardoner, Barcelona, and other sites,” Fr. Hederman said. “We shared an experience of Ignatian guided meditation, and some colleagues asked for this to be shared with them.” Fr. Hederman is ready to offer this meditation to groups of alumni, parents, and Xavier supporters as well.

Following the theme of Ignatian spirituality, faculty and staff members shared insights about their summer reading with small groups Monday as well. Earlier this summer, Xavier gifted each faculty and staff member with the book of their choice from a list of six Ignatian-themed readings. The exercise was part of a response to faculty members’ expressed desire to grow in their knowledge of Ignatian spirituality. To learn more about faculty summer reading, look out for the fall issue of Xavier Magazine, coming soon to your mailbox.