Teacher Identity Series: Sr. Boram Reflects
Sr. Boram, a Middle School teacher at Corpus Christi Holy Rosary School in Port Chester, NY, shares her own reflection on identity.
My identity as a woman, Korean-American person, former journalist, immigrant, and Catholic consecrated religious Sister shapes everything I do as a teacher. Unlike most teachers, I literally wear my identity marker as I enter the classroom every morning in my religious habit, veil, and crucifix. The kids have a certain expectation and stereotype of Sisters, based on their prior experience of a Sister teacher, and sometimes it’s a challenge to be who I am and be that well, as St. Francis de Sales advises.
But, the more I embrace my identity, especially in my faith and my religious convictions, the more grounded and authentic I become as an educator and human person. I can explain difficult concepts to my students through the lens of the Catholic faith, and talk about delicate topics in the news with them and learn from them as they share their views. As we do this, we grow in mutual trust and respect, and touch each others’ hearts forever.
For me and all of my fellow Salesian Sisters, teaching is not just a job or a vocation. It is our ministry, the way we encounter and serve God in the young, and our means of purification as well. Knowing one’s identity and self-awareness (of one’s strengths and weaknesses) is so crucial to our work that we have four years of initial religious formation or training to understand ourselves well, so that we can work on the areas we need to grow as human persons, even before we can take our religious vows. All this, so that we can serve the young people that God sends us to, to the best of our abilities.
View original series post, Teacher Identity Series: Risk Averse Students
