“The ultimate purpose of every Catholic school is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, to lead its students toward sainthood. And I believe Montessori education is the best way to accomplish that sacred goal because it fosters rigorous, self-motivated growth for students of all ages in every area of development: cognitive, physical, social, intellectual, emotional and spiritual,” concedes JoAnn Schulzetenberg, head of school at The Way of the Shepherd Catholic Montessori School in Blaine.
Schulzetenberg has been involved in Catholic Montessori education for over a decade and is convinced of its richness.
“Montessori uses mixed-age classrooms, which provides a natural learning process in a community. Younger students learn from older peers. This has been foundational throughout all of history. Montessori education also provides hands-on learning experiences to teach the concrete concepts before moving toward abstraction. The best way to learn is by doing.”
This focus on the child has had the unintended consequence of creating a void of leaders for Montessori schools. Schulzetenberg reveals that “there are very few people who are certified in Montessori who would actually want to be head of school because there is such a love for working with the student, observing the development of the child, and most Montessorians do not desire to lead an entire school.”
Answering the call
Schulzetenberg kept looking for others to lead until it became clear she needed to step up.
“Slowly, over a span of years, God worked at my heart until I could clearly hear Him saying to me, ‘It’s you! I will open the path for you. You just have to accept it and do it!’ And once I did, everything started falling into place. I love working with my faculty and staff. I love guiding and mentoring them. And I love the influence I can have on the direction and vision of the school. Of course, there are parts that are challenging because I am not trained as a principal, but I have garnered a lot of connections, especially other principals, who help me in areas where I lack experience.”
“The last two years have been intense but filled with so much joy. I think what’s gotten me through and allowed The Way of the Shepherd to be so successful is having a deep prayer life, Adoration in particular. One of the most important things I did my first year as principal was to bring weekly Adoration to our campus. Because we aren’t a parish school, bringing the Eucharist to students and staff was really important to me. And we are very intentional about praying together as a team every morning before school starts.”
“I think allowing that time and space for prayer helps give me vision for where our school is supposed to be headed as a Catholic Montessori school. When I receive that time and make room for it, I hear what God is saying and know where I’m supposed to go next and what decisions I should make throughout the day. That confidence is invaluable in a time when there is so much uncertainty and so little clarity in the world in which we live.”
In response to the great shifts taking place in today’s world, Schulzetenberg sees the need for many courageous men and women to serve in our Catholic schools.
“The Church needs people who are listening to God’s call to be missionaries. People who are fulfilled by what God offers and not what the world offers. People who love the Lord and want to serve Him well and glorify Him. We need young men and women to rise up and lead others through the storm.”