A
Connection to Her HeartWho is
the master of Dogopoly, hosts lunches for five-year-olds in the “secret
garden,” and saves boxes for sledding on snowy afternoons? If you
guessed Sister Lois, then your child has probably had the privilege of
spending time with her in St. John’s after care program.
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| Ashley, Devin, Sister Lois, Ben, Sister Mercille and Liam play bingo, while decked out in red to honor the Lady Terps. |
Next year marks Sister Lois’ 20th year at the school. Born in Pittston, Pennsylvania, she comes from a large family — six brothers and three sisters. Being the youngest of three girls and having so many brothers, gives her insights into how children interact and get along together.
Before graduating high school, Sister Lois decided to enter religious life. “I didn’t tell anyone until the last minute,” she said. She went to the prom, graduated, and then told her family. “My mom wanted me to go to business college.”
“I knew it would be hard,” she continued. “I remember getting a cantaloupe, cutting it open, and filling it with ice cream, and my brother saying, ‘That’s the last time you’ll do that.’ Kids would say things like that. So I’m glad I waited to say anything, because I don’t think I could have taken that.”
At first, Sister Lois’ mother didn’t want her to enter religious life, but her father supported her decision. “By Thanksgiving, unbeknown to my father or me, my mother went up to Marywood to ask all the questions about religious life, and she came home with material to make my postulance outfits. I knew then that it was going to be ok.”
Coming to St. John the Evangelist School
Sister Lois spent six years in religious training at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Community before she began teaching. Immediately prior to coming to St. John the Evangelist School, she was teaching kindergarten in southern Maryland and working as a volunteer with adults with Down Syndrome in the summers.
She learned that Sister Kathleen had an opening for a kindergarten teacher, but she wasn’t sure that she wanted to come. “I didn’t know the principal or whether or not our educational philosophies differed,” she explained. Although assured that Sister Kathleen was “brilliant,” she wanted to see for herself. So, Sister Lois came for an interview. “She fired questions at me, and I answered. And I fired questions at her, and she answered,” Sister Lois recalled. The rest is history. When they do disagree, they blame it on their heritage. “Sister Kathleen will say, ‘You know why that happened? I’m German, and you’re Irish,’ and for some reason that dispels the whole thing.”
Learning Through Play
So what is Sister Lois’ teaching philosophy? “I want the children to be happy. They won’t learn if they are not happy,” she said. “I believe in free play. You get to know the children, even though you’re an observer. If a child can’t play, you have a hard job, a job that’s insurmountable. Learning to get along through play will help them to get along in the work-a-day world.”
Sister Lois taught kindergarten for more than 10 years here. “I knew as I got older, I had to move from teaching, because I was giving in to the afternoon kids,” she recalled. So she moved to the before-and-after care program. On any given day, you’ll find Sister Lois playing Bingo with the children, getting trounced at Sorry, reading books, making floats for the Halloween parade, or keeping watch on the playground. Activities have even included lunch at the convent and sledding down the hill behind the church. Next year Sister Lois will take on new challenges, as she implements the school’s kindergarten enrichment program.
When asked for a favorite school memory, she said, “I have millions of them here. For all the children I have, there is always a connection, that will never be broken, in my heart.” The children she cares for share that same connection in their hearts.
In
Her Own Words
Questions from the Kids
Jenny: Where were you born? “In Pittston,
Pennsylvania, below Scranton. Everyone knows where Scranton is, it’s
where Steamtown USA is.”
Ashley: How old are you? “I’m old enough to know better, but
sometimes I’m not old enough to know better.”
Devin: What’s your favorite ice cream?
“Butter pecan from Turkey Hill.”
Joey: Where do you live? “I work here in the school
and live in the house across the street. I’ll take you over some
day to see the chapel like the others, and you can see where the sisters
eat and where we pray.”
Liam: What’s your favorite drink? “I
should say water, but I need to say coffee, because that’s the honest
answer.”
What’s your favorite color? “Red. When I was in third
grade at my birthday party I wanted everyone to bring me red socks. I
only had one pair, and I wanted to wear them every day.”
What are your current duties? “To say ‘yes’
to Sister Kathleen. To be with the children at all times and provide them
a safe place to be.”
What do you like about your work here? “I love the children.
I love working with them and the differences in their personalities —
like in the beginning when one won’t say a word, and then later
they won’t stop talking.”
What are the challenges? “I don’t want the children
to get hurt. I don’t like to see blood. We have to take CPR training.
But it’s always in my mind, don’t let anything happen. So,
we say the prayer to St. Michael every day.”
What do you like to do in your spare time? “I like to wash
the car. I love to walk, and I love to sing and talk out loud to myself
if I’m in the car alone.”
What the
Kids Say
What do you like to do with Sister Lois?
Jenny: Play pretend. We pretend we climb mountains.
Ashley: I like to color with Sister Lois.
Devin: Play with the lizards, and I pretend to be a lizard.
The one I mostly play with has two wings on his head.
Liam: I like to paint -- pictures of big cars.
Joey: I like to do everything and go outside and play.
