TEACHING CLASS
— Stephanie Simones reads a book to her first
grade class at St. Matthias School in Milwaukee.
Simones said she likes teaching in Catholic schools
because she is free to pray, talk about God and
share her beliefs. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam
Lucero)
MILWAUKEE — Stephanie Simones,
first grade teacher at St. Matthias School in Milwaukee,
is unique. She is one of a small number of female hockey
players in Milwaukee, much less the country. And she’s
also a Catholic schoolteacher — a position that,
with the consolidation of schools within the Archdiocese
of Milwaukee, is not as plentiful as in years past.
Though she’s from Minneapolis, this young woman
from the land of 10,000 lakes had never been a hockey
player until she moved to Milwaukee two years ago. What
attracted her to the area? Simones became familiar with
the city when her best friend from high school attended
Marquette University. Once here, Simones landed a teaching
position at St. Florian/Holy Assumption School, West Allis.
In her first year at St. Florian/Holy Assumption, Simones
taught grades K4-K5, and last year she taught a joint
kindergarten and first grade class. Simones prefers single-grade
classes over combined classes. “I think that, especially
for grades three and under, kids need the individual attention,
and it can be harder to get that in classes with combined
grades,” she said.
Catholic
Herald Parenting is a supplement of the Catholic Herald
published eight times annually, September to May. It is
intended to help parents pass on the Catholic faith to
their children.
