Alliance for Catholic Education
Happy Easter, Remick Leaders, grads, and friends! I hope the joy of the Resurrection has brought new life to you and your loved ones as you bask in the freedom of knowing our salvation has been won by the risen Christ!
I was asked to reflect on this month’s Core Value that a Remick Leader embodies: Models Professionalism. Okay, and I can see you smiling, current students. Yeeees, I am well aware that there may be a little bit of an irony that I’m the one reflecting on this value given the fact that in terms of getting papers back to you quickly I’m in the lower… part of the bottom … quartile. Okay, fine, I admit it: I’m probably the worst on our Remick Core Team at that. Sheesh! I wasn’t gonna use myself as an example of this value anyway, so you can put down the gavel, Judge Judy.
Recently, I saw this value lived out in one of our current Remick Leaders. But it wasn’t in my course this semester, it was in my other role as the director of the Higher-Powered Learning (HPL) program. My team and I work with schools to help them use educational technology to personalize their instruction and get helpful data feedback about student performance so teachers can make targeted interventions and data-informed decisions in the classroom. Each year, we host a conference to try and tackle issues facing Catholic schools while highlighting folks who are using technology in creative and thoughtful ways in their schools.
RLP 24’s Michael O’Kane submitted a compelling proposal and we excitedly accepted it. There were several other Remick Leaders in attendance, but I was impressed that Michael was not only coming over from the north of Ireland, but that he was willing to present at our conference which (spoiler alert!) definitely doesn’t come with a stipend!
In a packed room (seriously, we ran out of chairs and I wondered if anyone was at the other breakout session!), Michael gave clear and beautiful examples of how teachers at his school were using technology to meet the needs of kids with learning exceptionalities, translate language from students new to his country, and even bring art ideas to life using AI. People were blown away and I heard attendees gushing about his session throughout the rest of the conference. I knew Michael did tech presentations before he entered Remick (he’s certified as an Apple Professional Learning Specialist), but it was so amazing to see him talk about how teachers in his school are using instructional tools to uphold the dignity of all students so that they can be seen, celebrated, and lifted up.
It was also super fun to see him absolutely crushing it!
It made me wish that we faculty members could witness the good work that all of you in your school settings more often.
We tend to think of modeling professionalism as the way we communicate with our employees, colleagues, or students. Is it timely, measured, and aligned with our mission? But our handbook description of “Models Professionalism“ goes beyond this. This definition mentions that a Remick Leader “commits to continual growth and leverages their community of practice to build expertise.” Being a professional means not only building your own capacity, but helping those around you do the same.
This is what Michael did so beautifully in his presentation. He invested in the professional growth of those attending the conference through his thoughtful and well-crafted examples from his school. These ideas sparked creative solutions in other teachers and school leaders that I hope they will bring back to their Catholic schools.
We are never done learning and Michael’s session stood as a towering example of how Remick Leaders who model professionalism seek their own improvement and the growth of those around them. Happy Easter and Go Irish!
Fr. Nate Wills, C.S.C., Ph.D.
Core Faculty, Remick Leadership Program
Founder & Director, Higher Powered Learning