Summer is here and school is out!  The sights and sounds of summer are everywhere.   Not so for Sister Alice Hess, I.H.M. and 8^th grade Archdiocesan mathematics teachers.  During the first two weeks of summer vacation award-winning Sister Alice Hess, I.H.M., instructed 52 teachers in the implementation of the Common Core Standards in Mathematics for the 2011- 2012 school year.  Teachers voluntarily signed up for the course to help them meet the challenge of teaching Algebra I to eighth grade students in the fall.  The workshop was presented twice during the month of June at Archbishop Ryan High School.  The first session was June 20-22, and the second session was June 27-29.

During the workshop, Sister Alice focused on content: “the big ideas of Algebra I”.  Sister Alice highlighted basic principles of Algebra I and modeled how she approaches the concepts with her own algebra students.  In fact, two of her students, William Leitner and Angelina DiTommaso, were on hand to demonstrate the way Sister Alice conducts her class.  Sister Alice’s gentle, but firm, manner was apparent throughout the entire interaction.  Why else would two teenage students volunteer to help a teacher during their summer vacation?  To answer this question, we need to learn a little about Sister Alice Hess, I.H.M.

When you first meet Sister Alice Hess you know that she is special.  She was chosen by USA Today as one of the top 20 educators in the nation, honored by the National Catholic Educational Association for years of Distinguished Service to Catholic Education, awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree in Humane Letters by Holy Family University and received the National Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics.  The list is endless.  All who participate in her workshops are enriched and come away knowing why she is a nationally recognized teacher of excellence.

Holy Innocents 8^th grade teacher, Maureen Reis, raved, “The class is fast moving and full of great ideas.  Sister Alice provides us with content as well as how to get it across to our own students the classrooms.”  Pam Klass from St. Elizabeth Parish School agreed: “Sister Alice gave us a lot of great strategies and tips on how to get the students to understand the algebraic process, to keep them motivated and on task.” Sister Helen Marie Giviazda, O.S.F. expressed her enthusiasm by saying, “I am delighted to take the summer course 'Common Core Algebra I Instruction’ at Archbishop Ryan High School because it will enrich my teaching methods when I return to my classroom in the fall.”

Perhaps the student volunteers express it best.  Senior William Leitner said, “Sister Alice taught me to love math and now I want to become a math teacher.” Angelian DiTommaso quickly added, “Sister Alice made me believe in myself.”

With all the talk in the media about how teachers are apathetic and unwilling to meet the challenges of educating students to become productive members of the 21^st Century work force, it is refreshing to know that 52 teachers voluntarily gave up 20 hours of summer vacation to become more effective educators.  Philadelphian Archdiocesan teachers are committed to excellence!