Sister Doreen Willis believes those interested in becoming teachers need a few traits to be successful, including dedication, patience and a sense of humor. Sister Doreen, who is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, was honored recently by The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington for serving as a Catholic elementary school teacher for 55 years. For the last 27 of those years, she has worked at St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Her dedication to Catholic education was honored at a Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church celebrated by Father Joseph Calis, the parish’s pastor, on Sept. 6.
In his homily at the first Mass of the new school year there, Father Calis welcomed returning and new students and explained the theme of the year is to “be the light.” He asked students if they could live without a light.
“Who is our light?” Father Calis asked Sister Doreen, who responded that Jesus is her light.
St. John’s pastor said following Jesus allows Catholics to be the light in the world.
Father Calis reminded students that before summer began, he told them to enjoy their summer vacation and to help others. He listed “small acts of kindness that bring a smile on someone’s face” such as helping someone at the store or babysitting. He called on students to share how they were helpful over the summer.
The priest encouraged students to “bring the love of Christ” to others and continue performing acts of kindness throughout the school year.
He added that if students wanted the “light of Christ” to shine in their hearts, they needed to pray and open their hearts to Him.
Then he sang, “I love Jesus and Jesus loves me too,” with the students and faculty of the school, and asked students how much they love Jesus. They responded with arms extended wide.
Following Communion, Kelly Branaman – the secretary for Catholic Schools and superintendent of schools for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington –
and St. John the Evangelist principal Shindana Crawford spoke to the congregation. Branaman noted Sister Doreen’s background in education, both as a teacher and a student, as well as her legacy in the community.
“She’s taught generations of students. That means she could have taught your parents, your grandparents,” Branaman said. “She’s always a friendly face, and in your community, a steadying hand to our teachers and families and students.”
Sister Doreen has a bachelor’s degree in education with a minor in special education and a master’s degree in reading education from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and she is a certified reading specialist. She currently teaches kindergarten students at St. John the Evangelist School.
“Thank you for your many years of service in Catholic education. Thank you for being the light here at St. John the Evangelist,” Branaman said, before presenting Sister Doreen with a “years of service” certificate signed by Cardinal Wilton Gregory and flowers. Branaman said she gave Sister Doreen a pin and a star earlier in the day.
St. John the Evangelist principal Shindana Crawford, who is now in her third year at the school, remembers how Sister Doreen welcomed her into the school community.
“From the time that I walked in the building a couple of years ago, she made me feel welcome,” Crawford said. “Right from the very beginning, we hit it off.”
Crawford said Sister Doreen set an example for others working in education by her actions.
“The way that she behaves, the way that she moves, for a lady who has been doing this for 55 years, you couldn’t tell. She comes in every day like it’s her new job,” Crawford said. “She’s excited, she’s playful, she’s warm, welcoming, always coming up with new plans for the kids in the classroom. That just makes you feel like, ‘I can do this for a little while longer too.’”
Sister Doreen told the Catholic Standard that she believes people are what set St. John’s apart from other schools. She praised “the loving community here,” and noted that “the teachers are so dedicated, and they really are concerned about the children… The parents are willing to help with just about anything, so it makes a big difference.”
While growing up in Pennsylvania, she was initially inspired to go into education by the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters who taught her.
“I was really inspired by how they loved teaching and how they helped students who really needed extra help,” Sister Doreen said.
Reflecting on her work teaching kindergarten students, the veteran Catholic school teacher said, “I know I am absolutely surprised at what five or six-year-olds can learn. By the end of the year, they know nouns, pronouns, adjectives. We do math, adding and subtracting… Parents think that they can’t be independent, but they really can. They already know the routine for the school year, and they love to learn.”
When asked about retirement, Sister Doreen said that would happen sometime for her, but that “age is a state of mind.” As for advice to aspiring teachers, she said there are a few things she has learned in her experience of over half a century.
“You really have to be dedicated to it. I think you have to love it. You have to be patient, and you have to be kind and loving… And have a sense of humor and be flexible. You have to be able to laugh at yourself, and just kind of go with the flow,” Sister Doreen said.
