A sense of peace and faith radiates from the walls of Mary Pollock’s first grade classroom. As a teacher of young children at St. Jerome Academy in Hyattsville, Maryland, Pollock is regarded as an inspiration to her students, co-workers, and all who enter her classroom.
“She has such a peaceful and calming presence. The moment you’re around her, the moment you walk inside her classroom, it’s like your blood pressure just lowers itself.” said St. Jerome’s principal, Daniel Flynn.
On May 25, 2021, Mary Pollock was presented with the Golden Apple Award by the Archdiocese of Washington, marking a special way to celebrate her 20th year of teaching. The award recognizes the achievements and dedication of 10 local Catholic school teachers every year.
Pollock grew up in Syracuse, New York, and lived there until she moved to the Washington area in 2010. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an English degree, then later went back to get her master’s while her children were still young.
Out of college, Pollock knew she wanted to work in education, most likely at the secondary level. However, after she began having kids, she became intrigued by primary school education. She became involved with Montessori education when schooling her six children, which really exposed her to the impact she could have in molding the minds of young people.
Religion has also been a driving factor in Pollock’s way of educating. She taught parish religious education for a number of years while simultaneously teaching in public schools. Becoming involved in Catholic education became a way to blend her love of teaching with her passion for the Catholic faith. She used the following Bible verse in her Golden Apple Award essay:
“Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children’.’’ (Matthew 11:25)
With one of her sons serving as a Dominican priest, her husband working at The Catholic University of America, her membership in a Lectio Divina prayer group, her parish involvement, and Catholic school teaching, Pollock is encompassed by God’s work.
“Nurturing the kids, trying to be a steady presence in their lives and a witness to the faith kind of gives them a secure place to grow,” said Pollock, who added that she tries to build positive relationships with her students in a “no friction” classroom setting.
From the beginning of the school year, teaching first graders about salvation history and the one true God, to the end, discussing Greek history and philosophy, she connects young people with the faith through St. Jerome’s classical curriculum.
“It’s very exciting to see their skills develop,” said Pollock, who tries to be a nurturing presence, assisting in the growth of her first graders from start to finish. While many of her first graders are unable to read and write on the first day of school, her goal by the last day is for them to confidently say, “I am a reader!”
The interruption of the pandemic caused Pollock, like all other teachers, to have to adapt to a hybrid way of teaching. She described it as “so interesting,” and said her first graders did “amazingly well.” She had the class use white boards over Zoom, had them make more artwork, and had students in the physical classroom go up to a microphone to share their work with their classmates who were learning online.
“They loved being on the microphone, and they loved being on camera,” she explained, “so that was a motivator for them to participate.”
On the day of the Golden Apple Award’s presentation, Pollock held a Greek feast for her first grade students to reflect the theme of their school year, centering around Greek history.
“I was actually wearing my blue sheet!” she said and laughed, referring to her makeshift toga. She was gathered outside with other students and faculty to watch a performance from the older students at St. Jerome Academy. The thought of the Catholic Schools Office coming to present her with an award, she said was the “furthest thing from my mind.”
Her family was gathering behind her as she watched the performance, including some of her 20 grandchildren, three of whom she had the pleasure of teaching at St. Jerome’s.
“Every teacher in this building deserves the Golden Apple Award for sure, you know, we all work really hard,” Pollock said, adding, “I don’t really think I deserve to be singled out among them!”
Pollock said she is seeking to create “an environment for children where they can grow and trust that God is good, God created them out of love, He created the whole world out of love, and they can trust God as their loving Father.” In an essay she wrote for the award, Pollock mentioned that she wants to accomplish that through showing students about the beauty of all aspects of nature, history, art, theology and much more.
The Golden Apple Award winner has an optimistic motto that reflects her outlook on life and parallels what she teaches children about God’s love and creation: “Everything is great.”
Mary Pollock’s 20 years of teaching will continue part-time, as she intends to stay at St. Jerome Academy to watch the growth of all the children there.
