Modeling Christ’s love

Teacher’s emphasis on drawing out best in students leads to archdiocese’s highest honor for educator

Amy Wilson’s ability to connect with students of all academic levels is one of the reasons the fifth-grade teacher at St. Roch School in Indianapolis has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Saint Theodora Guérin Excellence in Education Award, the highest honor for a Catholic educator in the archdiocese. Here, Wilson helps Joey Luttrell, seated, with a grammar exercise while Jackson Cothron, left, works on the assignment. In the background, Anthony Stewart checks his paper. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By John Shaughnessy

Competitive by nature, Amy Wilson has always strived to not only get better, but to draw out the best in herself.

That inherent quality guided her as a student and an athlete, and it continues to guide her as a teacher and a coach who works to bring out the best in her students and players, too. And yet, that driving desire seemed to crash into a wall with a former student she calls Bob.

The story of what eventually happened to Bob—and what happened to Wilson as a teacher—helps explain why she was chosen as this year’s recipient of the Saint Theodora Guérin Excellence in Education Award, the highest honor for a Catholic educator in the archdiocese.

“He was exceptionally low both academically and developmentally,” notes Wilson, in recalling Bob’s arrival at St. Roch School in Indianapolis where she teaches. “Having not spoken until reaching 4 years of age, his speech was sometimes indecipherable, making communicating with both his teachers and peers difficult. All of this was further complicated by his inability to focus.”

Everything contributed to “a very difficult situation for all involved,” according to Wilson.

Bob’s fellow students didn’t connect with him and excluded him at recess. Overwhelmed by school and underappreciated by his peers, Bob had discipline problems, which led to “a strained relationship” between Wilson and Bob’s mother. By Christmas break, his parents were considering a move to another school.

While Wilson enjoys competition, that trait is exceeded by the care, compassion and hope that she has for her students. Realizing that something had to change with Bob, Wilson started with herself.

“Instead of using the same tried and true methods I had used so many times before, I began to experiment with many different types of lesson plans and assignments,” she notes. “If something worked, I tried to find a way to further leverage it across the curriculum. If it did not work, I scrapped it and moved on to something new.

“Slowly but surely, Bob began to have a bit of success. Bolstered by this new-found confidence, his behavior dramatically improved. This led to better relationships with his peers and, in turn, more confidence.”

Still, that was just one part of the equation for improvement. The other part was her relationship with Bob’s mom. Wilson started giving her daily updates of Bob’s progress. She also realized that Bob’s mom “needed to hear five success stories for every difficulty” she shared.

“Over time, she became my greatest advocate, often helping in the classroom and ensuring that any instructions I sent home would be followed,” Wilson says. “He and his family would move out of state the following year, but not before a teary goodbye and a heartfelt ‘thank you’ was shared.”

The lessons Wilson learned from that experience continue to serve the fifth-grade teacher today, including “the importance of remembering that every student has a unique set of abilities, learning styles and interests that must be learned and maximized.”

“He forced me out of my comfort zone,” Wilson says. “He served as a great reminder of the connection between social and academic success. His situation provided many teachable moments for the other students concerning the value of inclusion and learning to accept others who may be a bit different. There were times when he modeled Christ’s love for them, as well as times when he would require that same compassion on their part.”

She also learned that “miracles can be accomplished” when she works to establish a positive connection with the parents of her students, especially those who are struggling.

“I am mindful that most parents desire, if not need, to hear positive things about their children,” Wilson says. “I am now careful to always serve any bitter news with a heaping side of sugar. From time to time, situations will arise where a parent is not receptive to what I say. It is at these times that I remember Bob’s mom and critique my delivery methods up to that point. Most times, I am able to develop a winning strategy to cure this problem.”

That desire to draw out the best in herself so she can draw out the best in her students is a defining quality of hers, according to people who know the 1996 graduate of Roncalli High School and the 2000 graduate of Marian University, both in Indianapolis.

“She never ceases to amaze me with her ability to reach her students on all levels of teaching,” says Father James Wilmoth, pastor of St. Roch Parish.

“She does so well with those who are able to grasp things easily, and she also is wonderful with those students who have some struggles. She is involved in many aspects of our parish as well. She sings in our choir, she is a cantor at Mass, and she and her husband run our gym facility. And above all of that, she is a great mom to her three little children.”

Fellow St. Roch teacher Vicki Auger praises the way Wilson builds relationships with her students.

“This is evident when students turn to her in times of personal crisis,” Auger says. “She visits them in the hospital or sits with them in times of sorrow. Amy coaches kickball and volleyball as well as Elementary Spell Bowl. Amy’s students know that she is there for them.”

Wilson’s caring approach to teaching is reflected in the posters that line the walls of her classroom, including “Be somebody you would be proud to know” and “If you think somebody could use a friend, be one.” She also has a “Brag Board” where students can display their best work.

As the mother of two children who have been taught by Wilson, Angela White has experienced the difference Wilson makes as a teacher.

“She cares deeply about each student, about their daily ups and downs, triumphs and challenges,” White says. “The students can feel her love, and thus have a level of trust and compassion in her classroom that sets the stage for effective learning.”

White adds these words of praise from her fifth-grade son, “Mrs. Wilson always has a compliment for each student so that the students feel good about themselves and about learning.”

Wilson says she is just striving to live up to the education that she received at Holy Name of Jesus School in Beech Grove, Roncalli and Marian.

“Each of these schools provided a working model of the characteristics necessary to provide a quality education based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and his holy Church,” she says. “This model was focused on a faith-driven community that strived to teach its children the meaning and value of traits such as compassion, empathy and hard work to shape the next generation of Catholic leaders.

“The overarching theme was always the need to serve others as Christ had come to serve us.”

It’s a way of life that Wilson wants for her students—a way of life she leads every day. †