Fort Smith school celebrates Benedictine in classroom

Sister Judith Marie returns to teaching after three years in religious formation

Published: November 12, 2015

By Maryanne Meyerriecks
Fort Smith Correspondent

Maryanne Meyerriecks

Sister Judith Marie Timmerman, OSB, shares cards from Guatemalan penpals with sixth graders Jaden Adams (left), Logan Pearn, Ana Hernandez, A’Scence Farmer and Sydney Klein at Christ the King School in Fort Smith Nov. 3.

Maryanne Meyerriecks

FORT SMITH — It was “Terrific Tuesday” at Christ the King Elementary School, and almost everyone — students, teachers, staff and custodians — wore bright tie-dye school T-shirts. The school’s new Spanish teacher, neatly dressed in a long black jumper and pressed white shirt, proclaimed the good news: “There’s a sister on the faculty.”

Sister Judith Marie Timmerman, OSB, has returned to teaching after three years of being a student herself. She felt the call to religious life while teaching Spanish and fourth grade at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in North Little Rock (Marche). After discerning which community God was calling her to, she entered St. Scholastica Monastery as a postulant in September 2012.

Her religious formation included three years of work, prayer and study, learning the Benedictine way of life by living in a monastic community. On June 24, Sister Judith Marie made her temporary profession at the monastery.

“I think that teaching preschool through sixth-grade classes at Christ the King fulfills Sister Judith’s dream of working outside the monastery even though she is very faithful to the monastic way of life, including prayer, Eucharist and common table,” prioress Sister Maria DeAngeli, OSB, said. “For the community, we are again doing outside ministries when we can, and we are proud that Sister Judith has the expertise to teach Spanish.”

To help her improve her skills, the monastery sent Sister Judith to St. Joseph Priory in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, to attend a six-week immersion program. Along with eight seminarians from five different states, she studied Spanish and Mayan culture, visited Atitlan, where Father Stanley Rother was martyred in 1981 and participated in the daily work and prayers of the priory. Upon returning home in early August, she was offered the teaching position at Christ the King School.

“As someone who has chosen religious life as her vocation, Sister Judith provides an explicit example of spiritual dedication and Christian testimony for the children,” Ann Cannon, Christ the King School principal, said. “The witness of her dedication in seeking God through prayer and work and pursuing a life in the spirit through her chosen vocation enriches the religious education and spiritual experience for all our students and staff.”

What surprised Sister Judith most about returning to teaching after three years of religious formation, she said, was seeing how much technology was used in the classroom, learning how to take advantage of all the opportunities it offered and adapting her teaching style to use it.

Her brightly decorated classroom has several round tables and comfortable chairs, and the focal point is a white smart board. As each class comes in for its 25-minute session, Sister Judith leads them in singing the “Padre Nuestro,” (Our Father) with digital music accompaniment. The smart board displays the graphics and the students supply the vocabulary, as Sister Judith deftly goes back and forth from writing the vocabulary words to introducing new pictures.

“The little ones love singing songs in Spanish,” she said. “I have fiestas every month both to motivate the students and teach Hispanic culture. Last month we celebrated Dia de Muertos and learned how Mexican families pray for their loved ones who have died.”

While the younger students love learning Spanish with music and art, the fourth to sixth graders learn through technology.

“All the older students use iPads in school,” Sister Judith said, “and we use computers to help them check their work or translate books from Spanish to English. I’m still researching different software to help them utilize technology.”

Her older students have written letters to students at Colegio San Benito, where St. Scholastica’s Guatemalan scholarship program is providing an education for 34 girls. They recently received cards from their Guatemalan pen pals. This activity builds relationships and provides opportunity for service — two important components of language learning.

“Sister Judith’s presence at Christ the King takes our Benedictine mission of hospitality to the parish,” Sister Maria said.

Click for the Catholic Schools Herald, November 2015 index