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October 13, 2016
Before the start of the school year, when all of the VASJ faculty and staff gathered for their retreat, VASJ social studies teacher Beth Adkins was asked to share a personal reflection about what teaching at VASJ, an Ursuline and Marianist school, means to her.
Adkins has a very deep, and personal connection to the Marianist traditions.
“My dad was a Marianist for 13 years and to this day is committed to his faith and the mannerisms of a Marianist,” Adkins says. “So, in a way, I have learned to appreciate my dad that much more.”
She had early exposure to the Ursuline traditions, too, during her high school Youth Group.
“I was approached in high school by an Ursuline nun who was my Youth Group leader and asked if I had ever considered being a nun,” Adkins says. Ultimately, it wasn’t the right choice for her, but she still remembers the influence this had on her.
“She took me to dinner and really took the time to educate me on her journey and the blessings it had provided her. Her faith in me, I believe, helped me to grow in my own faith.”
With her Marianist upbringing and an Ursuline mentor, the transition to VASJ was an easy one.
“Coming to teach at VASJ was much like a homecoming for me. Although I was never a student in the school, I was able to return to the values that were so prevalent in my youth and now I am able to share those values with the students in my classroom.”
Adkins could feel right away the sense of community at VASJ.
“One of my first days on campus last year I was setting up my classroom when a few students happened to be walking the hall and stopped and introduced themselves,” Adkins says. “It was a small gesture, but really made a great first impression and it was then that I knew I was going to love being a part of this community.”
Now in her second year at VASJ, she continues to feel not only the community atmosphere, but the school’s sense of family.
Our school is blessed with a community that supports us,” she says. “As a teacher, I feel that sense of community and I believe our students do as well. The phrase Where Friends Become Family is a real thing. It is hard to describe to someone who isn't apart of our school, they need to see it for themselves, but it is evident at least from my classroom, that we are a family.”
Beth Adkins is in her second year at VASJ and is currently teaching Economics, U.S. History, and Psychology.