What first-year Archdiocese of Newark teachers are saying about their ‘dream jobs’
Alyssa Agolia has her dream job. When she entered her own classroom at Our Lady of the Lake School in Verona for the very first time this September, tears filled her eyes.
Agolia, a Sacred Heart University of Connecticut graduate, recalled that moment she experienced with her mom and dad. “My first thoughts coming into my own classroom were, ‘Wow, I cannot believe this. I am going to have my own group of kids, and how special is this going to be?!”
Nicole Bongiovi has been a Pre-K 3 teacher at St. Bartholomew Academy in Scotch Plains for 10 months. Her major at Union College was Early Childhood Education for Special Needs, and she attended St. John the Apostle Catholic School in Clark when she was growing up.
Her new school resembled her childhood school, which led to a déjà vu moment.
“I automatically had flashbacks of me as a student in Catholic school, and I had a moment where I said to myself, ‘This is where I belong,'” Bongiovi said.
Agolia and Bongiovi are among several full-time, first-year Catholic school teachers for the Archdiocese of Newark.
Patrick Fuchs, who teaches Physical Education and Social Studies at the Academy of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Tenafly, attended St. Augustine Catholic School in New City, New York, and is a graduate of Sparkill, New York’s St. Thomas Aquinas College.
Like Bongiovi, Fuchs said, teaching at Our Lady of Mount Carmel reminds him of his own school days.
“Sometimes I am catching flashbacks – in a good way. It really reminded me of growing up in the Catholic school system,” Fuchs said. “My school was the same way. It was very lively, a lot of the parents were involved, and everyone knew everyone. It had a real community feel to it. That is something that is here as well.”
Stephanie Miles is no stranger to her current teaching spot, Sacred Heart School in Lyndhurst. A Fairleigh Dickinson University graduate, she worked for both St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Ridgefield Park and St. Rose of Lima Parish in Short Hills but also was a substitute teacher for four years at Sacred Heart School. She graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi, and her mom, Marilyn Canal, also teaches at Sacred Heart.
For Miles, the special part of teaching fifth through eighth grade Math, as well as fifth grade Religion and sixth grade Social Studies, is being able to tie in her faith, morals, and values into everything she teaches.
“Since it is a Catholic school, I can talk about being a follower of Jesus,” Miles said. “I can talk about how I live my life with my faith in the forefront, in every subject, in how we treat each other, and in how I see kids behaving.”
Maria Consuelo Marquez is teaching grade Pre-K 4 at Jersey’s City’s Sacred Heart School. Initially from the Philippines. Marquez has been teaching preschool through 12th grade for many years, and for 20 years has conducted workshops for teachers and parents.
“There is so much joy seeing them work with one another, hearing them use nice words, witnessing them regulate themselves, taking better care of classroom materials, and even volunteering to lead the prayers!” Marquez said of her students. “I see their frustrations turn to gentle openness to learn new things, and their kindness grow as they learn to wait for their turn, share, make friends, and express themselves better.”
Prior to her start at the St. Bartholomew Academy last January, Bongiovi had a medical emergency, and things got hectic at her former job. She reached out to St. Bartholomew Principal, Kimberly Harrigan, who was Bongiovi’s second-grade teacher (flashbacks again), who told her there was an aide position in the Pre-K 3 class at her school.
Bongiovi got the job, and her role is benefiting both her and her students. “It is a new experience, having to reconnect with my faith a little bit which I have been wanting to do, but now I also get to not only reconnect with my faith, but also give my gift of teaching and educating to little ones, which is what I have always dreamed of doing,” she said. “What I love the most is being able to see the children’s faces light up and get excited when we talk about Jesus and the Bible.”
Agolia teaches third grade Math, Social Studies, Science, Phonics, and Religion. One of her goals with her students is to teach them to be disciples of Jesus.
“We want to model how Jesus was to his disciples and how his disciples shared the Word,” Agolia said. “I always say to my students, ‘Be the best that you want to be.’ Whether it is in Math, English, or Science, there is always a way that we can incorporate religion, and how to be a good person in each of those classes.”
Fuchs, who runs afterschool soccer and basketball programs, and plans to get involved with Catholic Youth Organization basketball at the Academy of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, lauded the school’s atmosphere.
“The environment is amazing, and the support system is unreal.,” Fuchs said. “The kids, they are all upbeat, happy kids – and maybe that is them on their own as well – but the environment itself has something to do with that. That has a lot to do with just the atmosphere here in general.”
Gratitude defines Marquez for the 2023-24 school year. “I am grateful for the support of co-teachers, staff, and our principal, to show me the way around and provide me with all that is necessary to make this a wonderful year for me and the children entrusted to my care. I am grateful to have parents who are willing to work with me for the benefit of their children. I am immensely grateful to God for the opportunity to teach, for all the provisions that only He can provide.”
When asked what was most important to her in her classroom, Miles did not hesitate. “Making that little difference, and seeing the students get it, is very rewarding. Those life lessons, values, and morals, acting as Jesus did, treating people like Jesus did – it can all be talked about, and it comes across in different ways. And that is important to me.”
Featured image: Patrick Fuchs running after-school basketball at Tenafly’s Academy of Our Lady at Mount Carmel School.
