A special honor for a special teacher

When asked how they are doing, students in Colleen Jentges’ second-grade classroom at St. John XXIII Catholic School are never just “fine.”

They, Jentges said, are “blessed.”

It’s one way she reminds her students  how special they are.

Last month, Jentges, who is in her 40th year of teaching, was reminded of how special she is to her school community and parish when they nominated her for an honor awarded through Catholic Financial Life’s Give Back Contest, then cast enough votes to make her one of three teachers of the year. She was chosen from 134 educators across the country.

Jentges said she never wins anything, “So when they called, I thought, come on, this isn’t happening,” she said.

“I’m so in shock. I’m still shaking.”

Jentges was told on Friday, Jan. 24, the birthday of the daughter of the mother who nominated her.

“I think it was divine,” she said.

Her nomination, a glowing piece of more than 800 words written by Liz Bannon, said Jentges teaches, shares, leads, inspires and leaves a “wonderful lifelong impression.”

“As one school parent said, ‘When Colleen smiles, your heart smiles,’” Bannon wrote.

Jentges receives $500 for the award, and the school gets $4,000.

“It’s really not about me,” she said. “It’s such an honor for St. John XXIII and I’m honored to be part of that.”

Soon after she won, and even after four decades of teaching, Jentges realized she faced a new challenge. She was supposed to keep the news quiet until the company’s official announcement on Monday.

“How do you tell 14 second-graders not to tell anyone?” she asked.

She emailed their parents and told them to keep it quiet until after the weekend.

“I did tell my husband on Friday, but I didn’t tell my mom until Monday. What if she tells my sister who puts it online?” she said.

It’s a high honor for someone who grew up in Catholic schools but never planned to work in one.

Jentges was raised in Milwaukee and went to Messmer High School. She loved art and found similarities in occupational therapy but didn’t like the science portion of it. Her friends were studying education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, so she switched her focus.

Landing a job at what was then St. Mary’s Catholic School in Port Washington was by chance, although some might say divine intervention was involved. She was attending

Mass at St. Mary’s Church, and Father Rolland Glass, who knew Jentges from his time at Messmer, told him St. Mary’s needed a teacher. Jentges was nearing graduation and agreed to an interview.

Jentges smiles and nods when asked if she remembers the interview with Glass and the principal of the school, Sister Mary Faith. They later called with a job offer for what she thinks was $8,000. She accepted.

Jentges figured she’d stay at the school for a couple of years before moving on.

But then she met her future husband, a fellow St. Mary’s member, and she also fell in love with the St. Mary’s families and communities.

Forty years later, she has taught children of former students and has rolled with the changes in education. St. Mary’s School, where Jentges started her career, became part of

St. John XXIII School and last year was closed as operations were consolidated at the parish’s St. Peter of Alcantara campus on Port’s north side.

Children will be children — “They like to grumble” about homework, she said — but today’s students are much busier with extracurricular activities than before.

Jentges remembers doing her homework, eating dinner and watching a TV show on weeknights. Today’s youth have more going on and she said she tries to be mindful of their schedules when assigning homework. It doesn’t matter if their math is done on Tuesday or Friday, “as long as they learn it,” she said.

Jentges hears students talk about video games but likes it when they say they played outside.

Jentges has had to learn technology herself. She loves her SMART Board and each student has an iPad.

“It’s not overused,” she said.

Jentges uses the iPads to send photos of class activities and other work to parents and do her own homework, which she has every night, reworking lesson plans to meet the needs of her students.

“I’m learning all the time,” she said.

But her favorite part of her job is sharing the faith. Children receive the sacraments of reconciliation and Holy Communion for the first time in second grade.

“I don’t know if I could imagine not teaching the faith. That religious part is so important,” she said.

Jentges has taught middle school and first and third grades but prefers second.

“There’s something magical about second grade,” she said.

One of the biggest advancements she has seen in education is students taking a more active role in teaching themselves.

“The teacher isn’t imparting all the knowledge. It’s not like you’re standing there preaching all day,” she said. “The teacher is the facilitator.”

After an introduction to a lesson, the children go off to explore in a collaborative process.

“I think that’s a really positive thing,” she said. “When I was a kid, you raised your hand.”

At St. John XXIII, Jentges raised the bar. Principal Kristine Klein said Jentges has an “‘I can do anything’ with God’s help” attitude and a contagious smile and laugh.

“When you ask anyone about Colleen, their immediate response is ‘I love her,’ and we truly do,” she said.

Jentges doesn’t limit her teaching to the school year. She teaches sign language through the Port Washington-Saukville School District’s summer school program.

When she and her husband have free time — he owns a landscaping company — they love to travel. Jentges spent Christmas at the Vatican and attended Mass led by Pope Francis, which she said is “a dream come true.”

Jentges and her husband don’t have children of their own but Colleen sees it in a different light.

“I have children. I have 14,” she said.