September 28, 2018

Faith guides teacher’s journey with her students

By John Shaughnessy

The depth of Lynne Locke’s caring for her students—and her faith—makes it easy to understand why she is this year’s recipient of the Saint Theodora Excellence in Education Award, the highest honor for a Catholic educator in the archdiocese.

“I think of them all the time,” Locke says about her students. “You’re always looking for a way to reach them. I’m here to be a role model to them, a listening ear, and even to be the person who might say, ‘That’s not acceptable.’

“You have to look at the individual person and try to understand where they’re coming from. It gives you the ability to look beyond what you see, to find ways you can reach children.”

Locke has found a variety of ways to leave her mark on students as she teaches junior high theology and social studies at Cardinal Ritter Jr./ Sr. High School in Indianapolis.

She has coached several Academic Challenge teams to championships. She also coordinates the eighth-grade class trip to New Albany and St. Louis so students can learn more about the legacy of Cardinal Joseph E. Ritter, a champion of school desegregation.

And trying to set an example of service for her students, she also prepares and serves meals to families of hospitalized children at the Ronald McDonald House in Indianapolis.

“Teaching is my way of bringing out the kingdom of God on Earth,” says Locke, a member of St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Indianapolis. “I see teaching as an avenue for helping children learn to be aware of their path in life, to stay on the path to heaven, to allow God to guide their thoughts and actions.”

She relies on her Catholic faith to help her in her own journey.

“It grounds me. It’s the basis for everything I think and do. I can’t imagine life without my Catholic faith.” †

 

Related story: ‘We’re all called to be teachers,’ Archbishop Thompson says

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