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01/17/2018 07:30 AMMargaret “Peggy” Smith was a 5th-grader when she figured out what she wanted to do as an adult: teach.
“I went to St. Rita’s [Catholic School] in Hamden and my 5th-grade teacher was a quiet little sister—I don’t remember any exuberance. She just was calm and quiet, and made you feel peaceful. I think that’s why I liked her, because I was quiet, too! And ever since then, I wanted to be a teacher,” says Peggy.
In June, Peggy will conclude four decades in teaching, when she retires from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Branford with the close of the school year.
Peggy was in 8th grade when the Smith family moved from Hamden to Branford, where she still resides. She grew up in Short Beach and completed her secondary school education at Branford High School (Class of 1966) before choosing to attend a small Catholic college. Peggy then started her career as a 5th-grade teacher for North Branford Public Schools. She kept the role for 10 years, moving from Jerome Harrison School (which accommodated 5th graders at the time) to the town’s middle school when it grew to include 5th graders. Working with her North Branford students and colleagues was a “joy,” says Peggy.
Still, something was missing in her classroom, and Peggy decided to pursue her interest in teaching at Catholic schools.
“I wanted to be able to share my beliefs and be able to bring everything in to the classroom, not just the academic and the emotional. I wanted to be able to bring in the spiritual, too,” says Peggy, adding that, at Catholic schools, “we’re educating the whole child.”
Before arriving at St. Mary’s 17 years ago, Peggy taught at other Catholic schools, including St. Rose in New Haven for 10 years. For Peggy, this time of year is always special, as January includes Catholic Schools Week.
This year, St. Mary’s School kicks off Catholic Schools Week with an Open House at the school (62 Cedar Street, Branford) on Sunday, Jan. 28, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The private Catholic school is currently accepting applications for the 2018-’019 academic year for all grades (Pre-K to grade 8). Boys and girls attend St. Mary’s from many area towns, including Branford, North Branford, Northford, East Haven, Madison, and Guilford. For more information, visit smsbranford.org.
During her time at St. Mary’s, Peggy has always been the school’s 3rd-grade teacher (and, for about a three-year period a few years back, taught both 3rd and 4th graders in the same classroom).
“I’ve always loved self-contained classrooms,” says Peggy. “At this school, we go from Pre-K through grade 8, and I’m blessed to be right in the middle. I watch them go through Pre-K, 1st, and 2nd; and then I get to have them, and then I get to watch them mature. And I am telling you, when we go to 8th grade graduation, you have got to bring your Kleenex! These kids have been a part of your life.”
She’s seen a lot of transitions in teaching through the decades, too. St. Mary’s has moved with the times, providing students with current technology. Peggy says she has also always enjoyed teaching according to the school’s standards for education, and with the support of its professional education faculty and staff. The St. Mary’s family also succeeds thanks to parents and volunteers, she says.
“The success and excellence of our school [is due] to all who make our school the wonderful place it is—-our pastor, principal, office workers and volunteers, all the dedicated faculty and staff who gladly give so much of themselves, and of course all the students and their families who make our school such a joyful and rewarding place to teach,” says Peggy.
Just as she has for the past 17 years, Peggy arrives for work an hour early each morning. She’s found the time to be one of the best opportunities to see the effect of St. Mary’s in action among its students.
“I see the kids when they’re coming in,” says Peggy. “When the little ones come in, the 8th graders go over to hug them, or the little ones go to them, because it’s like one family. They’re here for 10 years of their life! It’s so nice to see.”
One of Peggy’s favorite topics to share with her students are Catholic social teachings.
“The last book we did is What Color is God’s Skin?” says Peggy, describing several exercises in compassion her students experienced. The class also learned a song which included the lyric, “‘we’re all the same in the good Lord’s sight,’” notes Peggy. “Things like that bring a tear to me, because that’s what we’re trying to teach them.”
Her students are currently studying how to bring about peace in the world, starting with their own classroom.
“I think if we teach kids early on, they’ll learn how to get along, and you can see it in this classroom,” says Peggy.
You can also see the students’ appreciation of Peggy in things like classroom panda bear items and pictures (Peggy’s favorite animal). Gifts, letters, and notes from students also reflect her love of the ocean. Students and their families also love to gift her with certificates to her favorite local pizza place (LoMonaco’s) and classroom supply store (Staples).
The thoughtful gifts throughout the years have brought Peggy joy, but her greatest joy is to teach, she says. As she enters her 70s, she’s not slowing down (she loves to work out at her gym, including every day after school), but she’s also ready to spend more time with her extended family, many of whom still reside in Branford, including her 94 year-old mom. She thanks her family for the love and support they’ve provided in her life and her teaching career.
“They all know how all the children in my life at school, and all my nieces and nephews in my family, have touched my life in such a positive way. They put a smile on my face and in my heart every day,” says Peggy.