Operation TEACH enriches participants professionally, spiritually

When Ryan Hellem joined Operation TEACH, he was looking for a way to bolster his educational résumé.

Little did he know the program, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, would have such a profound effect on him both spiritually and personally.

Operation TEACH (Teachers Enlisted to Advance Catholic Heritage) is a post-graduate service and educational program that supports Baltimore area Catholic schools while giving novice educators a chance to earn an advanced degree at Notre Dame of Maryland University. 

Participants commit to two years of service teaching in the program while enrolled in graduate degree studies at NDMU.

“It’s a terrific program,” said Hellem, who attended Catholic schools in Omaha, Neb. “Looking back, I don’t think I fully understood all the benefits.”

Hellem, a 2013 graduate of Operation TEACH, is now the principal of Resurrection-St. Paul School in Ellicott City. 

After discovering the program through a “Google search,” Hellem enrolled and spent two years working at St. Maria Goretti Regional Catholic High School in Hagerstown, completing his master’s in administration and supervision. 

He also met his wife, Christina, while working in the program, which houses the participants in a communal setting at archdiocesan facilities.

“Who knew it was also a matchmaking program?” he joked of the initiative that is part of the national University Consortium for Catholic Education. 

Hellem said the dual nature of the learning and service components was a blessing.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “Living in community with other teachers was a real bonus. It was great to have others to share experiences with and commiserate with about graduate-level classes. Not coming from Baltimore, it was a terrific opportunity to grow with people experiencing the same challenges.”

Hellem, a parishioner of St. Paul in Ellicott City and father of a 2-year-old, said the faith aspect of the program was another bonus – and one that he has emphasized in his career.

“There’s really nothing more rewarding than being able to share your faith,” he said.

Program director Grace McCarthy Lindstrom, a parishioner of Church of the Nativity in Timonium, said growing and sharing one’s faith is a vital part of the program.

This year, the seven program participants live at the former convent at St. Clare in Essex. The group shares dinner and thoughts about their experiences and faith each Sunday evening.

“The community aspect is very important,” said Lindstrom, who attended Catholic schools in Bethesda and then St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., before joining Operation TEACH. 

“It’s a pretty rigorous program,” said Lindstrom, who taught fourth grade at St. Augustine School in Elkridge for three years before joining the NDMU staff. “I met some of my best friends living in community. It’s not an easy program and it’s nice to have someone to collaborate with and always have that sounding board.”

Winifred “Winnie” Tomsheck, a 23-year-old parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview, Ill., said being able to collaborate with her colleagues has been comforting to her each night when she returns from her history teaching position at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn.

“It’s been an awesome experience,” said Tomsheck, who plans to return to the Chicago area to be closer to a large extended Catholic family after completing the program. “With teaching, there are obviously amazing days and hard days. It’s so great to have others in the same situation to share that with each night.

“Teaching in a Catholic high school has been a great experience because everyone is at a different place with their faith, but you get to share with them and grow with them. It’s so cool to experience that and help mold students academically and spiritually.”

Tomschek said she applied to the program after graduating from St. Mary’s College in Indiana because she wanted service to be a part of furthering her education.

College graduates such as Tomschek apply to the program and after acceptance are placed at a Catholic school, which pays them a stipend while they simultaneously do course work at NDMU.

Operation TEACH graduate Zach Rowe, the assistant director of admissions at Calvert Hall College High School, said it is a demanding program, but one that comes with great rewards.

The Davidsonville native grew up as a parishioner at Holy Family and attended the School of the Incarnation in Gambrills. After graduating from Calvert Hall and then St. Mary’s College in Southern Maryland, Rowe worked in admissions and coached baseball at his collegiate alma mater. He realized he wanted to continue coaching and thought the best way to do that was to become a teacher.

After a nudge from Dr. Barbara Edmondson, the former superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Rowe applied to Operation TEACH.

The college economics major said he felt blessed to be able to do his student teaching in the math department at Calvert Hall and later landed a job at his alma mater when he completed his master’s degree. 

“God does indeed work in mysterious ways,” said the 29-year-old newlywed and Church of the Nativity parishioner. “I never realized I could wind up at Calvert Hall when I applied to the program. 

“Operation TEACH is such a supportive environment,” he said. “I didn’t have a teaching degree or experience working in a classroom; so living in community with other teachers and the supportive instructors at NDMU were important experiences for me,” said Rowe, who lived at St. Thomas Aquinas in Hampden. “It’s tough being a first-year teacher, but you’re living with others who are in the same situation. It was a pretty committed group. Having that community to lean on was awesome.”

Rowe, who is also an assistant baseball coach at Calvert Hall, said it was a rigorous, fulfilling program.

“It was hard, especially with time management,” he said. “You are really grinding for two years. But it’s a great way to get your foot in the door and get teaching experience quickly.”

At St. Paul-Resurrection School, Hellem is always looking to add Operation TEACH participants to his staff.

“You know what you are getting,” Hellem said. “They are driven teachers, faith-filled and dedicated to this profession. They have a joy about them and a spirit that makes them invaluable in the classroom.

“Operation TEACH is a great opportunity for someone willing to commit to being a part of something that will help them learn about their own faith and then pass it on,” Hellem said.

How It Works

• Operation TEACH candidates must submit all application materials and interview with Operation TEACH administration via Skype or in person.
• Operation TEACH candidates are interviewed by principals who have openings in their schools for the upcoming school year. After the interviews, Operation TEACH program administrators work with the principals to secure placements.
• Operation TEACH participants earn a stipend of $18,000 per year, plus health insurance, paid through their school placement.
• All Operation TEACH participants live together in furnished community houses in the Baltimore area. Each participant has a private bedroom and shares common living areas.
• Operation TEACH participants are responsible for paying rent, community expenses (covering food, internet, recreation, etc.), and certification testing fees. The program pays tuition, books, registration and graduation fees.

Program Cost

The Operation TEACH program covers all costs associated with graduate education.

Degree Options

Operation TEACH participants earn a graduate degree from Notre Dame of Maryland University. A plan of study is developed for each participant, depending on his or her background and professional goals.

Courses are completed in summer, fall, winter and spring semesters, and degrees are conferred upon completion of the plan of study.

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@catholicreview.org

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