“Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow. The same Everlasting Father Who cares for us today will take care of us tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield us from suffering or He will give us unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.” - St. Francis de Sales
Reflections on Catholic Education
I kept this quote on my refrigerator for years while homeschooling and it has been on the bulletin board behind my desk for the past ten years of teaching second grade. As a mother and a teacher, I know God has entrusted me with my children and my students for a certain amount of time, and it is my duty to love and form them in the time I am given and ultimately return them to Him. This is an awesome responsibility, but I have absolute confidence that God is helping me along the way, and I entrust these same children and students to His loving care. This trust was tested and refined when my husband passed away suddenly in 2020. God indeed did provide “unfailing strength to bear it,” particularly in the overwhelming love, prayers, and support from the Mount Royal community.
Working in the same building which houses a chapel and our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is a real blessing. I am privileged to be able to bring my students every day to visit Jesus there, literally bringing the children unto Him. Second grade is the year when many children make their first confession, and helping all my students understand God’s merciful love is one of my favorite parts of the job.
Mrs. Robin Moorehouse has taught second grade at Mount Royal Academy since 2014. She graduated from the University of California, Riverside, in 1993 with a degree in Psychology, then spent a year teaching kindergarten at an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, where she met her husband, a fellow volunteer. After completing elementary teaching certification training at Northern Arizona University, she taught elementary and middle school in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Vermont before finally settling down and homeschooling in Massachusetts for 14 years, with one of those years spent in Chile. Three of her children have graduated from Mount Royal, and two are still attending. Her family lives in Sunapee and attends St. Patrick’s Church in Newport.