CATHOLIC SCHOOLS: Chris

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Chris Bryan, who celebrates her 36th year as an educator at St. Pius X Catholic School, reviews parts of a book the class is studying with students Mireya Lopez, Camille Peters, Scarlet Pruett and Aubrianna Santos.

REBECCA ESPARZA | FOR STC

Teaching with heart

BY REBECCA ESPARZA

Correspondent

For Chris Bryan, St. Pius X Catholic School is more than just a place of employment. The school is home, and she is among family.

“Our motto here is to ‘Show Jesus to others through our words and actions,’ and that is something the children do all day long,” Bryan said. “Whatever subject we are learning about, we bring Jesus into it somehow. We look at every subject through a religious lens, which makes teaching here —the best job ever.”

When COVID-19 caused schools across the country to pivot online in the blink of an eye, the school needed a third-grade teacher immediately. That’s when principal Beth Hinojosa asked Bryan if she would mind moving from first grade to third grade.

“Our principal Beth called and asked if I would take over the third-grade class. She knew my focus had been early childhood education for a long time, so she was a bit surprised I didn’t hesitate to say yes. It was simple: we are family, and we do all we can to help. Besides, God seems to always put you where you are meant to be,” she said.

An educator at St. Pius since 1986, Bryan had started teaching in the Ohio-Kentucky area previously, first at a Catholic school but then took a long-term substitute job

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“We look at every subject through a religious lens, which makes teaching here —the best job ever.”

—Chris Bryan, St. Pius X Catholic School teacher

at a public school.

She attended Catholic schools throughout her childhood and high school years. Even though her parents had no way to pay for a Catholic school education, a generous, anonymous parishioner paid for her education. After graduating college, she decided she would give back to Catholic schools as an instructor one day.

Born and raised in a small town in Ohio, her boyfriend during college was transferred to Corpus Christi, and she thought the relationship was simply not meant to be. Later, she ran into his parents back home and told them, “Tell Steve I said hi!” A few minutes later, her future husband called her, asking her to visit him in Corpus Christi.

“It was freezing cold in Ohio the day I left for Corpus Christi, so much so, they had to de-ice our plane several times,” she recalled. “When I landed in Corpus Christi, it was 72 degrees, and we went for a walk on the beach. I knew in an instant I wanted to call this place home.” She and her husband Steve have been married 35 years this year.

“When I moved from Ohio to Corpus Christi, I didn’t even look at public schools for employment. I came straight to St. Pius and was hired immediately,” she recalled.

The couple has three children, a daughter and two sons who all attended St. Pius. She also has a grandson currently attending St. Pius.

“I love education and can’t imagine doing anything else,” she said. “To see those little ‘light bulbs’ turn on above their heads when the kids grasp something is the best feeling in the world.”

Her master’s degree in early childhood has served her well when engaging the students while also learning something new, despite many obstacles educators must encounter, especially in today’s pandemic environment.

Beth Hinojosa, principal at St. Pius X Catholic School, recalls the time she asked Bryan to teach third grade.

“Chris had been teaching Early Childhood Education for 31 years and three years in first grade. She is now in her second year of third grade and rocking every minute of it,” Hinojosa marveled. “Every time I walk into her third-grade classroom, I don’t want to leave. She is a bright light and shines for all. She is dedicated and loves her students fiercely. We are fortunate to have Chris at

St. Pius X Catholic School. She is the kind of teacher you never forget.”

“I think education should be fun, and we now know children learn better if they immerse themselves into their studies,” she explained. “For example, right now, my kids are not only reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins, but they are also learning about Antarctica, creating artwork about penguins and doing presentations on their research.”

Bryan said she wants her students to embrace the topics they love because she often feels like it just takes one instance for children to become disinterested in a subject they could have truly excelled in. She sees this as a tragic missed opportunity at potential greatness.

“All of our teachers at St. Pius are Google Certified Educators, Level 1. I love to use technology in my classroom every day. The kids have their own computers, and if we had to go virtual again, for whatever reason, we could do it with a moment’s notice,” she noted.

Bryan said she realizes working alongside the parents of her students is a necessity, and she feels blessed to

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work with some amazing parents.

“As educators, we realize parents are a child’s first teachers: they teach their children to walk, talk, etc. We just continue the process. It takes involvement from everyone when educating our children: from the school, educators, parents, and the children themselves. We all need to give 100% to help our kids get the most out of each day at school.”

Bryan feels a special connection to her schoolchildren; it’s a bond that never leaves her heart, no matter how long ago a child was in her classroom.

“I love my kids. I’ve had three biological children, but I’ve had lots and lots of school children over the years that I love as if they were my own family. One year a child in my preschool class had a familiar last name, so I asked grandma if he was related to a former student. He was the son of a former student, who was also in one of my preschool classes,” she said with a gregarious laugh. “I said: ‘Ohhhh, I’m getting old!’ But I sure do love all my babies!”

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