Educating Leaders and Transforming the World: A Celebration of NDMU’s Operation TEACH

Every year, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) works hand-in-hand with Operation TEACH (Teachers Enlisted to Advance Catholic Heritage) in partnership with the Archdiocese of Baltimore. As a two-year post-graduate program, Operation TEACH is dedicated to fulfilling the educational needs of children in Baltimore’s Catholic elementary and secondary schools.

Those involved, referred to as TEACHers, manage dual involvement in their graduate classes at NDMU and their full-time teaching jobs. Upon completion, graduates receive a Master of Arts (MA) in Education and go on to share the core, innovative values they’ve learned with their future students.

Operation TEACH 2016 Cohort

"Over the past two years I have grown alongside some of the most inspiring, intelligent, and loyal people,” says Bridget Sica, MA’18, and part of the Operation 2016 cohort. “I have had the opportunity to live alongside my best friends and we have been able to help each other develop into the best versions of ourselves."

Operation TEACH promotes growth in one’s professional life, community life and spiritual life. Participants of the program come from all over the country, living together and sharing in each other’s educational experiences. 

Angela Simmons, director of Operation TEACH says “To be able to support them [the TEACHers] and guide them in their professional life and share in their continued spiritual growth is so special and life giving. We are all impacting and strengthening Catholic Education and that is incredibly powerful.”

Operation TEACH has been a part of NDMU for the past 17 years – the eighteenth celebration occurs this month (July 2018). In all, more than 100 teachers have completed the program. 

“Operation TEACH is unique because of its retention rate,” Kristin Pinkowski, assistant director states, “a majority of our participants stay at their schools in the area and take advantage of the community they have spent so much time building over the two-year experience.”

Working in-part with a school surrounded by spirituality and a heavy SSND presence, Pinkowski and Simmons both believe that NDMU’s support adds a meaningful component to program – a unique assistance that cannot be found at any other institution.

For those interested in joining the program please note, you do not need to have a background in education or an initial teaching certificate to apply.