MOVING IN, UP, AND ON
Q&A WITH PAT O’CONNOR
After more than 35 years teaching art to boys of all ages at Cathedral, Ms. O’Connor has made the decision to retire from the classroom to focus on her personal art practice and educational therapy work.
R&G: Do you remember what your first day was like? PO: I taught part-time alongside Jean Kyle who had been teaching Art at Cathedral for a number of years. I felt very welcomed and supported by Jean as I headed into my very exciting first day. R&G: What did you like best about working at CSB? PO: No question—the joy and excitement of the boys and camaraderie of my colleagues. Having taught in several situa- tions prior to CSB—public, private, and parochial—I was so grateful for the autonomy and support of the administrations over the years R&G: Which colleagues made the biggest impact on you? PO: I’ve been at CSB for a long time, so have been inspired by many. Joan Kemper and Jessie Thayler (now Jackson) for their collaborative spirits, Julie Terraciano, Judith Saldamando, Brenda Hayden, and Betty Peskin for their friendship and humor, Dottie Wylie for our daily meditations, Pierre Jospé for his counsel, Mehrdad Abidari for his wisdom and for presiding over Justo and my marriage ceremony, Malcolm Manson (whose passion has always been to encourage the growth of his younger teachers….and, yes, I was a younger teacher once!) who supported my summer teaching endeavors with dyslexic students and without whom I never would have won the “Power of Art” Award, Elizabeth Charnas who knows the learning profiles, in detail, of each and every one of her students, Chad Harlow for being a deep thinker, questioner, and visionary, Judy Hilbrich Sheppard who approaches each teaching day with passion, compassion, and conviction, Alli Decker who imbues the library with congeniality, Kathryn Williams who keeps abreast of research based methodology and is ever thoughtful about her curriculum design, Sean Breen, who told me in my early days, “I have faith in my students” allowing me to loosen my grip and go more with the flow, and, of course, Sheila Ghidini who partnered with me in our shared goal to honor
Red&Gold: When did you start working at CSB? PAT O’CONNOR: 1989
R&G: What were you doing before you began teaching here? I was working as an artist producing commissions for several residencies, medical centers, and corporations in the Bay Area and beyond. One of my favorite stories comes from a niece who reported feeling very comforted, when in labor, and seeing an art piece of mine in the birthing center at Kaiser Permanente, Walnut Creek. I also had been teaching at San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco, and a couple of high schools in the area, namely Sacred Heart Cathedral and Mercy High School. Prior to all of this, I was teaching art in the Housing Projects of North Beach, Chinatown, and Visitation Valley through the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. R&G: How many years did you work at CSB? PO: Thirty one years R&G: What roles did you have at CSB? PO: I started out teaching K-8 Art, and then, when we increased Upper art to two periods per week, in the 1990’s, moved to 5–8. I also acted as Adviser to grades 5 and 6, enjoyed years of Outdoor Education with the Upper School classes, and developed a “From Farm to Table” curriculum for our annual Upper School intersession program. I utilized my role as an Educational Therapist by sitting on the Boys’ Study Committee when the topic was “Boys and Learning Differences and Disabilities” and tutored several Lower and Upper School students in math and language arts. I also acted, for two years, as Faculty Representative to our Board of Directors.
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