2026 Catholic Schools Week Supplement
Teacher crosses a bridge in life and finds a closer bond with Christ and her students
Maggie Banet is the recipient of the 2025 Saint Theodora Excellence in Education Award, the highest honor given to an educator in the archdiocese. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
(This story is an edited version of the one that first appeared in The Criterion on April 4, 2025.)
By John Shaughnessy
FLOYD COUNTY—Driving from her home in southern Indiana to her work in Kentucky, Maggie Banet had the growing feeling that she needed to make a dramatic change in her life.
For years, she had been teaching at a public school that was ranked first academically in Kentucky, a school where she loved the students, their supportive families and her caring colleagues. It was a dream job in the eyes of many, but something was missing for Banet.
As she crossed the bridge spanning the two states, a short Bible verse often jumped into her thoughts, a verse from Colossians 3:23 that she summed up in this way, “Work for the Lord and not for men.”
“I wanted to please my principal and the administration,” she recalls. “The pressure from the top down to stay at the number one spot was extremely difficult. I would repeat that verse to myself to remember that, ultimately, I need to please God first.”
Amid those thoughts, she heard from a friend—a secretary at St. Mary-of-the-Knobs School in Floyd County—that there was an opening for a teacher.
“It was literally divine providence,” says Banet about that moment seven years ago. “I feel like the Lord just picked me up out of my toughest year of teaching. He opened the door at St. Mary’s. I came to interview, and they offered me the job. I literally cried tears of joy.”
Banet had another moment of joy when the fifth-grade teacher was chosen as the recipient of the 2025 Saint Theodora Excellence in Education Award, the highest honor given to an educator in the archdiocese.
‘We’re going to sing to the Lord because we love him’
The atmosphere that Banet strives to create for her students is one of joy, discovery and faith.
The emphasis on faith is especially evident, from the Christian songs that sometimes serve as background music during religion and even math classes, to the various Bible verses that are printed on colorful pieces of paper and displayed prominently around the room.
“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).
“I cannot think of a more boring way to start teaching, especially during religion class, than to say, ‘OK, open your book to page seven,’ ” Banet says. “When you’re talking about God and how absolutely amazing he is, I just can’t bring myself to open a textbook.
“Sometimes we’ll start with a song or end with a song and the kids’ faces just light up. ‘Hey, we’re going to sing to the Lord because we love him.’ The goal is for them to have a relationship with Jesus.”
While she’s laser-focused on helping her students move closer to Jesus, Banet continues to strive to bring out the best in them academically.
“Maggie isn’t just enthusiastic, she is also effective,” says Tracy Jansen, principal of St. Mary-of-the-Knobs School. “Her students respond to the energy she brings daily. Her students consistently score in the top 15% of ILEARN math scores [administered by the Indiana Department of Education]. After assessments are administered, she eagerly analyzes the data and fills in learning gaps, ever focused on student learning and growth.”
Her high energy approach shows in the fact that she doesn’t have a chair for herself in her classroom. And instead of a desk, she has a large, rolling cart with shelves, where she keeps her computer and phone.
“I just walk around the room and put myself close to the kids that are struggling. I’m looking over their shoulder, figuring out who’s got it and who needs help.”
She also knows where to turn when she needs help.
‘I’m forever grateful’
“I have an ongoing conversation with God throughout the day. Just a quick ‘thank you.’ A quick ‘help me,’ ” she says. “And I truly feel he talks back.”
She also encourages her students to understand the importance of seeking God’s words and wisdom in their lives. She has them memorize one Scripture verse a week.
“I hope I give them a taste of how God can use Scripture in your life. You pull that verse from your memory bank when you’re feeling frightened or when you’re feeling discouraged or when you’re feeling joyful. If they know how to make that connection, I hope they will do that more as they get older.”
Receiving the Saint Theodora award thrilled Banet, yet not nearly as much as what she gets to do as a Catholic school educator.
“The Bible says to go and make disciples of all nations. If I’m going to share my faith like the Lord tells me to, what better way to do it—‘here’s a group of children, mold them, teach them,’ ” she says. “It’s such a gift to be given the opportunity to share my faith in such an easy, enjoyable manner.”
That gift ties into a Scripture verse that has become crucial to her. It’s a verse she’s had her students memorize, all in her hope that they will rely upon it throughout their lives: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prv 3:5).
“I don’t know how people make it through life without faith,” she says. “It is just the driving force behind everything I do. In the end, all that matters is my faith and did I share it. When I have my ups and downs in life, I always remember that Jesus is the constant.
“He’s the one doing the work. He’s the one changing hearts. I’m just the tool he’s chosen to use. And for that, I’m forever grateful.” †
