Prep Teachers endorse the Jesuit Educators Academy

Forming young men who exemplify the Jesuit tradition—intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving and committed to justice—is an ambitious task. Achieving it demands a unique and talented faculty. Parents and students choose Fairfield Prep because it is a Jesuit school. The Jesuit approach to education is recognized as rigorous, deep and widely admired. Prep is blessed to have six Jesuits on the faculty, but as elsewhere, we know these numbers will decline. Prep seeks to retain its Jesuit identity, approach and style of teaching through a special professional development program.

To fill this gap, Prep launched the Jesuit Educators Academy (JEA) in 2008. The JEA is a five year program that immerses new faculty in the mission and methods of Jesuit education. Faculty participants attend a series of workshops on Ignatian spirituality, learn to write lesson plans in accord with Jesuit pedagogy, and have the opportunity to take part in student community service and retreat programs. Senior faculty serve as mentors to junior faculty throughout the five years.