5th & 6th Grade Math and Science Teacher in Chicago, IL
Chicago Jesuit Academy
2024-25 Fellow: Mary Grace O’Shea teaches 5th and 6th grade boys at Chicago Jesuit Academy in the Austin neighborhood. She holds a degree in Psychology and Spanish from College of the Holy Cross and an MEd in Teaching from the University of Notre Dame. Mary Grace finds great joy in teaching Math at CJA and working to build curiosity, a constant search for challenge, and a growth mindset in the mathematicians with whom she works. Furthermore, Mary Grace also serves as a Culinary Arts coach for students in grades 3-8 at CJA. She enjoys the opportunity to create recipes, cook fresh and healthy foods, and build community around the table with chefs of many ages. Mary Grace is looking forward to incorporating food-based lesson plans in her own classroom, and experiencing the effect it has on her teaching and the learning of her students!
Favorite Food Education Standard:
I resonate deeply with Food Education Standard #1: Food connects us to each other. There is something to say about that fact that, since the beginning of time, humanity has broken bread together. It is powerful and rejuvenating to sit around a table while enjoying a meal with those you love. Few people stick to eating only their foods of origin, and many travel to try new foods as they explore the world. It is beautiful to think about the times when food, in all of its glory, brought people together.
A Favorite Food Memory or Recipe:
My mom is an incredible baker! There has not been a single holiday, event, or special celebration for which she has not made her famous carrot cake. I fondly remember countless hours of peeling fresh carrots in our family kitchen, patiently awaiting for the cake to rise (getting scolded for opening up the oven instead of watching through the light), and sneaking large globs of cream cheese icing with my fingers. I haven’t gotten caught yet!
What I’m Most Excited About as a New Fellow:
I am most looking forward to deepening relationships within our classroom community while covering the Food Education Standards. The Food Education Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for students to consider how our food choices impact our own lives, the lives of those closest to us, and the world. I am really looking forward to seeing how exposure to these standards and cooking together transforms the food (and personal) lives of our students.
