It only took one year of teaching at an inner-city public school in Milwaukee for Karen Rohrer to change her mind and return to Blessed Sacrament School, a private 3K–eighth grade school in the Regent Street area of Madison where she had taught for seven years before taking the job in Milwaukee.
Altogether, Rohrer has worked at Blessed Sacrament School for 33 years, first as a primary and secondary school teacher and now as the school’s assistant principal.
“I realized in Milwaukee, at being at a public school, how important it was for me to be able to have faith and bring that into the classroom,” Rohrer said.
She recalled a time at the Milwaukee school where she had to comfort a child whose father had passed away, something Rohrer also experienced at a young age.
Rohrer said she wanted to draw on her own faith to comfort the child but wasn’t able to do so in the public school.
“If I can’t console a child in that way, and I can’t say anything that would help this child to feel better knowing that his dad was in heaven and that he wasn’t going to be hurt there,” that was a circumstance she wasn’t comfortable with, Rohrer said. “To not be able to provide that for him broke my heart.”
Societal, health and safety changes have parents reevaluating how they view education and what they want it to look like for their children. Educators like Roher say students need more support beyond academics.
And data tracking trends in education do show a rise in private school enrollment. Wisconsin’s Information for Education System (WISE) reported that over the past five years, enrollment rates for public schools in the state have decreased by 2.9%, while enrollment for private schools has increased by 6.3%.
When Rohrer began her career in 1993, she said she knew her students all came to class fed and wearing clean clothes. She knew a majority had the support they needed from their parents.
Now, Rohrer and other staff are providing more of that support.
“I think you have to build that relationship with the kids,” Rohrer said. “You need to be everything to them.”
Megan Richards, a teacher at Blessed Sacrament School, started as a student teacher working with Rohrer. From that experience, she learned that Rohrer perfected the balance between emotionally supporting students and maintaining professionalism.
“It’s top-notch,” Richards said. “She just has this unique way of connecting with kids and getting them to be engaged and motivated to learn.”
Rohrer wanted the same level of care to go into her own children’s education, so she enrolled her two sons in Blessed Sacrament School. One of them has graduated from high school, and the other is just starting, so Rohrer remains grateful for the time she had with them.
“I just look at what a gift it is to be able to know kids — like, really know them — and know that they trust who they are spending their days with,” Rohrer said.
“A student who believes that they’re loved by their teacher will jump through hoops,” said Steve Castrogiovanni, the principal of Blessed Sacrament. “She loves them, and they love her.”
With a faith-focused curriculum, Blessed Sacrament School also emphasizes connections outside of academics. Rohrer said her favorite moments at the school are from fundraisers, charity events and school connection programs.
Blessed Sacrament holds an annual Hunger March to raise pledges for local food banks and meal programs of students’ choice. In 2023, the students raised nearly $26,000.
Rohrer said these events are chances for Mass buddies, pairs of older students and younger students, to connect beyond the classroom.
“I don’t look at the expense of a Catholic school, but I look at what you are giving your kids,” Rohrer said. “It’s maybe a sacrifice for a lot of them to be able to pay extra for their kids to go to school, but I think it’s worth it, and I think parents are realizing that it’s worth it.”
