"When my former students do well in high school and college, I am grateful for their successes."
That is what language arts expert Sister Clara Esker, who has been named an 'Elite American Educator' by Executive Publishing, said about students whose lives she has touched and inspired in her fifty years of service as a teacher and educator.
Sister Clara Esker of the Central Pacific Province, has always felt blessed to be a part of a child's learning. She was inspired to become a teacher by her teachers and by the positive response she received from tutoring a former classmate. Also as a child, she was impressed by School Sisters of Notre Dame, a religious order with a view of changing the world through education.
Sister Esker attended Notre Dame College in Ohio, where she received a bachelor's degree in history. She completed graduate studies at Clarke College, now Clarke University, in Dubuque, Iowa, where she earned a master's degree in elementary education with a minor in social studies.
She began her career in education working as a teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. She later taught in schools in Illinois, Iowa, and other locations in California before joining the staff at Moreland Notre Dame School in Watsonville, California as a teacher and learning center director. At Moreland Notre Dame, she taught eighth grade English, seventh grade religion and managed composition classes for students in all grades from the first to the eighth.
Sister Esker is recognized as an outstanding educator and has been celebrated by students and peers. In 2010 students of Moreland Notre Dame dedicated their yearbook in her honor. In 2015 she was recognized by Elite American Educators for dedication, achievement and leadership in language arts.
Throughout her career she has been active in the community and involved in organizations that serve others. She also serves those in need through her volunteerism and missionary work. She is a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and the National Community Education Association, an organization that was established to promote community involvement in public education and learning opportunities in the community for all regardless of age, economic status and educational background.
Sister Clara resides in Watsonville, California. When time permits, she enjoys reading, working on crossword puzzles, playing board game and volunteering with wildlife groups, including the National Wildlife Federation.
