1: Catholic Schools stress the value of self-discipline and commitment.

I was always taught that being disciplined is a key factor of success. In my Catholic School the main points they stressed to us were the importance of punctuality, good note taking, and respect. Being late was never acceptable. If you were late because of traffic they would tell you to leave earlier next time. Notes were the key to obtaining good grades. Organized notebooks had to be in the correct format with a proper heading and written in consistent, neat cursive penmanship. Respect for us was an everyday practice. Each time another teacher or administrator walked into our classroom we were all taught to stand and in unison say, "Good morning *insert name here*" in a sing song manner. Yes, looking back, it was a bit cult-y. However, I believe these were important factors in my upbringing.

2: Emphasis of Catholic values.

Once or a few times a month we were required to attend mass during the day as a part of our school experience. We would go grade by grade and participate and engage fully in our schools mass. It was a reminder of our values and faith and why we were there. One exception to this rule was to the 2nd grade class. That was the year in which you made your first Holy Communion. You would have to attend more masses than the rest of the grades and have a special class dedicated to teaching you about your first Holy Communion. Alongside this, outside of school you were required to attend mass every Sunday for the whole year (if you weren't already doing so) and report back to your teacher that Monday with proof that you went. These little second graders already had a concrete mindset on how to commit to a certain task that you may or may not want to do.

3: How to properly present yourself to others.

The most well known feature of Catholic School are the very conservative uniforms that we were all required to wear. At the time, I never quite understood the purpose of the uniforms. To me, they just seemed old-fashioned and outdated for kids like us. Looking back now, I can fully appreciate why we wore those uniforms. First and foremost, proper dress code whether that be in a work or play environment is very important. There will always be a place and time for short shorts and tube tops but I am very glad that I was taught this lesson at a young age.

4: A sense of routine.

A lot of people have a set routine that they follow each day. Wake up, eat breakfast, shower, go to work, etc. But, a lot of people struggle with finding their own groove and sticking to a daily routine. I was fortunate enough to have a daily routine established for me at a very young age from both my mother and my Catholic School. Each morning when we went into class we would all take off our coats and hang them up in the closet, then proceed to take out our work and complete whatever was on the blackboard until further instruction was given. One of the main "routines" I vividly remember doing as a class was saying a prayer each morning, before lunch, and before dismissal. It was something that I always knew was going to happen regardless of what day it was. It gave us little kids something constant to hold on to and a sense of stability.