More than a job: Longtime teacher finds a calling, a family, a purpose

This paid piece is sponsored by Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.

Some jobs fill your time. Others fill your heart. At Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, your job becomes more than just a profession — it’s a vocation that offers purpose, belonging and a deep sense of community. 

For Ken Lindemann, who has been a math teacher at O’Gorman High School for 35 years, the journey to Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools was unexpected but life-changing.

“After college, I didn’t want to be a teacher. I worked in a warehouse for a year, and I knew that wasn’t for me either,” he said.

He decided to explore teaching and sent out numerous applications, including one to O’Gorman High School, without realizing it was a Catholic school. 

“When the letter from O’Gorman came back that said ‘We’d like to interview you,’ it had a cross on the front,” Lindemann remembers. “And I knew the minute I saw that cross on the letter that this was going to be the perfect fit for me.”

That feeling of finding the right place is a common thread among our staff. Whether you come to Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools with a clear calling or discover your passion along the way, you’ll find a community that embraces you, supports you and helps you grow.

The staff doesn’t consist of teachers, custodians, accountants, administrators – it consists of members of a family who celebrate with you in joy and stand beside you in hardship.

“Your sense of community, your sense of belonging, the fact that I feel valued here is very valuable to me. They treat you as the person first and the employee second, and they allow you to prioritize your family and your faith over what goes on in your classroom,” Lindemann said.

“I’ve gone through hard times when I’ve been here. I’ve lost parents, I’ve lost grandparents. The school has been right there. The community has been right there through all of that. And I can’t say that that’s different than if I had been working somewhere else. But it is, it is dear to my heart that this place was with me when those things happened.”

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools is a place where you’ll be challenged, supported and transformed. A place where you’ll find not just a career but a calling.

“This place will become your second home. It’ll become your second family,” Lindemann said. “If you stay here past the first few years, you’re going to stay for a very long time.”

If you’re ready to find a place that feels like home — where your faith, your passion and your purpose can grow — then you, too, belong here.

Explore career opportunities today at Bishop O’Gorman Catholic School Careers.

Hear more from Lindemann in his own words: