Personal Philosophy of the Common Vision of Catholic Education:
Responsibilities of Parents, Administration, Faculty, Church, and Students
Pope John Paul II spoke in Rome on September 22, 2002, giving a “back-to-school” lesson that addressed the key points to successful education. As reported in The Tidings on September 27, 2002, the Pope said, “Society should make sure everyone has access to good education… where important cultural values are transmitted to new generations.” Like all educational institutions, I completely agree with the fact that parents are the primary educators of the students in our schools. Parents should be able to have access to an adequate school education. Parents need to give the basic necessities of life for their children, but it is also their obligation to develop a sense of morality and ethics in their children.
Applying the beliefs of R.M. Jacobs, author of The Grammar of Catholic Schooling (1997), parents are bound to educating their children in the knowledge of religion and good habits and in raising their children in the life of the soul and in the piety of God (p.37). And since parents are willing to make extraordinary sacrifices to give their children the best education possible, it is also the responsibility of the administrators, faculty, and Church, to work as a support system to the parents. For if a total formation of the student is to be achieved, all parties of school must join together to allow the students to become a driving force in the community they serve.
All members of the Catholic school should work to affirm the dignity and value of each member. As an administrator, I need to strive to provide an environment or a community that promotes a common goal towards finding the truth and the good so that all who participate can find themselves in God’s image and likeness. In his book Educating for Life, Thomas Groome (1998), stresses that one should “always remain in God’s own image, having the vocation and capacity - by God’s grace - to grow in divine likeness” (p. 77). This is what I should strive to avow in the students – that each one was created in God’s image and that each one is capable of finding the truth.
Abbé Louis Bautain, the founder of the order of the Sisters of St. Louis, made it his mission to find the truth, to find Christ. He knew that he could find the truth in the community he chose to establish. I have made it my mission to be a prophet of this truth as well. My goal is to look for and find this truth in the school community, in the faculty and in the students. William A. Frank of the University of Dallas (2000) writes in his research that a culture is more “authentically human to the degree that it is influenced by openness to the presence of transcendent truth and that this openness is a disposition that must be actively cultivated” (p.205). I want to awaken this openness to the truth and to Christ in the students and work to cultivate it daily through prayer and example. And at the same time, I must awaken a candor to the truth in the faculty who profess their faith and knowledge to the students. My job is to provide every opportunity for teachers to give the students a total education, and to allow the teacher to make sense of the truth for the students.
The faculty too plays a significant role in Catholic education. “Educators assume the task of transmitting and advancing key elements of culture” (Frank, p. 205). The key element of culture that should be stressed by teachers is the idea that every one person is unique and thus contributes to the common nature and thus has a common influence on everyone else (Groome, p. 70). It is extremely important for the teachers to accept the uniqueness of each student and to affirm the dignity and value of each student. Teachers should teach as Jesus did, finding the students where they are and sharing with the students where they, as teachers, personally are: “teachers are capable of forming and molding souls chiefly through contact with their own souls” (Pope Pius XII, 1955). Teachers should model Christian principles and attitude and expect these from their students as well. Self-discipline should be developed in every student.
The student’s role in the success of Catholic education is the most important. They have a lot at stake and thus should invest themselves completely. Like the administration and faculty, the student should also accept and respect the uniqueness of each person. According to Pope John XXIII (1961), like all humans, students should pursue and express the truth, contribute to the common good, be informed and educated, choose a state in life, and worship God freely. The student should show deep concern for self and others. It is my ultimate goal that students model the Gospel values in their daily living. Like Fr. John Swing (2001), who documented his ideas in An Overview of the Advantages of Catholic Education, I deem that students develop ethical responses based on faith and conviction.
Students should have a goal of “becoming” – becoming leaders, lovers of self and neighbor, contributors to society, learners and believers. Inspired by the words of the evangelist John, the students should desire to “have life to the full” (John 10:10). Students engaged in a Catholic school education can have life to the full, if the school and church community make it their mission to educate the whole student.
Fr. John Powell, S.J. (1984), writes in the Christian Vision: The Truth That Sets Us Free, that an individual cannot alone bring about widespread change; an individual alone normally cannot accomplish a great cause (p.128). Individuals need the support of a loving community. Students need teachers, teachers need the guidance of the administration, and every one of these groups needs the support and strength of the Church.
The Church lays the foundation for Catholic education. Doctrine is the first layer that is established and then faith development, morality, service, and social justice are added, one by one, to the mix. Without the Church, the student will not be able to experience total formation. Since the ultimate goal of all Christians is to enter heaven, the Church is needed desperately to help aid in traveling to this supreme destiny, the final everlasting step of complete human formation. Pope Pius XI (1929) encourages a true education that is directed wholly to man’s last end.
It is my commitment to provide an environment for my students where the formation of the total person is attained. In The Declaration on Christian Education, Pope Paul VI (1965) stresses the idea that “true education aims at the formation of the human person in the pursuit of his ultimate end and the good of the societies of which he is a member” (1). The formation of the total student begins when the purpose of existence is fostered in the students. Every student and teacher should develop his or her own anthropology, an understanding of the human person. This anthropology should come through in a teacher’s teaching and in a student’s learning. I have previously established that each student is unique, but I confer too that each student has an influence on every other student and thus contributes to the common good of the community.
I want St. Mel Catholic school to help the students become “who” they are, understand “why” they are, and to share this knowledge with the other members of the school community. As the students search for the answers to life existence, I expect that the faculty, administration, parents, and Church are there to direct the students to use their faith in God to answer these questions. Groome (1998) reinforces this concept stating that we “become the person we are because of the gifts and influence of a common nature” (p.71). Once again, the educational mission of the Church surfaces as the concept of “koinonia” is established. A sense of community is essential for the success of the Catholic school.
To me, a Catholic school is Catholic because it chooses to educate the whole person. It feeds the mind and at the same time feeds the soul. Acknowledged in The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium (1997) is the idea that the Catholic school imparts an education of the “human person through a clear educational project of which Christ is the foundation; its mission of education as a work of love, and its service to society; the traits which should characterize the educating community” (5). These words are powerful and provide me with the basic foundation for my personal philosophy of Catholic education.
By providing a wholistic education, we are presenting the students with the basic knowledge of Catholic doctrine, knowledge in the academic subjects, and knowledge and respect for the rights and dignity of others. We give the students a diversified curriculum while instilling Christian values. We appeal to all learning styles, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic, and develop a concern in the students for self and others. We form both the spiritual and intellectual student.
In social studies, students learn about their life liberties and rights, and in Religion, they learn how to promote equity and justice. In math classes, students experience the power of money, and in our Christian Service program, they experience the power to serve the poor with this money. We are striving for academic excellence, but we are also trying to inspire the students to become good citizens and caring individuals (DeLong, 2002).
Infused in teachers’ lectures are the teachings of Christ. Imbedded in class discussions is the indication that with the support of community, one can accomplish great things. And finally, incorporated in Christian service projects and outreach programs is a concern for and dedication to serving the less fortunate. In all facets of the school environment, I can see that the three interlocking dimensions of the educational mission of the Church exist. By incorporating “didache, koinonia, and diakonia” – doctrine, community, and service, the school is educating the total person and thus providing a wholistic education for all. The school is bringing Christ to all and all to Christ.
Conclusion: “Bringing Christ to all and all to Christ”
In Lay Catholics in Schools, the Congregation for Catholic Education (C.C.E. 1982) demonstrates just how well a Catholic school brings Christ to the student and the student to Christ. By attending a Catholic school, students are able to cultivate:
freedom which includes respect for others; conscientious responsibility; a sincere and constant search for truth; a calm and peaceful critical spirit; a spirit of solidarity with and service toward all other persons; a sensitivity for justice; and a special awareness of being called to be positive agents of change in a society that is undergoing continuous transformation (30).
In every one of these developed characteristics, one can see the presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus provided us with the perfect example of how to live, serve, and teach. He inspired us with the greatest commandment of all - “love one another as I have loved you.”
The goal of the Church, parents, administrators, teachers, priests, religious, and laity combined is to educate the youth so that peace, hope, and community continue to exist. When this is achieved in a school, it is apparent that all parties have joined together to promote a common vision or mission.
By bringing Christ to all and all to Christ we are transmitting the sole purpose of Catholic education – Ut Sint Unum – that all may be one. We are establishing the idea that though each student is unique, he or she ultimately contributes to the welfare of the common good. The student must strive to heighten their intellectual knowledge as well as their spiritual knowledge, so that he or she can become a contributing factor to the strengthening of the ties that hold the community together.
I believe that in order for a prosperous community to exist, all members must be in pursuit of the truth and of finding Christ. They should look to each other to find the truth and to find Christ. A student can see Christ in another when they receive forgiveness for wrongdoing. A teacher can experience the truth when he or she receives support of the administration in times of hardship. And the whole school community can encounter Christ and discover the truth when they celebrate their success together.
My personal philosophy of Catholic education has changed dramatically over the years. As a student, I had only a sneak preview of the power of Catholic schooling. As a teacher, I began to understand the magnitude it carried when I saw the powerful effects it had on my students. And presently as an administrator, I have begun to appreciate the value Catholic education has for all members of the community: parents, family, faculty, staff, administration, priests, religious, and students.
A Catholic education is an education for life. It has been an integral and central part to my development as a human being. I am grateful that my parents provided me with the opportunity to experience a Catholic education, and I am grateful that the institutions I attended instilled in me a sense of pride in my faith. My hope and my goal is that as I continue to teach and minister in a Catholic school, I can inspire my students to feel the same.