From and For Faith


“I know a lot of teachers who basically quoted what the Bible or the Catechism said and they thought that would answer all the questions. They may not have been theologically wrong, but usually they were either trying to give a short answer to a sophisticated question or they were just playing the role of authority and just expecting the kids to take what they respond and then never question again. I probably spend about half my time doing damage control for teachers who gave flippant or incomplete answers to difficult questions in the classroom. ...if you are not sure how to answer the question, it is smart to ask someone who may know the material a bit better. In fact, in my experience, students respond well when you take time to answer their questions. If you answer too quickly or flippantly, they may think you aren't taking them seriously. If you get someone to help you answer, it communicates to them that you want to find the best possible answer. That is a sign of Love for them.”
When we try to answer our students’ questions too quickly (especially if we, ourselves, are not sure how to answer), we basically invalidate the question and the student. That is, if we do not take the question seriously, it translates to our students that we do not take them seriously. If we take the mission of schools to be “the work of salvation”, as the valued concept of Catholic education states, then we must understand that part of that salvation is helping our students know that they are Loved and capable of great Love, as well. When we invalidate them by ignoring or not taking their questions seriously, then we model for them the opposite of what we claim to teach.  
The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas in Galway, Co. Galway, Ireland. Just like a Church in its architecture and interior design, Catholic School identity and the mission of teachers and administration should flow from and for Faith. (photo P. Smith)

The other day I was reading an article about the nature of Catholic education. The author noted and reminded me that Catholic education should be “from and for Faith”. He may have been referring to religious education, specifically, but the idea applies to all classes. Regardless of our discipline, Catholic school teachers should be united in the mission of “salvation”. Perhaps we need to re-train ourselves not to associate the term “salvation” with exclusivity or superiority of “the saved”; instead, we should simply understand that “salvation” means a return to our ontology…our anthropology. We are “lost” if we cannot Love and be Loved; we are saved when we come to know what True Agapic Love means. This is the Faith from which Catholic Pedagogical theory flows. It also happens to be the same Faith to which all educational practice should move. Every lesson, every administrative decision, every choice we make in the development of Catholic school identity and culture should be a step in the direction of True Agape and the True image and likeness of God…the True image and likeness in which we are made.

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