HELPING STUDENTS FLOURISH
CATHOLIC SCHOOL EDUCATORS HELP CHILDREN REALIZE GOD-GIVEN POTENTIAL
What is our calling as Catholic educators?
First and foremost, our calling is to recognize the precious treasure that is each and every one of our students. They have been entrusted to our care, and we view this as a sacred charge where we work in collaboration with parents. Often, we hear from parents that they felt excluded from their child’s education at their former school. Not so at Catholic schools. Here, we seek to integrate parents into the daily educational routine as much as they want or are able.
Second, our calling is to help every student realize his or her God-given potential. We do this by taking each student as he or she is, regardless of talent, family background or the label that society gives them. Our small class sizes empower us to give individualized attention and develop each child’s gifts to their fullest. We also employ the highest-caliber teachers; we are proud that 50 percent of our faculty members have advanced degrees.
Finally, our calling is to prepare our students to be future leaders in our communities, our Church, our country and our world. Our kindergarten through eighth-grade schools provide a unique opportunity to foster leadership. Young students look up to the older ones as mentors and role models. The oldest students, meanwhile, are given opportunities to develop leadership skills and confidence. Many schools pair an upper-class student with a new or young student and commission the older one with helping the younger one along. Upper-class students are often given roles such as “classroom ambassador” or the lead in school activities. These practices help students flourish.
This three-fold perspective is unique to the Catholic worldview and manifests in such powerful ways for the students. I am proud of the work our Catholic school leaders, faculty and staff members do every day to serve their students.
Photo courtesy of St. John the Baptist Catholic School