As per course,
"Module 7 - The Faith Journey – Key Concepts
exploring the joys, processes, challenges and responsibilities of the spiritual journey for the Catholic educator
reflecting on how one’s relationship with Jesus Christ is at the core of Catholic teacher spirituality
exploring insights related to spirituality from Scripture, Tradition, experiences with other faiths and post-modern perspectives
exploring different forms of prayer that nurture the vocation of the Catholic educator
reflecting and engaging in dialogue regarding the faith journey of teachers, students, parish and the Christian community
exploring the importance of lifelong learning and the faith journey for Catholic educators
understanding the importance of being a conscious and living witness of faith for realizing the transformational mission of Catholic education
understanding that Catholic faith journey is an invitation to believe that Christians are "clothed with the life of Christ himself" (Galatians 3.27) and called to be faithful witnesses by inspiring others in the Catholic school environment to also become "salt of all mankind and light for the whole world" (Matthew 5.13-14).
Read Text: Theology for Teachers. (1999). Part 1, pp. 11 - 60
Tasks
Read the submodule entitled Personal Faith Journey
Review the requirements for Assignment #4 - Practicum, and submit when completed.
Read the resources listed in the file entitled Discussion Resources
Post a response in the discussion forum to the questions below. Please read and respond to at least two of your colleague's discussion postings.
As Pope Francis has stated “The journey of life is not easy” and neither is the journey of Catholic education. We are well aware of the challenges facing Catholic education and the criticism levelled against Catholic education. Read the articles, reflect on your vocation as Catholic educators and post your response to the questions:
Why do we need Catholic schools? How are we, how are our students, fulfilling the expectations of the OCSGE? How do we demonstrate that we are all conscious and living witnesses of faith in realizing the mission of Catholic education?
How do we, as individuals, as partners in Catholic education work to ensure the future of Catholic education?
“You did not choose me. I chose you and appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” John 15:16-17
The experience of a vocation begins with God’s invitation to the individual. One’s vocation is discovered at different stages of development and in relationship with others (Archdiocese of Toronto 2006). Accordingly, the Archdiocese of Toronto states:
We do not "have" a vocation; we discover how we "are" our vocation as we journey through life led by the Spirit.
(Archdiocese of Toronto 2006)
The free response that is expected is not a single act, but one that is carried out over a life long journey of faith (Archdiocese of Toronto 2006).
Parker Palmer helps us understand vocation. In Let Your Life Speak – Listening for the Voice of Vocation he contends one needs to ask, “How can I let my life speak?”(Palmer 2000, 23). Before one can tell their life what they want to do with it, they must listen to their life telling them who they are.
“Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent. (Palmer 2000, p. 10). Vocation comes from listening. The word “vocation” is rooted in the Latin for “voice”. As Palmer explains, vocation is not a goal that we pursue, it is a calling that we hear. We must listen to our lives telling us the “who” that we are. (Palmer 2000, p. 21). Vocation does not come from a voice “out there” but from a voice “in here” calling us to be the person we were born to be, to fulfill the original selfhood given to us at birth by God (Palmer 2000, 27). Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self, regardless of whether it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. (Palmer, p 33)
When faced with new experiences, our vocation challenges us to undertake them. “Vocation at its deepest level is not, ’Oh, boy, do I want to go to this strange place where I have to learn a new way to live and where no one, including me, understand what I’m doing.’ Vocation at its deepest level is ‘This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself but that are nonetheless compelling.’” (Palmer, p. 42)
Palmer states that God does not ask us to conform to some abstract norm for the ideal self, but rather to honour our created nature, our limits as well as our potentials. In workshops he leads with teachers, he asks them to describe two recent moments in the classroom; a moment when things went extremely well and a moment when they went terribly wrong. In small groups they discuss the two cases. In the first case people help each other identify the gifts they possess that made the good moment possible. Our strongest gifts are usually those we are unaware we possess, they are part of our God given nature. In the second case, Palmer asks them to avoid the critical analysis of the case but to help each other see how limitations and liabilities are the flip side of our gifts; a particular weakness is a trade-off for a particular strength. We will become better teachers not by trying to fill the potholes in our souls but by knowing them so well that we can avoid falling into them.” (Palmer, p. 70)
In the article 5 Things Every Catholic Teacher Needs to Know, Jonathon Doyle presents 5 simple things to keep us going.
Vocare – You did not choose teaching, it chose you. Or rather, God knew that you would have certain skills, talents and passions for service of young people and the world. When you are tired or disillusioned, remember, your vocation is an integral part of how God is redeeming the world – one lesson or one schoolyard conversation at a time.
Missio Dei – You have been chosen to be sent forth. Mission Dei translates as “the sending of God.”
The Human Person – The Catholic message for the new millennium is that each human person is made in the image and likeness of God. At the heart of your mission is the call to see the person of Christ in every student, every colleague, every person you meet. Your teaching will be as effective as your ability to see God in every person and every student, even the student or colleague you like the least.
Self-care – Teaching is perhaps, the most exhausting, demanding and challenging vocation and most teachers are terrible at self-care. Plan activities, hobbies, sports, interests that restore your soul. Do it for yourself, do it for your family who has to live with you, do it for your students and staff that are stuck with you when you are exhausted.
The School and The Church – Catholic education does not exist outside the Church and regardless of your relationship with the Church, this needs to be recognized. The Church, the one with humans in it as opposed to the mystical body of Christ, is not perfect. It is important to stop expecting perfection from people. However, your ability to really become the teacher God created you to be will be dependent on you being able to draw on deep sources beyond yourself; silence, prayer, the Eucharist. Seek out God’s help in nurturing your vocation.
Personal Faith Journey
You did not choose teaching. It chose you.
When Pope Francis met with students and teachers from Italian and Albanian Jesuit schools in Rome in June 2013 he spoke directly to educators.
“Do not be discouraged by the difficulties that the educational challenge presents. Educating is not a job but an attitude. It is a way of being. To educate well, we need to step out of ourselves and be among young people, to accompany them in the stages of their growth, placing ourselves at their side. Give them hope, and confidence for their journey in the world. Teach them to see the beauty and the goodness of creation and of humanity, which always retains the imprint of the Creator. Most importantly, be witnesses with your lives. Educators –Jesuits, teachers, school staff, or parents – convey knowledge and values with their words, but they make a difference when they back up words with their personal example; that is with the coherence of their life. Without this coherence, it is not possible to educate. You are all educators; there are no proxies in this field.”
During the question and answer session, one teenager told the Pope that he was trying hard to believe in God and be faithful, but that he often struggled with doubt is applicable to all of us. We should all heed the Pope’s response.
“The journey of life is not easy, because it requires juggling the need to move forward with the importance of taking time to reflect. If we go too quickly, we’ll get tired and won’t be able to reach our destination, yet if we stop or take our time, we won’t get there either. Life’s journey is truly the art of looking at the horizon, reflecting on where I want to go, but also putting up with the fatigue from this journey. Don’t be afraid of failure. The problem with the journey of life and faith isn’t falling; it’s not getting back up. Get right back up, immediately and keep going. Don’t embark on this journey alone, either, because that would be awful and boring. Go as a community with friends and people who care about you very much, because that will help us get to our destination.”
References
Archdiocese of Toronto. The Office of Vocations. “A Vocation.” (9 Sept. 2006). http://www.vocationstoronto.ca/voc_res_what_is.html.
Doyle, Jonathan, 5 Things Every Catholic Teacher Needs to Know, Catholic Education Resource Centre, 2013 https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/education/catholic-contributions/5-things-every-catholic-teacher-needs-to-know.html
Palmer, Parker J. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, 2000.
As per discussion,
"It is true, Catholic schools are dated and were benefactors of a time before, but have instrumentally provided education that (in my experience) allows for choice on behalf of all stakeholders in a school community, the public, the parents, students and potential staff.
From a parental perspective, I am looking more sending my (baptized) son to a Catholic school so as long as I have the option and it is government funded for a slew of reasons (however personal and superficial the range of those reasons may be), but distinctly it is the seeming force of a Catholic School Community that is built that makes it as strong an educational experience as it is (or was for me at least). The Catholic school system was a place where teachers, staff, and administration (all in general), from where I could see as a student, held themselves in a light that was reflective of values expected of us students. Every student has a different interaction with their teacher that may be in align with my own or gravely different, but ultimately that is where a lot of the former rigid expectations that Catholic school boards held of their staff and the routine of Catholic practice that they were expected to uphold within their community created a standard to either live up to or to motivate oneself to change by getting into the system to change that.
I don't look forward to paying for a uniform, but I do commend schools on building "civies" or dress down days for students. At the same time that uniform presented a burden of standard that we were expected to uphold and when the time comes as a student that the uniform presents itself in that light to you, something changes, your understanding of community being a part of it but more so your understanding of "public sphere".
One thing I liked about the Catholic School System as well was that students and teachers had a venue to come together to exact change and lobby for the change student as well as classroom environment through shared values and core beliefs of characteristic quality that are expected of the school board, and its facilities. To say that there is no allyship in a school board or a school, the question being-where are the advocates?
I'm not a principal, and understanding that no principal (maybe in the past), wanted to put their livelihood on the line by making a ruckus changing the way things were-its the 21st century, show me a principal that says "I can't" and I'd ask them why they chose to become a principal.
In my time as a high school student, it was a talking point and there were students who needed support. Looking at the school site now, I can't tell if it is something that was ever publiczied as a student support group/service and I'd question why not. Looking beyond my scope of experience though there are Catholic schools spanning the province that support multitudes of areas that students may need support. With that being said though comes the rub, a lot of the articles discussing the dismantling of a 4/2 divided publicly funded education system is exactly a factor in why it is so difficult for some of these schools to conjure up the will to make changes, create physical space, provide training, and everything else that comes along with supporting every student. Money is not an excuse, however I mean, in the school boards everywhere there are a lot of people following the money to see it goes to where it needs to go, can a school (in of itself), provide resources and space to exact the necessary supports APPROPRIATELY (creating an alliance corner of the guidance counsellor's office would be inappropriate-no? debatable-is something better than nothing?) or do they need to rely on shared resources (human and informational)?
Going back to the heart of the issue, does a Catholic School board do something that Public schools do not? In light of my deductions above, I'd say yes-they have provided opportunity for students who in some cases may even identify as athiest to observe and participate in the Church as an institution. Is it really such a bad thing to allow a visitor into your home where they settle, call it their home after 3 years, put up posters, participate in family pictures together and then later move out saying, "I am still not a Catholic, but those people, that place, their values, its impact on my education-gave me a perspective I wouldn't have had going elsewhere."? I can't imagine many Catholics could appreciate the sentiment of that as a statement in discussion, but in practice/real-life tell me you wouldn't invite a friend who holds no religious belief but was curious about the Sunday Missal you attend (let's religiously, weekly). As Catholic Educators especially, is it not within our value to welcome all, we take additional qualifications to allow us to hold water in our discussions in subject areas we are not experts in, PLC's welcome that outsider/fresh perspective on the situation/conditions of the area as it makes for opportunity to collaborate as well. As Catholic Educators it is not our job to convert or assimilate (cringed a bit typing those words), but to educate and herald to all-what we do and who we are.
All in all, it is within our best interest as stakeholders of our faith communities, learning communities and families to uphold our values that make us Catholics (devout or otherwise), so that we may spread the word of God and allow others to see how the teachings of God's Son, God themselves and the Holy Spirit make us what many other places aren't, warm, unified in our social goals and welcoming. Reflecting on social teachings and God's love for all are the two biggest ways we can ensure a future of our faith. Defending our right to constitution is desperate and although well-argued, it is not how we as Catholics should defend our educational practice as a publicly funded school-taking it beyond the idea of education, why hasn't any mentioned the volunteer activities and charity work that Catholic schools participate in to improve community and quality of life within the community or elsewhere globally? All 4-1/2 Public school supporters are willing to say that Catholic schools are supported more and have a superfluous spending habit, however is it being spoken of one board or all boards, can we say all public schools are orientated towards workplace and trades? Of course not! It is not accurate or likely true, its a notion that allows one to feel better about saying the government needs more money and we are going to take it from the parents, teachers, staff and students of a school board that "I am not associated with". (This is in reference to one of the readings that a seemingly disgruntled former Catholic Teacher had written back in 2018/2017?).
Honestly, some of the articles from this module seem like they aged poorly and it wasn't until 2018/2020 that The Catholic School Boards decided to throw the rigid expectations of educators and students out the window, but at the same time-with such a high population of jobless teachers and teachers holding positions-what could one expect a school board that is on a budget to do? I'm indeed fearful of being jobless upon my return as many of yourselves have been witness to the flood of hires happening.
Okay, one last note as well, I really feel the Catholic school board is trying to reel in everyone use the slew of different perspectives to build something...CCSSA calls it a LIFE framework-International baccalaureate calls it their Framework, maybe the Ontario school board is preparing for the worst. Sorry, that is a kind of conspiracy theory way of looking at it, I have seen some unbelievable school paradigm shifts while living in China here and watching things fall apart and get rebuilt in different ways is all very interesting, but with the tides changing and the subtleties of ease in regards to different areas, I wonder."
