chief elements of the lasallian school
From the 7th Meditation for the Time of Retreat: "You must, then, look upon this work entrusted to you by pastors, by fathers and mothers, as one of the most important and most necessary services in the church." The Lasallian School operates as an extension of its students' parents and is given a sacred trust by the parents and by the Church. The Lasallian teacher is a visible manifestation of God's compassion on the children of the working class and the poor.
Characteristics of Lasallian Schools
The Lasallian School is:
- A Christian school in the Roman Catholic tradition;
- A community of believers;
- Committed to Gospel values;
- Deeply loyal to the Church;
- A place of collaboration between teachers and parents based on mutual respect and support (realizing that parents are the primary teachers); and
- Inspired and energized by the story of St. John Baptist de la Salle.
Teachers meet the needs of the students by:
- Meeting students where they are;
- Using their confidence, enthusiasm, and motivation to inspire students to deeper, broader learning and better discipline; and
- Knowing students personally.
Students prepare for lives of productive citizenship by:
- Developing productive work habits;
- Being introduced and initiated into Christian adulthood;
- Receiving an education in responsible Christian living, including Christian action, community service, and peer mentoring; and
- Receiving an education in God's love by word and by deed.
Students internalize and reflect Christian values by:
- Reflecting on Gospel values and virtues;
- Living a spirit-filled life in the context of actual life;
- Sharing their religious formation with teachers;
- Studying a curriculum that is infused with Christian values;
- Working with their parents to integrate Christian values into their home life;
- Perceiving the world around them with "the eyes of faith."
- Becoming critical and discerning thinkers;
- Seeing themselves in a new way, knowing and loving themselves, developing self-esteem, and sensing the personal dignity of themselves and others; and
- Realizing their significance as creatures who are unique, loved, and saved by God.
Example is the primary method of instruction.
- The life and witness of the teacher is highlighted.
- Teachers model the behavior they want to inculcate in their students.
- Teachers strive to generate enthusiasm for learning.
- Teachers give example by their own faith and involvement in various aspects of the Christian life, including prayer, retreats, community service, etc. (and the seriousness with which we enter into these).
- It is a place where there is quality in our interactions with each other.
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- Students need to see us as mature adults, committed believers, and collaboratively sharing the responsibility of the school.
- Our relationships with each other as teachers often model our relationships with our students.
- It is a place where we are convinced that our students are children of God.
- It is important for us to show interest in our students and recognize them as persons with dignity.
- It is a place where we, as teachers, are approachable and sensitive to the students' needs.
- Our compassion and caring behavior is a prerequisite for our students' ability to perceive the invitation we represent in their lives. This is another way to talk about the "pedagogy of love" (Poutet, 149).
- Fairness is a hallmark in a Lasallian School; and special attention is given to those most in need.
- Teacher-teacher relationships are seen as models for student-student relationships.
- It is a place where, by means of an "active pedagogy" (Poutet, 173), teachers attempt to involve students as much as possible in the process of learning.
A Lasallian School is a well-run and disciplined school.
- The structures of the school are intended to foster an atmosphere conducive to learning and personal growth.
- Teachers are provided with what they need to do a professional job.
- It is a place where students learn boundaries, and where they expect adults will correct them, but with respect for their dignity.
- It is a place where there is movement toward greater personal discipline and responsibility on the part of students, which constitutes a renunciation of a former life and entrance into a new life. The school is the vehicle or medium for this shift.
A Lasallian School is people — people filled with Gospel zeal, who recognize Christ in each other and in the students they serve.
In a Lasallian School, teachers live their faith through the example they give to their students.
The Lasallian School is founded upon the belief that religion has to do with the whole of life.
In De La Salle's view, the Christian School, or as we would put it today, the Lasallian school, would have several characteristics:
- it would meet urgent educational needs, especially the needs of the most neglected, and it would be open to all irrespective of their social status - the poor and the rich sat on the same bench;
- it would be centered on the persons of the students, not on what they had or where they came from; there was to be no discrimination whatsoever in the school, students would experience what today we would call "social justice education"; the word "Brother" not "Master" expressed the relationship De La Salle wanted his teachers to have toward their students;
- it would offer a practical education - a school of quality where students really learn, where culture, values, and faith are effectively transmitted - where students are oriented toward service and the good of society - where they would become, as De La Salle put it, good citizens of the State and the Church;
- it would be a school well-run, based on consultation and shared responsibility - by educators working "together and by association," to use a well-known phrase in the Lasallian tradition;
- it would proclaim the Good News of salvation, both in this world and hereafter.
