Characteristics of Lasallian Schools

 

     In 1688, St. John Baptist de La Salle was asked if he would assume directorship of a charity school called Saint-Sulpice, located in Paris, France. The school featured a student body of unruly boys from the Parisian slums who spent what few days they were not working in the local textile factory sparring with incompetent and abusive schoolmasters.  It was the pastor's hope that De La Salle might reduce the chaos to a more manageable level; it was the factory owner's hope that De La Salle might fail altogether.

     It had only been short time since De La Salle had begun to organize the teachers he was training into the religious community that would come to be known as the Brothers Of The Christian Schools.  As demanding as this task was, he turned his attention to establishing in Saint-Sulpice his vision of Christian education.  The change in both school and students was startling, as recounted in a Lasallian biography, St. John Baptist de La Salle, Announcing The Gospel To the Poor:  "The new type of pupil-teacher relationship, one of unpretentious friendliness, gentleness and affability, quickly produced results... The child is regarded as a person, and Lasallian pedagogy aims at making the school a community where the pupils benefit from the very way a class is run...In his love for his pupils a (Lasallian teacher) tries to combine 'the firmness of a father and the tenderness of a mother'; he gives his love to all without exception and shows a preference for the poorest."

     Over the next 31 years, De La Salle would refine and expand his philosophy and methods of teacher training, classroom teaching and school administration into the classic approach that is the hallmark of all Lasallian schools.  In 1984, under the direction of the Regional Education Committee of the Christian Brothers, work began on a single document that would outline this approach for Lasallian educators in the United States.  The result was a historic publication called Characteristics of Lasallian Schools.  It represents years of an on-going national effort to develop "a foundational and consensual document for the entire Lasallian system".   Presented here are the key areas of that document.

 

The Lasallian Teacher as A Minister of Grace:

...manifests a spirit of faith by living in the presence of God and recognizing and responding to God's direction in all

   of one's actions.

...manifests a spirit of faith in seeing one's educational ministry as enhancing one's spiritual development.

...manifests a spirit of zeal through a full commitment to the education of students.

...manifests a spirit of zeal by a compassionate attitude and caring behavior toward all students.

...manifests a spirit of zeal in efforts for the education of the poor.

 

"At the core of the Lasallian school is the teacher.  De La Salle views the teacher as God's special minister of grace to students and envisions the teacher as one called to play a special part in God's plan for young persons...Lasallian teachers view the ministry of education as a central component of their own spiritual development.  Therefore, one's commitment to the spiritual, academic and vocational formation of students is a means of living a Christ-centered life...De La Salle challenges the teacher to see all things through the eyes of faith...Such faith expresses itself in a zeal for the spiritual and temporal welfare of students and in a whole-hearted commitment to what is best for their total formation.  This zeal leads the Lasallian teacher to work with all students in a loving manner, giving special attention to those students who are most in need."

 

 Lasallian Teachers Come Together In Association:

 ...to foster a shared commitment to the ideals of the New Testament.

 ...to live and work in mutual charity.

 ...to promote the spiritual and professional development of each individual.

 ...to promote a collegial style of administration and decision-making.

 ...to associate parents, students, alumni and friends with the Lasallian family.

 

"In the Lasallian school, teachers come together as brothers and sisters in association based on a common acceptance of gospel values and on a shared desire to foster these values in their own lives and in the lives of students.  They work in mutual charity, that is, with tolerance, generosity, patience, humor and humility.  Lasallian teachers nourish and sustain the spiritual, personal and professional development of each individual.  They cooperate with each other in order to make possible a collegial style of administration and decision making.  They witness publicly to their Lasallian charism and manifest an openness to all who wish to associate themselves with their ideals.  This lived expression of shared values attracts students and others and invites participation in the life of the Lasallian school."

 

 Lasallian Schools Strive:

 ...to cooperate with and support the local church while maintaining the special character of the Lasallian school.

 ...to help finance the education of the economically poor.

 ...to attract students from various economic, academic, racial and ethnic backgrounds.

 ...to foster values of tolerance, sensitivity, concern for the poor, justice, peace and responsibility.

 ...to give prominence to formal religious instruction within the curriculum.

 ...to provide for the religious formation of students in the Christian faith.

 ...to be committed to academic excellence.

 ...to create a discipline and structure which enhance personal growth, responsibility, and leadership.

 

"The Lasallian school is a Christian school which shares in the teaching mission of the Catholic Church.  Among its chief concerns are the religious formation, academic preparation, and cultural development of its students...The Lasallian school is characterized by the importance it gives to the education of the working class and the poor...It gives priority to the Christian instruction and formation of its students.  It commits itself to academic excellence in response to the needs, goals and abilities of the students it attracts...De La Salle advises his teachers to pray for the ability to touch the hearts of the students.  This gift unifies the Lasallian association in the creation of a disciplined structure that challenges young persons to accept the responsibilities of their vocations as students.  Teachers, by their love and care, encourage students to grow in leadership and personal responsibility."

 

    

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