Is it good to have non-catholics teaching in a Catholic School?

stioffan · #1 Jan 16, '07, 6:58 pm

It bothered me when I first noticed this about the Catholic School I am sending my step-daughter to. The school board is a hodge podge of Christians as well. All in all, my child is going to a catholic school, which has teachers that are Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian.

I let this drift to the back of my mind until I saw my step-daughter reading 'The sisterhood of the travelling pants' which she told me she took out on loan from the school library. She is eleven years of age and should not be able to loan a book like this out of a public library let alone the Catholic School Library. the book is smut for teenage girls and is a disgrace to literature. I am not sure, but I can't help thinking that an all catholic teaching staff would prevent a book like this from entering the school.

I still have the book and have not returned it to the school as yet, but it is my understanding that this book has previously been brought to the attention of the School Librarian and she has defended it!

I am just wondering what others think about non catholics teaching our children in Catholic School. Let me know if you have a similar situation. Thanks
Stioffan

JezuUfamTobie · #2 Jan 16, '07, 7:17 pm

I'll share my experience. At age 13 I was at the brink of converting to the Catholic Church. Then I started attending a "Catholic" high school, with a staff that was comprised of 50% non-Catholics (the rest were Catholics in name only). Going to this pseudo-Catholic high school made me lose my faith in Christ for the duration of my high school career and beyond. On the bright side, I received a top notch (secular) education... but tending to the soul is a far more important matter than that. Praise be to God, I came into the Church when I was 21 years old. But I was so very nearly lost.

I think you're right to be very concerned. Your little girl is not getting a Catholic education, no matter what their "mission statement" says.

Mary3 · #3 Jan 16, '07, 7:29 pm

One of my biggest regrets is not making the sacrifice needed to send my children to a Catholic school. You can bet that, if I was paying for a Catholic education, I would insist on the delivery of a Catholic education. Otherwise, any old parochial school or public school would suffice.

Karin · #4 Jan 16, '07, 7:36 pm

why waste your $$ sending them to a Catholic school that has non-catholic school teachers/managment etc.??
you may as well save your $$ and send them to a public school or a christian school....
just my humble opinion.

as a side note let me add that my eldest attends a Catholic High School...all Catholic teachers and all Catholic mucky-mucks(managment etc)... I made darn sure what was teaching and running the school before I paid the tuition bill...

JezuUfamTobie · #5 Jan 16, '07, 7:45 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karin

I made darn sure what was teaching and running the school before I paid the tuition bill...

Sounds like you are the one running the school

As it should be. The customer is always right!

I guess that explains why in the my blue state it's very hard to find a Catholic school like the one you describe. Not enough demand, maybe. It's heartening to hear about them existing somewhere.

John Higgins · #6 Jan 16, '07, 8:05 pm

Stioffan,

You really have one issue and one question. The library issue likely has nothing to do with whether or not the whole staff is Catholic.

As to your question, it would be good to have Catholic teachers, but certainly not required. Even though Ex Cordae Ecclesiae only applies to universities, even that standard does not require all teachers to be Catholic.

I think that as long as the teachers are good Christians and agree with the mission of the school, it would be okay.

John

Karin · #7 Jan 16, '07, 8:09 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JezuUfamTobie

Sounds like you are the one running the school

As it should be. The customer is always right!

I guess that explains why in the my blue state it's very hard to find a Catholic school like the one you describe. Not enough demand, maybe. It's heartening to hear about them existing somewhere.

Love the school....and dont give up hope...

if it gets really bad I'll room and board your kiddies so they can attend a "real" (in every sense of the word) catholic school

spacecadet · #8 Jan 17, '07, 4:49 pm

i taught at a Catholic school that had non-Catholic teachers and many non-Catholic students.........the reason is the schools in the city were decreasing and the schools in the burbs were growing.........all in all i am now under the opinion that those schools should close........because they are no longer Catholic schools. the public can push for a charter school to open in its place and serve the community but there are many many schools that are called Cathoilc and are not even close

SMHW · #9 Jan 17, '07, 5:01 pm

I certainly think the ideal is to have Catholic teachers teaching in a Catholic school. This would particuarly be true at an elementary school level where students probably have the same teacher for all subjects.

But in the case of a high school where students have multiple teachers I'd say that having a non-Catholic math or chemistry teacher who is not anti-Catholic would be preferable to having a Catholic teacher for religion who doesn't teach orthodox Catholic doctrine.

As for library books, I don't know that it could be considered the fault of any one teacher, Catholic or otherwise.

**Katie1723** · #10 Jan 17, '07, 5:09 pm

I think what matters is what is being taught and how it is being taught. I know some lousy Catholic teachers and some wonderful "non Catholic" teachers. Being Catholic is not a guarantee that they are the best teacher.

Kathy

ktp · #11 Jan 17, '07, 8:31 pm

All things being equal, I would say it is better to have Catholic teachers in a Catholic school. As a teacher in a Catholic school myself, a few years ago, I was glad to be able to relate my lessons to the children's faith, and would want my children's teachers doing that for them, too.

BUT... what percentage of people who call themselves Catholic today really are?

We have 'Catholics' who know better than 2,000 years of great minds and holy saints on contraception, abortion, homosexuality, you name it, and will gently pooh-pooh the Church to the children, explain to them that, look at me, I'm a nice person, I'm Catholic, and I don't believe that silly stuff.

That, to me-- to have a Catholic telling kids the Church is wrong-- is probably the very worst possible thing. I'd rather have a devout Baptist who disagrees with some point of theology but is living a moral life, setting a good example, and supporting the broad, visible moral issues of the day.

Sadly, having gone to Catholic schools myself, I also know that the kids I went to school with were smoking, drinking, and having sex in probably not much different numbers than the public school kids I went to school with in other years.

BLB_Oregon · #12 Jan 18, '07, 7:55 pm

One of the very best teachers at our Catholic high school was Baptist....but he was both very devout in his own faith and extremely respectful of ours. He read from the Psalms as the prayer before class.

If a non-Catholic is truly respectful of the faith, I don't see a reason to prevent them from teaching, especially at the high school level. Any teacher, Catholic or not, who is not respectful of the faith isn't going to work, no matter how excellent they are in other aspects of their teaching. The primary goal of a Catholic school is Catholic formation, which is itself the most excellent framework for education and overall formation of a child, whether the child is Catholic or not.

Just my 2 cents.

Julianna · #13 Jan 20, '07, 7:20 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by stioffan

It bothered me when I first noticed this about the Catholic School I am sending my step-daughter to. The school board is a hodge podge of Christians as well. All in all, my child is going to a catholic school, which has teachers that are Baptist, Lutheran and Presbyterian.

I let this drift to the back of my mind until I saw my step-daughter reading 'The sisterhood of the travelling pants' which she told me she took out on loan from the school library. She is eleven years of age and should not be able to loan a book like this out of a public library let alone the Catholic School Library. the book is smut for teenage girls and is a disgrace to literature. I am not sure, but I can't help thinking that an all catholic teaching staff would prevent a book like this from entering the school.

I still have the book and have not returned it to the school as yet, but it is my understanding that this book has previously been brought to the attention of the School Librarian and she has defended it!

I am just wondering what others think about non catholics teaching our children in Catholic School. Let me know if you have a similar situation. Thanks
Stioffan

I agree, that particular book is not for an eleven year old. Wouldn't this be a great teachable moment for you and your step-daughter? You could explain to your daughter the virtues of chastity. (I understand one the teenage characters has sex). You could explain to her that pre-martial sex is wrought with conflicting emotions and that is something that (in the story) the character had a rough time with. Don't blame the librarian, the school, or the Protestant teachers. You, the parent are in charge here. Use the opportunity to teach her yourself. Teach without condemnation. If you tell her the book is smut, she'll be reading it in the closet at midnight with a flashlight. There is a world outside the church doors, and sooner or later, your step daughter is going to face some tough choices. Now is the time for you and she to sit down and discuss the book she is reading, and yes, bring her father into it....from a man's point of view.

My mother was very blunt and honest about pre-marital sex. She pulled no punches. Yet, she never made absolute statements. With each choice, there is a consequence. You very rarely, if ever, hear of a man bemoaning that he had sex as a teen, and over wrought with guilt. But many women anguish over having had sex in their teens.

Don't consider this a mind blowing event. Now is the time to talk to her about it.

You can put your child in the most conservative religious school, but at the sound of the last bell, and on the weekends, outside of church, there.....is the rest of the world.

LittleRose · #14 Jan 20, '07, 9:47 pm

Many of the problems the OP mentions could still happen even if the entire staff is Catholic. There are plenty badly catechized catholics teaching in Catholic schools, dispensing dubious information. As is the case when sending your child to any school, Catholic or otherwise, it's a good idea to give the place a thorough checking out before hand. Get a tour, meet the teachers, browse the library, check out the curriculum.

**LilyM** · #15 Jan 20, '07, 10:02 pm

I had 13 years in Catholic schools - run by nuns, who comprised a decent proportion of the teaching staff. A fair proportion of non-Catholics on staff, but the religious education itself was solid enough and left us in no doubt as to what the Church's position was on controversial issues like birth control.

I remember a successful protest from the school to the State Education Board about a novel set for study which was considered inappropriate. It should be pointed out that this had to be done because the Board itself set the standard curriculum for all private and public schools across the state in non-religious-ed subjects.

I was pleased to see one of my classmates enter the convent after High School, of course we had a proportion of students who fell away from the faith as well. I don't really have too much to compare it to, my sisters went to the same schools.