Objective: Teachers will recognize the purpose of all Catholic schools is to form virtuous students and will take time to consider how they would like to be part of that mission.
• Overview of the whole workshop
• The uniqueness of a Catholic education in forming virtuous people
• Encountering the living God
Workshop 1
The Mission of a Catholic School
Dr. Amy Roberts – Associate Professor of Theology and Catechetics Franciscan University of Steubenville
WEEK 1
The Essential Marks of the Catholic School
Objective: Teachers will recognize the purpose of all Catholic schools is to form virtuous students and will take time to consider how they would like to be part of that mission.
• Overview of the whole workshop
• The uniqueness of a Catholic education in forming virtuous people
• Encountering the living God
WEEK 2
Inspired by a Supernatural Vision
Objective: Teachers will understand why Catholic schools exist and how to encourage virtue among students and staff.
• Overview of the history of Catholic schools in the US and around the world
• The need of an education that promotes virtue
• How to encourage virtuous behavior in your school
WEEK 3
Founded on a Christian Anthropology
Objective: Recognize each student’s value and see the need to teach students to love themselves.
• All people are different, but all are created in the image and likeness of God
• Each person finds his perfection in seeking and loving what is true and good
• How to show students their infinite value
WEEK 4
Animated by Communion and Community: the Role of Parents and Family
Objective: Educators will discuss the importance of the role of families and how to involve them in their children’s educations.
• Parents as the first and foremost educators of their children
• How to cultivate relationships between the school and parents
WEEK 5
Animated by Communion and Community: Special Considerations about Including Non-Catholics
Objective: Teachers will demonstrate inclusivity of non-Catholics and will recognize in them a chance for productive dialogue and conversion.
• Including Non-Catholic into the vision
• How the presence of non-Catholics may enrich the school through productive dialogue
• Proposing, not imposing, the Gospel to students
WEEK 6
A Catholic Worldview Permeates the Curriculum
Objective: Teachers will incorporate the natural order and Christian values into all their subjects.
• How to communicate truth, beauty, and goodness, in every subject taught, so that the students come to encounter God and see His hand in everything they learn
• How you can use your role in school to show students the harmony found in nature
• True academic excellence should lead students to live virtuous lives
WEEK 7
Sustained by Gospel Witness: The Importance of Witnessing
Objective: Teachers will come to a greater appreciation of the power of witness and live out that calling to the full.
• What it means to witness to others
• Living by example – teachable moments
• Relying on teachers to witness through their lives
WEEK 8
Sustained by Gospel Witness: The Teacher as a Natural Witness
Objective: Educators will learn specific ways to witness to the spiritual, as well as the practical, needs of their students.
• The witness of Don Bosco, a pioneer of discipline and education
• Providing a witness to allow students to gain the skills necessary to provide for themselves
• Teachers working with the same rules as students
• Tips for witnessing through all aspects of life to encourage students to strive for supernatural excellence
WORKSHOP 1 OUTPUT
Workshop to be completed by participants outside of the formation setting within two weeks of completion of the workshop.
Before taking this workshop how did you view the mission of your school and your personal mission as a teacher or staff at a Catholic school? Now, after completing the workshop, how do you view them?
Considering the above questions, write a 200 word reflection on if/how this workshop has affected the way you view your personal mission in your Catholic school.