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JennGM
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| Posted: Nov 18 2013 at 1:57pm | IP Logged
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Ever since this thread I've been mulling over some Catholic educational philosophies.
Today is the feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in the USA. She was a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart, working with girls and then as a missionary to American Indians. My mother attended high school in one of the Society's schools in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. They had a definite educational philosophy that was different from many other Catholic schools.
If you read "Sacred Music Magazine" there have been a few articles about the history Gregorian chant for Catholic schools, particularly through the Pius X School of Music, Justine Ward, and Mother Georgia Stevens. Fascinating history. But this was another key ingredient -- these nuns were learning how to teach chant and incorporating it into all their schools.
Although not a saint, Janet Erskine Stuart spelled out the educational philosophy in her The Education of Catholic Girls.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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From What I Learned Today, Willa pointed out the philosophy of another American Saint, Francis Xavier Cabrini:
Willa wrote:
This week was the feast day of St Frances Cabrini. I never knew much about her, but I read in Stratford Caldecott's "Beauty in the Word" that she had a concept of "education of the heart." So I looked it up and found this PDF
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JennGM wrote:
Willa wrote:
This week was the feast day of St Frances Cabrini. I never knew much about her, but I read in Stratford Caldecott's "Beauty in the Word" that she had a concept of "education of the heart." So I looked it up and found this PDF
It reminds me a little of John Bosco and perhaps a little of Charlotte Mason. Very interesting rabbit trail. |
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THIS IS EXCELLENT! I see a lot of Charlotte Mason here, but embued with the Faith, so it's much more appealing. Especially this:
[quote]Additionally, Green extracted the essential elements of Mother Cabrini's pedagogy and deduced a simple, but profound, formula from the Cabrinian method of teaching which she expressed as:
Teacher's Zeal-> Pupil Interest-> Adjustability-> Flexibility
The teacher who is intellectually prepared must be able to communicate knowledge to students, "must generate the sparks which motivate the student to respond with what is termed 'self-motivation' and even 'self-activity.'" Green explained that "this 'self-activity' involves the setting in motion, as it were, of the physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual powers of a human personality" through the stimulation and guidance of the teacher. The teacher must love the student and adjust teaching methods to show a genuine interest in the student's progress and to respond to individual needs. Green concluded that teachers who follow the Cabrinian example, "communicate their knowledge on a personal-interest basis which activates the flexibility of a failure preventive system." |
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Highlight mine, although I'm failing at the CM quote I'm thinking to compare and contrast, but basically allowing the child time and freedom (Masterly Inactivity) to let the ideas form and become their own and a part of them. |
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JennGM wrote:
I should probably start something in philosophy forum on this, but I just wanted to come back with a few simple thoughts rolling around in my head.
I am always struck on the educational philosophies that ring true to me have the common threads of recognizing the child as a person, an individual, with individual strengths and weaknesses. There is also recognition of the preparation and interior disposition of the teacher, and that there is a unique relationship with the child and the teacher, both learning from each other.
And with the Common Core standards being on topic lately, these simple threads are completely missing. |
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Willa wrote:
JennGM wrote:
I am always struck on the educational philosophies that ring true to me have the common threads of recognizing the child as a person, an individual, with individual strengths and weaknesses. There is also recognition of the preparation and interior disposition of the teacher, and that there is a unique relationship with the child and the teacher, both learning from each other.
And with the Common Core standards being on topic lately, these simple threads are completely missing.
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Me too. I am struck by that too. This is one of the strong points of the homeschool, that has made up (in my home) for so many missteps, and initial complete inexperience.
Almost every time I read about the educational philosophy of a saint it involves this respect for children as persons and an understanding of the need for personalization and flexibility.
To me there seems to be a great deal of mystery in it, this idea of relationship and its role in learning. I can see it happen in my own homeschool but usually not in a given moment, only in retrospect.
I wish I understood it better so I could channel it better but I suppose that's exactly the mistake the country's falling into -- trying to make it into some kind of mechanism, taking all the uniqueness and relationship out of it.
I think it comes back to what you say about the preparation and interior disposition of the teacher, Jenn, and thus ultimately to the graces God provides.
A nice resting place, if I could only remember to keep trusting  |
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I have to admit I ordered Green's book so I could read more about the Cabrini philosophy.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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In previous discussions we've talked about St. Ignatius, St. Edith Stein, and St. John Bosco and their educational philosophies.
It would be interesting to lay side-by-side the key points of their philosophies!
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CrunchyMom
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Just today I saw this post by Gregory Popcak which links to a sermon by St. John Chrysostom. Given his philosophies, Dr. Popcak pulls some of the passages relating to gentle discipline and not spanking, which I don't mean to bring into any sort of debate, though they do also speak to the points Willa made about regarding the child as a person. But there are also many passages that speak to the education of the child. In other echoes of Charlotte Mason, he speaks extensively about the stories one should tell their children in order that they learn and even in asking the child to retell the stories back.
Gotta go tend the sad baby  , but this is a topic I'm looking forward to following.
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pumpkinmom
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Oh, this looks like a great topic to follow!
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Willa
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JennGM wrote:
In previous discussions we've talked about St. Ignatius, St. Edith Stein, and St. John Bosco and their educational philosophies.
It would be interesting to lay side-by-side the key points of their philosophies! |
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I'll list some of the easy ones. I think I already mentioned some.
Respect for the child -- a deep personalism. In fact, I've been getting daily bits of St Benedict's Rule in my email, and I would say this personalism with regard to those in one's care goes way back to him (obviously, before that, as in Jesus's attitude towards the children).
Responsibility for one's own interior as teacher. One's effectiveness in teaching springs more from what one is than what one does, ie, technique. That doesn't mean that method isn't important, and each major teaching saint has his own distinctive emphasis in regard to teaching according to the circumstances of the times, but there is a general sense of what Jacques Maritain, quoting Francois Mauriac, called "Purify the source."
Respect for circumstances. John Baptist de la Salle's and Frances Cabrini's work with immigrant children would lead to a different focus than the Jesuit educational endeavor, for instance, which strove for excellence on a par with the best of more secular learning.
Acknowledgement of the parents' primary role. I don't see this quite so much in the teaching orders per se as in the Church encyclicals. In some ways, I think this one is still coming to fruition because until recently, the majority of parents didn't have the ability to educate their own children. I'm interested in seeing where it will all go in my lifetime. I know that some modern priests like the late Fr Hardon were fascinated by the rise in homeschooling and thought it was a great thing.
I think there is a lot more but those are some of the main ones that come to my mind. If I get a chance I will pull together quotes. This is a fascinating subject for me!
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Willa
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4Real Forums : Philosophy of Education
Topic: Saints and Educational Philosophies
