|
TOWARDS A
REINTERPRETATION OF OUR EDUCATIONAL MODELS
(It must be noted
that these points are not mutually exclusive, but run into one another quite
often.)
The following schema will explain what I am doing:
A. Stereotype starting point
- "traditional/functional" EVERYTHING CENTRED ON THE WORK, ON THE
APOSTOLATE
B. Reinterpretation ("displacement" and its various levels.)
A. TRADITIONAL/FUNCTIONAL
1. Everything centred on the work: improve and develop it. Build it up.
Personal efficiency. Order, success, studies, prestige. Preserve and maintain
the traditions of "the class", of "competitiveness".
Follow the concerns and interests of the people, above
all in our neoliberal society, so as to ensure that our "clients" are
satisfied. A certain apostolic concern, mainly in the form of "religious
acts" which do not threaten the system.
2. Everything centred on the work:
Constructions, improvements, educational innovations.
Modernization. New resources and courses etc. offered.
Success, studies, efficiency. A School which is "well organized",
"successful".
Educational project for the "successful".
Teachers chosen for the "prestige" of their courses.
B. REINTERPRETATION - DISPLACEMENTS
Community awareness: an
educating community.
Participation of parents and other lay people.: co-responsibility. Animation in
the values of the Educational Project. Witness of the teaching staff, their
energies not swamped by the structure, nor dissipated in a merely professional
activism.
Creativity, innovation, dynamism - desire to improve and to grow..
Importance of programming and of educative accompanying. The mission shared
with lay people: integrating them, forming, promoting, accompanying, sharing
our Christian life and our spirituality.
Social and Christian awareness: to form the pupil as a person and as a son of
God. the "subject" of his own development;
As part of the great majority, the poor: an itinerary of "exodus",
from the centre out to the margins.
Formation for change as a commitment of our faith and our charism.
Confrontation with human and social "anti-values".
Education for justice, peace, and solidarity.
Inculturation into the culture of the people.
Committed faith: development of "criticism" of the faith.
Putting technical skills, images, etc in their proper place. Evaluation and
revision of the educative project as a function of service of the most
needy section of society, increasing our presence and our educative projects by
"getting down" to the level of the poor and being a "re-founding
nucleus" in our educational establishments.
3. Awareness of spreading the Good News.
Individually and collectively evangelical: to be
witnesses more than masters.
A community educational in its mission.
Setting proper values in education in the faith, and getting it across at a
personal level.
Commitment to the young and their families.
Ecclesial awareness: educational establishments more immersed in the
"People of God", sharing in an ecclesial way our projects with the
poor and the ordinary people.
Attention to the signs of the times: young people, culture, society, Church.
A journey in faith shared with the educating community. Determining the
educational priorities by their evangelical function, seeing ourselves as
pushed on by what the world and society ignores or pretends to forget: so many
forms of degradation of the person, particularly of children, women and young
people.
|