Bishop Barber: Catholic school teachers sow and plant the faith

Catholic school teachers sow and plant the faith

We teachers know that every class has its own personality. Some groups of students are sleepy. Other classes are full of pep and energy. Some are full of individuals who are kind and calm. And some can be naughty.

As a young Jesuit scholastic (seminarian) I taught high school sophomores for four years at the all boys Loyola High School in Los Angeles. 

One class loved to play practical jokes on me. I'd pull down the Map of the World screen, and there would be taped a huge photo of a woman in a bathing suit. Another day when the bell rang, all the boys immediately sat down, folded their hands and were perfectly quiet. Something was wrong. I sensed my desk or podium was boobytrapped. When I pulled out my chair to sit down, there it was! A telephone book wrapped in paper with a sign on it "Barber's Booster." (I was shorter than most boys in the class).

Teaching is a noble profession. I realized that when I taught at the Jesuit High school in Taipei, Taiwan. The first day I walked into the class, all the boys immediately stood up and bowed to me. Wow. When I remarked that this deportment was different than in Los Angeles, one of the boys told me "Sir, in China we have a proverb: 'When a man teaches you for a day, he is like your mother and father for life.'" Indeed.

Teachers have enormous influence. We are like farmers sowing seed. You may not be around to see the full flowering plant many years later. But you have a significant part in the formation of that young person.

Bill Clinton made a point of inviting one of his grammar school teachers to his presidential inauguration because of the enormous influence she had on him.

In the film "A Man for All Seasons" Sir Thomas More tells the political climber Richard Rich (who eventually betrayed him) that he should instead become a teacher. "You would be a great teacher, Richard," More told him. "And if I were, who would know it?" Rich asked. "You. Your students. And God. Not a bad audience, that." St. Thomas replied.

About God

Christ taught that no student is superior to his teacher. True. And then Jesus continued: "But when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher."

That is a very daunting responsibility. All the more should teachers in Catholic schools model the One Teacher, Jesus Christ, in our words, in the classroom, and in our lives. The classroom is our pulpit. One of the former mayors of Oakland told me she was sending her children to Bishop O'Dowd High School. Since the mayor was not Catholic, I asked why. Because of your values, she replied.

A Catholic school must model Catholic values to maintain "truth in advertising." Chief of our values is that we care for our students, and model our school policies on the Gospel and the Great Commandment, not on the latest dictates of D.E.I. which shift with the political tide.

While cutting my hair my tattooed barber told me he had great news. His "ex" had finally agreed with him to enroll their 11-year-old son in Catholic school. "How does he like it?" I asked. "He loves it! He's already been invited to three birthday parties. In his six years in public school, he was never invited to any."

Catholic school teachers not only teach what Jesus taught; we try to live it.

Students today carry many emotional and spiritual burdens. We may not be able to solve them all, but we can connect them with the Lord of love and mercy, Who can. Jesus is the remedy for all human suffering. He gives the hope that can never be taken away.

In the Divine Office for Morning Prayer (Friday of Week 3) I read an instruction that serves as a guide for all Catholic school teachers: "Help those in pain to know that the Father cares for them, for He loves them as He loves His own Son."

I thank all the good teachers who are serving in our Diocese of Oakland Catholic schools, and handing on the Catholic faith to the next generation.

QUOTE:

Catholic school teachers not only teach what Jesus taught; we try to live it.

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PHOTO CAPTION

Father Steve Kim, principal of St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, enjoys sharing his faith and seeing his students grow in not just their academic prowess, but spiritually, too. (Photo by Chuck Deckert)