The Parochial School
Catholic parents and Catholics in general must do all in their power to aid their Pastors in the building and maintenance of Catholic or Parochial Schools.
The following quotation contains the burning words of the assembled Bishops of this country at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore on this matter:—
In regard to the laity (lay faithful) we exhort and command that they be so instructed by the Bishop and the Priests, that they learn to regard the Parochial school as an essential part of the parish, without which the future existence of the parish will be endangered. They are, therefore, to be made to understand clearly and thoroughly that the school is not, by any means, a mere devotional institution of the Priest’s own free adoption for the purpose of manifesting his great zeal, or of spending his time pleasantly and usefully; but that it is a burden and a duty imposed upon the Priest by the Church, to be religiously executed by him, but not without the assistance and help of the laity. Not less zeal and wisdom should be employed to destroy that false notion in the minds of many of the faithful, that the Parochial school exists only for those members of the parish who use it for their own children, but it should be shown to them by plain argument that the benefits and blessings resulting from faith and morality preserved in the Parochial school, redound to the good of the whole community. The result of all this will be that the laity belonging to the parish will regard no other institution, after the parish church itself, more sacred, nor regard it with more solicitude than the Parochial school, as destined to preserve the faith and morals of their children, and to make them the prop and promise of society. (Acts and Decrees of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, No. 202.)
As for those who through peculiar circumstances cannot send their children to the parish-school, they are, nevertheless, bound to give their support to it.
See support of the Pastor and Church, page 63, and appended Decree of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, page 64.
In sending their children to school for the first time, parents should invariably accompany them, that they may superintend their admission and make the acquaintance of the superintendent or principal, and of the respective teacher.
Parents must not attempt to send children to school who are too young, merely to get rid of them at home, where they feel them to be a burden.
Parents and guardians must not easily listen to every little complaint made by the children against the teachers, against other children, or against the school itself.
If they have a real grievance or are not satisfied with a child’s conduct or progress, let them not at once run to the Pastor, but let them go first to the respective teacher, or to the principal, and endeavor to adjust the matter with them.
Let them have recourse to the Pastor only after they have failed to get satisfaction from the teachers themselves.
Let no one take a child out of school, least of all upon a complaint or grievance, without any further notice to those in charge.
No one ought to call upon a teacher, however, during school-hours to the interruption of the class. This is an injustice to the parents of the other children, as well as an injury to the school. Call upon the teacher immediately before or after school-hours, or at his residence.
Only then should parents visit the class-room during school-hours, when it is necessary to meet teacher and scholar together, or other children at the same time.
Parents must send their children to school on time, at the very beginning of the session, and especially after the summer vacation. The teacher must not be made to delay the progress of other children by helping on those who have come late and are, therefore, not as far advanced as the body of the class.
Parents must not be unreasonable in demanding the promotion or graduation of children who are not entitled to it, either through dulness, want of application or irregular attendance.
As for the last two causes, let the record of attendance and of the merits of the child be consulted. As for dulness, a child that cannot read and write correctly the lessons of the respective class, and is not able to do the ordinary sums that successful children in the same grade do, must not be expected to be promoted.
Children must not be kept out of school except through sickness and like unavoidable causes. Still less must they be taken out of school before the annual session or complete course is finished.
After each single time or term of absence parents should give their children a written excuse to present to the teacher; or what would be still better, send notice at once to the teacher when a child is kept at home. If this were observed invariably, the practice of truancy would become impossible.
Catholic schools, as a rule, cannot afford to employ truant-officers and other officials, as the State schools. The conscientiousness of Catholic parents, ought to make such officials altogether unnecessary.
Catholics should remember that lack of funds puts Catholic schools generally at a certain disadvantage compared to public schools; but by dint of patience, self-sacrifice and Christian forbearance on the part of Catholics, their schools can be made equal, if not superior, to their public competitors.
Hence Catholics should be willing to suffer some inconveniences, even misunderstandings and privations for the sake of extending to their children a solid Catholic education.
Parents and guardians should be prompt in signing all reports sent to them for their children, and conscientious in observing all the regulations of the school. They should call upon the teacher occasionally to certify the genuineness of their signatures; but especially should they visit the teacher, if the report is not satisfactory.
Books and stationery should be provided cheerfully by the parents, where the school is not able to supply these articles free of charge. When the books and school-goods, however, are furnished gratuitously, it is the bounden duty of both parents and children to take the most scrupulous care of them and to make good whatever damage or loss they have caused through their own carelessness.
Catholics should always bear in mind that Catholic teachers receive a trifling salary for their services, compared with public school teachers, thus saving the State and the people an enormous outlay of money. They should not forget that they themselves would be taxed much higher for public education, if it were not for the self-sacrificing spirit of so many Catholic teachers, educating so many Catholic children, who would otherwise have to be taught by the State at a much larger expense.
