St. Katharine knew that the best way to improve the lives of the Native and African American people would be to provide quality education. After all, a strong education is the best way to bring a family out of poverty. St. Katharine recognized that fact at the end of the 19th century, and we are still talking about it in the beginning of the 21st century.
Of course, this topic is close to my heart, having spent 23 years as an educator. Unfortunately, we spend way too much time in this country, and probably around the world, arguing about how best to provide quality education for all. I wonder how many politicians got themselves elected to public office with the promise of having an answer to this issue. Yet we’re still arguing.
St. Katharine didn’t spend her money lobbying the government to pass laws. She founded a religious order focused on the mission and then built and supported schools to serve those children who otherwise had very little hope of receiving a quality education. We will discuss later this week how others tried to stand in her way, including legislators, but Mother Katharine just kept working to build up the Native and African American communities.
There are examples today of people dedicated to providing quality educational opportunities to children from at-risk populations. Did you know about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library? When she considered the poverty in the Appalachian communities so close to her heart, she realized that education is their best hope. But children from uneducated families are less likely to be successful in school. Part of the reason is that they come to school with very little exposure to books and reading, as compared to children from more affluent families
Starting in 1995, children born in Dolly’s home county in Eastern Tennessee received a book a month for the first five years their lives. The program has now expanded to include children in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Dolly said, ”
“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.
The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.” (found here, para 3)
I’m not saying that Dolly Parton will be a candidate for sainthood, but she sets a wonderful example of service to her community. Like St. Katharine, she knew that enriching education for poor children would help to improve their lives. So what can we learn from these examples? How can we find ways to contribute to the education of poor children?
The Catholic Church has taken an active role in education for a long time. There are some very strong Catholic schools around the country (around the world?). But are we really able to reach the poor children who need it most? I know a lot of Catholics are trying to make that happen, but it is certainly a difficult task. In general, Catholic schools are expensive for families to be able to afford. I have friends who sent their kids to Catholic schools who said they were relieved when the kids got to college because that was cheaper than the annual tuition for high school.
I also know about programs around my home that are aimed at providing a Catholic school education to poor families. The church that I attend has an entire ministry aimed at supporting an inner city Catholic school system. When I was growing up, we attended the only Catholic elementary school that had completely free tuition. That was accomplished through a fairly impressive fund-raising program that included mandatory parent involvement.
I wonder all the time how my parents managed to send me to the Catholic high school, too. That was decidedly not free. I know it was a constant struggle for them. When my kids were little, I realized even with a struggle, there is no way we could afford it. We managed to move to the suburbs to provide a stronger educational program for our kids, since we couldn’t manage the Catholic school tuition.
The final hurdle for quality education is a struggle of attitude. A famous quote among mathematics educators came from Dan Meyer who said, “I teach high school math. I sell a product to a market that doesn’t want it, but is forced by law to buy it.” (found here, and many places, probably) In the case of high school mathematics, where I spend my educational life, we constantly fight this hurdle. Even though research is so strong about the value of mathematics achievement for improving financial status, it can be so difficult to attract attention and effort from those students who stand to gain the most.
Again, this is an issue of attitude. So here’s another way those of us who don’t have a bunch of money can contribute to the effort. This is an issue that can be helped with mentoring programs. Or maybe we could volunteer to provide tutoring or read to kids. I believe libraries still exist in our world, right? Maybe we could encourage kids in poor neighborhoods to come to the library, and we could read to them. What other ideas do you have?
Lord, thank you for all the people who are working tirelessly to bring a quality education to all students. Help us to find ways that we might contribute to that effort to bring people out of poverty.