Parents choose to place faith in Catholic school teachers
The following letter to the editor appears in today's edition of the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.
We have heard from many experts on both sides of the debate of having teachers in Catholic schools represented by a union.
Due to the obvious conflict on this issue, we decided to depend on our own level of expertise. We both have been educated in Catholic schools through grade school, high school and college. More important, we already have made the financial sacrifices needed to get two of our three children through 12 years of Catholic education. With one more child in eighth grade, we find that it is getting harder to provide her the Catholic education we’d like her to have.
The crisis of Catholic education in the Scranton Diocese is really taking a toll on the faithful membership of the church. With all the hardships that parents face raising children in this area, we are now presented with yet another dilemma. Whose side should we be on in the struggle to keep dedicated and qualified teachers in the classrooms of our Catholic schools? How is one to decide?
We chose to let the past serve as a basis of information on what will happen in the future. The experiences we had were very positive at both St. Nicholas-St. Mary’s Grade School and Bishop Hoban High School. The faculty has been top-notch at both institutions and provided a positive educational experience for our family. We have grown to respect the efforts of these teachers and always have appreciated what they have done for our children. We should probably be on the side of the teachers. But wait …
We have been raised to honor and respect the leaders of our church. We learned that lesson while attending Catholic schools ourselves. Our faith has always provided us the strength to believe that our church leaders are making the best decisions on our behalf. Maybe it is true that we do not know all of the circumstances. We should probably be on the side of the diocesan leadership. But wait …
Both sides of this issue cannot be right. What are parents to do?
It is our recommendation to all parents to be on the side of – your children. That is what you signed up for. You knew that you would be the first teachers of your children and eventually you would have others fill that role when it was time for them to further their educations. Nobody said that it was going to be easy. This is another one of those hard times. You must stand up and do what is right for your children.
What we have always wanted for our children is a good, Catholic education. There are two parts to this. First of all, it is a good education that they need. This means qualified and dedicated teachers. Second, we want them to learn in an environment that complements the teachings of our faith. We want teachers who will not only provide the book smarts that they need, but also will be an example for them on how to deal with matters of everyday life. That is why we feel that a Catholic education is a worthwhile investment. It provides the proper perspective that grade-schoolers and young adults need to prepare them for what lies ahead.
This is the foundation for the decision we have made. We do respect the fact that the leadership of the church is trying to save parents the hardship of higher tuition bills due to a unionized faculty. However, we do not feel that we need to be saved from the union.
Why are the teachers now to be perceived as the enemy in the restructuring of the Catholic school system in our diocese? Will a Catholic education become too expensive due to the high demands of these teachers? We do not perceive these dedicated individuals as the enemy, nor has it been our experience that they have made high demands in the past.
We believe that the teachers should be able to decide for themselves on how they will be represented. They deserve a fair wage and appropriate benefits. History has shown that they have negotiated in good faith. Our faith is in them.
We will entrust the education of our child to them. We support the teachers 100 percent in their efforts and encourage you to do the same.
John and Susan Rose
Wilkes-Barre
We have heard from many experts on both sides of the debate of having teachers in Catholic schools represented by a union.
Due to the obvious conflict on this issue, we decided to depend on our own level of expertise. We both have been educated in Catholic schools through grade school, high school and college. More important, we already have made the financial sacrifices needed to get two of our three children through 12 years of Catholic education. With one more child in eighth grade, we find that it is getting harder to provide her the Catholic education we’d like her to have.
The crisis of Catholic education in the Scranton Diocese is really taking a toll on the faithful membership of the church. With all the hardships that parents face raising children in this area, we are now presented with yet another dilemma. Whose side should we be on in the struggle to keep dedicated and qualified teachers in the classrooms of our Catholic schools? How is one to decide?
We chose to let the past serve as a basis of information on what will happen in the future. The experiences we had were very positive at both St. Nicholas-St. Mary’s Grade School and Bishop Hoban High School. The faculty has been top-notch at both institutions and provided a positive educational experience for our family. We have grown to respect the efforts of these teachers and always have appreciated what they have done for our children. We should probably be on the side of the teachers. But wait …
We have been raised to honor and respect the leaders of our church. We learned that lesson while attending Catholic schools ourselves. Our faith has always provided us the strength to believe that our church leaders are making the best decisions on our behalf. Maybe it is true that we do not know all of the circumstances. We should probably be on the side of the diocesan leadership. But wait …
Both sides of this issue cannot be right. What are parents to do?
It is our recommendation to all parents to be on the side of – your children. That is what you signed up for. You knew that you would be the first teachers of your children and eventually you would have others fill that role when it was time for them to further their educations. Nobody said that it was going to be easy. This is another one of those hard times. You must stand up and do what is right for your children.
What we have always wanted for our children is a good, Catholic education. There are two parts to this. First of all, it is a good education that they need. This means qualified and dedicated teachers. Second, we want them to learn in an environment that complements the teachings of our faith. We want teachers who will not only provide the book smarts that they need, but also will be an example for them on how to deal with matters of everyday life. That is why we feel that a Catholic education is a worthwhile investment. It provides the proper perspective that grade-schoolers and young adults need to prepare them for what lies ahead.
This is the foundation for the decision we have made. We do respect the fact that the leadership of the church is trying to save parents the hardship of higher tuition bills due to a unionized faculty. However, we do not feel that we need to be saved from the union.
Why are the teachers now to be perceived as the enemy in the restructuring of the Catholic school system in our diocese? Will a Catholic education become too expensive due to the high demands of these teachers? We do not perceive these dedicated individuals as the enemy, nor has it been our experience that they have made high demands in the past.
We believe that the teachers should be able to decide for themselves on how they will be represented. They deserve a fair wage and appropriate benefits. History has shown that they have negotiated in good faith. Our faith is in them.
We will entrust the education of our child to them. We support the teachers 100 percent in their efforts and encourage you to do the same.
John and Susan Rose
Wilkes-Barre
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6:55 AM
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