Educating In Loco Parentis Through the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary

by Mrs. Andrea Campau and Ms. Elizabeth Campau

Introduction

Teachers are given the responsibility of educating in loco parentis -- “in place of the parents.” To educate in loco parentis means to take on the role and authority of a parent while the student is at school, which includes ensuring their safety and working towards their success. In a Catholic, classical school, teachers in loco parentis are also charged with forming the child in virtue and faith – the goal is to help the student reach sainthood. In this essay, we will discuss education in loco parentis through the lens of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is a model of virtue, and our obligation, as Catholics, to bear witness to Christ.[i] First, we evaluate Mary as a model of virtue and the mission of Catholic educators. Then, we distinguish among public and Catholic schools in the formation of the child’s faith and virtues. Subsequently, we identify the different approaches Catholic and classical teachers must take in educating in loco parentis for the logic and rhetoric stages of learning. Finally, we emphasize the importance of the three-fold interaction between the parent, teacher, and student. 

Mary as a Model of Virtue and the Mission of Catholic Educators

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the model of virtue – in fact, Mary is a type of the Church “in the order of faith, charity, and perfect union with Christ,”[ii] and the Church imitates her virtues. Mary, as the “model of virtues,”[iii] shows us how to be compassionate and walk with our students in both their sufferings and joys, as she walked with Christ and stayed with Him at the foot of the Cross. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger states that Mary is the “Compassio of God, displayed in a human being who has let herself be drawn wholly into God’s mystery.”[iv] Furthermore, Ratzinger explains the pietà, the image of the grieving Virgin holding the body of Christ, “completes the picture of the cross, because Mary is the accepted Cross, the Cross communicating itself in love, the Cross that allows us to experience in her compassion the compassion of God.”[v] Mary’s compassion is so great that she accepts all her sufferings so she can suffer with her Son – Mary loves Christ so much that she would bear any suffering for and with Him. 

Using these examples of Mary’s love and compassion, we can act as a motherly figure for our students. Remembering that each student is an individual with his/her own needs and that he/she is at any of various stages in education and faith development, there are ways we can be a mother to our students. I do my best to get to know each student on a personal level so I can meet them where they are at. Moreover, to walk with students in their sufferings means to accompany them through both the academic and personal challenges they face. As a Mathematics teacher, many students struggle with my subject (some of you reading this may even understand). Even though they may suffer through math and find it difficult, I do not allow them to quit; I work with them to help them to understand the material and succeed. Not all students will allow you to do this, but it is our mission as teachers to guide them anyway. However, I know I cannot do this without the intercession of our Blessed Virgin Mary. So again, I must look to Her – especially at her virtues -- for guidance. 

Broadening this picture of Marian compassion, St. Louis de Montfort, in his True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, describes ten principal virtues of Mary which all people should imitate – “profound humility, lively faith, blind obedience, continual prayer, universal mortification, divine purity, ardent charity, heroic patience, angelic sweetness, and divine wisdom.”[vi] As teachers, we must strive to imitate these principal virtues of Mary and become a model of virtue for our students, as Mary is the model of virtue for the Body of Christ and its members. 

The Second Vatican Council articulates this connection between virtue and education in its Declaration on Christian Education, Gravissimum Educationis.  The document states that a Catholic school and Catholic Educators are aids to the Church’s mission to educate man, announce “the way of salvation to all men,” and communicate “the life of Christ to those who believe.”[vii] The document states that teachers must be “linked in charity” with their students and “endowed with an apostolic spirit” to bear witness to Christ, the Unique Teacher, by their life.[viii] Catholic Educators then, educating in loco parentis, must imitate the virtues of Mary, especially by walking with their students through sufferings and joys, and bear witness to Christ by their own life.

Nevertheless, as imperfect human beings, we sometimes fail at being virtuous and bearing witness to Christ. We know this because at times there are unsuccessful encounters with our students or their parents – this is a common experience amongst all teachers -- and this can feel discouraging. Therefore, it is so important to attend daily Mass, pray the Rosary, and go to adoration regularly, so we can be more open to God’s will and allow Him to work through us to serve our students. Personally, the Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary has helped me to deepen my relationship with Mary as my spiritual mother, and I find myself seeking her counsel with various matters in my life, including encounters with my students. The Blessed Virgin Mary is our spiritual mother, and through imitating Her, we can be a type of mother to our students. 

In Loco Parentis in Public vs. Catholic Schools

Before coming to Donahue Academy (a classical, Catholic school) two years ago, I was a public-school teacher for twenty years. I have always turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary when teaching, but I had to take a vastly different approach when I was in public school. Just as Gravissimum Educationis states, “Mighty attempts are being made to obtain education for all even though vast numbers of children and young people are still deprived of even rudimentary training, and so many others lack a suitable education in which truth and love are developed together.”[ix] This statement really strikes me and explains what I saw during my years as a public-school teacher. I witnessed this firsthand when I realized that God was taken out of the classroom, and the students were not learning to make good moral decisions based on His truth, beauty, and goodness. In other words, the public education system does not allow truth and love to be developed together, because it disregards Truth and Love itself. In public school, I was able to bear witness to our Catholic faith but with great limitations. That is, I was unable to speak about my faith to help the students strive for sainthood.[x] 

 In contrast, at Donahue Academy, I can be a witness to Christ and walk with the students on their faith journey; this is so important when the goal is to educate in loco parentis. As educators and people of faith we have an obligation to our students to show them the beauty of our Catholic faith; it is such a gift to attend daily Mass with the students and bring God into the classroom, and it is also such a wonderful experience to be able to see students and their families attending Mass on Sundays. Being able to come together as a community in both the school and Church really forms a bond between the parents, students, and teachers. Only with God at the center can this type of education be achieved. In my experience, I have only been teaching at Donahue for two years -- this year will be my third -- and yet I feel like I did more for my students in these two years than twenty years in the public school. In fact, one of my most touching moments is when I was asked to be a confirmation sponsor for two students -- this is truly a gift from God, and it fills me with joy to be able to help form these students in their faith for the rest of their lives.

The Different Approaches for the Logic and Rhetoric Stage

It is also important to note that each stage of a child’s development needs to be addressed differently. As a teacher for both the logic and rhetoric stage, I must take different approaches to how I am a mother to my students in these two stages. For example, you must lead students in the logic stage in formation and virtue by taking a stricter approach, giving them clear directions, and stating the obvious (“You will do these procedures,” for example). In this stage you are not just teaching them the material but also how to be a good student and, in turn, how to be virtuous people. For instance, in the book of Exodus, God gives Moses and the Israelites the Ten Commandments to follow – these are clear, distinct rules on the proper attitudes and behaviors for those who love God and are His Children. In the classroom, especially in the logic stage, we can act as parents to the children by giving them clear, distinct rules on the proper attitudes and behaviors as a student. 

A good formation in the logic stage helps prepare our students for the rhetoric stage and allows them to grow in virtue, particularly obedience and charity. Moreover, at the rhetoric stage students still need formation in clear and distinct rules on how to be a good student. However, in the rhetoric stage we really begin to see, as Giussani terms it, “the risk of education”[xi] – in high school, many students begin to grow in their faith and teachers (and parents) must allow them to make the choice whether they want to pursue a relationship with Christ. At this level, teachers must realize that students are making a transition into adulthood and will be faced with challenging decisions. It is not our responsibility to tell them what choices to make, but it is our duty to form them, so they have the tools to make good choices in accordance with God’s plan. 

The Three-fold Interaction: Teacher, Student, and Parent

If we want to teach in Loco Parentis, we must remember that we not only have an obligation to the student but also the parents, who are the primary educators. The parents oversee their children and what they say takes precedent over the teacher. Therefore, we must work together in community with the parents, and, in turn, there is a threefold interaction – teacher, student, and parent. Together, the teacher and parent collaborate for the formation of the student, to help them encounter Christ and strive for sainthood. The most important aspect of this relationship is communication with the parent without breaking the trust of the student (this is a delicate situation, one that must be thought out and well planned). It is imperative that the teacher does not break the student's trust but keeps open lines of communication with the parent, and is only achieved through the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit working through you.

Conclusion

Teaching is a vocation, and it comes with a great responsibility. We as human beings are imperfect and need the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the model of virtue and our spiritual mother, to help us achieve our goal of acting as a mother to our students. We need to constantly remind ourselves that the goal is to lead our students to sainthood. For the students to get the formation they need, we need to work together as a community. No one is perfect at all ten virtues, but if there are teachers who imitate certain virtues of Mary, the students get the formation they need and encounter all ten virtues through all the teachers together. Ultimately, we work as a community to make a Catholic, classical school successful under the patronage of Mary and help the students to strive towards sainthood.