Parents are the first educators of their children. What we do in a school is to build on the foundation of that education as we encourage children to grow intellectually, socially, emotionally and spiritually. As a result, we expect that parents continue to support their children in this process. They often do this by assisting their children with homework, supporting their children in extra-curricular events and encouraging them in their relationships with others. Moreover, our parents make a commitment to nourish the spiritual dimension of their children’s growth by assuring that what schools accomplish for seven hours out of a day is reiterated at home.
Religious instruction in our schools is only valuable when our students have a time and a place to live out their religion. The teaching of Gospel values is only understood when our students have the opportunity to serve in the community, attend worship services on the weekend and witness positive behavior in their homes and in their neighborhoods. So when parents choose a Catholic education they are choosing more than a school. They are choosing a way of life for their children and their family and they are making a commitment to raise their children in homes that reinforce the lessons that are taught at school.
We are most grateful to parents who make these choices every single day. Yet the real value of a Catholic education does not lay only in name. Instead, the value of a Catholic education is measured in the character of the children that we have educated together. Some say teaching is a thankless job. Others say parenting is a thankless job. We have come to realize that both statements are false. Neither are jobs. They are vocations to which we have all been called. We are confident that the end result for all of us is to help nurture young children into young men and women who exhibit academic achievement and spiritual growth so as to become active participants in building the Kingdom of God.
