The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - The Role of Parents in Educating Their Children

Episode Date: September 29, 2023

Parents teach their children all sorts of things, but how primal is their role as educators? How do parents and educators work together? When it comes to faith and morality, the education of children is essential work. Jeff Cavins discusses the pivotal role parents hold. He encourages them to take their role seriously and do all they can at the service of their children’s education. Snippet from the Show The way we live and speak is the best testimony to our faith that we can offer our children. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit ascensionpress.com/thejeffcavinsshow for full shownotes!

Welcome to the Jeff Kaven Show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together in living as activated disciples. This is show 343, the role of parents in educating their children. Welcome to the show this week. Thank you for joining me again. I am going to be talking this week about a a topic that is so relevant, it is so timely in our culture today, and that is the role of parents in educating their children. I have been watching the news, as you probably have to one degree or another, hopefully less than more, but enough to know that the role of parents in educating their children is on the line. And in some cases, it's being attacked. And there are public schools, for example and other educational institutions that seem to think that the role of forming children

is primarily the educators, that is the public school teachers or whatever teachers might be outside of the home. But in the Catholic tradition, it has always been, number one, the parents' role to educate their children and to form them, not only in the faith, but to form them in life in general as far as morality and ethics and so. forth. And I have been talking to a number of parents. In fact, I'm getting ready to go and speak to educators this week in Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm running into parents who are so concerned, they feel like that their children are being stolen from them, particularly the parents who have their kids in public school, which is a real encouragement there to get

your kids into a good Catholic school and to support our Catholic school. around the country, and to be a part of kind of painting the fabric of how kids are educated, be a part of that, informing in your local Catholic school, let your ideas be made known, and especially some of the things that I'm going to bring up in today's show. What I'm going to do, kind of get to the point here real quick, is I want to go through some studies that have been conducted and some documents, some major documents, documents, 33 documents that really talk about the role of parents in their children's education. Sometimes parents don't know what their role is. They don't know what they're supposed to be doing

or putting it even more to the point. They don't know if they should be doing something. Can they stick their nose in the business, you know, of the school? And the answer to that is absolutely, absolutely. And if your kids are going to a Catholic school, you have every right to be a part of sharing truth and sharing your perspective with teachers and administrators. So I want to go through some of that. So if you do want some show notes, and I do have a number of really important quotes and citations, and I'll give those to you in the show notes. All you've got to do is type my name out, Jeff Kavins, and text it to 33777.

That's Jeff Kavins, one word, 33777. and we'll get you on the list there, and you'll get the show notes for every show, and certainly all of the quotes and the citations for this show. Hey, before we get into that, I do hope you're having a great week. Please know I'm praying for you, and I think of you often, in fact, all week long, because I'm always thinking about, what do I want to share with you this week? And a lot of times it's things that are related to my own life or my grandkids or my grown kids, my work, all of that. So I appreciate your prayers. I'm praying for you as well. Okay, so we start off, and the times that we're living in, very shady, bringing up a lot of questions. The catechism comes right out and tells us in paragraph 22, 23, that parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. So let's just lay that down as a foundation that parents have the responsibility, the first responsibility, for the education of their children. Not the teacher at school, not the principal, not

the headmaster, not anybody else. It is your responsibility. If you have children, you're the first one. You're the first responder, I could say. We talked about that last week. So you have the first responsibility. And family catechesis precedes and accompanies and accomplishes and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. I'll say that again. Family catechesis precedes. In other words, it's number one. It precedes and accompanies and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. That could be instruction at school. That could be a CCD. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. A paragraph 2226 is a beautiful paragraph in the Catechism, and it says that education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child's earliest years.

This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the gospel. Family catechesis precedes accompanies and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families. it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents so the family is formed in the parish the parents are the first educators of their children and so the parish is accompanying the parents it's enriching the parents and assisting them in the formation of their children so that's really really important to lay down as a foundation in a catholic home parents number one educators and we know that nothing and no one can replace the influence of the example of a parent and on the on the spiritual life of a child it just can't happen that parents have that unique place of influence they do religion however is much more than a school subject isn't it it is a way of living and so when we

talk about parents being the first as far as responsibility it's not just to know the faith but the parents have the responsibility to teach a way of living, a lifestyle, a plan for life. And hopefully that's what you're passing on to your children is not just, do you know what transubstantiation is? Do you know what original justice is? Do you know what the communion of saints are? You need to pass the faith on in a way that gives them a way of living. And that's why I believe, and you know, you've been with me a long time, you know how important I believe that understanding the entire story of salvation history is to your children. And if you're not teaching your children the entire story of salvation history, well, go to ascensionpress.com and get the

Bible timeline. You can get it in 24 weeks. You can get it in eight weeks. You can get a teenage one. You can get the children's version, but get it. We'll put that in the show notes for you, but get it and learn how our life springs from the story of salvation history. So the essence of our Christian faith is really the person of Jesus Christ. That's what it comes down to. And so educators should be, certainly Catholic educators, should be accompanying parents and enriching the students in coming to know Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is at the center of a way of living.

So the role of parents as they work with a Catholic school is not so much paying for a nice college prep school as much as it is walking together on a journey toward eternity. And that's the way we need to look at our Catholic schools, is that, and so often this is the case. And I know I've sent all of my girls have been in Catholic education, their whole life, even in college. and I know that it is more than a college prep school. And so often people look at Catholic schools as, you know, you prepare my kids for college or they've got problems, straighten them out. And then the vision of that Catholic school starts to dwindle and the whole idea of teaching a way of living with Jesus Christ at the center of it diminishes.

And so it's not a prep school primarily. It is a journey to eternity, toward eternity. And teachers, principals, headmasters, you are so blessed to be a part of working with parents in getting their children to heaven. That's your role. Your role is not independent of parents. It is to work with them, to accompany them, because they're the ones that have the number one responsibility. not you. So you have to know the families. You have to get to know the needs and you have to present your entire curriculum as a journey toward eternity. Now, the National Directory for Catechesis

further clarifies this role. And it mentions in 54C of the National Directory for Catechesis, it says that parents are the most influential agents of Catechesis for their children. They have a unique responsibility for the education of their children. They are the first educators or catechists. A catechist is someone who passes on the faith. They catechized primarily by the witness of their Christian lives and by their love for the faith. So parents, our role really is to be a witness by our very life. Our catechesis is our children witnessing our lives and our love for the faith.

And so the way we live, the way we speak, coming out of mass at every point during the week is a teaching opportunity for parents. It's 24-7. There is no sacrament, by the way, of Holy Osmosis. We only have seven sacraments. And Holy Osmosis is not one of them. Of course, Holy Osmosis would be thinking that if your kids are going to school, they're just getting it. They might not be. They might not be. Okay, we've got more to talk to after the break here, and I'm going to get into some of the documents of the church, and I'll clue you in as to what they say about parents' role in educating their children in a Catholic school. You're listening to The Jeff Kaven Show. Hi, I'm Father Gregory Pine. I'm Father Jacob Bertrand Jansy. And we're the host of Catholic Classics. Join us for Season 2 of the podcast, where we will read and explain the Confessions by San Augusta. So the Confessions, it's a classic.

We all know that, but why read it? In this book, St. Augustine testifies to God's power, God's ability to draw him from a life of sin and error into a life of holiness and of genuine service of God's people. And not only are the confessions a testimony to St. Augustine's life, but also a testimony to the way by which God works in each of our lives, bringing us from our sin to a life of holiness, drawing us ever more and more into God's very own life.

To follow along, you can find the reading plan at ascensionpress.com slash Catholic Classics. Welcome back, talking today about the role of parents in educating their children. How many parents simply register their kids for Catholic education, slap down the eight grand for the year, drop them off at school after getting uniforms and everything, and paying their football fees and their dance fees, and then hope after four years of high school, that that they're just going to come out so loving their faith. And it was really worth it because, you know, I put in $32,000, $35,000 into this or whatever it might be.

Oh, that's right. You're Catholic. You have four children. Make that over a hundred grand for high school. What are you going to get out of it? Well, Holy Osmosis is not going to take your kids to the finish line there. Looking at a couple of the other documents that are really important, Familiaris Consortio, that is the role of the Christian family in the church.

Pope John Paul II, he had a lot of really important things to say in there. In paragraph 36, he said, hence parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it. That is an amazing quote. He says, their role, you as parents, their role as educators, is so decisive. that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it. That means that if you fail as parents in teaching your children, Pope John Paul II says there's scarcely anything,

anything under the sun that can compensate for your failure. In other words, your teacher, your headmaster, sister, brother, they can't compensate for your failure. If you're going to fail at catechizing your children, then your children are going to get a less than full formation. It's as simple as that. And that is really a call for us as parents to get serious about the education of our children, not just writing the checkout and dropping them off and then in 11th grade buying a car for him.

It goes much deeper than that. The family is the center of catechesis. Now over 300 years of official church teachings and documents affirm the importance of importance of the home-dash-school relationship. I'm not saying home school, but that's a good thing. Don't get me wrong. But the home school relationship, the relationship between your home and the school that you're dropping them off at. So over 300 years of official church teachings and documents affirm the importance of this relationship. So if you're at, oh boy, you know, I'm just thinking about this, I have run into more parents who are so concerned about the education

of their children and they're sending their kids to Catholic schools and they're coming out learning more about Muhammad and more about Buddha than they are Jesus and they feel like their hands are tied. When the church documents say that this relationship between the school where they're learning about Buddha and you're paying for it and the relationship with home, your home is so important. I've spoke at several schools, school boards around the country, and I've been bringing this out, this relationship, and telling boards and educators, teachers, and, you know, principals that the relationship you guys have with the home is paramount. In searching through 33 church documents that relate to parents and educators, the predominant

themes were these, and there were six predominant themes, six of them, in these 33 important documents. The first important theme that was predominant was the primacy of the parental role in education. These are 33 documents, and number one is the primacy of parental role in education. Educators, you've got to know that. And if parents are starting to say, look, my kids are coming home, and they know more about Buddha and Muhammad and more about meditation and, you know, Maharaji than they do about Jesus and Lexio-Divina. You've got to listen.

You've got to listen to them. And I'm not saying that parents have to go and tell educators every single thing that has to happen. But as educators, you need to know there's a primacy in the church documents about the parental role in education. And if parents come to you lovingly, sincerely, and they're prepared and they show you what's happening. You've got to at least listen to them. The parents are the original primary and

educators and the church tells us that they have an inalienable right. Parents, original primary and inalienable right to educate their children ranks as the most central theme in regard to parents in education. And it's evident in 28 of the 33 documents. That's pretty big. So parents, you have a primacy there. Number two, parents as witnesses in the world. 19 of the examined church documents in a study. I'm not, I did not go through all of these myself, just being transparent with you there, but studies that came out. 19 of the examined church documents, the pontifical council for justice and peace and other bodies mentioned the instructive power of parents in witnessing their Catholic faith to their families.

So let me say that over again. Nineteen of the examined church documents mentioned the instructive power of parents in witnessing their Catholic faith to their families. So as an educator, you have to be aware that families, ideally, are supposed to be instructing their children in the faith. Now, if you come and you're contrary to that, then what do we do? You know, what do we do if parents are training their children in the faith authentically, and you as an educator are working contrary to that?

That's the kind of thing that has to change. That has to change. And the documents of the church bear this out. We're either Catholic or we're not Catholic. People are paying a lot of money, a lot of money, hoping that their children are going to be formed. The third theme is the continuing parade. parental catechises. A total of 11 church documents underscored the need for outreach to parents

and ongoing parental catechesis. Now, this is really important. And I know of some schools that are doing this, there's a group of, there's a consortium of good Catholic schools called Duke and Altum. And I know firsthand from Providence Academy in the Twin Cities here, they're part of Duke and Altum, that they have taken this seriously and they are reaching out to parents for ongoing parental catechises, whether it be scripture studies or catechetical institute or special guest speakers to teach parents, this is something that every Catholic school should be doing. The USCB succinctly stated an adult community whose faith is well formed and lively will more effectively pass that faith on to the next generation.

So if you want those kids to really grow in their faith, make sure that the parents are also being catechized. Obviously, not every day from eight to four, but you know what I mean, the different opportunities that you give the parents to be formed in their faith. The call for ongoing parental catechesis is therefore a logical consequence of and complement to the primacy of the parental role in education. And parents are the witnesses of this. They're the ones that are going to be witnessing to the world. Now, those are the first three. So, number one, you got the primacy of parental role in education. Number two, parents as witnesses in the world.

Three, continuing parental catechesis. Four is parent school church collaboration. 19 of the review documents noted the theme of collaborative work between parents in the school. Catholic schools and the wider church. be working together. Merely sending one's children to a Catholic school does not fulfill the grave obligation of education. Pious the 11th, 1929.

As much as possible, parents should collaborate with the local church community to secure the promise of Catholic education for their children and for future students. Similarly, the church community, both on the universal and local level, support Catholic schools and parents. So I love this fourth point that the church teaches, and that is this collaboration. The parents should be involved in the school, and that goes beyond being a chaperone to the weekend get-together that they're at school or the field trip that they're going to take, but they should be collaborating in the teaching of the faith, in the teaching of the faith. So now, this.

This is going to manifest in a number of different ways, depending on how parents are going to collaborate with the school, but it should be happening. Number five, the fifth one, parental involvement. Sixteen of the documents note the importance of parental involvement with teachers, administrators, and school activities as part of the marital duty to serve as the primary educational stakeholders in child education. That is pretty powerful. That's from Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977, 1988, USCB, 1990. Sixteen of the documents,

note the importance of parental involvement with teachers. Are you involved with your teachers, administrators, school activities? Pretty powerful. Active parent participation in school functions, increased dialogue between parents and teachers. That would be a great thing to have in your school is a dialogue between parents and teachers. Maybe a school could have a night where the theology

teachers or have an open house and parents can come and there can be a dialogue. I think a lot of parents are frustrated when they realize their kids aren't learning the faith and they'd like to talk to the teachers. And when you get 15 parents, sets of parents coming and meeting with a teacher, that has influence. So, yeah, that's really, that's really good. The Code of Canon law says, clarifies that this cooperation and collaboration are more than just highly desirable. They are canonical requirements. Canon 796 states it is incumbent upon parents to cooperate closely with the school teachers to whom they entrust their children to be educated.

Bingo right there. That is powerful canon law. Moreover, teachers are to collaborate closely with parents who are to be willing heard. Ah, that's so good. That's canon. Canon law 796. Parents should be heard. Thus, teachers and administrators should work in unison with parents in collaborative decision-making process in order to strengthen Catholic education. And then number six, school choice. The final theme, evident in 15 documents, can be traced to the earliest church document on education where Pope Leo the 8th in 1885 highlighted the right of parents to choose Catholic

schooling for their offspring. You got a choice. You got the freedom to do it. And boy, I know a lot of people that worked at the, remember when the Vikings and the twins were, they were at the Metrodome in the Twin Cities, that big, you know, stadium for NFL and Major League Baseball. I used to run into people working those snack stands all the time. And they were working. to pay for their children's education. They would work, you know, 30, 40 games a year just to take that money and put their kids in Catholic school. And they got to hear the roar of the crowd, too. But they have a choice.

They made the choice. So very, very important. Well, John Paul II said God in his deepest mystery is not a solitude, but a family, since he has in himself fatherhood sonship in the essence of the family, which is love. And I would just leave that with you that the home is the school of love. That is where the children are formed. That's where the faith is passed on.

Number one, parents, mom, dad, you have primacy. You're the first educator. You are the one that will stand before God and give an answer as to how you formed your children. Your school that you choose, you collaborate with them. You work with them. You pray with them. You have a relationship with the teachers. And you make sure that your children are being formed.

If you see things that are contrary and in a charitable attitude, you can make them known. Educators, you have a canonical responsibility to work with parents, to work with them, and to be involved with parents who are the stakeholders for educating their children. You have a responsibility to do that. So Catholic schools began in this country, you know, back in the early 19th century, and Catholics started them. You know why? They started them as an alternative to public education. And that's why we're seeing a lot of people leaving public schools and trying to get into Catholic schools. They started these schools in early 19th century to teach a curriculum that is not hostile to Catholic belief.

and in many ways times have changed that the mission of the Catholic Church has not changed in all these years the main purpose of the Catholic schools is religious in other words to form students in the Catholic faith morality social values to

discover and acquire a way of living a total way of living well that's my message to you this week I've been thinking about this and I've shared this with a couple of schools and I hope that It helps. I will put my notes in the show notes for you, and there's a lot of citations there, and you can have them. You can have them. And if you know of somebody who has their kids in Catholic school, you know of Catholic educators, I encourage you to share this show with them. A, and by the way, look up Duke in Altum. It's a consortium of Catholic high schools, I believe it's just high schools, around the country that are considered kind of the best of the best and the four reasons.

they hold a conference every year as well, and you can be a part of that and gain some real skill in educating children in a Catholic environment. Let me pray with you. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, we love you. We thank you, Lord Jesus for giving us our children. We thank you for the schools that have been built in the United States and around the world. Lord, wake us up as parents, that we are the educators. Wake up educators. Wake up educators. that they have a collaborative relationship with parents. I pray, Lord, that there would be a new springtime in Catholic education where our children would go to a Catholic school and come out, formed, informed, and dynamic.

We pray this, Lord, in your mighty name, amen. Name of the Father and the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Amen. As always, I love you. Pray for me. I'll be praying for you, and I look forward to talking to you. on the next show.