Catholic Education Week 2016

Catholic Education Week 2016: Opening Doors of Mercy

Catholic Education Week 2016, May 1-6, was a busy but incredibly energizing week for me.  My week began, on Monday, May 2, with a visit to St. Daniel School to be one of several guest readers, along with Mayor Jim Watson.  I was able to share my life-long commitment to reading with both a grade 6 and a grade 4 class.  In the grade 6 class, I chose an excerpt from Ottawa Catholic teacher Caroline Pignat's award-winning book Greener Grass.  The students in this class seemed very engaged and asked plenty of questions about the Irish potato famine.

I selected a great book, Greener Grass by All Saints teacher Caroline Pignant, for my oral reading at St. Daniel.

I was welcomed to the school along with the other guest readers. 

The next day, I stopped by 2 of my schools, St. Andrew and Monsignor Paul Baxter, in the morning. There was a huge turnout of parents early in the morning at St. Andrew for its annual Catholic Education Week Muffin Breakfast.  The student ambassadors on hand were encouraging parents and guests to tweet their pictures of the student work on display and their comments to the school's Twitter handle @St.Andrew_Barrhaven.  I was impressed to see at Monsignor Paul Baxter that the school had exceeded its Canned Food Drive goal in support of the Barrhaven Food Cupboard.

Impressive Canned Food Drive Results at Monsignor Paul Baxter

St. Andrew Muffin Breakfast Banner

That same day, I attended the student conference entitled Making Goals Happen at St. Nicholas Adult High School.  The program included an interesting keynote address by Tim Pychyl on Procrastination.  It also featured workshops on topics such as budgeting, healthy eating, and "Staying Safe on The Internet".

'Making Goals Happen' student-led conference agenda

That night, I had the honour once again to emcee the presentation of the Director of Education Commendation Awards, which immediately followed the annual Catholic Education Week mass at Notre Dame Basilica.  Archbishop Prendergast celebrated the mass and posed for pictures with the 30 Ottawa Catholic School Board employees who received awards.

Proud recipients of Director of Education Commendation Awards

As MC for Director of Education Commendation Awards

Wednesday, May 4 was a somewhat quieter day with just 2 school visits in the morning to Open Houses at St. Anthony and St. Luke Nepean.  The student displays I observed at both schools were most impressive.  At. St. Anthony, I was struck by the students' commitment to the environment, while at St. Luke, I was inspired by the Entrepreneurial Adventure project selected by the grade 2/3 class - marketing jewelry, with proceeds going to CHEO.

St. Anthony Cares for God's Creation

'Joyful Jewellery' Entrepreneurial Adventure (for CHEO) at St. Luke

Thursday, May 5 was my busiest day in terms of school visits.  The day began with early morning visits to Open Houses at Our Lady of Fatima and St. George.  There was a great display at Our Lady of Fatima of the grade 3 students' First Communion and First Reconciliation journeys.  At St. George, an entire half of the gym was transformed into a student Math Museum.

Late morning then took me to St. Elizabeth School for its annual Artr4geous.  This is a unique and most impressive art show featuring works by every student attending the school.  Parents and other guests were invited to buy the student works of art as a fundraiser for the school.

On Thursday evening, I attended the Open House at Mother Teresa High School, which featured displays of student projects, including some incredible ones on Black History Month and the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death.  There was also a barbeque.  My day concluded at Notre Dame High School, where I participated in the community potluck dinner and enjoyed an excellent student talent show.

At Mother Teresa Catholic Education Week Open Hous

I made one last school visit on Friday morning, May 6 - to Dr. F. J. McDonald School for its Innovation Station period.  The hi-light during this visit was watching primary students programming the Dash & Dot robots and Lego WeDo soccer kickers.  

L. Dash & Dot       robots

2. Lego WeDo soccer kickers

 My Catholic Education Week concluded back at Notre Dame High School on Friday afternoon as I watched the annual Choral Celebration, which featured many Ottawa Catholic elementary schools' choirs.

The Finnish Way

Finnish Lessons 

What can the world learn from educational change in Finland?

by Pasi Sahlberg

Introduction

In the Introduction to Finnish Lessons, Pasi Sahlberg succinctly outlines the reasons why other countries should examine the highly successful Finnish educational system:

-        It’s dramatic rise from a mediocre to exemplary system that has both raised the bar and narrowed the gap in learning for all students;

-       The Finnish Way of change – which lacks school inspections, standardized curriculum, high stakes student assessments, test-based accountability, and a race-to-the-top mentality -  offers alternatives to the competitive, market-driven education policies;

-       The Finnish Way points to interesting possibilities for interdependencies between education and other sectors; and

-       The Finnish story gives hope to those who are losing hope in public education that, with patience and determination, a struggling educational system can be transformed.

In the Introduction, the author also summarizes the key features of the Finnish Way of education:

-        A clear vision of education (the Finnish Dream) in which all students learn well and performance differences among schools are small – and all with reasonable cost and effort;

-        A belief that teaching is a prestigious profession, which has led to the most competitive teacher-education system in the world, a great deal of professional autonomy for teachers, and access to purposeful PD throughout teachers’ careers;

-        Finnish schools lack standardized testing, test-preparation, and private tutoring;

-        Finnish teachers teach less and Finnish students spend less time studying than their peers in other countries; and

-        Ready access for all students to special education, personalized help, and individual help.

Chpt. 1: The Finnish Dream: Equal Educational Opportunities

Chapter 1 presents an historical overview of educational reform in Finland.  The first part of this chapter tells the story of the Finnish journey towards universal basic education.  By 1970, peruskoula (primary and lower secondary school) was set at 9 years and codified as compulsory.  Two tracks of non-compulsory upper secondary school were set: General Upper Secondary School and Vocational Upper Secondary School.  A 3rd pathway was then made available for students coming out of lower SS. A 10th grade Career guidance and counseling program was made a mandatory part of peruskoula, including the requirement that all students spend 2 weeks in a selected workplace.  The school year in General Upper Secondary School was re-organized into shorter periods of time (6 or 7 weeks) such that teachers assess student's achievement 5/6 times per subject per year.   About two-thirds of the courses are compulsory with students free to choose from many elective courses to round out their program.  Courses in General Upper Secondary School are not age cohort-based – There aren’t fixed classes or grades.  Instead, students can choose whatever courses they want in a given year.  (ie. a student could take 10^th and 11^th grade science in the same year.)   

Only USS students are required to write the National Matriculation Exam – a high
stakes tests conducted twice a year. Students must take a language test and then their choice of 3 of 4 other assessments to complete the exam.  40% of USS students actually start first in the Vocational Upper Secondary School.  It is easy for students to move between the two forms of upper secondary school, and students in one can take courses in the other.  Vocational Upper SS has a mandatory on-the-job training requirement.  During 3rd year of lower secondary school, all students are entitled to 2-hours/week of guidance and counseling.

In terms of completion rates, only 0.2% of students don't complete compulsory education (peruskoula), and 95% (2009-2010) of students who complete compulsory education immediately go on to one of the 3 education pathways.  93% of students
who opt for upper secondary school complete it, although 10% of Vocational Upper Secondary School students do not complete the program. The completion rate for finishing Upper Secondary School in 3.5 years is only 75%.

Chpt. 2: The Finnish Paradox: Less is More

The education system in Finland has achieved equity of outcomes.  Among OECD countries in 2009, it had the smallest (about 7%) between-school variance on the PISA reading scale.  The average variance in other OECD countries is 42%.  One possible factor in the equity of outcome is the flexible nature of its special education system, which allows students to opt in and opt out as needed.  Close to 50% of Finnish students in compulsory education receive special education services at some point during their compulsory education years.  Unlike many countries, that enrol students in special education as problems surface, in Finland intensive Spec. Ed. diagnosis and programming occurs during primary education and even before school entry.

Equity follows into post-secondary education as university and polytechnics (college) are free.  More than 60% of upper secondary school graduates enrol in post-secondary education.  The result of free access is that more than 50% of the Finnish adult population participates in adult education programs.

Also contributing to equity of outcome are the compensations to avoid factors related to poverty.  Finland provides voluntary free preschool and free lunches for all students.  As well, to avoid profiling students at a young age, grade-based assessments are not normally used during the first 5 years of peruskoula.

Three reasons are given for why Finnish students excel in mathematics achievement.  First, math teaching is strongly embedded in curriculum design and teacher education in primary education.  In fact, 15% of students in primary teacher-education programs specialize in mathematics.  As well, Finland has a strong focus on problem solving in teacher education.  Lastly, education of math teachers is based on subject didactics and close collaboration between the faculty of mathematics and the faculty of education.

             There are similar reasons why Finnish students excel in science.  For one thing, primary teachers are trained to provide experiential and hands-on science opportunities for students.  Also, more and more (10%) of primary teachers have studied science education in their teacher education program. 

             Finnish students tied for first (with Danish students) among OECD countries in civic knowledge in the 2009 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study.  Finnish students reading literacy also remains at an internationally high level.   

Good educational performance in Finland has been attained at a reasonable cost.  Total public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Finland was 5.6% in 2007 while the OECD countries average was 5.7%.

Two paradoxes are at the heart of the Finnish way of education.  First, Teach Less; Learn More.  Finnish students start compulsory education later (at age 7) than students in other OECD countries, have fewer daily and yearly (about 5500 hours as compared to the OECD average of 6500 for 12 to 14 yr. olds) number of instructional hours.  The shorter instructional day gives Finnish teachers more time for PD during the work day.   The second paradox is Test less; Learn more.  PISA and other international test data suggest that math and literacy achievement in test-based accountability-policy nations is in decline while it has increased in Finland.

Chpt. 3: The Finnish Advantage: The Teachers

Finns continue to value teaching as a noble, prestigious profession.  A case in point: There is an over-abundance of applications to teacher education programs.  Annually, only about 1 of every 10 applicants is accepted in primary teacher education programs.  Primary teacher candidates are selected not only based on matriculation exam scores but also on an interview.

Three reasons are given as to why teaching is a much sought after career in Finland:

-          Finnish teachers experience professional autonomy;

-          Teacher education has high academic status as it consists of a Master’s degree and is research-based (ie. The teacher education program includes a thesis requirement, making teacher education research oriented); and,

-          Finnish teachers earn more as they acquire more teaching experience.

Associate/supervisory teachers must prove competency to work with student-teachers.

Finland does not have a centrally coordinated teacher induction program for new teachers.  There are no strict national standards for or descriptions of student learning outcomes that Finnish schools must include in their curriculum.  The National Framework Curricula provide some guidance and regulations; however, curriculum planning is the responsibility of teachers, schools, and municipalities.

There is no formal system for teacher performance appraisal.

Pasi Sahlberg

Chpt. 4: The Finnish Way: Competitive Welfare State

The Finnish Way in education contrasts with GERM (Global Education Reform Movement):

GERM	Finnish Way
Standardized testing	Customized teaching & learning
Literacy/Numeracy focus	Creative learning focus
Prescribed curriculum	Risk taking encouraged
Test-based accountability & control ie. merit pay	Shared responsibility & trust
Market-oriented reform ideas	Education sector best practices, ideas & innovations

The Finnish Way in education is “a professional and democratic path to improvement that grows from the bottom, steers from the top, and provides supports and pressures from the side.” (105)  It aligns well with Hargreaves and Shirley’s Fourth Way.

This chapter suggests that educational progress in Finland should be viewed in the broader context of national economic and social development and renewal.

 The spirit of innovation and creativity in the Finnish education system is a by-product of Finland’s movement to a knowledge-based economy.

The Finnish education system has evolved in a similar manner to Finland’s unique socio-economic system – a marriage of the welfare state with a knowledge-based economy.

National income equity is statistically related to many positive outcomes including:

-          Greater number of literate citizens

-          Science achievement

-          Fewer school dropouts

-          Less obesity

-          Better mental health

Chpt. 5: Is The Future Finnish?

“Models for educational change in Finland have often been borrowed from abroad, but educational policies were crafted and then implemented in the Finnish Way.” (124)

The current GEREM culture of accountability in the public sector in many parts of the world threatens school and community social capital; it damages trust and builds suspicion, low morale, and professional cynicism.

An “overlooked” feature of the Finnish education system is the high level of reading literacy of children – both from the home culture of reading and the individualization of reading programs in schools.  Another overlooked feature is the design of schools – which are designed in collaboration with teachers.

Pope Francis on Mercy

Book Review: The Name of God is Mercy

(Pope Francis in conversation with Andrea Tornielli)

As stated in the introduction, The Name of God is Mercy is a record of author Andrea Tornielli’s  question-and-answer conversation with Pope Francis in his living quarters in Saint Martha’s House, Vacitan City.

Tornielli establishes in the appropriately titled introduction, “Francis’s Vision”, that Pope Francis’s focus from the beginning of his papacy has been on the mercy of God.  She notes that, during his 2^nd homily delivered on March 17, 2013 at the Church of St. Anna in the Vatican just 4 days after his election as pope, he referred to the story of the fallen woman (John 8:11) and commented, “The message of Jesus is mercy.  For me; and I say this with humility, it is the Lord’s strongest message.” (iv)  A year later, on April 7, 2014, in a homily delivered at Saint Martha’s Home, he added, God forgives not with a decree but with a caress.” (xii)

John 8:11 - Story of The Fallen Woman

In Part I, “A Time For Mercy”, in response to the question Where did the inspiration [for a Holy Year of Mercy] come from?, Pope Francis reveals that he spent considerable time in prayer reflecting on the mission of the Church and came to the realization that the Church should operate “…as a field hospital, where treatment is given above all to those who are most wounded.” (8)  He adds that the need for mercy is critical “Because humanity is wounded … [not just from] social ills or poverty, social exclusion [but also] Relativism.” (15)  After lamenting that many people are so distraught that they “don’t believe that there is a chance for redemption”, he nonetheless affirms that “The love of God exists even for those who are not disposed to receive it.” (16-17)

His advice is to be tender with those who have become cynical or who despair, and specifically for priests, he recommends “…even if you can’t absolve them [be compassionate].  Give them a blessing anyways.” (18)

In “The Gift of Confession”, Pope Francis describes the Sacrament of Reconciliation as “…an encounter with mercy.” (23)  In response to the question Why is it important to go to confession?, he responds:

… [Because] forgiveness has a social implication: my sin wounds mankind, my brothers and sisters and society as a whole.  Confessing to a priest is a way of putting my life into the hands and heart of someone else, someone who in that moment acts in the name of Jesus. (22)

With great humility, Pope Francis reflects on his own sinfulness in “A Sinner, Like Saint Peter”, stating that “The Pope is a man who needs the mercy of God”. (41)  However, he takes great solace from St. Peter who “…betrayed Jesus, and even so he was chosen.” (41)  The pope confesses that he has “…a special relationship with people in prisons … because of my awareness of being a sinner.”  Indeed, when he visits prisoners, he thinks “Why them and not me?  I should be here.  I deserve to be here.  Their fall could have been mine.” (41-42)

When Tornielli asks if there are times when too much mercy is granted, Pope Francis responds conclusively: “No human sin – however serious – can prevail over or limit mercy …God is a careful and attentive father, ready to welcome any person who takes a step or even expresses the desire to take a step that leads home.” (50)

In the section titled “Shepherds, Not Scholars of The Law”, Pope Francis contrasts the pastoral ministry of Jesus with the self-righteous and dispassionate approach taken by some religious people (including clerics), whom he identifies as ‘scholars’:

Jesus touched the leper and brought him back into the community.  He didn’t sit down at a desk and study the situation …What really mattered to him was reaching stranded people and saving them, like the Good Shepherd who leaves the flock to save one lost sheep. (65) 

Jesus cures a leper

For Pope Francis, these “scholars of the law “…appear devout from the outside but inside …hypocrites.”  They are people who “…live attached to the letter of the law but who neglect love.” (67)  They are “…men who only know how to close doors and draw boundaries.” (69)  The Gospels show these two “kinds of thought and faith” associated with the exclusionary stance of the scholar and the inclusionary love of God:

On the one hand, there is the fear of losing the just and the saved, the sheep that are already safely inside the pen.  On the other hand, there is the desire to save the sinners, the lost, those on the other side of the fence.  The first is the logic of the scholars of the law.  The second is the logic of God. (66)

When he is asked And what about the risk of contamination? (from a pastoral approach that takes a cleric into the world of the lost sheep), Pope Francis is emphatic: “We need to enter the darkness, the night in which so many of our brothers live …without letting ourselves be wrapped up in that darkness and influenced by it.” (67)

Pope Francis washing prisoners' feet

In a revelation that will no doubt baffle some, Pope Francis admits that “I have surprised myself (at times) by thinking that a few very rigid people would do well to slip a little, so that they could remember that they are sinners and thus meet Jesus.” (70) 

In “Sinners Yes, Corrupt No”, Pope Francis makes an important distinction between sinners and people who live in corruption.  Given our human imperfection, all of us are, at one time or another, sinners.  However, the pope encourages sinners to take heart, for there are no limits to “the love of the all-forgiving God” and “Jesus performs miracles with our sins …with our nothingness, our wretchedness.” (86)  As long as the sinner seeks forgiveness and repents, he/she will be forgiven.

On the other hand, “The corrupt man is the one who sins but does not repent, who sins and pretends to be Christian.” (81)  For the pope, such an individual leads a “…double life that is scandalous.” (81)  In a scathing chastisement of corrupt individuals, Pope Francis says:

The corrupt man gets angry because his wallet is stolen and so he complains about the lack of safety on the streets, but then he is the one who cheats the state by evading taxes …and then he boasts to his friends about his cunning ways. (83)

The interviewer asks How can mercy be taught to children?  The pope responds “…above all by having them experience mercy” (87) – an answer that is short in terms of words but worthy of lengthy and careful reflection.

Pope Francis is equally succinct when asked about the link between mercy and compassion:  “The Christian message is transmitted by embracing those in difficulty, by embracing the outcast, the marginalized, and the sinner….” (93)

In the final section, “Living The Holy Year of Mercy”, Pope Francis responds to the question: What are the most important things that a believer should do during the Holy Year of Mercy?  “He should open up to the Mercy of God …and allow Jesus to come toward him by approaching the confessional with faith.” (97)  The pope also recommends performing the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy:

We have received freely, we give freely.  We are called to serve Christ the Crucified through every marginalized person.  We touch the flesh of Christ in he who is outcast, hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, ill, unemployed, persecuted, in search of refuge. (98)