Dear Member:
I heard the phrase “education for the whole person” for the first time as an eighth grader. Jim Hughes, the admissions director for the Catholic high school I later attended, used it during his pitch for the school; I didn’t exactly understand it, but I liked it. The school lived up to its promise, too. I couldn’t have told you precisely what the recipe was, but I knew that my time there was about more than just academics or activities.
I later taught psychology at the same school, and my favorite lesson was about the “Big 5” personality traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. The theory is that we all exhibit these traits on a sliding scale, and that taken as a whole they define our personality in relation to everyone else. That last bit, of course, is key: you can only define your personality in the context of other people; otherwise stated, in the context of a community.
As I learned more about the intentionality behind a Catholic education, I realized that teaching the whole child is not just about what the student learns in isolation; it’s about how they relate to their community. Our friends from Boston College, Molly McMahon and Melodie Wyttenbach, have written an exceptional article for this month’s Momentum, articulating what goes into educating a whole child. And as I read the core beliefs they highlight—such as Magis, Accompaniment, Cura Personalis and the ecosystem of the learner (like family, school, peers and church)—it strikes me that, like personality traits, aspects of the whole child are also defined in relationship to community.
This makes perfect sense in light of our faith. We are saved both in community and for community. A whole child does not mean a perfect child; it does mean a child prepared to carry out the Great Commission, educated in mind, body and spirit. When I talk to younger students about servant leadership—and thus discipleship—I like to tell them that Jesus loves us so much that he’s asking us to do something great for someone else. This is education for the whole child: we strive to form youth complete enough as people to serve Him and serve others.
So thank you, Mr. Hughes, and all teachers who have dedicated their lives to educating the whole child in His name. Please enjoy this month’s Momentum. We are grateful for the opportunity to be in community with you.
Peace,
Lincoln Snyder
President/CEO, NCEA