This links with the CGE (Catholic Graduate Expecation) #2 - An Effective Communicator who: (c) presents information and ideas clearly and honestly with sensitivity to others.
On this page, you will find a problem that has to do with trust and my thoughts on how to handle the problem. It belongs on this page because in order for you, as the teacher, to get the very best out of your students, they have to trust you and you have to trust them. As well, I have added a teaching clip that could be used to delve into trusting God.
This particular problem has to do with the issue of trust:
Moral Problem – A teacher’s cell phone is left
on her desk. When she returns from lunch, it is missing and someone has stolen
it.
Catholic approach to resolving
problem – This
breaks the 10th Commandment (Divine Law) of ‘You shall not covet
anything that belongs to your neighbour’ and not the 8th Commandment of ‘Thou shall not steal’ - as I’ve only just learned does not apply to
stealing property but instead stealing a person (kidnapping/holding hostage). I
would reference "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12)," The
natural law also requires that we respect one another’s property and the child
has not done this. I always like to use
Literature or real-life examples to help a child understand and in this case I
would read the story ‘What if Everybody Did That?’ by Ellen Javernick to point
out how living in a society requires that we respect each other, including
their property. Essentially, God created the commandments not as a burden but
as a guide for life with God and others. Finally, I would point out that we may
have never found out it who stole the
phone and morality is primarily interior. I would ask the child, “If we never found out, would you feel good
about yourself inside?”
Non-Catholic approach to
resolving problem – I
believe that despite not being able to refer to the 10 commandments or any
reference of God, you can still deal with this problem by referring to doing
‘what is right and what is good’. I would still ask the child to put themselves
in the shoes of me and how I feel that something of mine has been taken, also
explaining why it is important to me (to keep in class for emergencies). I
could still read the story and refer to respecting each other’s’ property. I
would reference the fact that it is against the law and there are repercussions
in society for stealing. If they were older, the police would get involved.
Comparing the two approaches – Both approaches, I believe,
have similar messages of respecting the people who we live with, which includes
their property. The difference with the Catholic approach is that referring
back to God and Jesus and how he wants is to live, is possible. It creates a way for the child to think about
the greater reason for why we have rules in our society – not just because it
is against the law but because our world is a better place when we respect each
other. I think in the non-Catholic
approach I would reference the law in place of God.
I prefer the Catholic approach
because ultimately, we want our children to be good. The most important reason is that our world
will be a better place and it will be a place more closely resembling the world
God wants for us. With the non-Catholic approach, I don’t believe the child needs to think more deeply than perhaps
it is against the law and there could be consequences like a fine or even jail.
Their thought-process could simply stop there because they are afraid of being
in trouble, whereas being able to refer to what God has asked of us and why requires the child to think about their actions and
consequences on a deeper level.
Trust is an important quality to develop in our students. Here is an appropriate video to show children (approximately age 7-12) regarding Trust.
Trust is an important quality to develop in our students. Here is an appropriate video to show children (approximately age 7-12) regarding Trust.
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