Muchos maestros darían fe de que fueron llamados a la profesión para educar a los estudiantes y prepararlos para la vida, no solo para brindar un servicio económico. Sin embargo, a medida que la educación está cada vez más politizada y monetizada, muchos educadores se debaten entre brindar un bien económico y hacer lo que aman. Un nuevo estudio de la Universidad de Kansas encontró que eso es especialmente cierto para los maestros de escuelas católicas, quienes han desarrollado estrategias para equilibrar su vocación y profesión.

La educación ha sido influenciada por el neoliberalismo y el posindustrialismo en las últimas dos décadas, que pone énfasis en resultados medibles, pruebas estandarizadas y matrícula constante. El debate de si la educación debe verse como una mercancía o un bien público está presente en todas las escuelas, pero Heidi Hallman estaba interesada en cómo se desarrollaba en las escuelas católicas, cuya misión es educar a los estudiantes, pero también guiarlos a través de las enseñanzas de la iglesia. y para proporcionar un bien público para todos los estudiantes, aunque dependen de la matrícula.

Durante la pandemia, Hallman, profesora de currículo y enseñanza en KU, escuchó sobre familias, incluidas las no católicas, que enviaron a sus hijos a escuelas católicas que mantuvieron la enseñanza presencial.

"Me preguntaba cómo estos maestros perciben los desafíos que enfrentan en comparación con sus contrapartes de las escuelas públicas", dijo Hallman. "Escuché a algunos lamentarse por la pérdida de la comunidad. Tenemos deportes, o la comunidad en línea a la que podemos llegar en todo el mundo, y creo que ha sido difícil de aceptar para las escuelas religiosas, especialmente con el cierre de tantas escuelas católicas y la pérdida del vecindario y la comunidad".

Hallman entrevistó a 35 maestros y administradores de escuelas católicas de primaria, secundaria y secundaria para el estudio, publicado en la revista International Studies in Catholic Education .

Como muchas escuelas católicas mantuvieron sus puertas abiertas durante la pandemia, las escuelas a menudo vieron aumentos en la inscripción. Muchos estudiantes nuevos no eran católicos, pero las escuelas han declarado la misión de educar a todos y sintieron que su componente espiritual podría ofrecer algo a las familias que de otro modo se perderían. Sin embargo, también se sumó a la percepción de la educación como una mercancía, dijo Hallman.

"Debido a que la educación 'está en el mercado', tendemos a tener una visión de la educación como un producto. Eso también sucede en la educación superior", dijo Hallman. "No queremos tratar a los estudiantes como clientes, pero había personas felices de que los estudiantes y las familias vinieran a sus escuelas, pero también escepticismo, como si la gente solo estuviera comprando para las escuelas".

The study participants revealed three themes in their responses to balancing teaching and vocation and how they dealt with the neoliberal and postindustrial influences on American education and policy.

First noted was technocratic professionalism. With a constant focus on professional development and skills, American education has emphasized that this type of training will develop the best educators. However, several of the teachers, especially the younger ones in the study, questioned that approach. Respondents often wondered if allowing them to draw on their faith and love for working with young people would make them more effective educators than continuously taking skills training classes.

Respondents also noted competition from the marketplace. Teachers could feel there were many outside forces pulling students away from the community provided by a Catholic school. Educators noted the pull of athletics outside the school or non-school related activities and options available via the internet and social media that resulted in a "watering down," or de-investment, of activities and teachings of the school and church. Even though schools often continued in-person education, church services were often canceled or reduced in frequency, and educators noted many people, including families of students, have not come back. They also reported fearing that students would leave the schools as public schools returned to in-person learning after the initial stages of the pandemic.

Finally, respondents reported being concerned with optimizing the student experience. In addition to state-mandated curriculum, Catholic school teachers are required to impart the teachings of the church. That part of the job often appealed to those saying faith helped bring them to the job, and that it could be a way to serve everyone, but also could ring hollow.

"If a family didn't have a religious identity, the teachers mentioned how maybe the school could offer them that, but there was also a concern that faith might simply be an add-on, or like going to the grocery store to get something you need," Hallman said.

The educators were not territorial, she added, and often looked for ways to make non-Catholic students and families feel welcome.

The findings provide insight into how Catholic school teachers and administrators view their roles in society, a topic which has been largely overlooked by academic researchers, Hallman said. Their dedication to their work, and especially reluctance to view education as a commodity while drawing on their faith as a way to help better serve students, can provide a model for preparing teachers for all schools. As opposed to simply relying on teaching a set of skills and insisting they meet mandates and measurable results, teachers could be viewed more holistically, in a way that allows them to use what inspires them, whether religious or otherwise, to be better teachers and continue to grow, she added.

"It gave me hope that religious schools can seek their religious mission, but also welcome others and maintain their commitment to the common good, even among pressures to keep enrollment up and seeing neighboring Catholic schools close," Hallman said. "These teachers were very hopeful. They often had lower wages but were very dedicated to their vocation, and I found that refreshing to hear from people in the pandemic era, when there are so many pressures on teachers." + Explora más

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