Purely in terms of human achievement, De La Salle would win worldwide acclaim. At a time when gathering the children of working-class parents together for instruction was not seriously considered, he set up 27 schools for them. That, in itself, was a formidable undertaking, especially as he would not accept any fees, and so had to negotiate with the parish priest and benefactors for the necessary support. Even the amount of traveling, involving mainly footwork across difficult country, makes one wonder how he ever managed. Yet, more important than setting up schools for working children, was finding suitable teachers. The problem was that teachers in such conditions, with no income from fees and no salary, with a pittance to keep the wolf from the door, could never make a career of teaching. Nevertheless, De La Salle made a bold effort. He rented houses of teaching practice and timetabled programs of training period. In fact, because of these, he is looked upon as the father of teacher training, having started a workable system around two hundred years before it was taken up elsewhere. But it was not enough. Teachers with families to support could never buy the necessities in life unless they had the security of an income; none was forthcoming in non-fee paying charity or parish schools. Some form of voluntary effort was called for.
It became clear that if schools for the poor had to remain non-free paying. the teachers would have to be without family commitments, ready to live frugally, and to be motivated by high ideals. They had to work together as a team, and have sort of rule to abide by, and a daily routine to keep. The idea of a religious order for laymen school teachers evolved. It worked well in practice. A dedicated group choose the name Brothers of the Christian Schools, adopted a distinctive robe, and compiled a Rule which all accepted. The religious order is now spread throughout the world ready to meet educational need anywhere as they arise.
Principles of Lasallian Education in the Philippines
St. John Baptist de la Salle and his companions discerned God's call to service in the human and spiritual distress of the poor and abandoned children. As a concrete response to this divine call, they associated together to conduct schools that would make the benefits of a quality human and Christian education accessible to the poor. By giving visible and effective expression to the creative and redemptive love of God for young people, such schools became "signs of God's Kingdom and instruments of salvation".
Today. the mission of human and christian education is a wide ranging collaborative effort entrusted to men and women of diverse backgrounds and gifts, who, in creative fidelity to De La Salle's vision, commit themselves to making the benefits of a transformative human and Christian education available to all, most especially to the poor. Each member of the Lasallian Family lives out this commitment through association in a Lasallian educational project according to his or her particular role and area of competence. By our efforts to ensure the vitality, relevance and effectiveness of the educational project, all who participate in and support such work act as partners in the education process.
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It became clear that if schools for the poor had to remain non-free paying. the teachers would have to be without family commitments, ready to live frugally, and to be motivated by high ideals. They had to work together as a team, and have sort of rule to abide by, and a daily routine to keep. The idea of a religious order for laymen school teachers evolved. It worked well in practice. A dedicated group choose the name Brothers of the Christian Schools, adopted a distinctive robe, and compiled a Rule which all accepted. The religious order is now spread throughout the world ready to meet educational need anywhere as they arise.
