Educational Theory of La Salle

Much like most influential thinkers and philosophers of his time, St. John had proven that his
unquestionable love for education and narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor is to be admired,
and to some extent, revered. After reading his theories, what struck me the most is the fact, like what I’ve
shared in class, is it similarities with the K-12 education initiated few years ago. For the purpose of this
assessment, I shall focus on two key statements that piqued my attention and its relation to the objectives
of K-12 education throughout reading St. John's educational principles.

“La Salle also seemed to agree with the current belief that knowledge is more effectively gained
through authentic experience. He proposed a very practical way of learning for his students and believed
that children should be taught in the vernacular language rather than the language of the wealthy.”

As the saying goes, “Experience is the best teacher” and in the case of the current educational
system, particularly in Senior High school, most schools are trying to provide learners with the basic hands-
on approach in learning a particular subject matter that they are focusing. Similar to how STEM students
are having actual experiments in laboratories and application of physics through simple machines and
robotics, up to TVL students doing actual welding, troubleshooting electrical wirings, and even
maintenance work, students or learners right now are learning through authentic experience, something
that St. John had envisioned. His proposal of vernacular language as mean for instructions had been part
of the K-12 program from elementary students to better comprehend their lessons at an early stage.

“He (St. John) believed that although good manners were not always the expression of good
morals, they could contribute strongly to building them. While he envisioned acts of decorum and civility
as observing the established customs and thereby protecting the established social order, he envisioned
them more profoundly as expressions of sincere charity.”

Dilemma of teachers, and I may speak for majority of them, is the matter of discipline amongst
students of this generation. While I follow the mantra of teaching through befriending, something that I
came across with as a former Salesian educator, there are times that students seem to be out of my own
control. Social media and the unlimited internet access amongst teenagers had led to a so-called know-it-
all attitude and even disrespectful behavior. Their shallow sense of independence had detrimental effects
to good manners and right conduct inside or outside the classroom. Case in point, following St. John’s
teachings, it is crucial to re-emphasize the importance of civility/discipline/good manners and right
conduct, something that starting to fade out of the four corners of a classroom.