Reflections
Whilst reading and discussing this chapter many elements became clearer and their importance became more obvious. Reflecting on the diagram expressing the author's view on Catholic Identity within a school, my first instincts would also be to place the students at the centre, however after reading the explanation and recognising that in all we do as leaders is with God at the centre the diagram made sense and reaffirmed my position.Another challenge for me was the section analysing Catholic identity and distinguishing between myth and narrative. The definition of myth as the 'deep founding stories handed down to us from the past that explain how the world is and how we relate ourselves to that world and all the people in it.' (Sharkey, 2015, p 4) challenged my thinking, as my understanding of myth hinged on it not being real which is definitely not inline with my thinking around some of our Catholic stories. However, after making connections to the pilgrimage where they spoke about "traditionally" and "historically" I could see how the term 'myth' could be substituted for 'traditionally'.
Thinking about narrative as the way we create identity emphasised the importance of sharing the narratives with the community so we can strengthen our Catholic Identity and keep it relevant for all.
A challenge for our leadership team would be keeping the balance between the needs of our community and the traditions and beliefs that are so important to our faith in order to develop a narrative that remains true to our Catholic Faith but gives life and acceptance to our school culture.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts.
I liked your analysis of the diagram. Often we put ourselves/children at the centre of all we do with every thing else moving around and being influenced by that central figure whereas nature tells us something well beyond our 'humaness' is the central energy and all moves as a result of this .
ReplyDeleteIn this modern world I feel many Catholics are greatly challenged with maintaining or traditions, beliefs and practices whilst being accepting of the diversity of people their culture, their beliefs and their lifestyle. Our role as leaders is to somehow harmoniously integrate all to create an inclusive school with strong catholic traditions.
I have realised how to not be 'unknown'
ReplyDeleteI agree - it is a challenge for all leaders and reinforces the impact culture and context has on the Catholic identity of the school.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your comment on 'tradition' which is why the challenge is to keep the 'why we do it' it in forefront of people's minds.