Also the parent that is paying for the Catholic education should not be put into the position of having to explain the situation to young children. The Parent of older children should not be put into the situation of having to discuss the lack of consequences for the teacher while trying to teach their teen that remaining pure till marriage is what is expected no matter what the “world” says.The thing in question here is the problem of scandal. In this particular situation, the school could not simply recognize that the teacher was repentant and reformed (if, indeed, she was), because there still remained the problem of the image that was to be portrayed to the students. Grade-schoolers are not generally considered ready for such explicit lessons in morality as why nobody ought to have children outside of wedlock. To keep the teacher on would mean word getting around that Miss So-and-So was going to have a baby and she and the baby’s father were not married.
In this event, the school would then be forced to do one of several undesirables:
a) Inform all the parents of the scandal and leave it to them to teach their children why it is not *okay *Miss So-and-So is pregnant and unmarried.
b) Take it upon themselves to educate very young minds about sexual morality (not something I’d want any educator - Catholic or not - getting into with my seven-year-old!)
c) Leave the subject officially unadressed among the students, and let them form their own conclusions about right and wrong amidst gossip and rumors.
Each of these options could potentially result in further serious conditions: angry parents, children withdrawn from the school, children deciding for themselves that there is nothing wrong with sex outside of marriage, children learning about sex at much too early an age, rumors and arguments among the existing staff, withdrawal of local contributions to the school, a lawsuit on the part of the teacher over a hostile work environment … the list is virtually endless.
Regarding your question about limitations on teaching based on grave sin, I can’t give you a simple answer, because so much depends on the nature and frequency of the sin (Is it a habit? Was is a one-time thing?), the attitude of the sinner (Are they sorry, or are they smug?), the legal implications (Has the sinner broken the law?), the rules already in place (Was such activity expressly forbidden by the institution?), and most importantly, whether or not children will be scandalized. Let us not forget: that is the bottom line in this case.
I agree entirely.Also the parent that is paying for the Catholic education should not be put into the position of having to explain the situation to young children. The Parent of older children should not be put into the situation of having to discuss the lack of consequences for the teacher while trying to teach their teen that remaining pure till marriage is what is expected no matter what the “world” says.
So, how do you intend to enforce that? Are you going to bug confessionals specifically for teachers, or are you going to bug bedrooms? Unless something of this nature becomes public, you can’t enforce these.If a person commits adultery, masturbates, ***has purchased pornography ******or happens to have same-sex attractions, ***the verdict is the same. Fire them, expel them, get rid of them. *…*The schools need to be purged just like the seminaries have been.
That’s what bothers me. And I know teachers in several schools (NOT the one where my daughters attend) who gossip about each other like nobody’s business, to the point where the school is literally infected by it.Just a general thought, which you may all consider however you wish…
A woman teacher who becomes pregnant out-of-wedlock (in a voluntary encounter) cannot hide her sin. The evidence is clear and public. Her ability to teach and to give moral guidance comes into question.
However, among all of those other apparently good teachers, how many have their own hidden sin which does not leave such ready evidence? Pornography, masturbation, lust, contraception… The last brings up yet another possibility. Fornication of all sorts can be covered up by contraception. And, of course, a male teacher would find it much easier to hide a promiscuous lifestyle than a female teacher.
I wonder how many teachers with hidden sins publicly look down on a woman who is no worse than they are. The difference between she and they being that she was found out.
We neither need to bug the confessionals nor the bedrooms in order to advance our interests in clearing the schools of sinners. All we need are faculty and students who are alert to what is going on around them.So, how do you intend to enforce that? Are you going to bug confessionals specifically for teachers, or are you going to bug bedrooms? Unless something of this nature becomes public, you can’t enforce these.
Perhaps you have missed a few of the finer points in biology class. How do you suppose the teacher became pregnant?Technically, being pregnant when not married isn’t a sin. I don’t like how they say she’s being fired for being pregnant. Wasn’t she fired for something else, like being a bad example by having sex or living together before being married? I’d like to hear the exact reason she was fired.
Technically being pregnant when not married IS A SIN. Perhaps you heard of “Thou shalt not committ adultery” and before you say “rape” that doesn’t apply to THIS situation because she wasn’t raped. Pre marital sex is a sin. Since she wasn’t married and is pregnant (only Our Lady was virgin and Mother) then she had sex.Technically, being pregnant when not married isn’t a sin. I don’t like how they say she’s being fired for being pregnant. Wasn’t she fired for something else, like being a bad example by having sex or living together before being married? I’d like to hear the exact reason she was fired.
Do you know how she got pregnant? That’s just it, we don’t know.Perhaps you have missed a few of the finer points in biology class. How do you suppose the teacher became pregnant?
Again, very briefly, here is one quote from the diocese: “The school requires its teachers to convey the faith, to convey the gospel values and Christian traditions of the Catholic faith,” Frank DeRosa, a spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn, told ABC News."Technically, being pregnant when not married isn’t a sin. I don’t like how they say she’s being fired for being pregnant. Wasn’t she fired for something else, like being a bad example by having sex or living together before being married? I’d like to hear the exact reason she was fired.
There are 2 ways for a woman to get pregnant: Consensual sex or rape. Now we can REASONABLY deduce that rape didn’t occur because:Do you know how she got pregnant? That’s just it, we don’t know.
To say that its a sin to be pregnant, suggests that she should have an abortion. It’s not the pregnancy thats the sin. The way she got pregnant probably is a sin. Most likely.
I bet she lives with her boyfriend, and they decided to have a baby. That’s probably the real reason for firing her.
Well, then, I imagine just about everybody would have to be fired, as we are ALL sinners in one way or another.People who have issues with sexual morality have no place in or around a Catholic education establishment. The employment handbook was very clear: “must convey the teachings of the Catholic faith by his or her words and actions.” If you sin, you aren’t conveying the teachings of the Catholic faith and ought to be fired.
Well, then, Saint Eric, that must mean you are the first human since Mary not to have sinned.Sinners have no place in the Church or in its educational establishments. Sometimes the love of Christ demands we show people to the street. This is a spiritual work of mercy.
She can’t find another job? She could, for example, secure a position in a public school and make more money.What good does it do the unborn child if the mother cannot make a living?
:clapping:I seem to recall the words of Jesus, " let he who is without sin, cast the first stone."
Firing this woman tells me that the school has no concept of the gospel message, according to Jesus Christ.
The Church would probably be better served, if this school closed down. They present a poor example of how to be forgiving and compassionate.
Jim