Wisdom and Wonder · Week 2 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. John Baptist de La Salle
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
A future already planned
John Baptist de La Salle was born in Reims, France, on April 30, blank 1, the eldest child of a wealthy family. As a teenager he was named a canon of Reims Cathedral, a respected Church position that came with a good income.
While he was studying to be a priest, both of his parents died. He went home to care for his younger brothers and sisters, then finished his studies. He was ordained a priest in blank 2.
Everything pointed toward a blank 3 career. Outside his door, the children of workers and the poor had almost no chance of going to school.
One step at a time
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1651 | Write your answer |
| 1678 | Write your answer |
| 1679 | Write your answer |
| 1683–84 | Write your answer |
| 1688 | Write your answer |
| 1719 | Write your answer |
| 1900 | Write your answer |
| 1950 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
What first drew John into the work of schools? Circle one.
- A A direct order from the king of France
- B Helping Adrien Nyel open free schools
- C A childhood dream of being a teacher
- D A request from the bishop of Paris
Why is that the right answer?
Teachers first
John saw that the schools would fail unless the teachers improved. Many were poorly trained and poorly paid. He invited them to eat at his table, then to live in his house. His blank 4 were shocked.
He resigned as canon and gave away his fortune during a blank 5, so that he would be as poor as the teachers. Together they became the Brothers of the Christian Schools: religious brothers, not priests, devoted entirely to teaching.
Their schools were free. Children learned to read in blank 6 instead of Latin, and were taught together in classes instead of one at a time. John also opened a school to train teachers.
Why that choice?
Why did John give his fortune to the hungry instead of keeping it for his schools? Circle one.
- A A court ordered him to hand it over
- B His family demanded that he return it
- C He wanted to share the teachers’ poverty and trust God
- D He had decided to close the schools for good
Why is that the right answer?
Open the door or guard it?
John opened learning to children who were shut out. Sort each online choice: does it open learning to others, or keep it closed? Check one box for each.
| Item | Opens learning | Keeps it closed |
|---|---|---|
| Making a clear study guide and sharing it with the class | ||
| Mocking a classmate’s question in the group chat | ||
| Explaining a hard step to a friend over video call | ||
| Letting AI write your work so you learn nothing | ||
| Showing a grandparent how to use a new phone | ||
| Leaving one person out of the shared project file | ||
| Posting a patient how-to video for beginners |
Think, pair, share
In John’s time, money decided who could learn. Today a phone can teach almost anything for free. What still keeps people from really learning, and what could you do about it for one person?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “Even with free videos, people still need ...”“A teacher gives something a screen cannot, such as ...”“One person I could help learn is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
What changed?
Which practice from John’s schools is now normal in classrooms? Circle one.
- A Teaching reading only in Latin
- B Charging each pupil a daily fee
- C Teaching each pupil alone, in turn
- D Teaching pupils together in classes
Why is that the right answer?
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, you are the Teacher of us all.
Thank you for everyone who has helped us learn.
Give us generous hearts to share what we have been given.
St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
The Brothers that John founded still teach in schools around the world. His feast day is April 7.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. John Baptist de La Salle shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Teach one person something this week, patiently and with your phone put away. Then thank one teacher who did the same for you.