Controversial Issues
The following scenarios were created by me; they are simply to show how Catholic school boards and their contracts can break through into your personal life. Therefore they represent the importance that a teacher must understand what these school boards ask of them and that they are truly willing to commit to a career and life outside of school that revolves around the Catholic faith.
Scenario 1: A young couple have been dating for 4 years, Mark is an engineer and Linda is an elementary school teacher at a Catholic school. As their relationship has progressed, it just doesn’t make sense that they pay separate rents in two different locations. Therefore the couple is planning on moving in together to save money and to advance their relationship to the level.
In today’s society this appears to be a relatively normal situation and would be deemed acceptable by most people. Unfortunately, according to the Catholic school divisions in Alberta, this would be seen as inappropriate behavior because the couple is not married. This can be problematic for many teachers seeking to work in a Catholic school but also wishing to have a personal life that includes living with their significant other. In this case if Mark and Linda were to move in together, Linda would most likely lose her job at the Catholic school and would not be hired at another one until they were married. The reason why Linda could lose her job is because while working for a Catholic school she must model the life of a proper Catholic (Administrative Procedures : 400 Series, 2014). According to Catholic beliefs it is highly frowned upon that you live with a significant other be involved in a common-law marriage. Catholic school boards only consider marriage if it has been registered with the state and/or church. In addition, most contracts will include the details of an appropriate living situation for a Catholic school teacher. Therefore if Linda and Mark decided to move in together without being married, this action would go against her contract which gives the school boards grounds for her dismissal.
Scenario 2: Tom and Jerry are long term partners and they are both school teachers. Tom works in the Public school division unlike Jerry who works for the Catholic school division. After spending many years of their lives together, they apply for a marriage licence and get married. The following week, Jerry gets a call from the school board and loses his job.
This can seem unfair in today’s society, especially with the continuous and growing acceptance of homosexuality in our society. However in the eyes of the Catholic Church, this is an unacceptable way of life. According to the Catholic faith, a homosexual person is encouraged to live a life of abstinence and to not give into their sexual inclinations. In this case, Jerry can reasonably lose his job at a Catholic school because he is going against the teachings of the Catholic faith. Furthermore, if the Catholic school board had known about his relationship with Tom before hand, he could have lost his job prior to the signing of the marriage license. This is true because the Catholic faith does not encourage homosexual relationships and engaging in one would be going against his contract, which ultimately leads to Jerry breaking the regulations of his contract, which allows for his dismissal.
Scenario 1: A young couple have been dating for 4 years, Mark is an engineer and Linda is an elementary school teacher at a Catholic school. As their relationship has progressed, it just doesn’t make sense that they pay separate rents in two different locations. Therefore the couple is planning on moving in together to save money and to advance their relationship to the level.
In today’s society this appears to be a relatively normal situation and would be deemed acceptable by most people. Unfortunately, according to the Catholic school divisions in Alberta, this would be seen as inappropriate behavior because the couple is not married. This can be problematic for many teachers seeking to work in a Catholic school but also wishing to have a personal life that includes living with their significant other. In this case if Mark and Linda were to move in together, Linda would most likely lose her job at the Catholic school and would not be hired at another one until they were married. The reason why Linda could lose her job is because while working for a Catholic school she must model the life of a proper Catholic (Administrative Procedures : 400 Series, 2014). According to Catholic beliefs it is highly frowned upon that you live with a significant other be involved in a common-law marriage. Catholic school boards only consider marriage if it has been registered with the state and/or church. In addition, most contracts will include the details of an appropriate living situation for a Catholic school teacher. Therefore if Linda and Mark decided to move in together without being married, this action would go against her contract which gives the school boards grounds for her dismissal.
Scenario 2: Tom and Jerry are long term partners and they are both school teachers. Tom works in the Public school division unlike Jerry who works for the Catholic school division. After spending many years of their lives together, they apply for a marriage licence and get married. The following week, Jerry gets a call from the school board and loses his job.
This can seem unfair in today’s society, especially with the continuous and growing acceptance of homosexuality in our society. However in the eyes of the Catholic Church, this is an unacceptable way of life. According to the Catholic faith, a homosexual person is encouraged to live a life of abstinence and to not give into their sexual inclinations. In this case, Jerry can reasonably lose his job at a Catholic school because he is going against the teachings of the Catholic faith. Furthermore, if the Catholic school board had known about his relationship with Tom before hand, he could have lost his job prior to the signing of the marriage license. This is true because the Catholic faith does not encourage homosexual relationships and engaging in one would be going against his contract, which ultimately leads to Jerry breaking the regulations of his contract, which allows for his dismissal.
Jesus image taken from : http://imgarcade.com/1/jesus-graphic-design/