The Franciscan educator: making inclusion an expression of love
The article that today shares the Latin American province "San Antonio" is a simple and heartfelt tribute to an educator of a college in Chile, who passed among us doing good, a ray of fleeting light, which now, by the mercy of God, illuminates us from heaven.
Being an educator is one of the noblest and most disinterested tasks that exist. An educator, not only must offer education and knowledge of the world to his students, but he is also a witness of dedication and sacrifice with which to face different areas of the life of young people and children who seek and need an integral education, highlighting the development of spirituality and love as a form of life, which are demonstrated through action and daily work. In the experience of Saint Francis of Assisi, the true teaching that we transmit is what we live; and we are good preachers when we put into practice what we say.
But we must take into account that not all students have the same needs and the same way of learning, feeling and living spirituality, so the educator, through love, will play a fundamental role in the moment of developing these skills. In harsh environments, love is the engine for true inclusion in a world full of diversity. With the gaze of Saint Francis, God created all creatures with love and goodness, great, small, human or animal shaped, all are children of the Father and was so perfect in his creation that he gave each his own environment and animals a house full of streams, Beautiful trees and meadows like paradise itself. God’s creation is so perfect that it has made us all different and there lies the richness of life
It is this love that is lived day by day in the Franciscan schools of the world and there are many examples that we can find of exceptional professors, who have made love and inclusion a way of life, demonstrating by their actions and in their relationship with their students that, "True education is praxis, reflection and action of man on the world to transform it".
One of these examples is Claudia Calderón, a support educator, who worked for 4 years in the Santa María de los Angeles College, belonging to the Laura Leroux Educational Foundation of Santiago de Chile, and that is part of the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, which recently left for the meeting with God after a sad illness. She was an example of dedication and commitment to the learning of her students, but also a living demonstration of Franciscan pedagogy, of how love can transform the world and make it bear fruit even in situations where family support is not what is expected.
Claudia distinguished herself for being a positive woman like no other, cheerful, committed and optimistic until her last days, a born fighter. He worked constantly with those students who were more difficult within the class and maintained sincere and fluid contact with their families in order to achieve real results and who were really included with the rest of their classmates. He has made love his tool and sowed the seed of respect and affection in the hearts of his students and colleagues. He offered his selfless help to teachers who needed support to work with some students and did not hesitate to ask when he needed it, demonstrating his humility both professionally and personally.
Like Claudia, there are many examples of teachers who make their work an expression of love and who struggle daily so that those students who have special needs can live without fear in a society that is often adverse and difficult for them, instead of giving them the support they need to be happy. After all, as Pope Francis said: "In the beginning there is Love, the love of God. All that is life, all beautiful, good and true comes from there, from God who is love, as from the heart and womb of a mother human life is born, and as Jesus, Love made flesh, is born from the heart and breast of a Mother".
