What is the characteristic spirit of a Jesuit School?

Newteacher

Hi everyone!

I am doing an interview for a Jesuit school and would really appreciate your help in answering this question really well. A friend who did her interview in this school was asked this question and was stumped. I would appreciate any guidance in terms of how I could read up on this concept as my friend believes this will be a critical question to be answered on the day.

I'm pretty confident on all the usual stuff and subject specific questions but this one is tricky.

Any help would be great! Thanks everyone!

prinz

Snobbery :pac:

Sorry can't help it. Don't have much time for the Jesuits. Maybe try the homepages of the Jesuit schools in Ireland and see if they have a mission statement/ethos on there, I'd imagine most do. Compare and contrast across the schools and that should give you a clear picture of what central characteristics run through them all. Here's a list of some..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jesuit_schools_in_Ireland

Newteacher

Thanks Prinz but I'm taking this really seriously. The website has the buzzwords but I want to know what I'm talking about. There's a lot of competition out there and if I go that extra mile they might remember me.

Would anyone know a book I could buy that would explain it all?

Really appreciate your response though.:)

homer911

Well done on making the effort to prepare properly for a job interview. Proper preparation really does make a candidate stand out. I dont know much about the Jesuits, but in terms of fee paying schools, their ethos is very important to them and its worth understanding this. If you cant find out in advance, make sure you ask about it in the interview. Be prepared to comment on how you personally would support and contribute to this ethos - especially in relation to extra curricular activities. The ethos is not just about faith, its about social/community involvement, sports, drama, etc. If you have a skill set that would contribute to the transition year programme in the school then emphasise this too.

Start with the school website..

hinault

Newteacher wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I am doing an interview for a Jesuit school and would really appreciate your help in answering this question really well. A friend who did her interview in this school was asked this question and was stumped. I would appreciate any guidance in terms of how I could read up on this concept as my friend believes this will be a critical question to be answered on the day.

I'm pretty confident on all the usual stuff and subject specific questions but this one is tricky.

Any help would be great! Thanks everyone!

Money:D

Before anyone jumps down my throat : two of my granduncles are Jesuits.
One was head master of Gonzaga and the other was headmaster of Clongowes!:)
(bloody snobs the pair of 'em).

hinault

On a serious note, I have a pal who is a Jesuit.
He comes from a very well to do background but my friend is very involved in social justice.

I've spoken to him many times about the Jesuits and there is a split in their thinking between trying to be influential in terms of temporal power and their adherence to social justice.
A Jesuit works toward one or other objective, in his view.

For your interview, I'd read up a bit about Ignatius of Loyola beforehand and give an answer to the interviewer referenced on Ignatius.

finisklin

Maybe look at some of the Jesuit saints and what they tried to acheive with their calling/vocation - Ignatius Loyola, Aloysius Gonzaga & Francis Xavier. In short the theme is to go above and beyond the call of duty for others. Jesuit schools ethos is to produce men for others.

Not sure if this helps......best of luck with interview.

McTigs

i went to a jesuit school and not a fee paying one.

I always felt the spirit was one of consideration for the individual. That each student had a value not just those who excelled academicly or in sports. They encouraged those who fell ouside these talents to try music, drama or art as away of expressing themselves.

The school i went to was excellent and in no way snobby.

gimmebroadband

I worked in a Jesuit school for 4 years, and it was great!! Wonderful teachers and the school is popular, so much so that it's hard for a parent to get a place for their children!

Onesimus

I would imagine the characteristic spirit of a Jesuit school is one of high standards in the formation and education of the children in the faith. To aid the Lord Jesus children in their vocation to whatever it is He calls them to. Whether that be the priesthood/religious life Doctor, nurse, fireman, scientist etc etc.

St.Ignatuis of Loyola was very focused on education and it's importance, but all the while never placing it above the practice and education of one's Catholic faith. I suggest you buy a book called ''Alone and on foot'' in Veritas. You can buy it online if you wish, will come in the next day. It goes through his life and will come as an valueable source for you in your journey to answer this question.

The Jesuits do have high standards though. Anyone even wanting to be part of their order must have his HS graduate and 2 - 3 years of university behind them.

I've got a question: how many Jesuit schools are there in Ireland? and where are they located?

Newteacher

Thanks Onsimus! Prinz gives the link for that on the second post above.

I will get my hands on that book. Reading what I have googled today, it is incredible the depth and detail of the Jesuit approach to teaching. I am wondering if this applies to other schools also or is this more of the high standards to which you refer?

Also it seems strange that there is no reference to this at all in the Dip....a lot of it would be much more meaningful and certainly more thought out than the pedagogical training we received in college....which was bland to say the least!!!

Onesimus

All Jesuit schools should have high standards but not all live up to them. Take the Jesuit university of Fordham for example. It is rife with heretical teachings and secular teachers of all sorts. There is more of those than there is Jesuits walking around. Its a struggle but then again its only one school of many in America and it does not mean every school of the Jesuits should be tarnished with the same brush.

They are the most hard working order there is in the Church and very strict in their rule. It's important for a teacher to become a part of this school to also focus more upon the practice and spirituality of the Jesuits than it would be anything else. Because to join a Jesuit school ( this is my opinion here ) you become part of that order ( or at least should see it that way ) and really live up that standard of living.

Festus

Hope I'm not too late to the party. I've you've had your interview I hope it went well. If not I hope this helps.

St. Francis Xavier said "Give me the child until he is seven and I’ll give you the man"

Ok, most SJ schools now take boys to 18 but the same principle applies.

An alternate way of interpreting this is that the schools and the teachers should bring out the best of the pupils.

Everyone has at least one talent of some description, some have more than others, but everyone has something they are good at. The most annoying, beligerent, distruptive pupil could turn out to be a great actor or comedian, for example. Equally the quietest and most introverted. Your job is to draw out the person, no matter how deeply hidden, and develop them to the best of their ability, with a deeply Christian, if not Catholic, ethos.

If you think your job is to ensure the majority of your pupils get high marks in the LC you're on the wrong track. That's the pupils job, not yours. Yours is to guide them.

That said the characteristic spirit of every Jesuit school is different, so you really need to research the school for which you are the candidate. Some are a little more "exclusive" than others. Some are more focused on high achievement than others.

It may pay you to reseach past pupils of the school and perhaps look up the obitituaries of deceased teachers.

Jesuits and their staff are astute interviewers. You really have to understand what they are about and the only way to get this across is to believe in it and yourself. If you are right for the job you'll get it.

You may like to review this http://www.colaisteiognaid.com/jesuiteduation.html

Whatever you do you do it ad majorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God.

Newteacher

Thank you Festus!

This information is really useful and will prove invaluable in my preparation. I've got my hands on some books and it's actually fascinating reading so I feel a lot more confident that when I originally posted.

Wish me luck!

hardCopy

Newteacher wrote: »

Thank you Festus!

This information is really useful and will prove invaluable in my preparation. I've got my hands on some books and it's actually fascinating reading so I feel a lot more confident that when I originally posted.

Wish me luck!

A lot of Jesuit schools seem to be rugby schools, if you can coach, that may help.