I recently came across with a very interesting article that I read on ACI Prensa, a catholic news website, about the comments of Pope Francis on his school days. It seems that our pope as any normal kid, was very outspoken and mischievous. He recalls an anecdote with a teacher in which, when at school he told her a bad word. But the turning point of his recount was the pope’s mother reaction when she finds out of her son’s mischief. Her reaction should be an example of how a parent should react in similar circumstances, and a calling to all parents to change their viewpoints towards those that have a fundamental role in their children’s education. You can find the original Spanish version and the translation that I did of the article into English below.
Original text in Spanish:
ROMA, 06 Sep. 14 / 04:52 pm (ACI/EWTN Noticias).- El Papa Francisco recibió en el Aula del Sínodo del Vaticano a los participantes de la “Jornada por la Red Mundial de Escuelas para el Encuentro”, con quienes compartió una anécdota de su niñez. “Una vez en cuarto grado, le falté el respeto a la maestra y la maestra mandó a llamar a mi mamá. Vino mi mamá, yo me quedé en la clase, la maestra salió, y después me llamaron. Mi mamá estuvo muy tranquila, yo temía lo peor. Me dijo: ‘¿Vos hiciste esto y le dijiste esto a la maestra?’. Dije ‘Si’. ‘Pídele perdón ahora mismo’. Y me hizo pedirle perdón a la maestra delante de ella. ¡Yo quedé feliz! ¡Me salió fácil! El segundo acto fue cuando llegué a casa…”, narró el Papa Francisco.
A partir de este recuerdo, el Papa Francisco explicó que hace falta disciplina para educar a los niños y denunció que hoy día, en muchas escuelas de Argentina y otras partes del mundo, si “una maestra pone una observación en el cuaderno del chico, al día siguiente tiene al padre o a la madre denunciando a la maestra”.
“¡Está roto el pacto educativo!”, exclamó. El Papa Francisco explicó que en el ámbito familiar y educativo se necesita recuperar los lazos y trabajar unidos. “No podemos dejar a los chicos solos, no podemos dejarlos en la calle, ni desprotegidos, a merced de un mundo en el que prevalece el culto al dinero, a la violencia y al descarte”.
English translation:
ROME, Sept. 06, 2014/ 04:52 p.m. (ACI/EWTN News).- Pope Francis greeted all the participants of the “Day of reflection for the Worldwide Network of Schools Getting Together”, with whom he shared an anecdote of his childhood days, in the Synod Hall at the Vatican.
“Once in Fourth Grade, I was disrespectful with the teacher, and the teacher ordered to inform my mom. My mom came, I stayed in class, then the teacher went out, and then I was called. My mom was very still, but I thought the worst. She told me: ‘So you did this and did you tell that to the teacher?’ I said ‘Yes’. ‘Go and ask her forgiveness right away’. And she made me ask the teacher forgiveness in front of her. I was very pleased! It was so easy! The second act came when I got home…”, Pope Francis recounted.
From this recount, Pope Francis explained that there is a lack of discipline to educate children and denounced that nowadays in many Argentine schools and in other parts of the world, if “a teacher makes a remark in the student’s notebook, the very next day he will have the father or mother denouncing the teacher”.
“The education pledge is broken!”, he exclaimed. Pope Francis explained that family and education circles need to recover the bonds and work together. “We can not let the kids alone, we can not let them in the streets, or let them unprotected, at the mercy of a world in which prevails a cult to money, violence and discard”.
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