“Stay safe”, “safety first”, “be safe”, “it’s not safe to…”
Safe has become the all-important word, the mantra of our society these past months. The first time the word was used was in the 14th century, comes to us from the Greek holos=whole, to the Latin salvus, healthy; to the Middle English sauf. To be “safe” means free from harm or risk, secure from threat of danger, harm or loss.
It is that time of the year when in normal situations parents and children worry about school, particularly our college-bound young people. This year; however, I think everyone is nervous about the returning to and the safety of our schools. Principals, and their committees, school superintendents, the government officials have been preparing for the past few weeks or even months to establish a ‘safety plan” for the return of the school children. School districts and private schools had to create a plan to keep everyone safe.
There is a strong push for schools to resume in-person classes despite the fears and dangers associated with Covid-19. The Center for Disease Control recently issued an article on the importance of reopening America’s schools next month. Interesting, it states that it is actually more dangerous for children to be out of school than in school, “the harms attributed to closed schools on the social, emotional, and behavioral health, economic well-being, and academic achievement of children, in both the short- and long-term.”
As in all of this, prudence must be exercised. Prudence is called the “mother of all virtues.” Prudence is the correct knowledge about things to be done or, ought to be done, and things that ought to be avoided. It is the intellectual virtue whereby a human being recognizes what is good and what is evil and a moral virtue, making the person good.
Prudence involves three stages: 1) to take counsel carefully with oneself and from others; 2) to judge correctly on the basis of the evidence at hand; and 3) to command or direct one's actions according to the prudent judgment made.
So, in dealing with the Covid19- prudence must be sought and commanded. But what I find interesting is that although we have to be safe in our building, I always thought that education, true education is anything but safe. In fact, education should be very dangerous, even risky.
When it comes to those difficult things worth learning or doing, such as experiencing new ideas, discovering the truth about the universe and humanity, or looking out at the wonder and beauty of God in His creation, these life-altering occasions can never be called “safe.” These things change the person, hopefully always for the better.
I think many parents have experienced the danger of teaching and learning over the past few months. Parents who never looked at their child’s books were quite surprised what they found, or didn’t find. Education has certainly changed over the years, they say, the lack of real mind-expanding moments are few. Are our children being challenged to think, be creative, to exhaust their talents, or are our schools “playing it too safe?”
It may be a blessing in disguise that the children had to stay at home and learn remotely, it may have given parents the chance to rethink the priorities of the school their child is attending and may attend again.
Sending your child back to the school building is certainly the choice of the parents, who are the first teachers of their children. The State, even the Church must bow to the wishes of parents when it comes to educating their child. The Church and the State are here to support and help the parents in their primary role of teacher in the things of this world, and more importantly the things of God.
There will never be an eradication of all threats in school life, from sicknesses to violence. But we cannot live in fear, for fear discourages the inherent dangers in knowing, loving and living. Real education is about having the tools to live a life of nobility and goodness, always wondering, always searching. Real education, like living, is risky, but those risks must be calculated and controlled but never eliminated.
Christ our Teacher taught, “Do not be afraid.” Pray for prudence, so as to make the correct decision for your family. I know about our own St. Margaret’s School, it is a very “dangerously safe” school.