Catholic Schools and “the Great Pivot”

If ever I could trademark a phrase, “the great pivot” would be the one I hope to copyright. . .

…Not for my own or anyone else’s benefit…but because for all of history, I want to make sure the phrase is tied to Catholic schools and the extraordinary shift they made to serve their students in the time of COVID-19.

When our children and grandchildren refer to “the great pivot,” I want them to remember what happened between March 15 and March 23, 2020. It is in those eight days that Catholic schools in this country transformed from the largest private school system in the world to the largest private distance learning provider in the world. Without. Missing. A. Beat.

In those eight days, thirty-year veterans and first-year teachers re-learned how to deliver the quality of instruction, renowned for its academic excellence over the last 150 years, in new, mostly virtual environments.

School leaders bundled up their schools’ core values, faith-based communities, and rich, historic cultures and recreated them in the homes of the families they serve.

Ordinary women and men—the teachers and leaders of Catholic schools—brushed up against the definition of the saints of old, projecting confidence to families facing uncertainty, providing calm to children thrown into new routines, and, one might say, performing miracles to:

School leaders bundled up their schools’ core values, faith-based communities, and rich, historic cultures and recreated them in the homes of the families they serve.

• Get learning materials in the hands of students and their newly appointed co-teachers, their parents
• Deliver food to children and families who relied on the school for breakfast and lunch
• Set up internet service for families who have never had it at home
• Host drive-by birthday parades, religious rituals, and graduations
• Ensure the life-changing benefits that define the essence of a Catholic education continue in earnest, with high expectations and higher purposes: high school, college, and heaven.

Catholic schools have been extraordinary instruments of transformation for generations, equipping children with the tools to achieve academically, grow spiritually, and lead lives of service to others. Perhaps, then, the lack of publicity in our local and national papers about “the great pivot” should come as no surprise. What else would one expect from Catholic schools? They have been adapting to the tribulations of the times and culture since their inception!

Still, as the numbers continue to become available highlighting the challenges students are facing, the work that happened during “the great pivot”—heroic work that is ongoing every day as the physical closure of schools continues—should be celebrated, showcased, and replicated.

That is why our commitment to helping even more children access the many benefits of a Catholic education remains steadfast, even when we know that the effort to assist families hardest hit by the crisis is far from over. Those families are going to need more scholarships to keep their children enrolled in Catholic schools. And schools are going to need renewed support from those of us with the means to help.

If “the great pivot” teaches us anything, it’s that Catholic schools are worthy of this community’s and this country’s investment. They were before COVID-19 and they are now.

Jean Houghton is the President of the Aim Higher Foundation.

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