Detroit — Parents look for culture when choosing whether to send their children to a Catholic school, and that culture is often what distinguishes schools from one another and makes them unique, a visiting professor told a local gathering of Catholic school teachers.

Ellen Wedemeyer, professor of special education at St. Joseph’s University and former assistant superintendent for special education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, spoke to more than 200 Catholic school teachers and administrators about the culture of Catholic schools at the second annual Archdiocese of Detroit teachers and administrators conference Aug. 4 at the University of Detroit Mercy.

“It’s about knowing our culture,” Wedemeyer said. “We need to know what is acceptable, how much things have changed and what are the non-negotiables.”

Wedemeyer told educators the focus of Catholic education must always be on Jesus, and how every action a teacher takes is a lesson for students, both in and out of the classroom.

“We need to focus on teaching culture in the curriculum,” Wedemeyer said. “Students watch their teachers, how they act, what they say; these are the biggest lessons they will learn. We are in the business of saints, scholars and producing responsible, productive citizens.”

Wedemeyer asked teachers to put themselves in students’ shoes, and ask what a student cares about on a day-to-day basis at school.

“Students go to school for a living; we need to make sure school is something they are excited about,” Wedemeyer said. “They are focused on getting friends and fitting in; they are more connected to what is going on in the school than the teachers will ever be.”

The key to success for a child in school is the relationships they will build with other students and adults, according to Wedemeyer.



“If a student has no relationships with an adult in the building, that student will fail,” Wedemeyer said. “If they have a relationship with one adult — that one adult where they can relate to, tell problems to, confide in — they can succeed. If they have two or three adults with that kind of relationship, they will thrive.”

Wedemeyer also touched on bullying, saying today’s students can feel threatened in other ways with advances in technology and online communication.

“We like to think bullying has gone down in our schools, but it hasn’t; it’s just moved online,” Wedemeyer said. “It’s now anonymous, and it’s happening 24/7, 365 days a year. People are being bullied on Facebook, instant messenger, Instagram, and it is relentless.”

According to Wedemeyer, students feel bullying is a bigger problem in schools than teachers think, as students are more in tune with the day-to-day culture of the school.

In an effort to combat bullying, Wedemeyer offered some suggestions.

“Everyone who watches a fight gets suspended, if nobody is watching the fight, the fighting usually stops,” Wedemeyer said. “We need to build a culture of inclusiveness and get students to stop the bullying. Students report that if other students intervene, they are more effective than when teachers intervene. We cannot have a culture of bystanders; that’s not what Christ would allow.”

Wedemeyer emphasized that it’s the difference in culture that makes Catholic schools wonderful places to learn.

“If Jesus were to have a title today, it would be teacher,” Wedemeyer said. “How honored are we to share that title. We are the ones who are betting on mankind every day, we are the Greater Fool for humanity. I know I’m a Greater Fool. I hope you are. I know Jesus is.”