Our Everyday Work
Lasallian Educators Carry on The Tradition of Innovation
Photography by Mark Johann

"Your zeal for the children you instruct would not have much success if it limited itself only to words. It is necessary that your example support your instructions, and this is one of the main signs of your zeal." -- Tenth Meditation for the Time of Retreat by John Baptist de La Salle

We continue our series on the everyday work of the District's educators as they provide "a human and Christian education." This mission, now three centuries old, has always led Lasallians to be alive to the changing needs of students. In France in 1700 this meant such innovations as teaching reading in French, not Latin; it meant giving a lesson to a whole class together rather than to one student at a time. In America in 2000 it entails new ways of teaching science, new ways of gathering and distributing information, and new ways of having students participate in their own education. Here we meet three District educators: Colbert Davis from Saint Mary's College High School in Berkeley, Judy Scudder from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco, and Chuck Lafferty from De La Salle High School in Concord.

Colbert Davis || Judy Scudder || Chuck Lafferty || Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher

Chuck Lafferty: Zeal is the Mother of Invention
Question: What are "Lafferty's Links"? Possible answers: (A) They're gold, and they hold shirt cuffs together. (B) They're green, and you play golf on them. (C) They're electronic, and they send students zipping through the Internet to the best information sources available.

Mr. Lafferty doesn't guide students only through cyberspace, however. In February, he helped to escort twenty-one students to Washington, D.C., for "Close Up," a civics program. They met with Representative George Miller, sat in on Senate and House proceedings, encountered other students from around the country, and saw the capital's sights. They even bumped into a U.S. Senator with whom they had a fifteen-minute impromptu conversation.

The goal of everything Mr. Lafferty does is simple: "I want to empower the kids; I want them to be participants in their own education." His inspiration is Saint La Salle. "John Baptist de La Salle said that a Brother's job is to be with the students from morning to night. I take that seriously, and I find that I do as much teaching before and after class as during class. I think that's because I make my room a safe place to be, a comfortable place for kids."

He is always on the lookout for ways to help the students. "I saw a report in the newspaper that lots of kids don't get a good breakfast, so they can't pay attention in school in the morning. I took a little survey, and it seemed that about 75 percent of the kids skip breakfast. So we started a little breakfast program. There's hot water to make oatmeal and cocoa, and a jar for donations. We started it in January. It's well used and it's self-supporting."

"That's Chuck," says colleague Jim Olwell. "His room is always packed. On his door is a sign that says DLS: A Need to Feed. And he means it, in every way." Mr. Olwell has taught mathematics at De La Salle High School for 19 years, and while a student there, he took Consumer Ed with Mr. Lafferty. "A great class. Chuck paired off the male and female students. We had to make budgets, plan taxes, buy cars -- and raise the babies who came along. It was really practical and really fun. Chuck's sense of humor is great and students love it. But as his colleague you become aware that he has the deeper virtues of the Lasallian teacher. One is Patience: He has undying patience with the kids. The other is Zeal: He is determined never to give up on a kid."

Matt Castello, who teaches Religious Studies and Health and coaches the baseball team, was also a student of Mr. Lafferty's. He says simply: "Chuck is the reason I became a teacher. One of the mottoes of the Christian Brothers' schools is 'you enter to learn, but you leave to serve.' Chuck models that and teaches that. And he does it all so quietly."

Saint La Salle enumerated Twelve Virtues of the Good Teacher. Chuck Lafferty doesn't hesitate to name the one that has proved crucial in his career: "The great one is Prayerfulness. Without that, I couldn't have done anything.God gave me this ministry of teaching. To me it's a serious ministry, and my job is to show up and let Him work through me. Through the high points and low points of my career I've always counted on His help. I just thank Him for allowing me to do this."

Coach Castello has an apt compliment for the veteran: "He just keeps improving. He's the Michael Jordan of teachers: Every year, he adds something new to his game."

Log on to Lafferty Want to give students a scare? Tell them their grades will be posted on the Internet. "What? The whole world can see my grades!" Not exactly. On Chuck Lafferty's Web site, each student has an i.d. number that no one else knows. Mr. Lafferty also posts course information, notes for parents, and news both academic and personal. "Students can see how they're doing and they or their parents can e-mail me. This has become a great communications device, and I'm still expanding it." Log on to Lafferty at www.jps.net/cfljr.