By Jon Hernández Santiago
Christian Brothers Conference is publishing occasional reflections on Lasallian spirituality, pedagogy and other topics. In the following reflection, Jon Hernández Santiago discusses his time at the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, where he completed his second year in the program this July.
As the end of the school year approaches, it would usually signal the beginning of vacation. This year, however, it meant something different: The Buttimer Institute was just around the corner. One could argue that attending Buttimer is just as exciting as the first days of summer break. Entering the first week, there is always a sense of anticipation and energy. It is an opportunity to reconnect with people from around the world whom you met a year ago and who, in just two weeks, became family.
Buttimer is an experience unlike any other. It includes classes and Masses, breaks and headaches from all the reading, moments of prayer and opportunities to breathe and reflect. It fosters a strong sense of community, creates lasting bonds, and even leaves room for a few shared laughs and conversations over drinks. More importantly, Buttimer provides an opportunity not only to learn about the Founder, but also to share experiences, ideas, stories and insights with other Lasallian educators who share the same passion for education and the same zeal for the mission.
As Buttimer II began, we delved deeper into the Founder’s pedagogy and his unique approach to education. We discovered that much of his success came from adopting the effective practices of others who were committed to educating the poor and promoting collaborative teaching, while adapting those practices to his own context and vision. De La Salle’s distinctive contribution to education can be summed up in one simple but powerful concept that many Lasallians may sometimes take for granted: community.
His emphasis on building a community of educators who shared a common passion and purpose, teaching children the Gospel and helping them live meaningful lives, became the key ingredient that made the education of the poor possible in 17th-century France and, eventually, throughout the world.
As the program gained momentum during the second week, learning began to transform into teaching, classes became life lessons, thoughts became ideas, and life itself started to feel, look, and be a little different. Through the reflections guided by our community directors, which allowed us to absorb and process all that we had learned over the course of the two weeks, Buttimer helped me recognize a lesson I had begun learning months earlier.
I learned that our students admire us. I learned that they learn more from our example than from anything else. I learned the importance of being vigilant to their needs and concerns. I learned that, in moments of despair, it is essential to seek out a trusted shoulder to lean on. I learned never to deny someone a request for prayer. I learned that the most important aspect of any school is the well-being of its students.
Most importantly, I learned what it truly means to be a Lasallian educator.
Being a Lasallian teacher is not about delivering the best lessons in the world; it is about making students feel as though they are receiving the best lesson in the world. Being a Lasallian teacher is not about belonging to the best school in the world; it is about helping students feel that they are part of the best school in the world. Being a Lasallian teacher is not merely about teaching subjects that apply to life; it is about preparing students for whatever life may place before them. Being a Lasallian teacher is not only about being an educator; it is also about being a child of God and a visible representative of the Father wherever one goes. Being a Lasallian teacher means striving to think, speak and act in a way that reflects love for every person encountered.
That, ultimately, is what Buttimer is all about: helping us recognize that education, when carried out with purpose, compassion and faith, can become a pathway to salvation.
I returned home carrying all these lessons, along with countless new ideas that I am eager to implement with the students entrusted to my care, my colleagues, and everyone I encounter along the way. I returned energized and with a deeper understanding of what our Lasallian educational mission truly looks like in practice. I carry with me a renewed perspective on prayer and how it can be meaningfully integrated into the school day. I carry with me a community that is only a few clicks away, a community that will continue to inspire and support me long after the program has ended.
Most importantly, I carry with me an experience that has changed my life.
I can confidently and gratefully say that I return to school as a new teacher, a new colleague, and a renewed and better version of myself. That is what Buttimer represents: an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to improve, and an opportunity to experience the Lasallian charism in a deeper and more transformative way.
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Jon Hernández Santiago is a math teacher at Colegio De La Salle in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.