Question...

My little cousin had a teacher who lost her job mid-semester.

Why?

Well, she was pregnant!

WHAT?!

Well, it's a Catholic school...

And she isn't married...


What do you think?

I am going to be the voice of dissent here. I was Catholic school educated and worked in Catholic schools. Just like public schools, some are better than others- a lot of it depends on the staff.

However, I think when you work in a school that has and teaches certain religious beliefs and values, you are expected to go along with them. I think there were things in my contract that I had to agree to when I signed on to work there, one of which being something about not doing anything that contradicts Catholic teachings. I worked with a woman who was Muslim and she was expected to attend all religious functions at the school, as were the students who were not Catholic. The school is trying to instill certain values and teach Catholic doctrine and perhaps they feel that having a pregnant, unmarried teacher is not the best person to communicate this to young children.

I am not sure I agree with the firing, but I am
not sure why people are so shocked by it.

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Posted by curliegirl

Not surprised at all, and not really that against it. If you want to work in a Catholic school, shouldn't you practice what you preach?

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That's true. It's a blatant, in your face action against Catholic teachings.

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Posted by Janice

I understand why they did it, parents pay a lot of money each year to help live their lives in a certain moral standing.

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Absolutely agree!

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Posted by nov04LIbride

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Posted by curliegirl

Not surprised at all, and not really that against it. If you want to work in a Catholic school, shouldn't you practice what you preach?

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That's true. It's a blatant, in your face action against Catholic teachings.

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I have to agree.

While I feel badly for the woman who was fired (having a child is nothing to be ashamed of) I have to say that I agree that if you are going to work in a school that teaches the values and core of the religion, you have to expect that should you be unmarried and pregnant, that is reason for dismissal. And like another poster said..you can be non catholic and teach in a catholic school but are expected to follow basic catholic doctrine. In a way its sad b/c we all know not every teacher leads a catholic lifestyle...but its more the concept 'what they don't see can't hurt them' whereas a pregnant belly, well there is no getting around that!

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Posted by brideinapril

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Posted by nov04LIbride

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Posted by curliegirl

Not surprised at all, and not really that against it. If you want to work in a Catholic school, shouldn't you practice what you preach?

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That's true. It's a blatant, in your face action against Catholic teachings.

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I have to agree.

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Although I understand what you are all saying, it is also Catholic teaching that people make mistakes (i.e., 'sin' if you so choose to use that terminology, although, whatever...) and that all people, if they ask for forgiveness for these mistakes/sins are forgiven. Mary Magdeline would have been fired from this Catholic school by these standards. I think they're misssing the nuances by saying single & pregant = fired.

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Posted by nylibride

[Although I understand what you are all saying, it is also Catholic teaching that people make mistakes (i.e., 'sin' if you so choose to use that terminology, although, whatever...) and that all people, if they ask for forgiveness for these mistakes/sins are forgiven. Mary Magdeline would have been fired from this Catholic school by these standards. I think they're misssing the nuances by saying single & pregant = fired.

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This is why I say I am not sure I agree with the firing outright. I think it is a confusing issue for kids, however, and perhaps there could have been a better solution. For example, the school could have given her a leave until after the baby was born and then allow her to come back. I would think this would be a more Christian way of handling it. This is what was done when girls in my HS got pregnant. They stayed for a while, then did home study and were accepted back after the baby was born. I have also worked at a school where girls were allowed (and encouraged) to stay in school until after the baby was born. I do think it gets sticky when it is a teacher.

As I mentioned before, however, if you are required to sign a contract where you agree to follow church teachings and then get pregnant, you are in violation of the contract, no?

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Posted by Blu-ize

Shouldn't human and civl rights come before anything? Maybe she wanted to be a single mom. Some women want children and don't necessarily want marriage. I'm not all that familiar with the Catholic church but do you have to be married to have children?

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I'm not Catholic but I don't think they are supposed to have premarital sex at all.

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Posted by nov04LIbride

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Posted by Blu-ize

Shouldn't human and civl rights come before anything? Maybe she wanted to be a single mom. Some women want children and don't necessarily want marriage. I'm not all that familiar with the Catholic church but do you have to be married to have children?

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I'm not Catholic but I don't think they are supposed to have premarital sex at all.

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Correct.

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Posted by nov04LIbride

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Posted by Blu-ize

Shouldn't human and civl rights come before anything? Maybe she wanted to be a single mom. Some women want children and don't necessarily want marriage. I'm not all that familiar with the Catholic church but do you have to be married to have children?

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I'm not Catholic but I don't think they are supposed to have premarital sex at all.

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You're not but what's to say this woman didn't decide to become artificially inseminated?? That doesn't break the premarital sex law.

I have a LOT of feelings toward the Church and their 'laws' so I'm not going to jump into this discussion, just wanted to point out that there's more than one way to get pregnant.

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Posted by eogara

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Posted by nov04LIbride

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Posted by Blu-ize

Shouldn't human and civl rights come before anything? Maybe she wanted to be a single mom. Some women want children and don't necessarily want marriage. I'm not all that familiar with the Catholic church but do you have to be married to have children?

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I'm not Catholic but I don't think they are supposed to have premarital sex at all.

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You're not but what's to say this woman didn't decide to become artificially inseminated?? That doesn't break the premarital sex law.

I have a LOT of feelings toward the Church and their 'laws' so I'm not going to jump into this discussion, just wanted to point out that there's more than one way to get pregnant.

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Do you think the church would support a single woman having a baby? They are in such opposition to gay rights and gays and lesbians adopting that I would think they would want the traditional model of mother/father for children.

I think it's awful. The same thing happenned to a neighbor of mine. I think all it does is tell the poor girl she should have ahd an abortion, because actually HAVING the baby is so bad and making her lose her job.

It's so pathetic. The kids don't know the difference. Especially wth the girl I'm tlaking about, she got married WELL before the baby was born..the kids would never know.