St. John Baptist de La Salle

John Baptist de La Salle was born in 1651 and was the eldest of eleven children, seven of whom survived. Born into a wealthy family of Rheims, De La Salle might have eventually moved among the rich and famous of France. Like most children of well-to-do parents, he received tutoring at home until he reached nine years of age. From then until he was eighteen, he studied at the College des Bon-Enfants. The school's classical curriculum included grammar and syntax, Latin, Greek, and philosophy. After De La Salle was ordained, he became friends with Adrian Nyel, and together they created charity schools for boys all across France.             

De La Salle implemented the most useful methods of instruction in his schools and negotiated to open new charity schools. He also began forming the teachers into a religious community. They followed a schedule that included specific times for prayer, meals, and work. Not all of the men were willing to commit themselves to such a lifestyle; some left, a small group stayed.

De La Salle was totally committed to the community of teachers. To establish their unique identity as laymen dedicated to charity schools, they decided to wear a simple black robe, thick-soled shoes like those worn by peasants, a tri-cornered hat, and a short mantle or cape. This drab habit distinguished them from clerics and indicated the beginning of a new type of community. It was also practical and fitting for men working with poor children.

Much of De La Salle's zeal for the Christian education of poor children came from his conviction that with an education, people could establish a lifestyle free from hunger and poverty. Poor people in France were oppressed, the victims of a monarchal system that kept every citizen in his or her place on the social ladder. The cheap labor of the peasants and workers supported the extravagant way of life of the aristocracy. In providing a Christian education to poor children, De La Salle helped them both learn their religion and improve their lot in life.

De La Salle systematized and made practical many of the educational methods considered standard today, such as teaching an entire group of pupils simultaneously and giving regular, individual reports about students' progress. He started a teacher training center, uncommon in his time. French society disdained teaching in charity schools as work fit for those who could do nothing better. Despite strenuous objections from his relatives and friends, De La Salle not only formed a community of teachers to serve poor people but gave away his wealth and position to live like them.