22 LUMEN | REFLECTIONS
My Role as a
Female Lasallian Educator
Vice principal Anne Loh was unsure of what to expect at the Lasallian Women ’ s Symposium but returned home with a mission as a female Lasallian educator .
By Anne Loh
Lasallian Women ’ s Symposium ? ‘ But I ’ m not a feminist ’ was my initial response when asked if I would like to attend the symposium . Preparing to attend this inaugural symposium for Lasallian female educators led me to ask a number of questions that I hoped would be answered .
On 29 April , the other Singaporean participant from St Patrick ’ s School , Mrs Margaret Choo and I headed for the Lasallian Women ’ s Symposium . The symposium was organised as the Lasalle brothers recognised that as their numbers were dwindling , a greater involvement of the laity is needed to instil Lasallian values of Faith , Community and Service to the student population and one way was through the female educators who form the majority of the staff in most Lasalle schools . According to Bro David Hawke , General Councillor for PARC Region , “ Across the globe 70 % of the world ’ s poor are women , women earn less than 10 % of the world ’ s wages … but women do more than two thirds of the world ’ s work .” Circular 461 reminds us that women engaged in the Lasallian Educational Mission are now over 50 % of the total involved . Increasingly more women need to be engaged to spread the Lasallian mission . Now , I know why this symposium is so important for us .
A total of 5 Brothers and 44 women from 13 different countries went to Pattaya from 29 April to 2 May 2012 in the spirit of togetherness and association . Being in the company of likeminded people , Lasallian women , was wonderful . With delegates from the Pacific Asia Regional Conference ( PARC ) regions , USA and South Africa present and their
flags proudly positioned at the front of the hall , the scene for a mini United Nations Conference was set . We started sharing and bouncing off ideas on the role of Lasallian Women . Strangely though , the term Lasallian Women has never been heard or used prior to this . What is the rationale for this symposium that focusses on just the women ?
Brother Alvaro Rodriguez Echeverria , the Superior of the Institute , in his opening address invited the delegates to respond to the call to be Lasallian Brothers and Sisters to one another and that the future of the Lasallian mission is the responsibility of the lay people . A simple message and yet a poignant call that I can identify with .
During the symposium , Trish Caroll , the Lasallian Education Service Director , shared on the women who have influenced our Founder ’ s life . These are the women with unspoken texts but they played a significant role in supporting St John Baptist de La Salle . What about us , the current Lasallian women ? What role do we play in propagating the Lasallian ethos and values ?
During the cross-cultural sharing and discussions on the emerging issues that women faced today , delegates from Pakistan , Papua New Guinea and Indonesia shared on the inequality in education opportunity for females and the oppression that females faced in their respective countries . In Pakistan due to the remote location of the school , a girl who has to make her way to school on foot is in danger of being
This page ( top ): Anne ( centre ) flanked by Indonesian delegates and Margaret ( extreme right )
This page ( bottom ): Anne and Margaret with Brother Alvaro Rodriguez Echeverria , the Superior of the Institute molested or even raped . This is a common experience for my Pakistani counterparts . For me to hear such first-hand accounts of the abuse and oppression that girls and women faced in yesteryears that are still prevalent in the 21st century was an eye opener .
So what cause do I fight for ? While my fellow delegates planned for immediate measures to be in place so that women are well-represented and women issues taken care of . I wondered about my role in Singapore .
If I can sow the seeds of the Lasallian ethos and values in our boys , these boys will flourish as a Lasallian in their adult life . I hope to start first with the student leaders in SJI to be gender sensitive in the way they articulate opinions and when relating to others . These same boys ( and girls with the IB starting next year ) will be our future leaders or policy makers . Thus with the Lasallian values strongly instilled in them , decisions and policies made by them will not be skewed . If they are biased , let them be so towards ‘ the last , the lost and the least ’. Of course I can ’ t do this alone but I need other Lasallian teachers from SJI to come on board too .
Slowly but surely , I see my role as a female Lasallian educator unfolding right before my eyes . I went to the symposium as a skeptic but left the symposium enlightened and inspired to play my part . It is a long journey ahead but I am TABA ( together and by association ) with the rest of the delegates in our mission as Lasallian Women of the 21st century .