Diocesan Resources
Diocese of Arlington: The Role of Teachers in Awakening Vocations booklet (2017)
Diocese of Arlington: The Role of Teachers in Awakening Vocations booklet
Teachers are called amidst already busy schedules to be more than knowledge transmitters. Students send out signals as they tackle academic and life issues. As a teacher, you have been gifted with the opportunity to respond to your students and to touch their lives by example, by listening, and by providing meaningful feedback. The purpose of this Quick Reference Guide is to suggest ways that you can encourage vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and other Church leadership without sacrificing time needed to complete your curriculum.
Research reported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had identified three stages of occupational decision making. Young children choose what they might like to be when they grow up based on adult role models or idols. Around age 11, children begin to associate occupational choices with their developing interests, talents, and values. By the time they become juniors or seniors in high school, young people engage in more realistic explorations of career and life choices. Teachers, school administrators and staff are often role models to their students. It would be helpful to take some time to reflect upon your own call to holiness and your important mission as a Catholic educator and mentor. As an educator, be on the lookout for emerging qualities that apply to vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Point out these qualities to students, and encourage your students to consider themselves as potential future leaders in the Church.