Contemporary Trends

Structure of the Nuclear Family

In the last two decades, there have been significant changes to what is referred to as the nuclear family. The Dad, Mum and 2.4 child family structure has morphed into a plethora of structures. The nuclear family has many variations:
  • single parent
  • two parents living at different addresses
  • married or unmarried parents
  • civil union
  • same gender parents
The list goes on. 

The basic education of teaching Mathematics, English and Science may not be affected significantly, but discussions between teachers and students and the language around gender and 'acceptable' relationships' require re-thinking. This is an issue for a Catholic-based school where the church upholds the sanctity of marriage between one woman and one man.  

By virtue of its very definition, marriage can only be between a man and a woman, Pope Francis has said in a new book-length interview. (Glatz, 2017)
How does a state-integrated school, with a Catholic foundation establish a moral presence while maintaining respect for all persons? This is a dilemma schools of this nature will need to face and determine how they will respond to the changing social norms.

As a teacher of Science, there is a definite point of discussion around the genetic changes that may affect a student's gender identity. This would be a difficult topic to engage with unless the teacher had given it thought and reasonable consideration. While not compromising the Catholic standing, staff need to be sensitive to the students, and family backgrounds, of each pupil, without judgement.

Research

Changing Face of Marriage
OECD (2016)

Keeping Children Safe and Sound
Safety includes physical and emotional wellbeing. Stress is one area that seems to play a significant role in the lives of young people. How much stress are schools and the education system applying to young people? Homework seems to be one area that education has continued to push, yet there is little scientific evidence that homework actually improves academic achievement. In the majority of OECD countries, levels of homework have steadily dropped, or at least students are reporting that they do less.


How responsible are schools for the physical, emotional and mental stability of students? There is certainly a responsibility on the school to protect students while in their care, but boundaries are becoming greyer. The recent tragedy in Inglewood where a child was killed while on her way home from school highlights a grey area - who was responsible for the care of the child?

From the OECD report on current trends:
OECD (2016)

Educational institutions must continue to evaluate their role and purpose with regard to changing trends. The one of family structure and family expectations is one that schools will be required to continually address. Schools must maintain a high moral standard and not be swayed by the culture around them, while still remaining open to all. This might mean standing for the Catholic view of marriage while accepting families who do not.


References:

Glatz, C (2017, September 3) Pope says marriage can only be between a man and a woman and ‘we cannot change it’ Catholic Herald. Retrieved from: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/

 OECD. (2016) Trends Shaping Education 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/trends_edu-2016-en (this publication can be read online by following its DOI’s hyperlink)

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