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FLASH

Salesian Youth Ministry Animation

Number 8. January 2025

Reflections for educational

institutions in relation

to laws on gender identity

and gender expression

Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende

Youth Ministry General Councilor

YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR

Salesiani di don Bosco SEDE CENTRALE SALESIANA

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Reflections for educational

institutions in relation to laws

on gender identity and gender

expression

Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende

Youth Ministry General Councilor

The laws on gender identity which are passed

in some countries influence many areas of

social life and therefore have many important

implications in the field of education. These

pages aim to offer some food for thought and

some useful guidelines.

1 Alphabet of diversity

[a] In Catholic educational centers (School,

Vocational Training Centre and the Salesian

presence in Higher Education) there is a grow-

ing interest in the approach, accompaniment

and guidance of the sexual-affective educa-

tion of students, particularly regarding sex-

ual diversity. Educational centers, as privi-

leged spaces of socialization, have a key role

to play in the affective and sexual education

of students at all stages of development in a

context in which, on the one hand, diversi-

ty is increasingly visible and sexual minorities

are increasingly valued, but in which diversi-

ty continues to be a cause of stigmatization

and violence in our classrooms and educa-

tional communities.

The impression shared by the majority of

the educational world is that “diversity” is a

broad concept that includes: diversity of gen-

der, age, learning styles/differences/difficul-

ties, ethical and cultural minorities, risk groups,

physical/psychic/sensory disabilities, etc. In

many cases, it falls into the category of spe-

cial educational needs. However, a certain ‘ecol-

ogy of language’ has been followed: there has

been a shift from the language of ‘disorder’

and ‘deficits’ to that of ‘attention to diversi-

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Reflections for educational institutions

in relation to laws on gender identity and gender expression

ty’. All possible categories respond to the prin-

ciple: every person must be considered accord-

ing to his or her characteristics

In the case of sexual diversity, it is an emerg-

ing and new reality, and as a result it is thought

best to ‘leave the subject alone’ or only address

it when it becomes urgent or indispensable.

On the contrary, sexual diversity has always

existed, but the message of a few decades

ago was clear, even though not formally stat-

ed: diversity is not to be discussed.

Undoubtedly, this is a delicate and complex

issue, in which accepting and respecting peo-

ple must be present. In the exhortation ‘Amo-

ris laetitia’, Pope Francis emphasizes that

“every person, regardless of sexual orienta-

tion, ought to be respected in his or her dig-

nity and treated with consideration, while

‘every sign of unjust discrimination’ is to be

carefully avoided, particularly any form of

aggression and violence” (no. 250). In this

sense, the educational and pastoral response

of our Salesian centers has been guided by

the principle of respect and acceptance put

forth by the Holy Father, by treating each

young person with the personalized atten-

tion they require.

[b] Many of today’s education laws empha-

size the recognition of sexual-affective diver-

sity and include the promotion of the actual

equality between women and men, sexual-af-

fective education and the prevention of gen-

der-based violence among the various goals

of education. And we are legally obliged to

do so. Actions promoting a culture of respect

and the fight against discrimination, whatev-

er its cause, are a laudable goal, desired by

all, and it suggests the existence of injustice.

Pupils belonging to sexual minorities often

undergo victimization at school, including

discriminatory language, insults, bullying and

even abuse by the school staff. Moreover, let

us not forget that in many countries most

hate crimes are motivated by sexual orienta-

tion or gender identity, rather than other per-

sonal characteristics such as ethnic minority

or disability.

Indeed, inclusion’ is sometimes perceived

exclusively as a process referring to disabili-

ty and, more generally, to special education-

al needs, with a certain focus on intercultur-

al-sociocultural and linguistic disadvantages.

On the other hand, gender is often linked

to the words ‘crisis’ and ‘ideology’. Not all

approaches to gender are ideological. The

so-called gender approach is one thing and

gender ideology is another, as we will see

below. However, some legislation address-

es the postulates of so-called gender ideolo-

gy through legislative instruments. Accord-

ing to this perspective, the alleged differ-

ence between men and women and the

traditional gender system are exclusively a

product of culture, they are the result of a

‘social construction’1 . Therefore, it has also

been proposed to expand the number of

genders and to give rise to several possible

sexual identities, chosen at will and modifi-

able at various stages of life. Biological sex

thus becomes irrelevant, liquid, temporary,

fluid and thus subject to change by self-de-

termination several times throughout life.

As a result, laws establish certain measures

which, beyond the fight against discrimina-

tion or harassment, seek to make this ideol-

ogy compulsory for all educational centers,

which is particularly serious when it concerns

school-age children. At times they legislate

aspects that concern the school curriculum;

at other times, the content of the teaching

material - informative, educational and for-

mative - used in the education of pupils,

1 Following Michel Foucault’s analysis in his History of

Sexuality (2005), which defines sexuality in terms of a

‘social construction’, and in accordance with the so-called

Queer theory, formulated by Judith Butler, Eve Kosofsky

Sedgwick and other feminist gender scholars, “biological

sex must be replaced by gender, which is cultural”.

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FLASH • January 2025 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

regardless of the form and medium in which

it is presented; still others, ordinary life, such

as the consideration of all pupils’ requests as

a compulsory criterion for the center (for

example, access to toilets and changing rooms

at the pupils’ discretion).

[c] For the teaching profession, having to

deal with the affective and sexual education

of children and adolescents in the classroom

is a complex issue. Since affectivity and sex-

uality are things that involve us as people,

with our beliefs, values, experiences and rep-

resentations in these areas, it is not easy today.

Added to this are generational differences,

the tensions and pressures of the environ-

ment and the lack of specific training for teach-

ers in order to deal with this task. There are

three factors that inhibit teachers’ action: the

absence of school-approved guidelines, fear

of parental disapproval and inexperience.

Silence on the part of teachers and school

administrators is one of the most important

risk factors, as it facilitates the opposition

between the strongest and the weakest, mak-

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Reflections for educational institutions

in relation to laws on gender identity and gender expression

ing the homosexual pupil (or perceived as

such) even more fragile and alone. Therefore,

there is no room for silence as a response to

the expressed or implicit needs of our ado-

lescents and young people.

On the other hand, we witness experienc-

es related to sexuality that, regardless of sen-

sitivities and prejudices, raise important ques-

tions, because we see girls and boys, even at

an early age, putting their safety, dignity, and

physical and emotional health at risk. The

increase in the use of pornography is one of

these experiences.

[d] Without going into further consider-

ations, what is evident is the antagonism of

the anthropological concept embedded in

some legislation in relation to Christian

anthropology. This aspect is particularly of

great importance for education in our schools

and touches on very important issues con-

cerning the concept of the person that is to

be conveyed, touching on - and at times clash-

ing head-on with - the anthropological assump-

tions of a Christian vision of the person.

In the Christian anthropological perspec-

tive, affective-sexual education must consid-

er the whole person (personalistic approach)

and, therefore, have as its educational objec-

tive the integration of biological, psycho-af-

fective, social and spiritual elements. A true

education cannot be limited to informing the

intellect but must pay particular attention to

the education of the will, feelings and emo-

tions, because in order to reach full human

maturity, self-control is indispensable, which

presupposes the acquisition of virtues such

as modesty, temperance, respect for oneself

and others, and openness to others.

What are we to think of these legal provi-

sions that contain prescriptive rules of action

for schools in the event that a pupil raises a

particular issue relating to his or her ‘gender

identity’?

The most relevant matters that directly

affect schools will be presented below. We

do not intend to exhaust the reflection on

these issues. Our intention is to deepen the

knowledge of these issues and their impli-

cations, with the help of trusted profession-

als from different disciplines and in line with

the teaching of the Church, in order to be

able to offer criteria in line with our Salesian

identity.

2 Clarification on terms

[a] This point concerns the use of words and

their effects in the various contexts of life.

Words can be windows or walls. We are deal-

ing with key words related to sexual differ-

ence and their declinations. We do not always

master them. We need to understand them

well in order to free them from the misun-

derstanding, powerlessness or censorship

that silences them.

To guide us in this semantic and concep-

tual nebula of gender, it is useful to recall the

main categories:

• The first category, relating to the phys-

ical dimension of the body, is biological

sex, which is given by genetic, somatic and

cerebral components.

• Another category, relating to the psychic

dimension, is gender identity, which refers

to the individual’s perception of them-

selves, in accordance or not with their

biological sex. This category, which indi-

cates the psychic feeling of one’s own sex-

ual being, is most immediately referred to

by the term gender. Based on the belief

that it is the result of multiple factors,

most studies closely correlate neurobio-

logical and psychological aspects, which

go hand in hand with the formation of

personal identity, i.e. the gender catego-

ry arises from the need to clarify the tan-

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FLASH • January 2025 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

gle of meanings and biopsychosocial pro-

cesses that take place in human develop-

ment. Sexuality has thus become a field of

greater complexity and, therefore, gender

studies compel us to abandon an oversim-

plified vision of sexuality.

• Linked to psychological gender identi-

ty are the categories of sexual orientation

(according to the emotional, affective and/

or sexual attraction felt for other people)

and sexual behavior, which refers to the

ways in which it is realized.

• An additional category, referring to the

socio-cultural dimension, is gender expres-

sion or gender role, which indicates the sex-

ual behavior that a society expects and fos-

ters in a subject.

[b] The Catholic Church’s position on the

gender issue can be traced by taking into

account pontifical declarations at the mag-

isterial level and the various trends within

the ecclesial community. Thus, in the face

of the assumption of the term gender in inter-

national and local political documents, the

Church accepts its use, but on condition that

it is linked to the biological difference of sex,

which does not dissolve all specificity and

complementarity between men and wom-

en. Rather than its impossible acceptance,

the critical reservation of the term is empha-

sized.

Indeed, the papal magisterium considers

the ideological drift of the concept of gender

and its anthropological incompatibility with

the Christian vision of the human person.

“When we move from the sex-gender distinc-

tion to dissociation, we enter into ideology”

(Bishops’ Conference of France, 2014). Thus,

ideology begins if one claims that sexual iden-

tity is ‘entirely socially constructed’, or that it

is ‘entirely determined by nature’ (we would

be making the same mistake if we considered

genitality or biology to be the final word in

this process of a person’s identity).

Our intention is to read human sexuality

not on an exclusively biological but on an

anthropological level, from a perspective

that goes beyond understanding only the

physiological mechanisms, the anatomy or

the mechanical functioning of the sexual

organs.

The category ‘gender’ is an essential comple-

ment to the variable ‘sex’ that makes it possi-

ble, without falling into deterministic issues,

to analyse the complex interactions that take

place between biological factors and those

that, from birth, take place in the psychoso-

cial context.

It is true that people can be subject to ideo-

logical influences that condition the exercise

of freedom. However, we cannot ignore the

fact that various sciences (medical, psycho-

logical and psychiatric) point to the existence,

in some people, of discrepancies between

biological and experienced sex. The accounts

of these people should be compared with the

knowledge of these scientific disciplines, with-

out immediately suspecting ideology.

Regarding the postulates of gender ideol-

ogy, it is worth recalling the words of the Pope:

“It needs to be emphasized that “biological

sex (sex) and the socio-cultural role of sex

(gender) can be distinguished but not sepa-

rated.... It is one thing to be understanding

of human weakness and the complexities of

life, and another to accept ideologies that

attempt to sunder what are inseparable

aspects of reality. Let us not fall into the sin

of trying to replace the Creator. We are crea-

tures, and not omnipotent. Creation is prior

to us and must be received as a gift. At the

same time, we are called to protect our human-

ity, and this means, in the first place, accept-

ing it and respecting it as it was created”’ (Amo-

ris Laetitia, 56).

In short, two attitudes can be observed: a

decisive condemnation of ‘gender ideology’ (bio-

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Reflections for educational institutions

in relation to laws on gender identity and gender expression

logical sex is a socio-cultural construct) and

a critical acceptance of the gender perspective

- both of which can be found in Church pro-

nouncements, albeit with varying degrees of

emphasis.

3 Seven practical

reflections in our centers

The integration of sexual-affective diversi-

ty in an educational establishment has to do

with certain criteria for reflection and channels

for intervention:

[1] In sexual-affective education, as in all

education, the axiom of the ‘impossibility of

non-communication’ is realized. Not address-

ing an issue already implies sending a mes-

sage on how to position oneself in the face

of this reality. That is why sexual-affective

education and, specifically, the approach to

sexual diversity in education may be con-

scious or unconscious, voluntary or invol-

untary, invisible or open, but failing to edu-

cate is impossible.

On the other hand, the Salesian school, as

part of its vocation for the integral education

of its pupils, takes up the challenge of sexu-

al-affective education in response to the iden-

tity guidelines of Catholic schools: “They must

be given, as they advance in years, a positive

and prudent sex education”, with the aid of

the latest advances in psychology and the arts

and science of teaching”2.

[2] In any case, it is a question of going about

things with moderation and common sense,

with the educational spirit that should distin-

guish us, without responding to the intent of

certain organizations or social sectors to cause

2 Vatican II. Gravissimum educationis on Christian educa-

tion. 28 October 1965, n. 1; cf. Congregation for Catholic

Education. The identity of the Catholic School for a culture

of dialogue. Vatican City, 25 January 2022.

extremism to achieve their own ends. Today

we are living in a conflict of paradigms, we

are going through a period of research and

uncertainties even in terms of sexuality; in

this sense, it is necessary to distinguish leg-

islative texts from the intentions behind them

(at times a sexuality without ethics or codes).

We must not forget that the priority must

always be to protect and reduce risks and harm

to minors.

It is therefore necessary to be formed with

a clear and elaborate conceptualization of

each topic. The ‘gender’ category itself encom-

passes great ambiguity and confusion. We

need tools and models to respond effective-

ly to educational situations involving a com-

ponent of sexual diversity. We also need “an

adequate and serious psycho-pedagogical

preparation to enable us to grasp special sit-

uations that require special attention”3. Please

refer to the book: Antonella Sinagoga and

Miguel Ángel García Morcuende, A youth min-

istry that educates to love, CCS, Madrid 2022.

The message of the Gospel must be the

basis of our discussion; the appeals to approach

people while taking into account their needs

and condition, starting with the value of each

person, must occupy an important place. Our

aim is also the right and the obligation to offer

and present students with a Christian vision

of the sexual-affective dimension and to make

ourselves heard.

We have the right to have our own center’s

mission statement and act in accordance with

it. For this reason, a pedagogical vision and a

way of thinking that opposes it cannot be

imposed on schools by law; this is an import-

ant issue.

[3] In order for pupils to achieve the full

development of their personalities, it is nec-

3 Congregation for Catholic Education. Educational guide-

lines for human love, Rome, 1 November 1983, n. 81.

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FLASH • January 2025 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

essary to include in their education those

aspects related to sexual-affective education

that may help them in their maturing pro-

cess, in complete harmony with the Center’s

Educational Project and with respect for the

pupils’ personal rights and freedoms. For

this reason, it is important, and not only

because of these laws, that schools have a

sexual-affective education program adapt-

ed to the different ages of the pupils. Senti-

mental and affective illiteracy is one of the

main factors responsible for inner discom-

fort, dependency, psychological loneliness

and the inability to fully and safely emanci-

pate oneself.

These programs must guarantee three fun-

damental elements:

• An affective education that helps to out-

line and discern various emotional states, in

order to be able to engage in them without

fear, knowing how to distinguish passing

emotions and impulses from our deepest

desires. And, starting from these, to struc-

ture one’s identity and options.

• The experience of corporeality and spir-

ituality, as indispensable requirements

that interact with intellectual training,

so that all of us (children, adolescents

and adults) assume a progressive knowl-

edge of our own biological rhythms, in

the discovery of the beauty and harmo-

ny of a body made for communication

and relationship.

• An integral formation that announces and

proposes happiness as a horizon of mean-

ing in life, a happiness that is built progres-

sively, listening to one’s conscience and

based on bonds of love, tenderness and

respect. And in this context, an anthropo-

logical vision of human sexuality, complex

and articulated, combined with an educa-

tion in human love.

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Reflections for educational institutions

in relation to laws on gender identity and gender expression

It is called ‘integral’ because it is not lim-

ited only to providing information on the

biological aspects of sexuality but covers all

the dimensions of the human being: physi-

cal or biological (genitals, chromosomes,

hygiene, physical activity), social (how we

relate to others), psychological (feelings,

emotions, affections and intellect) and spir-

itual (transcendence, values or life plan). For

this reason, in some countries a broader con-

cept of global sex education is used, which

includes affectivity and human relationships

in this same area4.

We mean an education ‘for’ and ‘in’ the per-

son of each student, which begins at the first

level of the education system, but actually

begins in the heart of the family. Because of

its personal and personalizing dimension, sex-

uality is not merely genitality; it is the value

of the person that manifests the meaning of

life and the specific way in which it is accom-

plished. Accepting that it is a dimension of

the person means extracting sexuality from

the sphere of ‘having’ in order to include it in

the order of ‘being’. It is not something that is

possessed or manipulated. Respecting sexu-

ality in its personal condition means respect-

ing the person as such.

One of the key points to note is that the

school’s response to sexual diversity is not

limited to educating or targeting minority

students, but also sexual majorities with gen-

der, sexual identity, sex roles and sex orien-

tation. Sexual education is an education of

and for all.

Teaching teams should be formed within

the same subject or in an interdisciplinary

manner, within an area or among different

4 For example, England updated its sex education pol-

icy in 2020 and the terminology used is “Relationships

Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and

Health Education”. In New Zealand, sex education plans

were also updated in 2020 and use similar terminology:

‘Relationships and Sexuality Education’”.

areas. At least one professional from the

school should be included in these teams:

educational adviser, psychologist, psy-

cho-pedagogue, guidance department per-

sonnel, etc.

However, teachers should not refer edu-

cation to diversity to ‘health specialists’,

always treating these topics as an exception

or a difficulty, if not explicitly rejecting them.

Biology is not the only ‘natural’ curricular

space for sex education. Sexuality is an object

of knowledge that can be articulated with dif-

ferent subjects and disciplines. Understand-

ing sexuality requires crossing disciplinary

boundaries and placing oneself ‘between’

the social and natural sciences, philosophy,

ethics, psychology, religious experience and

other knowledge.

In any case, although this area is addressed

in the school curriculum in a transversal way,

there is another high percentage of schools

where this training is offered specifically by exter-

nal personnel, most often by professionals

who insist on providing information on how

to use condoms and prevent sexually trans-

mitted infections and unwanted pregnancies

in adolescents. This training is reductionism,

a mere study of the anatomy and physiology

of sexuality. It does not respond to an integral

vision of the person that takes into account all

his fundamental dimensions (biological, psy-

chic, ethical and spiritual).

[4] Although it is undoubtedly a difficult

balance, the Church itself offers us a path in

its dialogue with the issue of gender in edu-

cation: listening, reasoning and proposing.

Although education in the various areas

concerning the development and matura-

tion of the person must take place in groups,

the individual accompaniment must be estab-

lished in a comprehensive manner. Schools

should address situations related to gender

identity experienced by students, which

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FLASH • January 2025 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

require specific attention and accompani-

ment from a perspective that focuses on the

individual.

Since these cases are matters that touch

the most intimate core of one’s personality,

they require careful and prudent handling,

always to the benefit of the minor, in partic-

ular starting from our principles and values

contained in the Center’s Educational Proj-

ect, always taking into account the decisions

made by the parents or legal representatives

of the minors.

With regard to students whose gender iden-

tity is different from their biological sex, in

scientific terms this is not considered a dis-

order or disease. However, there are people

for whom this difference between their bio-

logical sex and their identity creates signifi-

cant discomfort. It is essential to convey in our

schools a message of support and full respect

for each person, in the awareness of their indi-

viduality. As educators, it is a question of

accompanying and facilitating the lives of all

pupils, especially those who find themselves

in a complex life situation and are experiencing

a painful situation (in the form of anxiety,

depression, irritability...) which, at times, may

also be due to their lack of integration, so it

is essential to interpret the moment they are

experiencing in an appropriate manner.

They need time and a trusting environment

to grow. It is therefore important to create a

friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all

pupils who may feel ‘different’ or have prob-

lems defining their personal identity, a place

that facilitates patient and understanding lis-

tening, free of moral judgement, but secure

in its criteria. Likewise, the privacy of students

who wish to keep their condition hidden must

be respected and protected.

In the circumstance of a particular case con-

cerning a pupil’s gender identity, with the

consent and cooperation of the family or legal

guardian, who must be informed of the facts

observed, and while respecting the pupil’s

privacy, an action plan must be drawn up to

respond to the pupil’s needs in an appropri-

ate manner. The school must guarantee psy-

cho-pedagogical support.

[5] The school must guarantee a good

atmosphere of coexistence between the pupils

and the educational community in general,

both inside and outside the school. Activities

must be planned with the aim of fostering a

good environment of coexistence within the

school.

To this end, it must promote values such

as respect, equality between men and women

and non-discrimination, regardless of the rea-

son (disability, gender, sexual orientation,

race, origin, ideology, religious belief or any

other personal situation); it must work on

inclusion and take specific measures to pre-

vent and, where appropriate, resolve any

behavior contrary to the dignity of persons,

such as situations of violence, discrimination,

harassment or toxic relationships.

The pupil not only comes into contact with

the subject-specific contents established by

the school curriculum, but they also encoun-

ter a kind of ‘implicit’ or ‘hidden’ curriculum

made up of the set of messages conveyed by

the teaching, the use of space, verbal and

non-verbal communication and the attitudes

that teachers determine in the educational

relationship.

Our goal is to permeate the institution in

all its layers, so that explicit and hidden cur-

ricula may be identified in the commitment

that all students can feel respected, regardless

of their sex, gender identity, gender role

expression or sexual orientation. Therefore,

all activities (curricular, pastoral, organization-

al, etc.), must form a protective (zero toler-

ance) and violence prevention framework,

creating spaces that are free from bullying or

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Reflections for educational institutions

in relation to laws on gender identity and gender expression

harassment for any reason. Quick and firm

responses of disapproval by teachers against

bullying are required.

[6] Teachers and educational staff play an

important role in creating a positive and safe

school environment; they have a great respon-

sibility to intervene promptly so that discrim-

inatory attitudes and behavior towards stu-

dents’ sexual orientation and identity do not

become chronic.

The school’s first response to sexual diver-

sity is to create safe environments against

all types of violence by developing effective

response protocols to identify and respond

when such violence occurs. Schools have

the duty to play an active role, which implies

not minimizing, nor normalizing, but investi-

gating and sanctioning acts of violence, abuse

and harassment that occur against other peo-

ple, even when they are attributed to their

sexual diversity. In other words, if situations

of bullying or insults, rumors, mockery,

derogatory statements, vulgar epithets and

physical assaults arising from a student’s

sexual orientation occur, it is necessary to

act with determination and diligence in order

to prevent them, applying the educational,

legal and communication measures laid down

in the school’s coexistence plans and pro-

tocols.

Unlike the option of solving these problems

privately and in a hidden way, the communi-

ty approach to violence is also an opportuni-

ty to educate and prevent future incidents.

Emergencies and critical episodes often

overwhelm us; therefore, all actions must be

well thought out, avoiding hasty responses

and undesirable repercussions on the Edu-

cational-Pastoral Community, taking into

account the specific circumstances of each

case and collaborating with the parents, both

of the pupil concerned and of parents as a

whole. For example, with regard to the use

of school facilities, in particular toilets and

changing rooms, the most appropriate alter-

natives must be sought, according to the

school’s configuration and facilities, so that

the pupil’s situation is taken into account with

due respect, without infringing the rights and

interests of the other pupils.

[7] It would be desirable for parents to be

informed about the content of these rules

by qualified and reliable people, who could

also come from the school itself. This should

always be done in a calm and balanced man-

ner and, of course, with the Salesian school

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2.2 Page 12

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FLASH • January 2025 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana

concept in mind. Likewise, it is important to

train teachers and create interdisciplinary

teams with them.

Parents should also be aware of the school’s

programs to promote understanding and

accompaniment in the affective maturation

of children and adolescents, helping them to

shape their sexuality and preparing them for

positive interpersonal relationships.

Finally, there are different types of families

with whom leaders will have to learn to com-

municate and collaborate, starting with the

desire to achieve this constructive encoun-

ter: the majority of families, angry families,

wounded families and diverse families.

• The majority of families know the school

their children attend and are they grate-

ful for the guidance and support that the

school can offer in a task that is import-

ant to them, but which at times is beyond

their capabilities; our challenge with them

will be to engage them.

• Diverse families need to know that their

diversity will not be a disadvantage for

their children at school; that being the chil-

dren of divorcees, single parents or homo-

sexuals will not be a source of rejection

or exclusion for their children: our chal-

lenge with them will be to show respect

and acceptance.

• Wounded families may be those who dis-

cover the diversity of their children and are

sometimes full of fear, doubt and pain; our

task will be to accompany them on their

path to acceptance.

• Angry families think we are confusing,

imposing or conditioning their children:

our work with them will be to inform them

and invite them to participate in the edu-

cational task from their perspective.

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