VANCOUVER—Compassion is dangerous, according to psychologist and educator Robert Wicks.
“The seeds of compassion and the seeds of burnout are the same seeds,” he told 1,360 teachers, principals, and support staff at the Catholic Educators’ Conference.
“The very reason you came into Catholic education is the reason you’re in danger.”
Wicks, a keynote speaker at the conference, has counselled doctors, nurses, relief workers, and educators how to stay sane while serving others.
He warned against becoming too involved with the emotions and expectations of others, but also told B.C. teachers not to be callous.
“One of the greatest things that we can share with others is a sense of our own peace, but you can’t share what you don’t have,” he said.
“It’s not the amount of darkness in Canada, B.C., your school, that matters. It’s how you stand in that darkness.”
The source of that peace and the “portal to perspective” is prayer. Wicks suggested Catholic teachers take a moment of silence to pray and reflect on highs and lows.
“Consider taking two minutes a day in silence, solitude, and wrapped in gratitude with God,” he said. “The space you sat in with Jesus: it does make a difference.”
Wicks, a retired professor at Loyola University Maryland, has written more than 50 books and given presentations all over the world to people in danger of developing secondary stress by serving in difficult situations.
The 36th annual Catholic Educators’ Conference, Feb. 12-13, also had presentations by other experts, including Dean Shareski from Discovery Education Canada and Jake and Heather Khym from Life Restoration.
Education Minister Peter Fassbender also gave a short address. “The greatest gift we can have is to give of ourselves to others,” he said. “I know, as educators, you are doing that. You are not just giving facts and figures and preparing for tests.”
The two-day event closed after Mass said by Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, and an awards ceremony for educators celebrating significant teaching anniversaries.
Several teachers received certificates and pins for 25 years in the Catholic education system, while Alan Charlton received a gold ring for 50 years of teaching at Notre Dame Regional Secondary School.
He is the first teacher to be recognized for serving the school system for half a century, said associate superintendent Sandra Marshall.
She said the conference, held annually at the Vancouver Convention Centre, “goes beyond professional development” and aims to build teachers up spiritually.
For Maureen Parker, a Sacred Heart School teacher, a conference highlight was meeting other teachers.
“Networking is really important because you get to talk to people who are teaching the same age group and maybe have the same challenges,” she said during a break.
Michelle Rapier, a French teacher at Vancouver College, agreed. “It’s that feeling of larger community. I find that really valuable, seeing everybody else in the system, bringing them together, and to see that we’re not just our own little individual school.”
