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Testimony of a teacher in a Jesuit school in Belgium 

Virginie Huys, a teacher at Saint-François Xavier School in Verviers (Belgium) tells us about her joy to “live a mutually constructive and enriching relationship with the students” and about the challenges, in a neighborhood with a strong social, cultural and religious diversity. 

Differences that unite us  

Who are the pupils in the Saint-François-Xavier School?  

There is a great cultural, religious and social diversity among the pupils coming from the city centre (Chechen, Russian and Syrian immigration), while the pupils who live on the outskirts come from more affluent backgrounds.  

What are the hopes and challenges of the young people?  

The major need that students express – and which underlines a fundamental value – concerns social ties. They want to meet, to find activities that give meaning to schooling – retreats, annual gospel show, class outings. 

What are the challenges for the school?  

With the diversity of social backgrounds, cultures and religions, the main challenge is to build and celebrate a way of living together where differences are not what divides us but what unites us – our humanity. This requires building a climate of listening and respect. For example, during religion course, when everyone can express the pillars of their religion and their way of living them, there is a lot of interaction. Free speech also allows us to discover that students are full of resources and positively surprising. 

Being a teacher means living a mutually constructive and enriching relationship with the students, and that gives hope. 

Virginie Huys, teacher at Saint-François Xavier College in Verviers (Belgium) 

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