St John Baptist De La Salle

John Baptist De La Salle was born into a rich family and they were able to give John a good education. When he was old enough, he decided to become a Benedictine monk. As a monk, he soon discovered that God was calling him to work with the poor. He knew how important education was and decided to focus his work on teaching poor young boys. He started the religious community called the Brothers of the Christian School. The community grew quickly and they taught many young boys who came from poor families; boys who otherwise would not have been able to go to school and learn. John Baptist De La Salle tried new ways of helping people to learn. He was one of the first to teach children in a classroom instead of only one child at a time. His work in the schools he built really helped to lead the way children are taught in schools today. St. John Baptist De La Salle is considered the patron saint of teachers.