St. John Baptist de la Salle

St. John Baptist de la Salle was born in 1651 in Rheims, France. The first child in a noble family of 10 children, he studied in Paris and was ordained in 1678. He founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Christian Brothers) in 1681 to establish academic education for boys. St. John Baptist de la Salle also established teacher colleges and started high school sand trade schools. He was one of the first to emphasize classroom teaching. St. John Baptist de la Salle is patron saint of educators.