What is Jean-Baptiste de La Salle?
'''San Juan Bautista de La Salle''' (born 30 April 1651 in [[Reims]], [[France]] – died 7 April 1719) was a [[priest]] and an educational reformer. He was the creator of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He was [[Beatification|beatified]] on 19 February 1888 and [[Canonization|canonized]] on 29 May 1900 by [[Pope Leo XIII]]. He had to take the administration of family business after his parents died, so he completed his [[Theology|theological]] studies and was ordered to the priesthood at the age of 26 on 9 April 1678. Two years later he received a [[doctorate]] in theology. De La Salle was a pioneer in programs for training lay teachers. In 1685, he founded what is generally considered the first normal school — that is, a school with the purpose of train teachers — in Rheims, France. He was a [[Pedagogy|pedagogical]] thinker of note and is among the founders of distinctively modern pedagogy. {{bio-stub}} {{DEFAULTSORT:La Salle, Jean-Baptiste De}} [[Category:1651 births]] [[Category:1719 deaths]] [[Category:French Roman Catholic priests]] [[Category:Christian saints]] [[Category:People from Reims]]