From my experience as a catechist, I’ve compiled a list of the top ten things that can go wrong when teaching a class. These are not in any order. Do these resonate with your experience? What else would you add?

1. Your audiovisual equipment either didn’t show up or doesn’t work
2. You find yourself short on the amount of books, handouts, or materials needed
3. You are emotionally and/or physically run down and can’t find the energy needed to teach this lesson
4. Your students totally misunderstand the complex directions you thought you just explained, and everything is up for grabs
5. A student stumps you with a question that you have no idea how to answer—e.g.: “Did Judas go to hell?” or “Why can’t women be priests?” or “If we’re eating the Body and Blood of Jesus at communion, doesn’t that make us cannibals?”
6. The lesson, video, or text turns out to be a lemon
7. A minor discipline problem makes you lose your train of thought —e.g.: giggling, side talking, tapping a pen, a well-timed burp (or other gastrointestinal sound effects), etc.
8. An interruption (someone at the door) allows the students just the sliver of opportunity they needed to create a disruption
9. Someone (a guest speaker or student scheduled to do a presentation) doesn’t show up when they are supposed to
10. You’re done with your lesson and you still have thirty-five minutes to go!
    

“If you are going through hell, keep going.”—Sir Winston Churchill