My new book, The Catechist’s Toolbox, is now available to order from Loyola Press! I just received my own copies of the book and I’m really excited about it! Here’s another little peek inside:
Skills, Tips, and Practical Advice for Preparing the Learning Environment
If you were having people over for dinner, you would no doubt prepare the environment to heighten the enjoyment and express a mood of celebration and hospitality. When we teach, we are hosting a “meal” for our participants. We are bringing them nourishment for the spirit and soul. Therefore, we need to take the necessary steps to “set the table.”
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Make a Clean, Neat Space—A job seems twice as overwhelming if it is surrounded by a mess. The same is true of teaching. It is imperative that you and the participants are entering a learning space that is clean, neat, and in order. You want your participants to know that the “food” you will be serving is of the highest quality. If participants see a mess upon entering a room, they will be more than happy to add to it. Likewise, a messy learning space is conducive to messy behavior (i.e., poor discipline). Be sure to arrive early to clean up whatever mess was left from the previous group that used the room.
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Provide a Welcoming Seating Arrangement—Do you recall that when Jesus fed the five thousand, he arranged them into groups of fifty and a hundred? Arranging your “crowd” is crucial to your lesson as well. If at all possible, arrange the desks in a circle or semicircle or some other arrangement that encourages interaction and is also conducive to prayer. Your goal should be to create an arrangement that keeps order but also communicates a sense of welcome, comfort, and community. It should encourage participation while removing intimidation and rigidity.
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Provide Name Tags—Calling your participants by name is a way of honoring them and letting them know that you really are interested in them. It is also a way of keeping order in your room. If a participant is misbehaving, it helps to be able to call them by name rather than saying “Hey, you!” In baptism, we were each given a name that is inscribed in heaven. Jesus calls us each by name. We should do no less for our participants. Providing name tags, especially for the first few meetings, is an effective strategy.
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Create a Prayer Center—What is the central focus of your learning environment? Is it a desk or a podium? The chalkboard? In a catechetical setting, it is imperative that the central focus of your space be Jesus. You can do this through the prominent placing of a Bible, a candle, and/or a bowl of holy water and a crucifix. If you truly are encouraging your participants to make Jesus the center of their lives, begin by making Jesus the center of your learning space.
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Display Posters, Pictures, and Sacred Objects—We live in a very visual age. By the time participants reach your learning space, they have been conditioned to receive more information visually than orally. Take advantage of this fact by putting up posters and religious images that can reinforce your lesson. Pictures and posters of Scripture stories and the saints can make for an effective addition to your lesson. Sacred objects and images can also add to the message you are teaching. Likewise, photos of your participants in action can show just how much importance you really place on them. If you’re sharing the space with another group, you can easily create a portable display panel (using a trifold display board) that you can carry in and out for your lesson and use as a focal point.
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Utilize the Chalkboard, Easel, Wipe-Off Board, and Overhead Projector—Arrive early and write key phrases, directions, or names and definitions on the board, easel, or overhead. This way, when your lesson begins, you can refer to these images without turning your back on your participants to write. This gives the participants the strong message that you are prepared and that there is work to be done. For those more technologically advanced, “SMART Boards” connected to a notebook computer are also available, as are LCD projectors for doing a PowerPoint presentation.
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Organize a Supply Station—After Jesus fed the five thousand, he instructed the disciples to gather all the leftovers into baskets. Jesus knew that the key to making the most of resources was to be organized. Be sure to have a supply station to keep all supplies—such as handouts, textbooks, pencils, crayons, glue, and scissors—well organized and at your fingertips. Whether it is a table, a desk, a shelf, a cabinet, or a crate, you need to have your supplies organized. By doing so, when they are needed for your lesson, you do not need to interrupt the proceedings to go in search of them. Again, if you are sharing your learning space with others, a portable supply station can do the trick.
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Use Technology—Jesus didn’t use VCRs or CD/DVD players. He did however use the medium of his time—he taught using parables. We, too, must take advantage of the medium of our time. The proper use of technology can enhance a lesson greatly. You do not have to be a technical genius to handle this equipment either. If you are showing a video or DVD, or playing a tape or CD, be sure you’ve got it set to start at the right place.
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Straighten Up before Leaving—As your session is coming to an end, have the participants straighten the room. They should be responsible for: gathering up materials and textbooks; repositioning tables, chairs, and desks; and displaying their work on bulletin boards or posters. By displaying their work, they are able to see the progress they are making. Like a decorator standing back to see how nice the wallpapering is coming along, you and your participants also need to stand back and admire what can be done with God-given talents
As a catechist, I have often participated in the Chicago Catechetical Conference. Naturally, when I hear of such a conference, I can safely assume that it is sponsored by a Church agency in Chicago which of course it is (the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry).
Likewise, when I attend the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, I can safely assume that it is sponsored by a national catechetical organization which of course it is: NCCL.
So imagine my surprise when I attended the “National Catholic Bible Conference” held at Dominican University in River Forest (a Chicago suburb) on Friday only to find out that it was a showcase for one publisher (really one guy) to showcase his Bible program!
I think that’s very presumptuous to use a title like that to attract people by giving an air of Church authority to an event that it does not have or deserve that authority. When I go to a conference, I want to hear a variety of experts enlighten me about various topics. If I want to go to a publisher’s showcase, I’ll go to a publisher’s showcase.
It just goes to show, fellow catechists, that when something is labeled “Catholic” (events, websites, Bibles) we can’t always assume that it is sponsored by an agency of the Catholic Church but is often someone’s personal agenda or a sales tactic.
p.s. In a future post, I’ll tell you more about the product being pushed at this so-called conference. It’s attracting attention but it has its problems.
So while I was on vacation, the Pope issued his “long awaited” document allowing for the return of the Latin Mass.
Some people have fond memories of the Latin Mass. I’m not one of them. Of course I was only 7 years old when the Mass changed to English but I have definite memories of the Latin Mass at the parish where I grew up. My most vivid memory is how, when we’d get home from Mass, we (my siblings and I) would imitate the priests who mumbled and babbled the Latin so rapidly that it sounded comical to us. The Mass was often done in 30 minutes or less. I recognize that in some places, the Latin Mass was done beautifully with great reverence, however, it was not the Latin that created the reverence, it was the style in which the liturgy was celebrated.
The Vatican II Mass, when celebrated with the proper reverence is a beautiful experience. I have also been to far-too-many English Masses that have been done in a perfunctory manner with no sense of the sacred (or with a priest who wants to entertain). However, saying the Mass in a different language will not magically restore the sense of the sacred. It call comes down to the reverence with which the priest, the liturgical ministers, and the assembly approach the Eucharistic liturgy.
Reverence, after all, is a Gift of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was the fact that people of ALL languages heard and understood the proclamation of the Gospel!
As catechists, we have the opportunity to instill a sense of reverence in those we teach. Each time we pray, we should create a sense of the sacred and encourage an attitude of reverence in those we teach. Most especially, when we take our participants to the Church for a Mass or other liturgical celebration, we should be sure to talk about what reverence “looks like” in concrete terms. Our hope is that, by practicing reverence in Church, we will recognize God’s presence there and come to recognize his presence everywhere, practicing reverence in our daily lives as well.
Author Mary Morrell writes:
Letting the land lay fallow is a biblical teaching and commandment of God to the Israelites to let their lands rest every seventh year as a reminder that the land belongs to God and that God’s people must trust in God’s providence. Just as the land needs to be worked and planted the land also needs to lay fallow. This seventh year is a Sabbath year, a year of rest as the seventh day is a Sabbath day, a day of rest in the Lord, mindful always that we belong to God not to the material world in which we work and play.When we become overly engaged in the “too much” of our life and culture there often comes a time when our minds and bodies seem to rebel and we sense our “fruitfulness” ebbing away. We are unable to produce and often feel a great desire to be alone. These experiences are sometimes hard to understand and we may berate ourselves for losing our momentum and enthusiasm, for failing to meet our responsibilities as employee or family member. But God’s wisdom is greater than ours as God’s love for us is certainly greater than our love for ourselves.
So it seems, God, who has already commanded us to keep holy the Sabbath day, sometimes “encourages” us into a longer period of fallowness, so we can rest and regain our strength and hopefully, in the process, be reminded that we belong to God.
With those thoughts, I begin vacation during which time I will allow my brain to lay fallow meaning no posts on my blog until I return to work on July 12! (I will post your comments during that time so keep sending them!)
Peace! -joe
When asked to become a catechist, many people hesitate. “Me? A Catechist?” That hesitation is based on many things. Below are some common reasons that people hesitate to become a catechist. What I really wanted to do is write a response to each reason but I’m in a bit of a time crunch to get a lot of work done before I begin vacation tomorrow, SO, I’m hoping that y’all can pitch in and send comments that respond to these hesitations. While on vacation, I won’t be adding any of my own posts but I will post comments sent in. Likewise, if you’re considering becoming a catechist but are experiencing some hesitation, send in your comments…especially if you have a reason that I’ve not included.
“I’m hesitant to become a catechist because…”
- I don’t know if I can handle a group of kids
- I’m not sure that I have anything to share
- I’m not sure that I know just what the Church teaches
- I’m afraid I’ll say something wrong
- I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer kids’ questions
- I’m not that holy…I’m just a regular person
- I don’t know if I have the time
- I don’t have any formal training to teach
- I don’t know if kids will like me
- I’ve never taught before
These are just some reasons. Are there others? How would you respond to any of the above?
