|
|
|
Were our Hearts Not Burning? (Lk 24:32) Reply to a question Q: This is my first year teaching CCD and my class is made up of 7th and 8th grade students. The advice I need is where to begin [...].
A: N. in Christ, I'm glad to hear of your great zeal to teach the Church's youth the things that are necessary for their salvation. Your reward will be great in heaven. I'm also glad to hear you have a faithful priest. The most effective solution to the vocations crisis is right there: a faithful priest. God works in invisible ways through priests who stay united to the vine. He will probably inspire young men to dedicate their lives to the gospel, the sacraments and to the governing of the Church. I don't even know you're kids, and I'm sure I agree that they are great kids with the best intentions. But just because they're hungry doesn't mean their being fed. I mean just because they long to know the truth and to do what is right does not automatically mean they have had great help along the way. The priests, religious, catechists and parents along the way, who have neglected to educate their children in the matters of the faith, have much to answer to God for. I don't mean those that try as best they can and fail. Some advice? I'll offer some, but take it as only advice, as if I were there with you brainstorming a little. Nothing can substitute the personal knowledge you have of your students. You need to know them, and have a true friendship with them - of course, not the friendship of children, nor of adults, but of a mentor and guide, with the proper distance and formality, yet lots of affection, encouragement and trust. Establishing this type of teacher-friendship is a skill that can't be taught, you have to figure it out, as each one of your students is a special case. But start there. When they like you, and they trust you, and they appreciate you, they'll be incredibly open to what you have to say. Then give them the real thing, don't water it down a bit, hit them hard with the message of the Gospel and they'll gobble it up. Especially at that age: when they get older, they'll be more jaded and scarred by sin, cynicism, and the filth that modern America pours out upon teenagers. But they're not that defensive yet, so give it to them straight. I have found that starting with points in their culture, and evaluating them in the light of the faith, is a great way to proceed. Talk about the first commandment and superstitions: rip apart one of these stupid, occult, Satanic vampire shows on TV. Discuss the evil of homosexual practice, and the intrinsic disorder therein: start with Buffy. Convince them that Eminem's filthy language, violent style of music and messianism (every album has some song about how he's like a Messiah, just follow me, I'll make you strong, etc.) are empty vanities that lead to the worst. Use the cop shows on TV to discuss the consequences of sin comparing them and distinguishing them from the consequences of crime. Stuff like that. It takes serious work: the time to study the culture, the time to figure out how to use the things you find as examples in a systematic and well organized theology-for-seventh-graders curriculum. And be logical and clear, to show that what's at stake isn't a personal vendetta against Buffy or Eminem - that turns kids off - but a simple, honest discerning of what's good and evil here. The risks are many, though, when taking this route. The course outline could be confused or lost; dealing with such sick matter, often the conversations can take a turn for the worst. Let's see, what else... Return to the "good old fashioned" discipline of memorizing. Make them memorize definitions of sacrament, of the Eucharist, of transubstantiation, of the Magisterium, of the Immaculate Conception, of grace, of sin, etc. It's not enough that they just "understand it." The course shouldn't be just that, but it shouldn't omit that either. Throw out the silly Sadlier books, and any other book that has lots of pictures of clowns and flowers. Replace them with something serious like the Ignatius Press series. Throw out bad text books with no remorse. Introduce them to mental prayer, and let the Catechism of the Catholic Church be your guide (the fourth part of the CCC is awesome). Not just by teaching it, start each class with a lesson on how to pray ("Today it will be on petition... today on thanksgiving... today on meditation... today on adoration... etc.) They're definitely old enough. Every class. Speaking of which, make sure they get VERY familiar with USING the Catechism - make them look stuff up in class, bring up a wild question and see who can find the answer first using the indices, etc. - and with USING the bible - make them look things up by book, chapter and verse, etc. The saints are good material, too. Tell lots of saints stories. If the "popular culture" method is good for pointing out evils, this method is good for pointing out good things. Tell them the romantic stories of the married saints like Elizabeth of Hungary or Margaret of Scotland. Tell them the gory stories of the martyrs, like Lawrence whom they cooked, Peter whom they crucified upside down, Maximilan Kolbe who gave his life for a Jewish man in the prison camp. Tell them about the speculative saints, like Augustine and Aquinas - don't ever fall into the fallacy of thinking these students of yours don't have massively huge and serious intellectual questions already at their tender age! Saints are the bomb, simple as that. Angels, too; the battle of Michael against Satan makes good stuff for the boys. And tell these stories after you've prayed about them, so that you can tell them like you were there. Continually ask them questions as you speak, or they tune out really quick. Hard questions, make them think, and don't let them off the hook lightly. Sounds mean, but they'll love you for respecting their intelligence, making them think, showing them how to find answers, etc. After all, we're raising them not to be kids for ever, but to transform from kids into adults. And if you can sing (I mean Catholic hymns, not Marty Haugen things or pop pieces), get these guys singing, and don't take no for an answer, using punishments and rewards as reasonable motivations. Another point: serious discipline. Give them points or holy cards when they do well, and make these things earn prizes after so many points or cards - religious goods, of course, not secular things. Tangible rewards are WAY more effective than just verbal ones, which aren't bad either. Whatever you do, put away the colored paper and glue, get the desks all facing you and not in a circle, don't light candles and put bibles out on pretty cloths, don't dress up in costumes and put the puppets away. This is serious stuff: the salvation of some of their souls are at steak. We don't form Marines to go into battle with colored paper and puppets, why do we think these are good means of formation for the spiritual warfare of Catholic life? I'm going on and on. I love kids, I love teaching, and the pitiful state of Catechesis in the USA simply hurts me. It's so bad for souls, souls deserve much better than that. I hope I got your gears moving. Don't be afraid to try new stuff, radically update your system, read good books on pedagogy (good books, not fluffy stuff; for example, try "Why Johnny can't tell Right from Wrong" by William Kilpatric, and other Humanities- or Character- based educational material). Now if YOU in turn come across something really effective, let me know, and I'll keep it in my own arsenal for future use. God bless you, and may the Holy Spirit make your apostolate fruitful for the Kingdom of God. In Christ, Fr. Paul Ward
|