Here's the last of the Q & A from our Getting Started as a Catechist Webinar last Thursday, September 2, 2010.
‑Rocio
Q: how do you deal with parents who take the children to religious education out of tradition but themselves are not practicing catholics?
A:
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‑Wendy
Comment: I would suggest to Connie since I have 2 sons that are ADHD and grown, she should speak to parents and ask them how they get the child to behave first and make sure child is at front of group, so there are less distractions.
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‑Cindy
Comment: Connie - we had some children last year that had special needs. Our DRE made sure that there was an aid in the class - 8th grader who was earning service hours for confirmation. Having a 2nd person helper eases some of the interruptions, etc....
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‑Rita
Q: do you feel there is a max # of students per teacher?
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‑Renee
Q: we meet at a central place and then all come into room together. how can i get them to settle down and be ready while i am preparing to get class started?
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‑Connie
Comment: I'll give his parents a call this week and speak to the DRE further for more information and ideas. I do have an aide, but this is her first year. eek. Thanks for the ideas everyone. This was great help
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‑Sharon
Q: Would you recommend volunteering as a helper in the class for a year to see if you are suited for this role in children's religious life? Then, if you feel confident and comfortable, pursue a more active role next year?
A: That's a great way to try it out. You will be able to experience the value and perks of working with children and their faith. I think you will like it.‑
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‑Cindy
Comment: When my students come in, I have little cards that they fill out - prayer intentions and Thank you Jesus for... cards. They fill that out, put it in our bowl before we start our opening prayer!
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‑Lisa
Q: What do you think of allowing the students to write in a journal for the last few minutes of each class? I teach 4th grade so I'm not sure if that would be beneficial to 9-10 year olds.
A:
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‑Lisa
Q: How do you feel about having your own child in your class? My son really wants to be in my class next year.
A:
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Here is more Q & A from the Getting Started as a Catechist Webinar that took place last Thursday, September 2, 2010.
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‑Maria
Q: I have a very unique class in my parish (2nd year First communion preparation) consisting of children from 2nd thru 6th grade. Any suggestions on how to be a more effective Catechist reaching out to this wide range age group?
A: Maria, such a wide range of ages is indeed a challenge. Most people I talk to in such situations use the older kids to help the younger ones. First, they make sure the older ones are learning at their own level and then they invite them to help the younger ones learn at their level. This gives the older children an opportunity to have their learning reinforced by teaching and it gives the younger children some individualized attention that can go a long way.
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Connie
Q: I am being warned by my DRE that I will have a student who has ADHD and will be off his meds on the weekend; CCD is on Sunday. Any suggestions on how to handle children with ADHD?
A: Connie, hopefully your DRE is giving you more than a warning! A child with ADHD is not a threat but is a person with special needs. I know that some catechist manuals have information about working with children who have special needs. Likewise, your textbook publisher’s Web site may have some resources available. I would certainly contact your diocesan catechetical office to ask for some resources to help you meet the needs of an ADHD child. In the meantime, I suggest you visit a Web site such as the following to learn more about ADHD and how to cope with it as a teacher: http://www.childrensdisabilities.info/adhd/teaching-adhd.html Here is an article from the Loyola Press Web site about working with children with attention disorders: http://www.loyolapress.com/working-with-children-with-attention-disorders.htm
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‑Ann
Q: how to treat students with a learning disability? blind or deaf
A: Ann, I would answer this in the same way as I answered the previous question about ADHD. Check with your diocesan catechetical office for sure. Be sure to visit the Web site of the National Catholic Office for the Deaf for resources and advice: http://www.ncod.org/Resources.asp. Here’s a link to an article on the Loyola Press Web site about working with the visually impaired: http://www.loyolapress.com/strategies-for-working-with-visually-impaired-kids.htm and one about working with children with hearing impairments: http://www.loyolapress.com/working-with-children-with-hearing-impairments.htm.
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-Lisa
Comment: I teach 4th grade and find that establishing the "clase rules" together as a class on the very first day works very well!
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‑Cindy
Q: I am horrible at remembering names - it could take me until Christmas, especially only seeing them once a week. Is it silly to put name plates on their desks? I want a welcoming environment - will that deter from that? Are we expected to know immediately?
A: Cindy, I highly recommend name tents/tags/plates…whatever you can use to help. That does not deter (other than giving them another “toy” to play with!) Even so, I would work hard at memorizing their names as soon as possible.
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‑Yvonne
Q: I am switching from 7th grade to a 5/6th grade combo class. Any suggestions on the difference in ages?
A: Yvonne, take a look at my recent post about the differences in age/grade levels and getting to know the children you teach. http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2010/08/02/getting-to-know-the-age-level-you-teach
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‑Nancy
Q: I will be teaching 1st grade, and I have them for 1 hour and 15 minutes. No room to go outside and no play area. How can I keep them interested.
A: Nancy, be sure to scour your catechist manual for various suggested activities that complement the lesson and engage the kids. Visit the Activity Finder at http://www.loyolapress.com/finding-god-activity-finder.aspx to find more activities that are appropriate for 1st grade kids. Take a look at these 2 products from Loyola Press that can help you to engage kids: Crafting Faith (http://www.loyolapress.com/crafting-faith-crafts-to-help-kids-grow-in-faith.htm) and Expand the Experience Grades 1 & 2 (http://www.loyolapress.com/expand-the-experience-grades-1-and-2.htm)
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‑Norma
Q: For class rules - would you post it on sign in classroom?
A: Norma, that is certainly one effective option. Another is to have it on a handout that is taken home for the parents to see and perhaps even sign and return.
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‑Honorah
Q: Is incorparting games appropriate
A: Honorah, yes, by all means, games can be a very appropriate tool for catechesis as long as they reinforce the lesson. Games work best as either an ice-breaker to begin the class (by providing you with an idea that can be carried over into the lesson) or as a way of reviewing content to assess what kids are learning. Here’s a link to a post I did on using a Jeopardy-like game to review with 8th graders: http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2010/01/28/a-jeopardy-like-review/
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A number of people sent in some excellent questions during our Webinar last night. Here's a sampling along with my responses. You're most welcome to chime in on the discussion.
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‑Steven
Q: What are the biggest differences between teaching religion in a five day school and as a catechist once a week. For the first time in almost 30 years I am doing both at the same time.
A: Steven, the most obvious of course is the time differential: in a Catholic school, you have probably 120-160 minutes a week as compared with 60-120 in a parish RE program. That’s not to mention being in a Catholic environment all day, 5 days a week in a Catholic school. As parish RE catechists, we face a daunting challenge of initiating young people into the Catholic way of life within a very short time span. For that reason, we need to be sure that our time spent with them is quality time. Whether in a Catholic school or parish RE program, ALL of these children are OUR children and the parish seeks to initiate them all more deeply into the one Body of Christ no matter how much time we have with them. I’d love to hear what other folks have to add to this!
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‑Aaron
Q: I teach 2nd grade in the summer and 3rd grade throughout the year. Should I begin teaching the new prayers that will be used in the New Missal beginning in Advent 2011?
A: Aaron, I’m glad you’re in tune with this issue! You should talk to your DRE about this as well as your diocesan office to find out what specifically is being recommended in your diocese for implementing the new edition of the Roman Missal. The timing for children preparing for First Communion is crucial. If we introduce the new prayers to them too early, we can confuse them. However, if we wait too long, we’ll be doing them a disservice.
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‑Liz
Q: Would you wait a few sessions before using guided reflection? I would think that the nervousness of the first sessions would make quietness a challenge.
A: Liz this is a very practical question. You may want to ease in to things, inviting them to do some breathing exercises the first session or two for a few minutes just to get them used to the notion of slowing down. I personally prefer to jump in “whole hog” so to speak and give them a full taste of what I’m expecting of them and just fine tune their behavior as we move along. That requires patience and some thick skin!
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‑Kristine
Q: do you have a guided reflection or prayer of the Rosary?
A: Kristine, I don’t, however, the Rosary is, in and of itself, a guided reflection! We can use the same techniques of doing deep breathing, finding a comfortable posture, etc. and then move into the Rosary per se, perhaps providing more description of the Mysteries that we are reflecting upon and inviting the students to enter into the scenes. The Hail Marys that we pray act as a mantra, keeping us focused on our prayer and leading us deeper into the Mystery. When ending the Rosary, you can easily allow a period of silence, inviting the participants to spend that time talking to Jesus in their own words.
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‑Ann
Q: was that universalice?
A: Ann, the Web site I mentioned was www.universalis.com and is a good resource for praying the Liturgy of the Hours online.
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‑Connie
Q: Is it ok to use just the Responsorial Psalm from Mass as a Liturgical Prayer?
A: Connie, absolutely, yes.
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-Kristin
Q: I have a difficult time establishing respect during reflective prayer in my 5th grade PSR. I want them to be comfortable, and not restricted, but it seems to end with giggling.
A: Kristin, this is typical and I faced it with my 8th graders all the time. I would continually address the issue, acknowledging that they are becoming more mature young people and that they are capable of mature behavior and challenging them to act accordingly. When they don’t you should point out how immature that is and tell them that they can do so much better. Kids that age don’t like to be “outed” as immature so the threat of doing so can be very powerful. Be careful to NOT directly and publicly accuse any one individual, however, of being immature…that can be devastating.
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‑Kristine
Q: We will be doing a prayer service this year that reflects on the mysteries of the rosary - any suggestions to make it easy to follow for grades 1 - 6
A: Kristine, you may want to consider having kids do tableaus (a depiction of a scene) of each of the mysteries as part of the prayer service as a way of visualizing the scenes from Mary’s and Jesus’ lives.
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‑Rocio
Q: Do you have any suggestions of music for 7 graders?
A: Rocio, I’m not sure if you’re looking for suggestions for contemporary or spiritual music for 7th graders so I’ll just point you to my posts on using music in catechesis: http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/category/catechetical-issues-topics/music-in-catechesis/
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‑Kristin
Q: I also have a 2-yr-old preschool class at our church. We pray throughout the day, but does anyone have anything they'd like to share on praying with little people?
A: Kristin, this is not my specialty so hopefully some other readers will weigh in!
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‑Ann
Q: How to structure the prayer when there are time constraints and you have a very large group
A: Ann, prayer services and guided reflections do not have to be long. What matters most is the quality, prayerfulness, and reverence. By the way, if you have a “very large group,” you may need to talk to the DRE about adding another section to cut down on class size.
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‑Jorge
Q: what is your opinion about involving the parents/care givers? If in agreement, then could you give recommendations on how to go about?
A: Jorge, parental involvement is crucial to any child’s faith formation. What exactly do you have in mind when you say “involving the parents/caregivers?” In most cases, there’s only so much an individual catechist can do whereas the parish as a whole can shape the program in such a way as to make parental involvement a priority.
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A great big THANK YOU to all the good folks who participated in Part Two of my Getting Started as a Catechist Webinar!
As promised, here is the pdf of 10 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Be a More Effective Catechist.
Likewise, here is a link to a sample Guided Reflection from the Finding God grade 5 Catechist Manual.
Over the next few days, I'll be answering some of the questions that came in during the Webinar that I couldn't get to. Also, keep an eye out for a recording of this Webinar which will appear here on my blog within the next few days. Don't forget that you can view a recording of Part One of Getting Started as a Catechist right here!
Have a great Labor Day weekend and best wishes and prayers to all of you who begin teaching next week!
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Tonight is Part Two of my Getting Started as a Catechist Webinar! Please join me!
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| Facilitator: Joe Paprocki, DMin
Brought to you by Loyola Press, A Jesuit Ministry
Thursday, September 2, 2010: Part Two 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (CST) [Find out what time this is for you.] |
Becoming a catechist is exciting and, let’s face it, somewhat intimidating! New catechists are eager to learn some basic teaching skills to help them gain confidence as they begin their service in this vocation. Joe’s second Webinar will provide catechists, both those who are new and those who’d like to refresh their skills, with an introduction to the basic tools needed to effectively engage young people in faith formation.
Some of the topics covered in this Webinar include:
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