7 + 7 = 14

I enjoyed our catechist meeting last night, especially getting the chance to meet my aide and my fellow 4th-grade catechists. It was also nice to see the 8th grade catechists with whom I teamed these past several years. They needled me about leaving their team and we had a good laugh about it. My aide is a mom who has served in the program for a few years and I believe one of her children is in my class which will be very nice. My class list indicates that I’ll have 14 students: 7 boys and 7 girls! How perfect is that?!

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to do a presentation on the Spirituality of the Catechist and I believe it was received well. I know that it made for a nice conversation and hopefully gave us all something to think about as we look forward to this year.

Now it’s time to start exploring the 4th grade book of the Finding God program as well as gathering and organizing my supplies. First class: Monday, September 13!

About Joe Paprocki 2746 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

2 Comments on 7 + 7 = 14

  1. Hi Joe, I really enjoyed your presentation last night, I needed a little bit of a jab to get excited about this year. I have 3rd this year with 6 girls + 6 boys! The funny thing is that I taught 2nd last year (and loved it) but I did not get one of my students from last year. The 2nd grade class is smaller this year so one teacher had to go and Arlene told me I did not have the seniority! What? This is my 10th year teaching, she meant seniority in 2nd grade. We are about the same age (just got my AARP card) and I was able to relate to many things you said, like memorizing prayers. Good Luck in 4th! I know you will love them, I taught them 3 years. They still get into coloring and crafts and show a lot of interest but watch out I tried a Vegetales video and a boy told me he wasn’t going to listen to a pickle!

    • Linda, it was great to see you and the rest of the folks at MHR. I’m really looking forward to working with the 4th graders. I hope you have a good year with 3rd grade…sounds like a nice size class and a perfect balance of boys and girls. Love the comment about the pickle! 🙂

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