I know it might be hard to believe, but occasionally a catechist will encounter a young person who intentionally tries to get the class—and the catechist—off-track. I was recently at a reunion for the high school where I taught back in the 1980s, and the topic of conversation turned to a former teacher who was a favorite of many students back in the day. One of the alums gleefully remarked, “We used to get him off-track sometimes for a whole period!”
So, what’s a catechist to do when this occurs? I fielded a question about this very topic during a webinar to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Catechist’s Journey. Here’s how I responded; I hope it’s helpful!
I am not sure how saying “I am going to take 5 minutes before class to make the time up” will work when a majority of the students are dropped off by their parents right at 6:30pm when class begins.
Very true, Darby, but I think Joellyn’s point was to carve out a few minutes whenever that can be done to devote attention to the child and the task at hand.