Discipline 101

What a year we've had with our students so far, catechists! I know some of you are having more struggles than others in the discipline realm. Here are some different ideas that may help:

• Assigned seats
• Changing the desk configuration in the room (map out desks before doing this, please, so you can return them after class)
• Giving tasks (passing out papers, pencils, bibles) to your student who like to fidget to get them up and out of desks
• If you have an aid, there may be occasions where they need to sit in the hall and work one-on-one with someone being overly disruptive.
• Passing out stress balls or other fidget objects while lecturing (if students can use them appropriately) to help with fidgeting. It can actually improve focus in some children.
• Reward systems
• Use videos or games as class rewards at the end of class. We have tons of excellent DVDs that have yet to be used this year that I know your kids would love. There's stuff for all age levels.
• 3 strikes, you're out! (thank you, Noah!) Use some sort of system each class where after 2 warnings both myself and parents are notified. If it's seriously disruptive, that 3rd strike also call ext. 225 to locate me. Disruptive students can sit with me in the office.
• Talking passes (great idea, Bridget!) where student have to use a card as a sort of ticket to participating in group discussion to prevent from monopolizing. (One card = sharing one thing)
• Ask for an aid.

What discipline techniques do/don't work for you?
 
The RE Board and I were discussing what you think is causing the major discipline issues this year. Is the longer class time contributing? Is the curriculum not engaging enough? What can I do to better support you?

I am very understanding of how difficult this can be. I used to substitute teach for high school and have dealt with very serious discipline matters in those settings and the rowdiest of classes. We have the added challenge here of getting students on the weekend, when they might rather be doing other things, or after a long day of school & activities. Let's work together, with parents, to create an ideal setting for all!

Teaching Real Presence

Explaining the Church's theology of the Eucharist is something worth being incorporated at every grade and level. It's a mystery and something we must believe based on faith.  How do we teach such complex theology to our students? The best way to teach it is to live it. Try to get to Mass each Sunday and  Holy Day so you can receive Christ in the Eucharist. Show reverence in the presence of the tabernacle. Teach your students how to locate the tabernacle in any church (look for the sanctuary lamp- the lit candle showing you Christ is present there). I tell students of all ages that praying before the Blessed Sacrament is like talking with Jesus, face-to-face. Short of receiving the Eucharist, it is one of the best ways to grow close to Christ.

It's important to begin explaining to the youngest of students that this is a MYSTERY. We don't know HOW the bread and wine become Jesus' Body and Blood we TRUST that it does because Jesus PROMISED us it would at the Last Supper. Jesus always keeps His promises.

For younger students (grades K-3, or so), we have the Brother Francis Bread of Life DVD and accompanying coloring book. At the First Communion retreat, 2nd graders will get a coloring book  that explains and teaches how we moved from the Old Testament Passover meal to receiving Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. If you would like a copy of this, please let me know.While I wouldn't want you to use it in class (taking away from the First Communion Retreat experience), it may help you find some words and explanations to help our younger students understand this great mystery.

I have a number of other files that I have written/compiled over the years of coloring sheets and more to help teach the theology of the Eucharist. I am happy to share them with you and, with advance notice (2 weeks or more, please), make adaptations based on the age of your students and your curriculum.

I recently learned the necessary steps to setting up for Eucharistic Adoration (placing the Eucharist in the monstrance, incensing the monstrance, etc.). I cannot do Benediction, which is when the priest blesses the people with the monstrance. While this won't help Sunday catechists, this means I can now set up and offer Adoration for our Tuesday night students. I would need to check the availability of the church in advance to set up a time for this, but anyone that wants this, just let me know.

On Sundays, let me know if you wanted to come to the Church and pray for 5 minutes or so in front of the tabernacle. I would set this up in advance as well. I would only have 1 class do this at a time. It's something I enjoy doing with our school students. We come in, kneel around the tabernacle, and I remind them that Jesus is inside the tabernacle in a special way. You can say a simple prayer or just sit in silence. At Christmas, the school preschoolers and I sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. It's great and helps teach/reenforce Real Presence without having a lengthy lesson on it.

Would you like to read more on the Church's theology of the Eucharist? Here are some great ways to brush up your knowledge:

This link teaches where we can read about Real Presence (transubstantiation) in bible, both Old and New Testament. Apologist, Tim Staples writes an excellent article about this. You can listen to a sample of a talk by Tim  here. You can also read about what the early Christian fathers had to say about Real Presence. 

http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/father/a5.html

Confessions of a Mega Pastor- Chapter 2

The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324)

We are so blessed to be able to receive Christ in Body and Blood every time we attend Mass! And, yet, how often do we take it for granted. I don't mean to and I'm certain you don't either. We just do. My friend's mother followed him in converting to the Catholic faith. It was the Eucharist that drew her to Catholicism. Chalice (yes, that's her real name!!) was a communion minister in the Methodist Church for years. One day while cleaning up in the sacristy, she dropped a blessed  host. She was advised to throw it away. Chalice ended up consuming it. She realized in that moment that she had never viewed Communion as "just a symbol" and felt it was Christ's Real Presence...but her denomination didn't teach/believe that. 

Real Presence can be one of the most difficult aspects of our faith to explain to our children and, yet, it is the most important. Take some time to read, ponder, and pray the Bread of Life (John 6:22-59) discourse, just as Sr. Rose did with the author. Reading it and letting the words wash over you, how can you believe anything else? I think one of the saddest things about other Christian denominations (many, not all!!) is that they don't believe in transubstantiation. Most everything about their denominations is terrific. Me? I can't live without the Eucharist and the way Roman and Orthodox Catholics teach this doctrine. Transubstantiation is the word used to explain the miracle the occurs during the Eucharistic prayer. It explains that though physically (biologically, chemically, etc.) the same, the bread and wine are spiritually transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body and Blood. 

While I don't usually recommend wikipedia for research purposes, this article does a good job of explaining what the different Christian denominations believe and teach about the Eucharist. 

Last Lent, I took up veiling, the process of wearing a chapel veil anytime I was in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Truth be told, I really liked it. It just became an inconvenience, so I stopped. Several of my friends throughout the country had been doing it and I felt inspired to try it so for 40 days, I did. No, it wasn't because my hair is my crowning glory and distracts men during worship or I feared a nun smacking me. I did a lot of reading about veiling before trying it and it described the spiritual act of taking an extra step before being in our Lord's presence. WOW! Now that I could get behind!! When veiling, I felt more focused and more reverent. It was beneficial to my prayer life.

I share that story, only to ask, what are some other ways we can be more reverent towards the Eucharist and/or help our students become more reverent. Even if it's just between Masses for 10 minutes on Sunday, there is always time to take the children up around the altar and show them the tabernacle. When I teach PK3 & PK4 students in the school, we visit the church. I encourage friendly waving "hello" and "goodbye" to Jesus. At Christmas, we'll kneel around the tabernacle and sing "Happy Birthday". This might seem too casual or irreverent, but it isn't. We perform these acts with love for Christ and joy in our hearts. The students stare in awe at that beautiful, gold box and glimmering sanctuary lamp. I tell them that Jesus is everywhere, but he exists in a very special way inside the tabernacle.

I'm working to incorporate (short, age-appropriate) periods of Eucharistic Adoration into our sacramental prep. It's the only time in prayer where we can look at Jesus, face-to-face, in the same way we would a dear friend. I want our students to feel as comfortable with Jesus as they do around their friends and family. You might argue that the chapel veil created a distance, but for me, it didn't. I was putting on my best to see the most special person in my life. Wow!

• Do you teach Real Presence with your students? Has that been easy/difficult?  (We're going to stay on this topic for 2 or 3 posts. I'm working on another post full of resources, crafts, and teaching idea on the Eucharist.) 
•  What role does the Eucharist play in your life (personal and/or as a catechist)?
• What steps can you take to give the Eucharist the reverence it deserves?

Confessions of a Mega Pastor- Chapter 1

     In chapter 1, Allen Hunt describes the Catholic Church as an old house filled with rich treasures. Before we delve into the treasures (as he defines them) of the Church, let's discuss our own journeys and views of the Church. I'll put my answers in italics so you can easily differentiate the questions from my personal responses.

• When/how did you discover (or rediscover) the Catholic Church? 
• What are the top treasures of the Catholic Church, in your opinion? 
• What aspects of the Catholic faith do you  most enjoy sharing with young people? (It doesn't necessarily have to be a part of your curriculum.)

I look forward to our discussion!

      I am a cradle Catholic raised by another cradle Catholic and a convert. I can't remember a Sunday in my life without Mass as a family. We were taught to minister in our church from a young age. One parish we attended had a children's Mass. Starting at the age of eight I was in the choir, a lector, and was in charge of posting the song lyrics on an overhead projector. From what I gather, this may have been similar to the gym Masses I've heard about at Ascension. 
     By the age of 10, I was disenchanted with the Church and God. Despite living my faith on the outside each week with my family (as an altar server and volunteer for vacation bible school), I entered periods of anger and doubt. I was being bullied at a Catholic school. Surely, if there was a God, that wouldn't be permissible! After 5 long years of anger, I got involved in my high school youth group and truly found the Church again. By the age of 15, I had decided I wanted to study theology in college and enter ministry.
       While I certainly have periods of frustration with the Church and find certain issues difficult to deal with at some moments, I think the Church is full of rich beauty, truth, passion, and grace. We are blessed immeasurably. For me, the Creed (Nicene or Apostles) sums up the important aspects of our faith. All else is on the outskirts: the trinity, forgiveness of sins, etc. is at the heart and soul of who we are.  
       I think the top treasures in the Church are Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist, our devotion to  Mary and the Saints, and the Sacraments. Apostolic succession moves me to my core, especially as I see our beloved Pope Francis live the simple, communal life of early Christians. I love sharing the beauty of the liturgy as well as the grace of the sacraments with young people. Preparing young people for sacraments and witnessing these moments is the true joy of my job.

Welcome!

My Dear Ascension Catechists,

     I know some of you had struggles posting before and lost your comments in cyberspace. You will need to always check how you are posting, even if it's anonymously or your comment will not go through. Please see photo:


 
      I hope and pray you find this site useful as a tool for  dialoguing about our ministry, sharing ideas, and of course, discussing our book for the year. During the 2013-2014 school year, Ascension catechists will be reading Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt. If you don't have time to read or just prefer listening to a speaker, you can download a talk by Allen Hunt based on this book at Lighthouse Catholic Media or purchase a CD of the talk. Both are less than $5. More copies of the book may be purchased through the Dynamic Catholic Institute.

     Just a few basics for our discussion here:

• Keep it civil. It can still be lively and spark debate, but use respectful language and such, especially when we discuss "hot button" issues.
• I have the authority to delete posts and will do so only if it is necessary due to language, insensitivity, etc. 
• I won't make this a "locked" blog that you have to join to post. This will give you the freedom to post anonymously, if you choose.
• If you don't post anonymously, please sign each comment with your name (first is sufficient), day you teach, and which grade you teach. This will help us better understand your point of view and give suggestions when we discuss how to share topics in the classrom. (Ex: Mary, Sundays, 3rd grade)

     I am so excited to offer this! I have invited our RE Board members to participate as well. SPRED Catechists will be joining us as well!!

God bless,
Kathleen