Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius

This post links to RAnn's Sunday Snippets

hinge

Each year in Wednesday Night Sunday School we spend a few minutes on the fun parts of Isaiah 22.  I play the role of King Hezekiah and two volunteers play Shebna and Eliakim. When we get to Matthew 16 a couple of months later, we recall Isaiah 22. Then when we discuss the Mass in April, the kids learn that Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius were some of the popes that succeeded Peter. But I have never connected those guys to either Isaiah 22 or Matthew 16. I want all learning to be integrated with other learning, and this was a weak point in that respect. But this year is different, and better.

This year we did our Eliakim skit as usual in November. Then last Wednesday I treated Matt 16 like so:

I got two volunteers to come up and be Shebna and Eliakim. We did a quick refresher on Is 22. The kids remember only Eliakim's name, but that's ok. I care about the story and why it matters. They remember it just fine. We quickly re-enact it. Corrupt Shebna sits down. Now we cover Matt 16. I read bits from the chapter, and the kids figure out I'm now Jesus and the other actor is now Peter. We act out the keys again, and draw parallels between the two Kings and their Prime Ministers. The rest of the class play the 11 other apostles. They figure out the significance of Jesus borrowing from Isaiah.

Then I get five more boys to come up and stand in a row next to Peter. I stand behind them with my invisible keys. Peter dies and falls to the floor. The kids tell me to pass the keys to the next boy, he'll be the next pope. As each pope dies and falls to the floor, the King of Heaven gives the keys to the next boy. At the end they're all dead. I get them all to stand back up.

"Y'all tell me who these people are. Umm...they're the first popes! Yes! Some of them. Who's the first one? Peter! Yes, that was easy. Who's next? No guesses, that's OK, he's Linus. Linus, your name is...Linus! Yes, ya too smart, Linus! And these other popes are Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, and Cornelius. Do those names sound familiar to anyone? Yes! Where do you know Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, and Cornelius from? Umm....I don't remember. That's OK, we'll find out in April."

"Who's the pope now? Francis! Yes. He's the 266th pope. Who was before him? B...Benedict! Yes, good. Is Benedict dead? No, I think he just stopped being pope. Yes. That's very unusual, for a pope to retire. Trick question: in the Isaiah story, who picked Eliakim, the new prime minister? The King! Yes, Heze...Hezekiah! Yes. And who picked Peter? Jesus! Yes. Who is...the King! Yes. Did Benedict pick Francis to succeed him? No the other people did. Who exactly? Bishops? Well, sort of. They all wear red...like a bird...that is red...cardinals! Yes, a small group of bishops called cardinals. The bird is named after the men. Cardinal means hinge in Latin. Y'all remember we talked about hinges in December. For example, doors hang on, depend on, hinges. So to say something is cardinal, like a cardinal rule, means it's important like a hinge because other things depend on it, hang on it. But the cardinals don't just pick who they like for pope...remind me who picked the first pope. Jesus. Yes, so who still picks them? Umm...Jesus? Yes, good job! The King still has the power to pick his key-man. But Jesus put the cardinals in charge of making his pick. That's why the cardinals all pray for the Holy Spirit to guide them in making the right choice."

It only takes a few minutes to knit this together. And it prepares the children to jump all over Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, and Cornelius when those names pop up in our Mass classes in April.

Book Review 6: Y'all Do What Ya S'posed T'Do

This post links to RAnn's Sunday Snippets

Liguori Publications has recently published Classroom Management for Catechists by fellow South Carolina catechist Jennifer Fitz. I received a review copy which I have now thoroughly marked up. I've been catechizing since 1998, so I have lots opinions about running a classroom, and love to compare them to what other catechists think. Here are some of my observations on a chapter-by-chapter basis (but not necessarily using each chapter’s title):

1. Your World as a Catechist

You're a volunteer and an amateur. Yikes! Angst! No! Don't be afraid; and don't forget why you're a catechist. You know- "because you want to share Christ with your students." Umm...yes! That pretty well covers it. And being a volunteer amateur gives you a lot of discretion as to how you'll teach. You know about the Holy Spirit and the charism business, right? You got some gifts, so figure out what they are and then use 'em.

2. The Elements of Discipline

Oh yeah- just say it out loud: DISCIPLINE. 'Cause if the little pagans don't behave, there won't be much Christ-sharing going on. Right away Jen notes that "vague admonitions...don't really mean much," and proceeds with "The Six E's." I won't cover all of them, but then that's why there is a book.

Set an Example: I do set an example, but hadn't quite put it in these pithy terms: "This is how Christians behave; this is how you should behave." But mos def the kids will never take class more seriously than you do. So act and look serious.

Environment: Uh-oh. There's a ton of stuff in here which I think applies more to littl'uns than the proto-teenagers I have in 6th-grade. But I do follow this advice: "Remove Temptations." Like Jen, I "bring visual aids and props," and if that stuff isn't out of sight until the instant it's relevant, it's a distraction.

Keep 'em Engaged: "If your students have nothing to do, they will think up something to do." This ties into having a lesson plan that will fill the whole class period. But if it doesn't, Jen offers some easy quick fixes. I know from experience they work.

But to keep the YouTube Generation engaged doesn't require Technology In The Classroom: "...stand out by offering human interaction." Ask leading questions, guide discussion, encourage the kids to take an active role in their own learning experience.

Enforce: I like the sound of that- ENFORCE. But Jen first points out that "You cannot control your students. You cannot." A timely observation: just this week I experienced the oddest behavior I've ever seen in a classroom in my entire life, and we just worked around it 'til class was over. Anyway, Jen lists about 10 discrete problems and solutions from her own classroom; and to the extent that I have those problems, my solutions are virtually the same.

Encourage: Jen has about a half-dozen ideas here. My favorite is Personal Encouragement: praise the kids out loud when they do well, and encourage them to keep trying when the answers are wrong. I generally think of the kids in class just like I think of my own kids: I love them and want to maintain an environment in which they can do well.

3. Rhythm and Routine

Oh man I am so thankful I don't teach younger kids. Jen has all kinds of good, concrete recommendations about ways to structure classtime...I don't do this stuff...I'm tired now.

4. The Young and the Restless

This chapter is so spot on. Love the kids; ask serious questions; ask silly questions; let 'em talk; don't dumb it down; don't flinch from teaching the big words; say things opposite; use props; pretend. Every bit of this I use all the time because all of it works all of the time.

5. Teaching Beginners and Advanced Together

I have to do this every year for the whole year. Everything Jen says I agree with, and I follow most of her recommendations. Truly, I like having to teach such that for any topic (e.g., Baptism) we start at the very bottom and work our way up to the big picture; because even if some kids know a lot, they rarely see how the all the parts fit together into a bigger whole.

6. Include Every Student

I get quiet kids, and shy kids, and kids that are unchurched; with respect to those kids, Jen’s remarks are spot on.  I haven’t ever had a child with any kind of disability that required the type of accommodations that she also covers, but what she says makes sense.

7. More Than One Teacher

A few pages about coordination, who does what and when…I don’t team-teach…I’m getting tired again.

8. Class Plans

At first I thought, “oh yeah, lesson plans, I know all about it,” but this chapter is less about lesson plans, and more about the catechist’s dynamic use of available space and time. Interesting. I can see how this applies more to younger kids, where one must plan for craft logistics, physical space for games, that sort of thing. Regardless, Jen emphasizes that the plan is a plan. Or as Feldmarschall Helmuth Carl Bernard Graf von Moltke would say, “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” So between Jen and von Moltke, plan on making changes to your plan, which will make your life easier next year. You heard me: next year. And the year after that.

9. Conclusion

I haven’t mentioned this yet because it’s implied in the last two pages: this book isn’t about Class Management per se. It’s really about how you are going to evangelize the children that the Church has entrusted to you. Jen says, “This is the most important subject your students will ever study.” I agree it is. So the parents put soccer above Sunday School? So the kids are tired and inattentive? So catechizing takes up too much of your time and energy? So what? God put you in front of those kids for a reason: To Change the World.  So- change it.

 

This book will help.  

Pitchers 17: Man, the View is Tremendous

This post links to RAnn's Sunday Snippets

This is some refinement I'll be working into my Genesis chapters 1 and 2 classes this Fall.

When we cover the 6 Days of Creation I incrementally draw this graph on the whiteboard:

It's how I show that as Creation progresses, the things created are more like God. Once this graph is done, we move on to Eve, marriage, and God's command to be fruitful and multiply. That completes our look at Chapters 1 and 2. We then look at sin in chapter 3. But this year, I'm going to draw a bit more to make a bridge between the bliss of Chapter 2 and the Fall in Chapter 3.

I usually stop the graph at Adam as shown. But this year, when God makes Eve, I'll erase Adam's head, and draw both Adam and Eve standing next to each other with some space between them. Then when we get to God's commandment to be fruitful and multiply, I'll draw in some kids, and the top of the graph will look like this:

[In class I'll still have the animals & stuff on the slope.]

Then I envision this sort of discussion:

"So y'all tell me about the humans on this graph. Well, they're happy in Eden I guess. Yes, but I mean tell me about them on the graph. They're the highest! Yes! Which means? They're the best! Yes! Now watch this...[I draw]...now tell me about them.

They're on a mountain! Yes, and how do they see all the other plants and animals? They look down. Yes. And how might that make them feel? Umm...important? Yes, and....like they are the boss? Yes, and...they can do what they want. Yes, maybe so. But what if they look up? They see God. Yes, and how do they feel then? Like God is important. Yes. Now if you see the Moon from the ground, but later you see it from the top of a mountain, are you closer to the Moon while you're on the mountain? Yes. Does the Moon look any bigger? I don't think so. Right; only a tiny, tiny bit that makes no difference. You may as well be at the bottom. But tell me about when you look down from the mountain. You see everything! Yes, it makes a big difference when you look down. Now tell me about looking up to someone. Like my parents? Yes. Well? They take care of us. Yes. And how about looking down on someone, y'all ever done that? Nobody? Well I have, and it's probably my worst habit. That reminds me, let's jump ahead to one of Jesus' parables. See if y'all can tell it.

“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector." The Pharisee was bad! Like how? He thought he was better than everybody else. And was he? No. Right: "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income." And the tax collector? He was sorry to God. Yes: "...the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Which man did Jesus prefer: the proud man or the humble one? The humble one. Why? Well, he was sorry for his sins? Yes, that's a good answer.  And the proud Pharisee— how about his sins? He didn't think he had any. But did he? Yes. Right. We know for sure one sin he had, tell me when you know: "I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector." He was looking down on the tax collector! Yes, and putting himself up high, like he was God's buddy.

So are you most likely to feel humble- or proud- when you look down on someone? Proud. Yes, and if you look up to someone? Humble. Yes, good.

Now we're about to start on Chapter 3 in Genesis, the business with the snake. Y'all be ready to explain what pride and humility have to do with Adam and Eve's sin, and our sins, too— there's more to it than just eating an apple."

***************************************************************************

A few catechetical points:

1. There's a whole lot of catechesis in the concept of relative height, some of which will be covered later in the year.

2. Notice that after I read the parable's introduction, I don't read any further without giving the kids a chance to tell what comes next. It's very effective for a child to first say in her own words what comes next; then for me to read the passage the child anticipated; then ask any follow up questions on that bit; then ask them to say what happens next, and so on. This follows a couple of my class guidelines: never provide information one of the kids can provide; let the kids contribute as much as they can.

3. Drawings can be more than illustrations: they should also be teaching tools. 

Review on the Fly

 Maybe not that fast

How catechectically wonderful is it when the kids don't remember something that you've already covered? Don't tell me. But my experience has been that with a bit of review at the instant of forgetfulness, they can even remember things that haven't come up for months. Of course, time can be saved by giving the answer, but a minute or two of review on the fly after a wrong answer may actually be more productive than a correct answer. Like so:

We cover Melchizedek in early September. Then he might not show up again until February or March. That's a long time for kids to remember an odd name and a small story. So when we discuss the Last Supper, I've learned not to be surprised if the kids can't always recall that information. But by answering pointed questions, they can find their way back, and then forward again.

"So here's Jesus and the Apostles at the last Supper, what kind of dinner is this? Passover? Yes, so they'll be eating....Lamb! Uh-huh. But does Jesus pass around grilled lamb kebabs? Umm...no, they have bread! Yes, and....wine! Yes. Tell me about bread & wine. What? Where have you heard about it earlier this year? And the guy whose name starts with an M. Methuselah? No, he was just old. Matthew? Matthew? No. OK, tell me about Christmas. Christmas? Yes, new topic. Who was there? Angels. Yes. Shepherds. Yes. Wise Men. Yes, what did they bring? Gold, frankincense, & myrrh. Yes. Gold is for...a king, yes, and...incense is for a priest, yes, good remembering. So Jesus...is a priest? Yes, we'll sort that out some more later. What do priests do? Sacrifice! Yes, and..offer stuff! Yes. Tell me about Sarah's husband...Abraham! Yes, tell me. God told him to go to Israel. Yes, Canaan. Yes, what? Their baby was Isaac and it means laughing! Yes, they were so happy to have a baby. Did the people in Canaan welcome Abraham with a camel-sausage pizza and say please be our king? No he had to fight people. Yes. When things went well for Abraham he'd build an altar and offer God a sacrifice...what kind? A thanksgiving sacrifice! Yes. But do y'all remember after one battle he didn't offer his own sacrifice, someone did it for him...the M guy! Yes, c'mon. Methuselah! No! That was wrong two minutes ago and it's still wrong! But close. Mmm...Melchizedek! Yes! What was he? A priest. Yes. What did he offer? Umm...bread & wine! Yes. So why does this matter? Because Jesus is copying Melchizedek! Yes! Y'all are too smart!"

Now in this case the punch line, Melchizedek and his offering, is the oldest part of the thread, so we went backward in time to Genesis, then returned to the present in one jump. I don't always do that; it just depends on the topic, what isn't remembered, and available time. Regardless, it's best for the kids to review an entire concept, not just the fragment that applies at the moment. For example, any time miracle bread comes up during the year, we source back to manna, then move forward until we hit the most current bread miracle.

By the way, once the children have firmly connected Melchizedek to Jesus at the Last Supper, they will always remember him when he comes up in our Mass classes.   

Res Ipsa Loquitur 6

9 minutes from the November 16 class. Review of earlier Old Testament material connects to future New Testament material, as described in Plus de Review 2.

Notice that from :30 to :54 my bouncer decides to separate a couple of mischievites, and the kids are rearranged on the fly with very little disruption to the lesson flow.

Sorry about the rough edit.

Go Negative

A useful tactic to get kids to think in the classroom is to do what I call going negative.  I learned this way of thinking about a problem when I was a teenager, especially when trying to figure out faith.  Going negative isn't new: Sherlock Holmes fans may remember how he took the same approach in asking why the dog didn't bark. So instead of asking why Jesus did x, or why the Church teaches y, I was constantly wondering, "why didn't Jesus do a" or "why doesn't the Church say b." Pondering (sometimes for years) the a,b & c that weren't said or done often shed light on the superiority (not just the option) of x, y & z.

 I churned for decades over the fundamental problem of why God required the whole Jesus project instead of simply declaring us forgiven.  God is omnipotent, after all. I suppose this is no problem for billions of Christians, but I had to grind through dozens of negative propositions to arrive at an understanding of Salvation History that meant something to me. I knew all my life that "Jesus had to die for our sins,"  but that was just a fact, like heliocentricity.  I was in my late 20s before I finally understood Jesus' sacrifice in a way that mattered.  Oddly enough, years of "but why not...but why not...but why not..." eventually illuminated a childhood experience with a broken window which was full of "but why nots."  Once I sorted out the broken window, faith fell into place.  I don't think I'd've ever acquired a motivating faith without having reflected on the "why nots."

In Catechism class the kids will sometimes make no real progress in answering a positive question, such as "why did Moses hit the rock with his staff?"  They will readily say, "God told him to;" but reader, that ain't progress- that's parroting. If I say, "Yes, but why did God tell him to?" I typically get, "because the people were thirsty" which is just another bit of fluff. My temptation is to give them an answer, but they can often make progress through negative questions, such as:

Why wasn't it enough for Moses to just pray for water?
Why didn't God make water flow from the rock without the stick business?
Why didn't God just make the people's thirst go away?
Why didn't God put a lake ahead of them that they'd run into?
Why couldn't Moses go by himself to hit the rock?

Once a couple of kids give thoughtful answers to negative questions they never heard before, we can move forward again. Within the first month of class, the kids get used to going negative when their thinking stalls. They learn to perk up each time the negative questions start, and are stimulated by the oblique thinking that negative questions engender.

Typical negative questions I might ask:

Why didn't Jesus heal the paralyzed man as soon as he was plopped down in front of him?
Why didn't the paralyzed man's friends stay home and pray for his healing?
Why didn't the Prodigal Son's father interrupt his confession?
Why wouldn't the Pharisees accept that Jesus had healed the blind man?
Why didn't John the Baptist get married?
Why wouldn't Elisha come out and speak directly to Naaman?
Why didn't the little boy bring his bread and fish directly to Jesus?
Why didn't Jesus and the apostles eat any lamb at the Last Supper?
Why weren't Jesus' wounds healed up after his Resurrection?
Why didn't the stewards tell Jesus they had run out of wine?
Why didn't God take more than one rib from Adam?
Why didn't God take a toe instead of a rib?
At Mass why don't the people put the bread and wine on the altar?

I'd give you the answers- but you'll learn better if you work them out on your own.
   

Right Answer Wrong Question

In Wednesday Sunday School I try to keep the class at a low boil all the time so the kids stay energized. There's usually an urgency to getting fast answers to questions, and often a child will belt out a wrong answer that's an excellent answer to a question I haven't asked. When possible, I will shortly follow a wrong answer with a new question that affirms that wrong answer, like so:

"Somebody remind me what happened fifty days after Easter...the Ascension! No, that's a good answer, though. C'mon, fifty days after Easter...umm, Pentecost! Yes."

And we discuss whatever was in the lesson plan about Pentecost. Then:

"Hey, speaking of stuff after Easter, what happened after forty days? Jesus went to Heaven! Yes, which is called? The Ascension! Yes!"

Another example:

"Who told the Israelites that God would let bad stuff happen to the Temple just like Shiloh? Isaiah! No, guess again. Samuel? Nope; this prophet also said to stop worshiping baby-eating false gods. Jeremiah! Yes! And who heard God call him three times? Samuel? There ya go. And who said a virgin would have a baby? Isaiah. Yes."

I don't have any empirical evidence (I don't even have quizzes) but I almost can see the open circuits closing when the kids connect an old wrong answer to a new right question.

Classroom Management

In Wednesday Sunday School I rarely need to admonish a child. Last week two boys were distracting each other. I walk over to where they are engaged in footplay, wait for 'em to notice me. They look up. I put on a quizzical expression and ask, "Are y'all flirting?"

End of problem.

Next week my Faithful Bouncer will separate them.