Author: Deacon Nick

Nick Senger, founder and editor of Catholic School Chronicle, is an award-winning Catholic school teacher, vice principal and technology coordinator. He is a deacon for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane.
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Catholic School Video News: Harrisburg Network and Advent 2010 Project

The Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has connected 37 of it schools with a wide area computer network. According to the diocesan website, Harrisburg Bishop Joseph McFadden launched the network by hosting a videoconference in which students from 10 diocesan schools were able to ask the bishop questions.

In an interview on Pennlive.com, Diocesan superintendent Livia Riley said “the new technology will allow students to perform science experiments with their counterparts in Australia or immerse themselves in virtual images of the Serengeti.”

If you’re looking for a fun and interesting way to connect your class with other students around the world, think about joining the Advent 2010 Project, launched by Catholic educator and social media maven Barb Gilman.Advent Wreath

Gilman, known to her online community as Barb in Nebraska, is asking her third grade students to take digital photos of the Advent wreaths and nativity scenes in their homes. She then plans to post the photos on a special website hosted by Wikispaces.

Barb is inviting Catholic teachers everywhere to participate in this project. For information, follow Barb on Twitter @BarbinNebraska.

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Catholic Educators: Great Hope for the Church

I’m currently reading Dante’s Divine Comedy, which begins with these somber words:

“Midway along the journey of our lifeThe Dark Forest
I woke to find myself in a dark wood,
for I had wandered off from the straight path.”

I think there are a lot of people who feel this same way today. We can feel lost and blind, like the narrator at the beginning of this video:

As Catholic educators, our mission is to help our students see that Christ is present in their lives. It is through knowing Christ that they will be able to experience fullness of life. As the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education puts it,

“Lay Catholic educators in schools, whether teachers, directors, administrators, or auxiliary staff, must never have any doubts about the fact that they constitute an element of great hope for the Church. The Church puts its trust in them entrusting them with the task of gradually bringing about an integration of temporal reality with the Gospel, so that the Gospel can thus reach into the lives of all men and women. More particularly, it has entrusted them with the integral human formation and the faith education of young people. These young people are the ones who will determine whether the world of tomorrow is more closely or more loosely bound to Christ.” – Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith

Christ is waiting. Let’s help our children see Him.

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ROMAN Reading Will Help Students Read Critically

ROMAN ReadingI am very excited to announce the release of the Practice Edition of ROMAN Reading, a book that will help student readers take the next big leap in understanding literature. Based on my free e-book from 2007, and written primarily for 13-18 year-olds, ROMAN Reading bridges the gap between being a fluent reader and becoming a skilled, critical, literary reader.

For Catholic students in particular, being a skilled reader is critically important for understanding scripture and Church doctrine. If Catholics are to know and live their faith, they must be able read the Catechism, papal documents, theological and spiritual classics and other works of religious importance. Reading popular, light fiction–as fun and entertaining as it is–is simply not enough to live a life worthy of the gospel.

As Fr. John Hardon, SJ wrote,

“Everything we read stimulates our minds to think, and what we think determines what we desire, and desires are the seedbed of our actions. Given this iron law of human nature–from reading to thinking, to desire to acting–we are shaping our destiny by the ideas we choose to have enter our minds through print.”

Short and to the point, ROMAN Reading gives readers the five tools they need to understand sophisticated books, and presents them in a way that is easy to remember:

R: Read the book/story all the way through once.

O: Outline the major events or elements of the book.

M: Mark the book.

A: Ask the right questions.

N: Name your experience.

In this expanded practice edition of ROMAN Reading, students get the chance to apply their new skills immediately with stories by some of the world’s greatest writers:

  • “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov
  • “God Sees the Truth But Waits” by Leo Tolstoy
  • “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde
  • “How Much Land Does a Man Need” by Leo Tolstoy
  • A Christmas Carol (unabridged) by Charles Dickens

Each story includes a checklist so readers can work their way through the five different skills and keep track of their progress.

ROMAN Reading is ideal for classrooms or home schools, as each section could be taught as a single lesson, and the entire book could be used for a multi-week introduction to how to read literature. The included stories offer thought-provoking issues and themes that make for lively discussions.

I’ve used the information in this book for many years, and I’ve seen the difference it can make in teen readers. ROMAN Reading also includes my own reading list of great books, collated from thirteen other “great books” lists.

Try ROMAN Reading today, and help the young men and women in your life begin their journey to becoming literate, skilled readers.

If you’re interested in reviewing ROMAN Reading, let me know and I’d be happy to provide you with an electronic copy.

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A Visit from Jesus – A Junior High Reflection

Jesus Knocking at the Door

Jesus Visits Mary and MarthaHow would our lives change if we remembered that Jesus was with us always? We are often so preoccupied with the material world that it can be difficult to remember that the Holy Spirit is present and alive in each moment of our lives. When our students begin to realize that Jesus is with them at all times, their lives become transformed, as happens to all who encounter Christ. The following reflection assignment is meant to help junior high students creatively picture Jesus present in their lives by imagining that he comes for a visit.

A Visit from Jesus

Imagine that Jesus is coming to spend a few months living at your house with you.

  • How would you get ready for his visit? For example, would you make any changes to your room decorations? Why or why not? What else would you do to prepare?
  • On the day he arrives he gives you three compliments and tells you he’s very proud of you. What are the accomplishments and how does he tell you?
  • During his visit you get a chance to ask him any question about religion or faith. What do you ask him? Why do you want to know?
  • What does Jesus do all day during the months he spends with you? How does he spend his time?
  • One day he gets curious about the music you listen to and asks to listen to it. Maybe he borrows your mp3 player, or maybe the two of you hang out in your room listening to your music. Which music does he like? Which music does he avoid? Are there songs or CDs that you choose not to play for him? Which ones? Why?
  • Before he leaves, Jesus gives you some good advice for improving your life. What does he suggest?

Write at least one paragraph in response to each set of questions. I recommend answering one set of questions per night, rather than writing the entire paper at once. You are not being evaluated on the content of your answers, but on how much thought and effort you put into the assignment. Answers that seem thoughtful, honest and deep will be worth more than those that seem shallow and rushed.

Grading: Your paper will be worth 100 points and will be graded according to the following guidelines:

A: Follows directions; writes thoughtful, complete answers in a unique and honest way; is legible; uses complete sentences and paragraphs.

B. Follows directions; writes thoughtful, complete answers; is legible; uses complete sentences and paragraphs.

C: Follows directions; answers are too brief and on the surface; may be a bit hard to read or understand.

D: Very brief answers to the questions; seems hastily done; messy or sloppy.

F: Not turned in, or incomplete.

This is not an assignment that assesses a student’s knowledge of Catholic doctrine. The purpose here is to get students thinking about the difference Jesus makes in their lives. It is a way for student’s to reflect on who Jesus is, and how his presence affects them.

It’s also a great way to get inside the minds of my students so that I can adjust my lessons to fit their needs more specifically. Plus, their responses are just so beautiful, they provide inspiration for my own spiritual life.

Here are a few responses from past 8th grade students to give you a taste of what you can expect if you try this with your own class:

  • “No, I would not change my room. I want Jesus to be able to see how I live, who I am, and what I like…I would like to be myself totally so that Jesus is really talking to me and not who I want to be. Jesus will see who I really am and will be able to help me with any troubles I have in life.”
  • “If I could ask Jesus any question I would ask him about heaven. I spend a lot of time thinking about what you have to do to get into heaven.”
  • “He mostly listens to classical and jazz-type music. He likes slow songs that he can meditate to.”
  • “I think Jesus would give me advice on how to cope with my siblings. He would understand that my position is a hard one and that even though I am trying, there is always room for improvement.”
  • “He enjoys going to my school with me to see what I am learning. He also goes to Church to talk to people and answer their questions. Jesus and I also take my dogs on walks and pray together. We do pretty normal things. I show him what it’s like to be a person my age.”
  • “His second compliment to me was my cooking. Even though he may not have liked it, he said that I had made it with a good heart and that he was pleased.”
  • “An additional suggestion that he made was that I should go and enjoy the outside world and not just sit inside doing nothing.”
  • “The first question I ask is, ‘What was it like to be crucified? How bad did it hurt?’ Another question is, ‘How is it possible for God to be the Alpha and Omega, or how can he always have been there?'”
  • “I also showed him what video games are, but avoid the killing ones. Jesus thinks that video games are cool, but would rather go for a hike or pray.”
  • “I ask him what it was like to carry the cross the long distance that he did, and what it was like to be crucified knowing that he was doing it for millions and millions of people.”
  • “We mostly listen to albums by Train, Jason Mraz, Adam Lambert, Taylor Swift, and any song that’s new and fun to listen to…He encourages me to listen to Taylor Swift more often because her lyrics actually mean something and she doesn’t swear in any of her songs…He also wants me to listen to Jack Johnson more because his music is so calm and nice to listen to.”
  • “The big question about faith that I ask Jesus is how I can understand the Bible better. He tells me how after he takes out his original copy of the first draft ever written…He shows me who wrote what and we begin to have discussions every night.”
  • “Jesus is a pleasure to have around. He is always helping with things like dishes and laundry…At meals he always leads prayer and tells us about what we could do the next day to make the world a better place. At night he says a prayer and we usually let him do so without disrupting, then after a few weeks of doing that, he invites my family to join him each night. By next week it becomes second nature.”
  • “I desperately want to know about his childhood and how his peers thought about him saying that he was the son of God. I certainly wouldn’t believe any of the boys in my class if they said they were God.”
  • “Before Jesus leaves he would advise me to pay more attention during Mass. He would want me to not fall asleep during the homily, no matter how boring it may seem. I think Jesus would open my eyes to live a more prayerful life instead of just saying the Hail Mary quickly before school gets out, or the Glory Be because it is shorter.”