RE/Family Formation

[DiZent]

Still struggling with this format of delivery for faith formation. The monthly topics are good, but the materials we are given to use for teaching are not. The wide age range groups grade K-3 and 4-6. Not that good to begin with & then it takes major modifications by the teacher to adapt it to the appropriate age level. Maybe I am expecting too much.
Some things are better. Snack is in the hall at 8:15, but it is optional. At 8:30, we have the opening prayer & then the students are dismissed with their teachers to the classrooms. I never liked having snack in the classroom. Since we don’t have textbooks, I gave each student a notebook to keep memories from the class. Time management better this year, too.
A side benefit of my dissatisfaction with the teacher materials is that I research the topic. Next month’s topic is the Final Coming (the Ascension & Second Coming) I found materials for the Ascension, but there were not a lot of material for teaching about the Second Coming to children from a Catholic perspective. Had to sift through non-Catholic sources & found a lot of things NOT to use, others I could adapt. Strengthens my faith.
Granddaughter is in my class, & her mother attends the speaker meetings, but I don’t think she is doing the home lessons with her. Not attending Mass. prayers needed.

 

[RCbkw]

Do you have enough adult help to make the age range of the classes narrower? I think it would be very difficult to plan lessons/materials for these classes. A kindergartner has very different skill and interest levels from a third grader. It’s the same with a fourth grader and a sixth grader. If you could find enough adults to have classes with just two grade levels per class I think you’d find the planning and implementing of appropriate lessons much easier. Have you checked out the RE materials from Our Sunday Visitor?

 

[DiZent]

Exactly. Two sizes do not fit for 7 age levels. There are enough teachers & we have a class for every grade level. It is the teaching materials we are given to work with that are the problem. We switched to family formation (ME time - monthly enrichment classes) last year. The program is a hybrid between classroom & home teaching. We have them once a month while the parents attend a speaker class & then the parents have a packet for weekly home lessons for the rest of the month, I like the concept, but I don’t like the materials. I think the parent materials have the same issue - 2 packets - one for younger & one for older - to cover 7 age levels. I’ve seen my granddaughter’s home packets. I looked at the OSV site. We have used their materials in the past when they were Harcourt. They did not have a family formation series & did not have any free supplemental downloads.

 

[RCbkw]

Are you saying that the whole family must learn about the same topic(s) each time? I’m having trouble seeing the reason for that, especially if the materials provided are not on grade level and would be hard for the children to understand. My Parish’s vibrant RE program meets weekly (75 minutes) for preschool through adult, and each class has it’s own program. While these are designed to be used weekly, there’s no reason that the take home sheets and photo-copied materials couldn’t be bundled and sent home as a month’s worth of family together time. If changing gears is not an option for you at this time, I believe you can order the teacher’s guide/packet for any curriculum from any RE program which might be helpful in finding supplements for what you are using now.

 

[TC3033]

Sounds like the numbers are still well down from last year. My wife has gone to two parent meetings, I haven’t gotten to one yet…maybe November.

I can tell that there was quite a bit of feedback that the program is too difficult for parents, a check off sheet is now provided…kind of like a syllabus for the month. I’m not sure if it’s really helping at all, my wife is still struggling with the program. Our two kids won’t sit down and listen together (grandma was supposed to help…that lasted 1 month), so the program is getting pretty overwhelming.

My wife is thinking about switching to the country parish where they still only have classroom instruction, and I guess are really hurting for members…or switching to the ELCA Lutheran church in town. Sounds like the parish lost a lot of people to them over the summer.

 

[TC3033]

Are you saying that the whole family must learn about the same topic(s) each time?

That’s what we have to do (K-6)… The parents go to one class a month for 75-90 min then are supposed to take home the material and take care of teaching it to their kids, all kids K-6 are taught on the same subject.
We then meet for family day one Sunday a month right after 10am Mass and meet for an hour or so (which is really awkward).

I think the program has kind of gone over like a lead balloon. If I had to guess (from what my wife has seen) numbers are down may 50-60% from what started the year before. Last year we probably started with close to 80 - 100 families represented at parent night to, from what I could tell, maybe 25 - 30 by the last one.

 

[DiZent]

You are correct. We went from the weekly model to a family formation model. We only have the classroom sessions once a month. While we have the children in class, the parents have their own session with a speaker & are given a take-home packet. The topics in the family packets are all the same. I believe there are 2 levels “younger saints” (K-3) and “older saints” (4-6). So the parent does not need to home-teach 2 different topics, but I don’t think they are given enough instruction on what is in their packets or how to use them. I’ve seen my granddaughter’s take-home packets. It was an overwhelming amount of material & much of it over her head. I believe they are teaching the parents. Having RE monthly did not solve the absenteeism problem either. Was supposed to make scheduling easier for busy families. I get it that kids get sick, but sports & birthday parties are still more important than RE to many families.

It has not been an easy transition. I have lots of supplemental materials from the previous program & I use them (because I am not satisfied with the teaching materials we are now given) Occasionally, we have a topic that was not covered - like the Ascension & the Second Coming. The blessing is that I become more grounded in my own understanding of the faith & therefore better able to share & teach it to 3rd graders

Diane Z

 

[DiZent]

TC, it sound like your parish is using the same program my son’s parish is using - they also went to a family formation model last year. It is a large parish & they also could easily go to the country parish that is actually located closer to them, but they’ve stayed at the larger one. Daughter-in-law home schools the grandchildren so it probably is not an issue for her. She did not seem dissatisfied with the home lessons. Not sure how the “Family Day” works - how it does or does not supplement the home lessons. Doesn’t seem to be any classroom or need for catechists at all. In that respect, I like the model we use better - it does not completely cut the classroom, but it has diminished the role of the catechist & increased the role of the parents as primary educators. Which is not a bad thing. And our parent meeting is on Sunday at the same time as the classroom. We start at 8:30 (8:15 if they want snack) & finish up at 9:45 - in time for the families to attend 10:00 am Mass. Just wish the materials were better.

 

[TC3033]

Daughter-in-law home schools the grandchildren so it probably is not an issue for her. She did not seem dissatisfied with the home lessons.

I’m sure that makes it a lot easier and I don’t it’s a disatisfaction with the home lessons perse. Issue being, it’s really expensive and…we have two kids that my wife tries to teach, honestly it can be tough to watch. The boys can’t really handle doing the lessons together (one can barely handle it 1:1). I feel helpless as a non-Catholic because there isn’t a whole lot I can do to help. I go to the parent night basically so we have a body in the crowd representing us. Grandma was going to help by taking on the oldest’s instruction but that only lasted one lesson.

Not sure how the “Family Day” works

Honestly…I’m not either. I’ve only made a couple, some of which had nothing to do with the lesson. I know that some have had little projects and stuff and another was basically a class on “good touch/bad touch”. It’s really been all over the place. At least it was last year, we didn’t go to family day yet this year.

Doesn’t seem to be any classroom or need for catechists at all. In that respect, I like the model we use better - it does not completely cut the classroom, but it has diminished the role of the catechist & increased the role of the parents as primary educators.

We’d prefer if the church would just go back to their classroom model. I really think we’ll either A) switch to the country parish that still offers classroom B) switch to the Lutheran church down the street or C) do no RE at all until our oldest is back to classroom in 7th grade. I don’t see there being a D) where we do the program again.

And our parent meeting is on Sunday at the same time as the classroom. We start at 8:30 (8:15 if they want snack) & finish up at 9:45

Here’s it’s 6:00-7:15 or 6:15-7:30…don’t remember. Our issue is that it gets drug out so long. We can cover what the lessons are in about 20 min…rest of it just seems like busy work to fill time to get to the 7:15 or 7:30 end time.

If they dropped the price of the program (especially that introductory year) it may have been a little better well received. At $125 per kid ($175 for our first communion child), that’s really expensive for a program where WE need to do the work and invest the time. I think program participation fell off pretty exponentially from about Christmas to now…to the point where parents were thanked for being the “committed” ones at parent meetings towards the end of the year. They had to see the program wasn’t working well…I don’t see why they stuck with it.

Also this year there is an added day per month. All first communion kids need to attend a workshop one Sunday a month as well.

 

[DiZent]

I hear you. Our price went down, but not enough. And sacrament prep is extra. There are many who did transfer their kids to the neighboring parish where they still offer the traditional weekly format. At first, the neighboring parish wanted the parents to transfer membership, but they have been accepting the students from our parish. We’re supposed to be linked with them anyway. Eventually, when both parishes are fully linked as a Pastorate, parents will be given more of a choice. If the home-schooling part is not a problem, there is always www.catechismclass.com. It is a traditional weekly program, with online lessons, quizzes, etc. Would be good for Grade 3-7 for us - there is a requirement that students be enrolled in the parish program 1 year before sacrament prep. I told my daughter I would do the home lessons with granddaughter - but she doesn’t bring her over except for the Saturday before the ME Time classroom.

 

[TC3033]

So far the country parish hasn’t asked (my wife anyway) to transfer membership as a prerequisite for entering their classroom RE program.

They politely said families are welcome to stay for the 10am Mass after class, and that if possible please look into becoming members of the parish as they are quite low on membership.