What would you like to see in CCD?

[puzzleannie]

thanks for reviving the thread, my last week of vacation, then gearing up for next year, so bring it on, parents.

and please, pray tonight, pray this weekend at Mass, pray for the rest of the summer and discern if the Holy Spirit is calling you, especially those among you who are better catechised and who already make faith formation a priority in the family, to share your gifts with children who do not have that support at home. You will probably cringe as we go to the mike for announcements in upcoming Masses–yes to beg and plead for help, It is you, the ones most qualified to criticize weak programs, who have the most to give and are the logical ones to come forward. 4 of my best catechists actually are homeschoolers, and they are simply the best. They don’t need CCD, but their kids participate for “socialization” and that brings me sorely needed highly qualified teachers.

 

[Pax2u]

Our parish uses Sunday morning for classes. We have a 9 and 11 Mass, and classes are from 10-10:55.

I taught the First Communion/Confirmation class (our diocese does together) for 7 years. My students loved skits, so we utilized them a lot to reinforce scripture stories and lessons. Sometimes there would be time to do the skit 2-3 times, so they could switch parts, further reinforcing the story.

I also developed a simple list of questions that was added onto as we progressed through the year. Part of each lesson was a review…but the kids thought we were playing a game! They were a “team” and it was their task to try and get more points than me. If their team came up with the correct answer they got the point; otherwise, I got it. The list grew quite lengthy as we got further into the year. Every year my students have loved this, and it is a great review of basics. I knew they had a pretty thorough grounding by the end of the year when it was time to receive the Sacraments. We had a special workshop just before First Eucharist and Confirmation, and the parents were required to come with their child. We played our “game” for the parents, who enjoyed seeing how much their children had actually learned throughout the year.

Blessings to you…it is important work you are doing. I’ll keep you in prayer.

 

[timotheos]

I like to see three things, for 7th grade and up.

1. Most important: Teachers must IMPART the faith. They must believe without a doubt, not just teach. No wishy washy, “everyone-goes-to-heaven-so-just-be-a-good-person” theology. This 75 minutes a week is no-nonsense time.
2. The kids must know that during CCD, we leave the world outside. They have the rest of the week to learn what Satan wants of them. For the one short period each week, they hear what God wants of them.
3. Sharing experiences often leaves one vulnerable, so there is NO making fun of anyone for what they say. And what gets said in CCD stays in CCD. I never want to hear about some sensitive contribution that becomes the subject of gossip later, in the public school or anywhere else.

If CCD is run well, these kids have the potential to know their faith even better than Catholic school kids. Teaching this material is a calling, a crucial ministry, and its importance should never be understated. It is where the salvation of souls often begins.

 

[dconklin]

I am the Asst DRE at a parish of 2700 families - 1800 kids. There is very little more that I could ask for. The kids love to be here. I could not say that when I was growing up. While there will always be parents that have issues, parents love our program. Only a few of our catechists are actual teachers, but our program (Finding God from Loyola Press) is not difficult to use.

 

[paulaf]

As a parent of school aged kids, what would you like to see in their religion classes? The class I teach has had its final class and we will be closing the program with mass next week. Many of the kids that started the year stopped coming… some due to conflicting sports schedules, some due to the kids not wanting to be there, some due to the parents thinking we don’t teach enough and aren’t strict enough. I’m not the DRE, but I like to help where I can so I’m trying to come up with suggestions for next year’s program. Our program is obviously failing because in the 4 years I’ve been helping, overall attendance has declined and general participation is abysmal. The lower grades have a decent retention, but a year or two after first communion, there is a huge drop off in attendance. We have good textbooks, we have good priests/deacons that are willing to come give presentations, we do not have enough volunteers, parental involvement is pretty much nil, the kids are too busy with school’s homework and sports schedules and our program is 6:30-7:45 Wednesday nights.

Basically, I’m looking for tips on how to organize the program to help with retention, how to get the parents more involved in teaching/living their faith, how to help make the learning enjoyable and not just one more class at the end of a very long day, or anything else you think might be a good tip. Any help is appreciated.

This is the scenario that our family is dealing with right now. DD will be going into 4th grade. Since she goes to public school, she has been in CCD since 1st grade - and we are considering not sending her in September. Classes meet on Wednesday evenings, so it IS just one more thing to do at the end of a long day. And for what? From the looks of the handouts that came home, a bunch of worksheets that I could have printed off just as easily at home and saved the family a stressful evening (what with the rushing home from work, rushing to get a snack in, rushing to load up 2 kids to drop off one, go home, get supper in the other one, go back to get DD, get HER supper, supervise home work, etc.). Since DD does not react well to stressful situations, Wednesday nights are often not worth the hassle, frankly.

It would be different if I had confidence that the program had any substance to it. Based on the simplicity of the worksheets, I don’t. DD brought home the books in 2nd grade, and we had a pre-First Communion interview with the priest. Other than attending Mass and the beginning of the year meeting, no other particular parental involvement has been requested of DH and I. I could volunteer to teach, but at least in the lower grades, there have been sufficient volunteers that my assistance was not needed. I have no complaints about the teachers, I just doubt the material.

Aside from the apparent simplicity of the program, I am disheartened by the attitude that CCD kids are second class to the parish school kids (I really was talking originally about just my parish, but frankly, I am getting those same vibes from some of the posts on this discussion.). Aside from the announcement of registration, there is no mention all year of any activities that CCD kids might be doing/learning. You’d never know the CCD program was in existence. Yet the bulletin has regular announcements of what the parish kids are working on. There has not been an opportunity for DD to learn to be a Mass server or lector, but quite a few of the parish school kids in the same grade as DD have been serving and reading for months. There has never been any special program or Mass done by the CCD kids (aside from First Communion), even though the parish school kids regularly do them. The CCD classes meet Wednesdays nights, as I said - the same night of the week that many regular parish school activities are held. That means that every year CCD kids miss out on several (I have never counted exactly how many, but I think 5 or 6) weeks of classes. Since CCD IS just one night a week, and it is supposed to be such an important thing, I have not figured out why no one else has seen the perpetual conflicts, but hey, it is only the CCD kids losing class time. “Catholic Schools Week” also is strongly praised in the parish bulletin, as though we are supposed to admire people whose only extra effort is writing the check to send their kid(s) to a particular school. Yet those of us who send our kids to a different school and actually DO make the extra effort to do something for our kids that we could just claim we do at home get zero recognition. BTW, we sent DD to kindergarten at the parish school. Aside from the academics that we judged to be equivalent with those at the public school, we encountered plenty of parents who pretty much considered writing the check to be the end of their responsibility.

I am also more than a little irked at the presumption that it is only the CCD parents who are not getting their kids to Mass. I have not seen nor heard any sign that the Catholic school parents get the same lecture, yet I know well and good that not all of my daughter’s former classmates are in church regularly. I have had some parents tell me that themselves, so I know it is not just that they are attending different Masses than my family is. Once the parish school families are all attending regularly, THEN feel free to worry about our supposed shortcomings.

Sooooooo, to recap, the program is timed to regularly stress the entire family, DD is not challenged nor stimulated by the material and the whole program is the Oliver Twist of the parish educational setup… Yeah, I’m so rushing to do this again.

 

[MrsWendyW]

I teach my kids at home. It is my job as their parent to teach them their faith. I am not going to send them to CCD where they continually have discipline problems with certain kids. One being my nephew. I was talking with one of the teachers. We are both amazed at how many kids do not genuflect when they go into church. How many do not even know why they are supposed too. They do not know that missing mass is a sin. They do not know what the tabernacle is, or the sacristy, or the monstrance, etc.
Children learn from example. Parents need to be that example. I have a sister that is married to a Pentacostal. She makes sure to take her kids to Bible school & CCD, but they very rarely go to mass at our church. They usually go to their dad’s because it’s more fun. Her son is the one causing trouble every week. They are so confused because they are being taught something in CCD, but it is not being followed up at home. You really, really need to stress to parents the importance of mass attendance & being involved. Children need to know God, mass, anything to do with church is more important than any sport. I get so tired of that argument. Couldn’t go because we had a game. God should be #1. If the parents aren’t modeling that, there is the problem. I also suggest a monthly meeting with parents. A class perhaps. We had a local priest give talks on different subjects. It went over very well.
I have been told I am mean because I have been making my kids get up 2 times a week for communion service over summer break.