“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” So says Galadriel to Frodo in Peter Jackson’s film of Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring. The same sentiment could be applied to the money that gets donated in the following short film Change for a Dollar. Even the smallest amount of money can change the course of the future.

I am sorely tempted to list discussion points or viewing questions that you could use with this video after showing it your students, but I think this time I’ll just let the video speak for itself. I’d love to hear how you would use the video, or what you would focus on with your students. To share, leave your suggestions and thoughts in the comments section.

Thanks to CatholicTV for posting this video on its Facebook page.

I’ve written a few points for discussion but watch the video closely yourself first to avoid spoilers.

For Meditation/Discussion:

• God is always present in our lives, but we often fail to see him. We get caught up in the details, the busyness, the distractions of our day-to-day lives–in other words, we get so busy counting the passes that we miss the moonwalking bear. God is the moonwalking bear, and when we notice him, we can’t help but break into a smile.
• When was the last time you noticed a “moonwalking bear” in your own life? What was it?
• What are you so focused on that you miss the moonwalking bear?

In this first of a series of articles about using YouTube in the Catholic classroom, I am going to show you how to download YouTube videos to your hard drive to avoid the following common YouTube problems:

• School filtering that blocks access
• Inappropriate videos appearing in the YouTube sidebar or after the video is over
• Commercials popping up before or during the video
• Videos that are no longer on YouTube
• A slow connection that causes the video to hang

These problems will be a thing of the past once you learn the quick and easy method of downloading videos from YouTube.

How to Download YouTube Videos

There are several ways to get videos from  YouTube to your own computer, but I’m going to show you what I think is the easiest way, though the set up may be a little complicated if you aren’t used to customizing your browser.

First, you need to be using Firefox as your web browser. What I’m going to show you doesn’t work with Internet Explorer or Safari, but Firefox can be customized with special add-ons that are unavailable in other browsers. If you don’t have Firefox, it can be downloaded for free at Mozilla.org. The rest of these instructions assume you are following them using Firefox.

Visit the Firefox add-on page for the Easy YouTube Downloader.

Once there, click the green “Add to Firefox” button on the left hand side of the page. The add-on will begin downloading, and after a few moments you will receive a message warning you to only install add-ons from people you trust. Go ahead and click the “Install Now” button.

Once you have installed the add-on, you will be prompted to restart Firefox. When Firefox restarts, you will see a page that tells you the installation succeeded. That’s it!

NOTE: Easy YouTube Downloader is also available for the Google Chrome browser. You can download Chrome at Google.com/Chrome and you can get the Easy YouTube Downloader extension at the Chromeextensions.org.

Using the YouTube Easy Downloader

Once the add-on is installed, the rest is a snap. Go ahead and visit any video on YouTube, for instance, this video by Popple that my eighth graders created a few years ago. You should now see a new “Download as” button next to the “Share” button under the video.

To download the video, click the small arrow next to “Download As” and select “MP4 360p.”  A window should then pop up asking you where you want to save the file. Choose a location, click “save,” and then watch the video download. It’s that simple.

NOTE: The higher the number next to the “p,” the better the quality of the video, so feel free to choose the highest quality available. However, be sure to click MP4, and not FLV or MP3. FLV is another video format that requires special software to play, and MP3 only saves the audio.

What’s Next?

In future articles I’ll be discussing what to do with the videos once you’ve downloaded them, and I’ll share some of my favorites and how I use them in Religion class.

You can keep up with all the articles in the series by subscribing via email or through RSS readers like Google Reader.

Be sure to leave a comment and let me know how these instructions worked for you.

Mr. Holland’s Last Day at School – Make sure you have a tissue handy

A Song for Teachers: You Have Made a Difference

Thank a Teacher

Goofy: Teachers Are People Too

I Love My Teacher

The Teacher Retirement Song – Lyrics reproduced below the video

Tears and fears and feeling small
The torture starts up every fall:
The awful things that I’ve been called
In classrooms every day.

The fire alarm could wake the dead
Water fountains spewing lead
While ceiling tiles fall on my head
I’ve thought of school that way

I’ve looked at school from both sides now
I think this year I’ll take a bow
From head to toe I’m stiff and sore
I really can’t take school anymore

The hungry sixth-grade mind inquires
By seventh, they’re accomplished liars
By eighth, they just might slash your tires
I’ve looked at kids that way

Some will start fights in the halls
Others hide in bathroom stalls
But won’t leave your room when nature calls
They’re all special in their way

I’ve looked at kids from both sides now
From short and tall
And I must avow
At least at my age, I can’t recall
The majority of them at all

Long vacations, decent pay,
A seven-hour working day,
Inservice naps and fog delays;
Some see this job that way

So now my colleagues think I’m strange.
They can’t believe I need a change.
But if you ask me, they’re all deranged
For coming back each day.

I’ve looked at work from both sides now
From rich and poor and still somehow
I’ve no illusions left at all.
I really won’t miss work at all.

For those of you who might have missed a portion of The Silver Chair, you’ll find a recording of our entire live stream below. But first, here are the All Saints 5th-8th grade students (with special guest The Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2) showing their love for reading:

“Gotta Keep Reading”

The Silver Chair, Part I

The Silver Chair, Part II

The Silver Chair, Part III

The Silver Chair, Part IV

When I taught Amy she was a bright, athletic, beaming eighth grader. She loved her older sister, her younger brother, and playing soccer. A short two years later, her body was ravaged by leukemia, and after a long and valiant battle, she passed away. Attending her funeral was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. And yet, though it was many years ago, I still remember the theme of the homily: Amy’s life is changed, not ended.

I sometimes imagine Amy looking down from heaven and saying to me, “These students you teach will not be here forever. Teach them something that lasts.”

And that, indeed, is the mission of Catholic schools: to teach something that lasts. Not for a decade. Not for a generation. But forever. As a guest speaker once told our faculty, “Our calling is to get students into Heaven, not Harvard.”

Not that Catholic schools don’t care about providing a rigorous education. Any of numerous studies will tell you that Catholic schools provide an outstanding academic foundation–high graduation rates and top scores on standardized tests. However, what Catholic schools uniquely offer our children is the one thing that lasts: the opportunity to develop in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

In a culture that increasingly marginalizes religion, Catholic schools keep faith at the forefront. Each day students witness the lived faith of a believing community and learn how Christ permeates every aspect of life. From learning about Catholic contributions in science to exploring religious themes in literature, from daily school prayer to weekly school liturgies, Catholic schools offer students an ongoing invitation to recognize God in their lives.

Catholic schools give students the x-ray glasses they need to see through the false promises of our culture. Catholic schools give students the hearing aids they need to listen the voice of the Holy Spirit in their own lives. Catholic schools give students the inner compass they need to find their way to their true home.

Life is beautiful, but all too short. I advocate for Catholic schools because Catholic schools offer students an education that lasts a lifetime…and beyond.

Catholicism/Catechesis

• Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI
• Deep Conversion/Deep Prayer by Fr. Thomas Dubay
• My Life with the Saints by Fr. James Martin, SJ
• The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by Fr. James Martin, SJ
• Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas (for less than one dollar!)
• Praying the Rosary by Megan Mckenna
• The Rosary: A Path into Prayer by Liz Kelly
• The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions by Mike Aquilina
• The How-To Book of the Mass by Michael Debruiel
• The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher by Joe Paprocki
• Catholic School Leadership by Theodore Wallace
• My Best Teachers Were Saints: What Every Educator Can Learn from the Heroes of the Church by Susan Swetnam

Technology/Writing/Reading

• Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson
• The Digital Writing Workshop by Troy Hicks
• Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher
• The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller
• Literature Circles by Harvey Daniels
• Writing Workshop by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn  Portalupi
• Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage and Style into Writer’s Workshop by Jeff Anderson
• Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School by Matt Copeland

General Education/Productivity

• The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer
• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip and Dan Heath
• Brain Rules by John Medina
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Just this past week, Amazon has implemented a rudimentary lending system for those with Kindles. If the publisher of a book allows, you can lend a Kindle book one time to someone else. They can have the book for no longer than 14 days, and while they have it, you cannot read your copy. It’s not a perfect lending solution, but it’s better than nothing.

I’ve noticed that Goodreads has already started a Kindle Lending group for people who want to exchange books. If you’re not a Goodreads member, I highly recommend it as a place to share with other readers. It’s free, and integrates easily with Facebook and Twitter. I would love to connect with other educators via Goodreads and compare reading lists, so please feel free to friend me.

According to the Declaration on Christian Education, a document of the Second Vatican Council, a Catholic school has three functions:

No less than other schools does the Catholic school pursue cultural goals and the human formation of youth. But its proper function is to create for the school community a special atmosphere animated by the Gospel spirit of freedom and charity, to help youth grow according to the new creatures they were made through baptism as they develop their own personalities, and finally to order the whole of human culture to the news of salvation so that the knowledge the students gradually acquire of the world, life and man is illumined by faith. So indeed the Catholic school, while it is open, as it must be, to the situation of the contemporary world, leads its students to promote efficaciously the good of the earthly city and also prepares them for service in the spread of the Kingdom of God, so that by leading an exemplary apostolic life they become, as it were, a saving leaven in the human community. (Gravissimum Educationis, 8)

Looking at our own Catholic schools–whether as a pastor, administrator, or teacher–how do they measure up? Are they functioning as intended? Looking closer at each of the following points may help us reflect on those questions.

1. “To create for the school community a special atmosphere animated by the Gospel spirit of freedom and charity”:

• Is my school’s atmosphere “special”–that is, uniquely enlivened by the freedom and charity of the Gospel?
• How much autonomy do the students have? Are they free to pursue their individual gifts and God-given talents?
• Charity: “a divinely infused habit, inclining the human will to cherish God for his own sake above all things, and man for the sake of God” (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1910). How does my school foster the virtue of charity?

2. “To help youth grow according to the new creatures they were made through baptism as they develop their own personalities”:

• We are called to help our students grow not as the “old creatures” they were before their baptism, but as “new creatures.” How should our approach be different than if we were teaching the unbaptized?
• What do baptized young people need in order to grow in their new life in Christ?
• Am I helping students to develop their own personalities, or am I unintentionally squelching their individuality?

3. “To order the whole of human culture to the news of salvation so that the knowledge the students gradually acquire of the world, life and man is illumined by faith”:

• How does the world look different when “illumined by faith”?
• Catholic schools are called to look at “the whole of human culture” through the lens of faith. How does that lens affect our lesson plans and subject area objectives?
• In areas like science, social studies, mathematics, language arts, and music, does the content and organization of my school’s curriculum look very different than a public school? If so, how? If not, why not?

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.

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.”