If you browsed the bookshelves of a Catholic teacher, what titles would you expect to find? Today marks the beginning of an ongoing series about the books that should be on the shelves of every Catholic teacher. The list is, of course, subjective, and we could debate about whether every title is “essential,” but I think that overall you’ll find the titles in this series useful on your journey as a Catholic educator.
Book 1: The Bible
This may seem too obvious to list, but I want to begin here because even though I’m reasonably certain that every Catholic educator owns a Bible, it’s good to be reminded to take it out and read it. We’re on the front lines of faith formation, and we owe it to our students and our Lord to know the Bible more intimately than any other book we’ve ever read. I still have a long way to go in that department. I’ve been teaching Les Misérables for almost thirteen years, and I have to admit that I probably know Hugo’s novel better than I know the Bible. Granted, the Bible is much more difficult to understand, but that’s all the more reason to read it habitually.
How to Read the Bible
There are many ways to approach reading the Bible, but I want to highlight an approach called lectio divina. Lectio divina is one of those ancient-but-ever-new gifts of the Church, and rather than summarize it here, I will instead direct you to this excellent article by Benedictine monk Fr. Luke Dysinger. I had the privilege of meeting Fr. Luke when I stayed a week at St. Andrew’s Abbey in California, and his article will give you a solid introduction to the practice of praying with scripture.
Whether or not lectio is for you, as a Catholic educator you must be a regular reader of God’s word. Take these epigrams as motivation:
Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.
Bibles that are falling apart usually belong to people who aren’t.
You’re the only Bible some people will ever read.
The Question of Translation
Often people ask which translation of the Bible they should use. James Akin has a fairly thorough discussion of how to choose a Bible and that would be as good a place as any to begin. But I like the practical advice I once heard when someone asked which translation was best: “The one you read.” Here are two of the most common Catholic translations:
The New American Bible – This is, of course, the translation used for liturgies in the United States, and for that reason alone it would make a very good Bible for personal use. On the other hand, a different translation can sometimes be helpful in overcoming the “I’ve heard this story before” syndrome.
I’d like to mention one more Bible resource that I discovered about a month ago. Baker Academic is beginning to produce an ambitious series of books called the Catholic Commentary on Scripture. Only two volumes have been produced so far, The Gospel of Mark and First and Second Timothy, Titus. I have both volumes, and I’m currently using The Gospel of Mark commentary in my daily lectio. I can’t say enough about how helpful this commentary is. I highly recommend the series, and I will be purchasing every volume as they are made available.
Conclusion
I hope I don’t have to convince anyone that every Catholic teacher needs the Bible on their bookshelf. More importantly, however, is that every Catholic teacher needs the Bible off their bookshelf. It should be on your nightstand, or at the breakfast table, or on an end table next to your favorite reading chair. Keep a copy in your car, or your purse or your briefcase. How we can speak about God to our students, if we don’t listen to him through his revealed Word?
Two teachers at East Boston Central Catholic School saved the life of a six-year-old student when she collapsed at school from a heart ailment. The two teachers, Kathy Carabine and Robert Casaletto, performed CPR when the student’s heart stopped. The student is now in stable condition at a local hospital. See the full story here. Congratulations to these two heroes. Show your appreciation by emailing them at kcarabine@ebccs.org and rcasaletto@ebccs.org.
Update: see video footage of these heroic teachers here.
The Catholic News Agency reported today on an un-named twelve-year-old girl who is beginning to gain attention from her class speech on the topic of abortion. Her delivery is clear, confident and effective. She summarizes the Catholic position on abortion in a way that few politicians can appreciate. Covering most of the pro-life bases, she discusses when life begins, and ends her speech by quoting Horton Hears a Who. I’m not sure where she goes to school, but I hope she got an “A.” Take a look for yourself:
As we prepare students to be people of faith in the 21st century, we need to be more and more familiar and comfortable with new technology tools. I’m always on the lookout for useful technology tips, and Colette Cassinelli’s edtech Vision has plenty of great suggestions and tricks for using technology in the classroom. Colette is a Google Certified Teacher and works at a Catholic high school in Oregon. She describes herself as a “technology evangelist,” and blogs regularly about teaching with technology.
One podcast that I play for my eighth grade students every week is Lifeteen’s Sunday Sunday Sunday. The Bible Geek, Mark Hart, prepares young Catholics for Sunday’s Mass readings by highlighting the major themes and filling in background information.
Hart begins the podcast by reminding his listeners to get a pen and paper before he lists the readings for the week. For the next seven to ten minutes he helps teen listeners connect more easily with God’s word. His enthusiasm is contagious and my students always enjoy hearing what he has to say. Hart has an energetic, folksy voice that doesn’t get too preachy or overhanded.
One thing I like about the Lifeteen podcasts is how easily they can be incorporated into a class period. Each Friday morning, my Religion class begins by listening to Sunday Sunday Sunday. Students take notes, and after the podcast is done I ask my students if they have any questions or comments. I think Hart’s style and message would be understandable by students from 4th-12th grade, and the seven minute average run time is short enough for most student attention spans.
The only complaint I have is that a couple of months ago they changed the theme music. It used to sound like a monster truck commercial, which my eighth grade boys looked forward to each week. I don’t know if they were violating copyright, but they changed the opening theme, and the new music is much more generic. Still, I highly recommend playing this podcast with your students each week. You might even try pairing it with Lifeteen’s Catholic Movie Reviews podcast.
One of the biggest challenges facing Catholic teachers is how to help students live their faith in a culture that is increasingly counter to gospel values. Fortunately, the Daughters of St. Paul have been working to provide you with resources. The Pauline Center for Media Studies began in 1995 to “encourage and promote Media Mindfulness within the context of culture, education and faith formation.”
The Center offers teachers several important media literacy resources:
Film Essays and Reviews: Over forty essays about faith and film, including several discussion guides that could be used with students. Movies discussed include Prince Caspian, The Golden Compass, Cinderella Man, Hotel Rwanda, Bruce Almighty, The Da Vinci Code, Fargo and The Village.
I’m also intrigued by Pauline’s series of books, Lights, Camera, Faith! A Movie Lover’s Guide to Scripture. Peter Malone and Sr. Rose Pacatte use movies to illuminate the meanings of the Sunday lectionary readings. Each book takes a different year in the cycle of readings, with a fourth volume that uses movies to explicate the ten commandments:
They appear to be excellent resources for youth groups or even adult formation classes. I haven’t had a chance to look at these myself, so if you’ve read them or used them, leave a comment and share your experience with other readers.
