Tag: Inspiration

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How YouTube Can Increase Students’ Awareness of God

YouTube LogoA while back I wrote a post about using YouTube videos in the Catholic classroom. Here’s one of my favorite YouTube videos to use at the beginning of the school year to help students be more aware of God’s presence. It can also be used in faculty meetings to help remind teachers to look for the ways God works in their school day. If you teach in a Jesuit school, it might be a good video to use when teaching the examen.

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?
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6 Fun and Inspirational Videos for Teacher Appreciation Week

TeachingTeacher Appreciation Week is upon us, and just in time, as Spring fever has begun to bloom (in both students and teachers!). To celebrate with you I’ve selected the following videos to inspire and entertain; some will make you laugh, some will make you cry–just like teaching. Pass them along as you see fit.

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.

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Catholic Book Group Reading de Caussade for Lent

Abandonment to Divine Providence“Today God still speaks to us as he used to speak to our ancestors at a time when there were neither spiritual directors nor any systems of spirituality. To be faithful to the designs of God then comprised the whole of one’s spiritual life. Religious devotion had not become a science crammed with precepts and detailed instructions” – Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence, translated by John Beever

Spiritual reading is one of the most powerful and oft-recommended Lenten practices. This year, you might consider reading de Caussade’s Abandonment to Divine Providence. Here’s why:

  • It’s an acknowledged classic of spirituality, providing fruitful material for mediation for hundreds of years.
  • de Caussade’s simple message is an effective antidote for a world that tends to complicate things unnecessarily.
  • At 119 pages, the book is a perfect length for the forty days of Lent; 54 short chapters make it easy to divide into daily passages for contemplation.
  • For teachers, its message can profoundly affect the way we approach our students and our teaching, leading to a deep inner peace.

I count Abandonment to Divine Providence as one of the most influential books I’ve ever read, and have gotten into the habit of reading it each year during Lent. As a member of the Catholic Readers group on Goodreads, I’m very glad that they have chosen it as their Lenten book. If you’re looking for some profoundly inspirational spiritual reading this Lenten season, look no further than this classic by Jesuit Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade.

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Teach Them Something That Lasts

Note: The following reflection was written for Catholic Schools Week 2011 as part of a series for ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools.

Holy Spirit by MurilloWhen 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.

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Taking Chance: A Powerful Tribute to Veterans and to Integrity

Taking ChanceThe Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 2300). I’ve never seen a more poignant demonstration of this corporal work of mercy than the movie Taking Chance. Kevin Bacon portrays Lt. Col. Michael Strobl as he escorts the remains of fallen Marine Chance Phelps to his final resting place.

The honor and respect Phelps receives as his remains travel across the country culminate in the following scene as Strobl and the hearse travel from Montana to Wyoming:

As Veteran’s Day approaches, I humbly offer this suggestion: take 77 minutes during the next few days to watch this powerful film. If it is appropriate to your classroom situation, perhaps you can even share it with your students (as always, be sure to preview it first). I show it to my students for three reasons:

  1. To remember and honor the sacrifice of those who serve our country in the military.
  2. To give students a concrete example of our duty to bury the dead.
  3. To show students a model of the following idea: “Character is what you do when you think no one is watching.”

Both of my grandfathers served in World War II, both of my parents served in the US Navy, and I have several relatives currently serving our country in various branches of the military. To them, and to veterans everywhere, Thank you for your service.