6 + 6 = Awkward
Posted By Carlos on June 4, 2009
I’d like to think that I’m ready for anything when it comes to my class. I prepare pretty well for what I’m going to cover. I know the material and if all else fails, I have my own Catholic upbringing and understanding to fall back on. So with this prideful comfort, the occasional dose of humility is not a bad thing.
The day we reviewed the Ten Commandments and tied them to the Greatest Commandments given to us by Jesus, I thought I’d take the opportunity to also review an Examination of Conscience based on the Ten Commandments. The reason I chose to do this was to expand their understanding from the very literal view they had of them.
I began to explain to them that each Commandment was thematic in nature and besides the obvious literal meaning, they each had implied meanings as well. We went through each Commandment and I offered them an expanded view of it. This generated questions like:
“You mean if I miss Mass on Sunday because I my parents go too early and I want to sleep, that’s against the First Commandment?” If you choose to not go to any Mass, not the one on Saturday night, nor one at a different time on Sunday, they you would be violating both the First and Third Commandments, the First for making sleep more important then God and the Third for missing Mass.
“Why does not listening to teachers break the Fourth Commandment? They aren’t my parents.” The Forth Commandment speaks of people with authority over you. Beyond your parents, that can include people like your grandparents or other family members, your teachers, Father here at the Church, police officers and your boss when you get older, among others. They are all an extension of your parents, so to speak, and deserve your respect. Remember that the next time you decide not to behave in this class. ;)
“Com’on!! Being lazy is a sin??” By being lazy, you are taking time away from more important things that you should be doing. Therefore, being lazy is like stealing; but instead of stealing a physical item, you are stealing time. There is a time for resting, when all is done; but being lazy is choosing to rest or waste time instead of doing other more important things that you are responsible for.
“What is adultery?” The Sixth Commandment talks about being faithful to your spouse or your station in life. (A girl raises her hand so I assume there is a question and I call on her.) “You know, the sex sins are the hardest to resist.” Um…Uh…Um…
Never in a million years would I have expected that statement to come up in a sixth grade religion class. It took me completely by surprise and for the first time, I had nothing to say. It was somewhat awkward and I think I squeezed out a “Yes, they can be” and moved on. While I’m sure I responded quickly, it felt like an eternity as I scrambled to come up with a response. Her statement was no where in my lexicon when I was in 6th grade and I was stunned at the fact that 6th graders could be concerned about this. I felt like an ostrich with his head in the sand, completely unaware of what was really going on around me and my response made me feel like I was hiding from it.
Upon reflection, I know the Holy Spirit offered me a little dose of humility at that moment, however I can’t help but feel that I missed an opportunity with the class there. This is clearly something that is on their minds and at least one student felt comfortable enough to voice it in my class. But, where do you draw the line? I can just imagine parents’ reactions to students saying, “You’ll never guess what we talked about in religion class tonight!”
Has anyone else had to deal with this, maybe at a slightly older grade level? How do you cover this material? Where do you draw the line? What is appropriate to say and what is better directed elsewhere?
Nonetheless, Catechists should be forewarned! Covering the Sixth Commandment in a 6th Grade class can lead to an awkward moment. For me, 6 + 6 does equal “Awkward”!
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