Archives for August 2017

It’s here already!  Catechists are getting ready to start a new school year of Religious Education, and that means breaking out the icebreaker games.

Most first classes typically involve some kind of icebreaker activity to help the students get to know one another.  A lot of these activities involve the student sharing personal information with the class, which can present a challenge for many middle school students who are self-conscious and may be reluctant to share sensitive or personal information with a new group of people.

Still, it’s important for the students to begin to build relationships with their classmates, and we typically start by learning each others’ names.

The following game, is an easy no-pressure activity, that you may want to try with your students.

Names in Motion

After explaining the rules to everyone, have all the students stand in a circle. One person is selected to start (or even better, the Catechist can lead off).  He or she walks into the middle of the circle and states his or her name and then makes a gesture, such as

• Clapping your hands twice
• Snapping your fingers
• Flipping your hair
• Giving a “thumbs up” sign
• Rubbing your belly
• Bowing
• Doing the “Thinker” pose

Countdown 1 … 2 … 3 and then everyone in the circle repeats the person’s name and the gesture. If the group is not too large, you may wish to go around the circle with each person repeating the name and performing the gesture.

The person standing in the middle returns to the circle, and then the Catechist can tap the next person to move to the center and state his/her name and perform a gesture.  Rinse/repeat until everyone has introduced themselves.

© 2017 Catechist’s Aide

The topic of bathroom breaks will inevitably come up, so it’s best to have a policy in place from the start. Be sure to let your student know all of your class policies from the first day you meet and then follow up with an email to parents so that everyone is on the same page.

First, if you don’t know whether or not your Parish already has rules or policies in place regarding bathroom breaks during Religious Education classes, then, by all means, speak with the Director of Faith Formation and find out. He or she may also have great insight into what works or doesn’t work, so take advantage of them as a resource.

My problem with bathroom breaks is the interruption to the class when a student raises their hand to ask permission to go. I have found two solutions that have made this less of an ordeal – for the student, for the Catechist and for the rest of the class.

1. Use a Hall Pass. With middle school students, I have found them to be responsible enough to simply grab a “Hall Pass” that is kept at the front of the classroom, and excuse themselves. There is no need to ask permission, simply take the Pass and go – silently and without interrupting the rest of the class. The Hall Pass is returned to its original position when the student returns and is available for the next person who may need to go. I tell the students that the Pass is a privilege, and as such, can be taken away if it is abused. This process has worked very well for my classes. Abuse has been rare, in fact, most students appreciate skipping the embarrassment of having to ask permission, and thus use the Pass responsibly. Another reason that I like this option is that it gives the student a small bit of independence at an age where independence is highly valued.  A few caveats: this may not be the best option if your class is very large or if you don’t have an Aide or parent volunteer to keep up with the student’s comings and goings. In some parishes (like mine) there are parents serving as Hall Monitors during class time. If you have the same arrangement in your Parish, then the Hall Pass solution may work for you.

2. Have a set time for a bathroom break. This will not completely put an end to disruptions in the middle of class, but it can cut the number way down. The biggest drawback to this option is that you are giving up valuable minutes of class time. Still, it may be worth sacrificing those minutes if it helps to provide a focused and attentive group of students for the remainder of the time.  This option works well if your class time is longer than an hour and a half.

So there you have it – two options to consider when deciding on how to deal with bathroom breaks.  I’m sure there are other more imaginative solutions out there as well. I would love to hear what works for you.  Be sure to let me know in the Comments section.

© 2017 Catechist’s Aide