Teaching Out of Your Comfort Zone
By Lori Callaway

In my biography, I mentioned that I taught RCIC. This year I was asked to step out my comfort zone and take on a new class that needed a teacher. When my DRE (Director of Religious Ed) asked me if I would consider teaching a different class that had no teacher I got sweaty palms and my mouth dried out. Grabbing my Pepsi, I took a long drink and eyed him suspiciously as he sat there at his desk.

“What class?” I asked softly, scared of the answer.

“It’s High School Catechism and the Confirmation group. This class has no one to teach it and its tailor made for you. You said you prefer teaching older youth, and these are definitely older, right? I really need someone like you that is not afraid of teens. You have a teen and know what goes on in their heads, what they face at school daily and how they think. I don’t really have anyone else that fits for this class. Plus we had only one RCIC sign up this year so we put them in with the age group they belonged with.”

I had all sorts of nightmare scenes running in my mind instantly. Scenes from every Disney movie where the high school class is running amok and the teacher has tacks or glue in her chair.

Already, I was failing God’s test for me. I had told God I would be his tool here on earth and do His work. I was failing due to preconceived ideas and prejudices. Strikes 2 and 3 against me already within 10 minutes. WOW, a new record even for me! I was ashamed of myself. I remembered my own column about are you doing enough so others don’t have to keep doing the same job or chore at your church. Strike 4! It wasn’t guilt I was feeling, it was failure. God had given me a wonderful life. A husband that converted to Catholicism for me, fulfilled my childhood wish of a husband that attended church, 3 beautiful healthy children, a home, love and a life, and I was already afraid of God’s request that I teach a class that needed a teacher that understood them.

Quickly, another flash of a classroom with spit balls flying passed in my mind.

I mentally said “Pre-judging is not a good thing and you have been teaching your own children not to do it. That it’s the person on the inside that counts. Duh. Listen to your own lectures.”

Taking another drink of Pepsi, my throat was parched and I was nervous about this class, I answered, “Sure, why not? You have a text book for me take a look at?”

My DRE smiled and said thank you, it really would be a good experience for me and the class too. He didn’t have the text book ready for me right then, and I understood why when my husband brought ALL of them home for me. I couldn’t have carried them! The Didache teacher’s manual weighs close to 5 pounds on its own! All in all, I was given 3 teachers manuals/texts and the teachers guide to The Teen Bible by St Mary’s Press.

Breaking it down, I was failing God and myself because of preconceived ideas of teaching high school students. I’ve been in high schools frequently for the last 2 years as I have a teen. Current day high schools are scary places. I am so glad I went to high school when I did in the 1980’s. I don’t know if I would have survived in a high school today. Metal detectors, police officers and security roaming the halls are scary enough. Some of the students look to be about 24 years old, both the males and females. Public high schools these days are very intimidating places, if you let them be.

I decided to not let the thought of teaching high school students overwhelm me. After all, I had my own teen and I wasn’t afraid of her. I tried to not be afraid of my new class either.

Finally, our first class met yesterday and I admit, I still expected the worst. As I walked to my class I was imaging teenagers with there feet up on the desks, chairs leaned back, cell phones out, and loud music as soon as I opened the door.

I was still pre-judging my class mentally. I was wrong.

All 10 of them were seated properly, hands folded on top of their desks as if they were in the old Catholic schools waiting for a nun to come in, with no one speaking. I walked in looked around from face to face and I received a few smiles and a couple of nods as they looked at me.

I hadn’t considered they might be worried about who they were going to be getting as their teacher and had dreamt up nightmare scenes in their heads. It seemed that we all exhaled at the same time in relief. My husband had dropped off all my materials for me before church. A CD player, a box containing folders, all of text books, a mini syllabus and the usual paperwork you do at the start of class.

I started out by introducing myself and telling them more about me and my family so they would understand that I had a teen. Relief passed visibly over their faces as I as said, “Having a 16 year old daughter in high school, I know what you face daily. To me, your life is scary and nothing like when I went to high school and I am happy to have grown up when I did.” This intrigued them that me, an adult admitted I was scared of their life and what they struggle with everyday they go to school. We spent a good 10 minutes comparing their high school life to mine. We relaxed even more, went over the syllabus, talked about my class room rules (such as surrender of all cell phones, iPods and texting devices upon entrance-which made them grin and nod. They knew for sure I had a teen at that point).

Then I decided it was time to do a little work. Since it was the first day and they had no assignments, I had borrowed some alternative Christian rock music from my daughter and gotten permission to re-print the lyrics and handed out the lyrics. I asked what music they listened to, none of which was Christian rock or Alternative Christian rock. I told them of a station called Air1 that is nationwide and challenged them to listen to it for one week and see if they felt a difference within themselves at the end of the week. They agreed they could do that sort of assignment without a problem! I put in a CD and told them which song we were going to listen to and then discuss and pick apart looking for the message. Smiles and wide eyes was what I got back in return. One of my students raised their hand and asked if this is really what we were going to do today: listen to alternative Christian rock and look for the message within. I told them ‘Yes and a little more with the message of the songs’. I had chosen songs that were about teens facing all sorts of challenges in their lives. Sneaky, I know, but it worked. After the first song, we had a round table discussion. They were so wonderfully open with me. Telling me comparative stories from their own lives or what they had seen happen to others.

We went through all 3 songs and pushed past our class time. Time flew because they were so engrossed in the message of the lyrics and my challenges.

I challenged them to be more than they were at that moment, just for next week. All of the songs had messages of reaching out to a person that needed a Christian to reach out to them, or stopping a bully at school by calling out for security, and praying more for others and having a real conversation with God or Christ, whoever they chose. Soon parents were lined up outside my door with somewhat bewildered looks; their children were still talking to me and talking about the messages of the music. I can understand the parents wonder and shock. These teens were excited, chatty and still discussing the lesson with each other as they walked out to their parents. I started hearing one of my students tell his parents “Cool teacher. I have homework too. Get this, she gives us challenges to reach out as Catholics and Christians to help others and we have only until next week’s class to have helped someone out at school, pray harder and have conversations with God or Christ…the voices fading as they walked away from the room. My husband came in shortly afterwards and said, “Well, from the sound of your students, you’ve made quite an impression and they were excited about their challenges for the week. I take it class went better than you thought it would?”

I smiled and told him it was one of the best classes I’ve ever had despite the student texts were ready for me yet, and I had been concerned they wouldn’t be cooperative with me.”

My husband said, “From what I heard, you aren’t going to have any problems with this class at all. One girl told her mother she needed to look you up online because you wrote for Catholicmom.com and I heard many “Cool teacher and she’s a cool teacher’ remarks from your students while I was waiting for you. Do you know you ran almost 20 minutes over time? You were worried for nothing, admit it.”

I admitted it. I had been so wrong in my worries, fears and Disney movie teens running the class movie scenes running rampant in my head, I forgot to remember that these were teens just like mine: with fears, worries and the need for guidance and caring. I let my pre-conceived ideas worry me for no reason. I would have been ignoring my own advice to my children and the teachings of the Church. What teachings? Love thy neighbor. Go forth and spread the word of Christ, and Have the faith of a child. From this first class I feel I learned more from my class than I taught. To me, that’s a good thing. I am positive that this class is going to rise to my challenges and that I am going to learn a great deal from them as well. What a wonderful gift God has given me for this year.

Pax,
Lori Callaway

Lori Callaway is married to her best friend Scott and mother of 3 children, all of whom are her inspiration and fodder for her freelance writing. Her hobbies are knitting (as a lefty), rosary making, sewing, cross stitching, crafts and ¾ to full time genealogist and history nut. She currently lives in one of the giant metro areas the Pacific Northwest of the US after having grown up in American’s idea of a perfect mid-western small town. Lori is also an RCIC teacher. If you have any comments or questions about my column or writing, please contact me at LoriCallaway@gmail.com