I’ve decided to reinstate, in an official way, in my classroom tomorrow, the weekly practice hitherto known as “Trivia Tuesday.”
This was something I used in my first year at Malvern, and it worked well. I think it’s high time it came back. Why?
Well, aside from the fact that it uses alliteration (which I’ve decided makes everything “fun”… Masterpiece Monday, Faith-Sharing Friday. The boys always try for Wacky Wednesday, a day dedicated to Homestarrunner, but I just can’t make the theology stretch that far, darn it)… Aside from that, it gives their young minds a chance to percolate, let the truths of the Bible, or the Face of Jesus they are coming to see more clearly in the gospels, start to shine. The mind can only take so much “information” – it needs space for the more important “formation” of character. The stuff has to trickle down you
see, from the head to the heart. There must be time for some mental gymnastics where they can toss and flip these concepts around on the rubber mat of their minds to see if they are tough enough, durable enough, as strong as they believe they are right now.
So “Trivia Tuesday” is a chance to pop an anonymous question on anything theological, from angels to anger, demons to Desperate Housewives, into the Basket o’ Queries. Then we take 10 minutes at the end of Tuesday’s class to try and get some answers.
Wouldn’t it be cool if parishes did this? And you could come early to Mass and have a little Q & A with the padres? Some parishes, I’ve heard, have an “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Catholicism But Were Afraid to Ask” night. Brilliant. And here let me give another
shout out to Fr. Roderick at the “Daily Breakfast” podcast on sqpn.com. His “Peculiar Bunch” segment does just that, and it’s brought alot of clarity to alot of people.
This idea struck me today, by the way, because I felt like I shut a kid down in the interest of “time” (whatever THAT is). In the hastiness of the moment, I was getting through a lesson instead of getting through the lesson, if you know what I mean.
I think giving teenagers the chance to be heard and have their questions addressed head on is better than just cramming stuff into their heads with the hope that it’s available later when they need it. So let the Trivia begin! And of course, it’ll be anything but trivial. I’ll keep you posted!
I’ll be giving a Theology of the Body Retreat from Friday to Sunday, Feb. 19-21, 2010, at the Villa Maria Guadalupe Retreat Center in Stamford, Connecticut. It’s a beautifully restored mansion now dedicated for prayer and reflection, hosted by the wonderful Sisters of Life. You can register online here, or contact the Sisters directly for more information:
The Heart of Things 