This is my first year teaching CCD. When Tony Achan announced that the parish needed new CCD teachers, I thought about it but was skeptical about the idea of starting it this year. Learning how to be a teacher, especially a CCD teacher, during this time of online teaching and learning seemed very challenging. Later on when I finally decided to give it a try, the idea of gathering the 4th graders around and introducing the stories in the Bible to them though lessons seemed like an interesting start. How hard could it be? It felt like a list of simple tasks- asking the kids some questions, listening to their answers and then expanding on those answers.

When the actual classes started, I realized it is not easy to summarize something so huge into digestible questions and answers. Kids are very innocent and they just absorb everything we tell them or teach them. I realized that as CCD teachers, we are molding the minds of the next generation, and have to use each word with great care, with the perfect balance, so that the kids love their faith and every aspect of it. I also realized how little I know and how much I have to learn to prepare myself for those 60 minutes in the classroom. With the right use of endless resources available, I hope this journey will help me grow in my faith while helping my little 4th graders. It has just been a few weeks since I embarked on this journey. I have to thank my co-teacher Vinitha, for being so patient with me, guiding me and nudging me into taking baby steps into this new venture. I pray to my heavenly Father, to enable me to teach with wisdom, equip me to teach with truth, encourage me to teach with vision and empower me to teach with love.

My name is Jenson Kaithamattam. I am a Senior Public Health major at UMass Amherst.

I spent the last two years of high school as a CCD assistant for 4th grade. I took part in volunteering as a CCD teacher because all of the other students who graduated in 10th grade were assigned and asked to help out. Little did I know that this practice of volunteering would follow me on to the next stage of my life. It can be difficult to manage all of the responsibilities that comes with being a new college student. As difficult as this time was, there was one thing that remained constant in my life and that was going to church near my school and continuing to further involve myself in my new community.

I spent the last 3 years volunteering as a CCD teacher for kindergarten students at a church near my school. I found this experience to be challenging and yet enlightening. I learned so much about interacting with children and the importance of patience. I loved helping out in this regard. A friend and I were in charge of designing a curriculum that taught the children about the bible in an engaging way. When COVID struck, the church here in Amherst decided to discontinue the CCD program and instead supply parents with educational materials to teach their children. When I heard this news, I felt that a part of my college experience had been taken away. My mother informed me of the need for teachers at our church and I was instantly excited to rejoin my community at home that taught me everything about volunteering and committing my time to educate others.

So what spurred me on to take on the role of a Catechist? I believe I was heavily influenced by this quote "Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible."

Teaching was something completely new to me. But I've always had the deepest respect and admiration for teachers. All of us have that special teacher or teachers who we still think of fondly, every now and then.

When I think of my Christian education, there are 3 teachers that hold a special place in my heart. One teacher was so full of life and always taught the Biblical events with animated expressions. Thanks to him, I still remember some of the events like I was in his class only yesterday. The second teacher stood out for her cheerful disposition and was very passionate about teaching. I had never seen her without her smile. It was a joy to be in her class. The third teacher had this aura of peace and calm around her, and always encouraged us to be better Christians every step of the way. She was my teacher in the last year of school. These lasting memories serve as my personal guides, each time I go into a CCD class with my 6th graders.

As a new CCD teacher, I realized that even the most well known of Biblical events required me to look into the event closer to understand the spiritual underpinning, identify the relevance and convey the same to the students. The sixth graders are an inquisitive lot, so I have to thank them for the push to learn better! Through the preparation, I have come to understand the Word a little better. This has helped me to reflect on my actions, thoughts and beliefs constantly.

I am honored to be a CCD teacher for the 6th grade, along with Biya Paul. One of the challenges for CCD teachers is to show the relevance of Jesus’ teachings in today’s world to the students, and their lasting significance in our lives. I truly hope and pray that I can do a little to further the cause of Christ.

This is my first year as a CCD Teacher and I have never had this experience before. Along with the nervousness, it was a challenging thought as I was asked to support the 10th grade class. The good thing was that I was not going to be on my own. It was a relief that a seasoned CCD instructor like Roger was my team mate and provided his support and guidance. I can confidently say that from the first class until now, I have come to understand the flow of the class, names of the children, a little personal side to each of them. Most importantly, I am much more comfortable leading the class now. Preparation beforehand has been very helpful for me. I have used Roger’s trick of breaking the ice and prepping the class whereby we play a game or ask how the week went for each child before the class begins. I feel there is a lot of information for each of the topics that is covered within the Smart Catechism curriculum. For the 10th grade, all of us teachers have decided to introduce the topics using personal experiences and covering the topics in the simplest manner so that the children can grasp and stay attentive.

What I have done for myself is teach from my heart with the material that I am required to go over. Prayer and calling on the Holy Spirit for guidance has definitely given me confidence and has kept me at peace with myself. As you prepare, inspiration will come to you automatically and can lead you to use additional material for your class. Encourage open discussions with Q&A sessions so that the children are allowed to participate as well. By doing this, they don’t get bored of hearing you all the time. At the end, I know that I won't be perfect and I am also learning about faith through each class. Even if one child has got a deeper understanding of the faith through my classes I will give myself grace!