Analysis of Secular Character Development Programs and Materials

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The following is part of The Cardinal Newman Society’s series of analyses of secular materials and programs used in Catholic education. Such materials and programs must be carefully evaluated to determine if their underlying philosophy, content, and activities are aligned to the mission of Catholic education and, if used, what adaptations might be needed.

The Newman Society’s “Policy Guidance Related to Secular Materials and Programs in Catholic Education” offers a framework for such evaluation and is the basis for this particular analysis.

Overview

By their very nature, schools form character; as long as schools have existed, there have been character development programs and materials. Many are designed for public schools and are therefore secular in orientation.[1]

Because public schools cannot directly address the theological foundations of virtue, morality, and character, they primarily rely on cultural, psychological, or philosophical assumptions to ground their efforts. Unfortunately, many programs and materials designed primarily for public schools have been tainted by atheistic humanism or relativism. Other resources are more promising, based on concepts of natural law and a traditional Western understanding of the human person without explicitly teaching traditional Christian norms.

The latter approach may be a good choice for public schools seeking stronger, more thoughtful, and more compelling character education. However, Catholic schools should be wary of using such resources; if used, they should be adapted significantly.

Programs and materials written from a “morally neutral,” purely humanistic, or relativistic perspective should only be used after an extensive integration of Catholic values and morals to make them suitable for Catholic school use. Such adaptations will help counter the modern culture’s assumptions that humanity, on its own, can figure out and achieve human perfection and excellence without God’s guidance and grace. Such a humanistic sense is antithetical to the fundamental mission of Catholic education.

St. John Paul II reminds us that, “In Christ and through Christ man has acquired full awareness of his dignity, of the heights to which he is raised, of the surpassing worth of his own humanity, and of the meaning of his existence.”[2] In a Catholic school, any attempt to discuss humanity, morality, and goodness without final reference to Christ, who fully reveals man to himself, is unthinkable. The very reason we have Catholic schools is to address these critical issues in the fullness of truth and with the guidance of Christ’s teaching and grace. To import a secular program which a priori was forced to surrender these truths to suit an international or public-school restriction is inadvisable.

One of the critical functions of a Catholic school is to impart a Christian understanding of the world, which allows students to interpret and give order to human culture in the light of faith.[3] Unadapted use of secular programs and materials related to human formation violates this principle of Catholic education. The Catholic school is called to transmit an understanding of humanity that is inspired by Catholic wisdom and scriptural insight. This understanding is not meant to remain theoretical but is meant to be put into practice in a student’s life, so as to provide for the integration of culture with faith and faith with living. Human wisdom is not enough in considering issues of humanity and human excellence; divine wisdom must also be carefully considered and applied. Secular efforts which are limited to defining human beings through their relationships with other human beings and with nature do not offer a complete answer to the unavoidable, fundamental question of, “Who is man?”

For Catholic schools, all routes must always explicitly end with Christ. This is because all human values find their fulfillment and unity in Christ. This awareness expresses the centrality of the human person in the educational project of the Catholic school, strengthens its educational endeavor, and renders it fit to form strong personalities.[4]

A strong personality and a mature faith will be able to integrate both natural and supernatural elements related to human nature and activity.

It is true that natural law cases can be made for things such as justice, loyalty, compassion, marriage between a man and woman, chastity, and honesty. It is also true that some of the writings of Catholic thinkers such as St. John Paul II can be marshalled to assist with natural law arguments. However, the strength of the thought of St. John Paul and the fullness of an understanding of these things cannot be presented without reference to the divine. John Paul beautifully proclaims, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.”[5] 

Even if natural law and Christian value-based programs are inspired by Catholic thought or the philosophical or anthropological insights of St. John Paul II, to attempt to convey such teaching without uniting faith and reason ultimately obfuscates these critical teachings. Catholic schools must unleash the entirety and integrity of human wisdom, including the Church’s inspired wisdom, in their efforts to equip students to attain and practice heroic virtue in the post-modern world.

Similarly, attempts to protect and promote human dignity cannot be fully advanced without grounding such dignity in a transcendent and objective source. Humanity simply affirming its own dignity does not guarantee that dignity. There has to be something outside of humanity guaranteeing this dignity and the freedom which it protects from hostile forces. Vatican II affirms that it is God’s revelation which discloses and affirms the dignity of the human person in its full dimensions.[6] Human dignity is ultimately anchored in man’s status as being made in the image of God and being redeemed by Him through the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ. St. John Paul II’s sense of human anthropology is built on the centrality of this notion which inspires his teaching, “God so loved the human being that, in the Incarnation, human flesh was divinized. The act of the Incarnation, in which the eternal Word of God took on human flesh, reveals the ‘greatness, dignity, and value’ of the human being.”[7]

Catholic schools must ensure that their students fully appreciate that they, and all whom they meet and serve, are made in God’s image and redeemed by Him. The fullness of this teaching can help them better understand their individual significance and the significance and dignity of all others as well. Simply teaching them that man has dignity de facto is not enough to withstand the massive and complex assaults on human dignity taking place all around them.

While good-willed secular character and dignity programs fight the good fight as best they can within the limitations placed on them by national and international government entities, Catholic schools must use their freedom to dig much deeper in preparing their students for the intensity of the battles ahead. They must assert their autonomy and the broader worldview such autonomy currently allows. They must not pre-emptively surrender or silence themselves by attempting to simply ground morality and dignity on secular grounds. This is sandy soil which cannot support the edifice of human dignity, which must be built on Christ. Efforts limited to natural reason alone are not only unfaithful to Catholicism’s broader insights but are also destined to fail if left on their own. Pope Leo XIII warns about strictly secular youth formation efforts:

Let nobody easily persuade himself that piety can be separated from instruction with impunity. In fact, if in no period of life, whether in public or private affairs, can religion be dispensed with, much less can that inexperienced age, full of life, yet surrounded by so many corrupt temptations, be excused from religious obligations. Whosoever, therefore, organizes education so as to neglect any point of contact with religion is destroying beauty and honesty at their very roots, and instead of helping the country, is preparing for the deterioration and destruction of the human race. For, once God is eliminated, who can make young people realize their duties or redeem those who have deviated from the right path of virtue and fallen into the abyss of vice?[8]

Recommendations

  • The Catholic school ought to first consider specifically Catholic character-formation programs and materials before looking to secular school programs that do not openly teach Catholic doctrine and ethics, even when claiming to be consistent with Catholic teaching.

  • The Catholic school that chooses a secular character-formation program or material must ensure that additional Catholic resources are explicitly and intentionally integrated into the course’s standards, lesson plans, and curriculum.

  • The Catholic school must ensure that the concept of human dignity taught in the program is rooted in man’s status of having been made in the image and likeness of God and in the incarnation, passion, and resurrection of Christ.

  • The Catholic school must seek first to emphasize the timeless and piercing insights from Scripture, Church teaching, and great Catholic philosophers and saints and attempt to avoid anecdotal and story-based activities that eventually become dated and lend themselves to meandering opinions of youth.

  • The Catholic school must be aware that, without firm theology and philosophy, such programs may not meet the needs of well-formed Catholic students. Whenever possible, older students should work directly with Scripture and original Church documents and encyclicals.

 

Denise Donohue, Ed.D., is Director of the Catholic Education Honor Roll at The Cardinal Newman Society.

Dan Guernsey, Ed.D., is Senior Fellow at The Cardinal Newman Society and principal of a diocesan K-12 Catholic school.

 

[1] There are numerous, widely varied programs. By way of example, but without endorsement, these include such programs as Alive to the World, an international character-building program; Character Counts, used in public schools across the U.S.; the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs, which promotes moral virtue; the Human Dignity Curriculum of World Youth Alliance; and the Heart2Heart program of Illinois Right to Life.

[2] St. Pope John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis (1979) 11 at http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_04031979_redemptor-hominis.html (accessed on June 12, 2020).

[3] The Cardinal Newman Society, Principles of Catholic Identity in Education Overview (2017) at https://cardinalnewmansociety.org/principles-catholic-identity-overview/ (accessed on June 12, 2020).

[4] Congregation for Catholic Education, The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium (2002) 9.

[5] St. John Paul II, Fides et Ratio (1998) introduction.

[6] Pope Paul VI, Dignitatis Humanae (1965) at http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651207_dignitatis-humanae_en.html (accessed on June 12, 2020).

[7] John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, supra note 39, at 59.

[8] Pope Leo XIII, Militantis Ecclesiae (1897) at http://w2.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_01081897_militantis-ecclesiae.html (accessed on June 12, 2020 6/12/20).

Good Seed: Standards for Christian Anthropology Released

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Two weeks ago, on a video call from Rome to Florida, Dr. Joan Kingsland and Dr. Denise Donohue wrapped up a most important project: educational standards for grades K-8 based on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body teachings. The Standards for Christian Anthropology provide a solid basis for incrementally transmitting a vision of the human person according to God’s loving design.

But the significance of the completion date, May 18, did not strike the authors until later. It was the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Paul II!

The new standards’ simple yet robust framework provides the guidance that has been sought by educators for some time now. The Standards for Christian Anthropology support the curricula published by Ruah Woods Press and complement the Catholic Curriculum Standards published by The Cardinal Newman Society, which cover English language arts, history, scientific topics, and mathematics. The new standards—a collaboration of the two organizations—situate the person in proper context as son or daughter of God, heir to the Eternal Kingdom, and brother or sister to all. Anthony Esolen, Catholic writer and social commentator, said, “If you don’t get man right, you don’t get education right.” The Standards for Christian Anthropology lay the groundwork for “getting man right,” a foundation for other subject areas.

Although this work was begun in 2016, its completion was inspired by the most recent document from the Congregation for Catholic Education, Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education (2019), which addresses the current identity crisis affecting many classrooms today. The Vatican document was generated to present Christian anthropology and to encourage institutions of higher learning and research centers to provide professional development and programs for educators. The Standards for Christian Anthropology are a direct response to this call.

More fundamental than sex ed, Theology of the Body goes deeper, to the heart of personal identity. “It’s a gamechanger for someone to be deeply convinced of their personal self-worth, dignity and purpose, knowing themselves to be infinitely and unconditionally loved by God and called to live in a communion of persons in his image. This self-knowledge includes respecting and revering oneself, others and above all God. It affects the choices made by young people about how they will treat others and expect others to treat them, including in the area of sexuality. It’s a unique, theological approach to Christian anthropology that lays out the pathway to a happy, deeply fulfilled life.” (Introduction to Standards for Christian Anthropology, 2020).

Although these standards were created based on the completed work of Ruah Woods’ ROOTED K-12 curriculum, they also provide guidelines for other publishers and programs. Existing programs might find that their curricula already align to the Standards, or that this would be possible with minor modifications. It is a framework that hopefully will complement already solid religious education standards chosen by Catholic schools and will touch the hearts of young people. Knowing that they are created in the image of the Triune God and are called to live in communion, they will learn that fulfillment comes through a sincere gift-of-self.

View and download the Standards for Christian Anthropology.

Register for an upcoming webinar that will explore the Standards.

For more information, contact Dr. Joan Kingsland (JKingsland@RuahWoods.org) or Dr. Denise Donohue (DDonohue@CardinalNewmanSociety.org).

 

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Questions and Answers on Christian Anthropology Standards

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Editor’s Note: We recently asked the authors, Dr. Joan Kingsland and Dr. Denise Donohue, about the new Standards for Christian Anthropology which were released by Ruah Woods Press and The Cardinal Newman Society.

1. What are the Standards for Christian Anthropology?

“Early in his pontificate St. John Paul II offered what he termed an adequate anthropology through 129 talks given during Wednesday audiences that stretched from 1979-1984. These audiences were then published under the title Man and Woman He Created Them. Commonly referred to as St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, these teachings offer a profound vision of the dignity, goodness and worth of the human person. Created in the image of God who is a communion of persons, each person will find fulfillment and happiness, in whatever state of life, through the sincere gift-of-self” (Introduction to Standards for Christian Anthropology, 2020).

These standards, based on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body teachings, provide a solid basis for transmitting incrementally, K-8, a vision of the human person according to God’s loving design and St. John Paul’s teachings on the human person.

2. What are some of the key concepts that they try to convey?

“In the area of expectations, it’s important to understand that they do not address matters of sexuality through a “frontal approach”. In fact, these are not standards for teaching sexuality as such. Instead, they go deeper, to the foundations of personal identity. It’s a gamechanger for someone to be deeply convinced of their personal self-worth, dignity and purpose, knowing themselves to be infinitely and unconditionally loved by God and called to live in a communion of persons in his image. This self-knowledge includes respecting and revering oneself, others and above all God. It affects the choices made by young people about how they will treat others and expect others to treat them, including in the area of sexuality. It’s a unique, theological approach to Christian anthropology that lays out the pathway to a happy, deeply fulfilled life” (Introduction to Standards for Christian Anthropology, 2020).

Prominent themes extracted from St. John Paul II’s teachings and reflected in the Standards include: Creation as a Gift, Original Solitude, Original Unity, Original Nakedness, Communion of Persons, Gift-of-Self, Body-Soul Unity, Body Reveals the Person, Historical Man – Fall and Redemption, Purity of Heart/Virtue, Vocation, Eschatological Man – Resurrection.

3. Why did you create the Standards for Christian Anthropology?

The Standards were created to assist educators who choose to use the teachings of St. John Paul on the human person with a format that is familiar to them. Many teachers are familiar with standards as a way to focus curriculum to ensure the presentation of specific content; a pathway of sorts. We wanted to create a familiar pathway for those teachers currently using the Ruah Woods curriculum and for any school that might consider incorporating a K-8 component focused on Christian Anthropology within their current Religion program whether they use the Ruah Woods curriculum or any other curriculum.

4. Are they meant to fill a gap in Catholic education that exists today?

In recent years there’s been a surge in the ever-widening gap between the mainstream take on the identity of the human person versus a Christian vision rooted in Sacred Scriptures. Teachers and administrators of Catholic schools across the nation are finding themselves unprepared for the maelstrom of demands and challenges pressing upon them from students, peers, parents and society at large to accommodate their standards to what in fact would be harmful to the true good of their students.

For instance, the most recent document from the Congregation for Catholic Education, Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education (2019), addresses the current crisis we are seeing of the practice and discussion among young people of “gender transitioning;” the bifurcation of one’s biological sex from one’s gender. This “phenomenon” often begins with the young person (sometimes as young as toddler age) claiming to identify more closely as a person of the opposite biological sex. Some have treated this psycho-sexual disorder with a “wait and watch” approach which has largely resulted with young people resolving their identity with that of their biological sex. More and more we are seeing a radical advocacy, along with political legislation, which demands a “gender affirmation” approach where those guiding the young person are required by law to agree with the disillusionment of the youth and facilitate the gender transition with behavioral modification (i.e., dressing as someone of the opposite sex or using a name or pro-nouns of the opposite sex), the use of hormone blockers to retard the natural biological sexual development of the young person, and even surgical treatments to reconstruct or remove one’s healthy genitalia. The document was generated to present the Church’s position of this “phenomena” in the much broader context of Christian anthropology and to encourage institutions of higher learning and centers of research to provide professional development and programs for educators to help them understand this phenomena and to assist those to whom it affects. Ruah Woods was ideally positioned to respond to this call.

5. Why is it so appropriate that these standards were completed on the 100th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s birth?

The project was actually started some years back by Ruah Woods. I (Joan) took it on when I began working there early in 2016. I (Denise) joined the effort in June of last year, and we worked toward completion thinking it would be last fall.  The project grew, though, from the creation of standards by grade level to that of themes with the inclusion of two additional themes and a glossary. Adjustments were made after reviewer comments all culminating with the conclusion of the document coinciding with St. John Paul II’s 100th birthday. Though it certainly wasn’t planned that we would finish our last edits then, it’s meaningful that a day commemorating the birth of this great saint aligns with the debut of Anthropological Standards based on his teachings. St. John Paul II showed a lot of interest in the youth and spoke to them along the same lines as are found in the Standards.

6. As Catholic educators plan their curriculum for the next academic year and beyond, why should they consider incorporating these standards?

When incorporating these standards beginning in Kindergarten, educators and parents can lay the foundation of concepts and vocabulary that situate man within the rich meaning of an authentic Christian humanity. We have already witnessed how the lives of children and young people are transformed through the assimilation of these teachings. They become convinced of their own self-worth and that of others and their actions begin to show it. They’re kinder and more thoughtful. They become aware of what freedom really means and they become more responsible and focused on achieving what truly brings happiness. It’s heartening to think of the good that can come through the diffusion of these Standards.

7. How do the Standards work together with the Newman Society’s “Catholic Curriculum Standards”?

The Standards for Christian Anthropology complement the Catholic Curriculum Standards published by The Cardinal Newman Society, which cover English language arts, history, scientific topics, and mathematics. The Standards for Christian Anthropology situate the person in proper context as son or daughter of God, heir to the Eternal Kingdom, and brother or sister to all. Anthony Esolen, Catholic writer and social commentator, said, “If you don’t get man right, you don’t get education right.” The Standards for Christian Anthropology lay the groundwork of “getting man right,” a foundation for other subject areas.

8. What’s your hope for young people who are formed by an education that incorporates these standards?

(Answered in 4 above). Two high school students who had only been studying Christian Anthropology for one semester were brought in to give their testimony at a Christian Anthropology in-service for 200 Catholic teachers. The exit survey said it all: overwhelmingly, the witness of these two young people was the highlight for the teachers. These two young people were articulate, confident and optimistic about their futures. They knew who they were as human persons and what makes for happiness. That’s the sort of thing we expect of young people who are being educated in light of the Standards for Christian Anthropology.

9. Anything else you’d like to add?

We would like to add that even though these standards were created based on the completed work of Ruah Woods, they were designed with the intention of providing guidelines for publishers and the writing of other programs. Existing programs might find their curricula already aligns to the Standards, or that this would be possible with minor modifications. It is a framework that we hope will complement already solid religious education standards chosen by Catholic schools.

These Standards are meant to inspire programs that will be transformational, that will touch the hearts of young people and help them form deep convictions about who they are, their self-worth and dignity and that of others. Knowing that they are created in the image of the Triune God and are called to live in communion, they are convinced as well that fulfillment comes through the gift-of-self. St. Augustine likens our life to a sailboat saying that we can afford to forget from where the boat set out, but we cannot forget where we are headed!

 

 

Standards for Christian Anthropology

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A document written early in 2019 by the Congregation for Catholic Education opens by acknowledging an educational crisis in the area of affectivity and sexuality that stems from “an anthropology opposed to faith and to right reason.”1 It calls for: “well-structured educational programs that are coherent with the true nature of human persons (… and) a clear and convincing anthropology that gives a meaningful foundation to sexuality and affectivity.”2  

Just a little over 50 years ago, the future Pope John Paul II wrote to the Jesuit Cardinal Henri de Lubac about the roots of this very crisis:  

“The evil of our times consists in the first place in a kind of degradation, indeed in a pulverization, of the fundamental uniqueness of each human person. (…) To this disintegration (…) we must oppose, rather than sterile polemics, a kind of “recapitulation” of the inviolable mystery of the person.”3

Early in his pontificate, St. John Paul II offered what he termed an adequate anthropology through 129 talks given during Wednesday audiences that stretched from 1979-1984. These audiences were then published under the title Man and Woman He Created Them. Commonly referred to as St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, these teachings offer a profound vision of the dignity, goodness and worth of the human person. Created in the image of God who is a communion of persons, each person will find fulfillment and happiness, in whatever state of life, through the sincere gift-of-self.   

These standards, based on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body teachings, provide a solid basis for incrementally transmitting (K-8) a vision of the human person according to God’s loving design. In the area of expectations, it’s important to understand that they do not address matters of sexuality through a “frontal approach”. In fact, these are not standards for teaching sexuality as such. Instead, they go deeper, to the foundations of personal identity. It’s a gamechanger for someone to be deeply convinced of their personal self-worth, dignity and purpose, knowing themself to be infinitely and unconditionally loved by God and called to live in a communion of persons in his image. This self-knowledge includes respecting and revering oneself, others and above all God. It affects the choices made by young people about how they will treat others and expect others to treat them, including in the area of sexuality. It’s a unique, theological approach to Christian anthropology that lays out the pathway to a happy, deeply fulfilled life. 

Instructions for Use

Standards in a Catholic school should reflect the mission of Catholic education, to make disciples of Christ for this world and the next. These particular standards help toward the fulfillment of that mission as they focus specifically on man’s interaction with, and understanding of, God, his neighbor, and himself from a Christian perspective.  

Standards are broad statements used to focus and guide curriculum. They are a foundation for an academic program from which educational objectives and learning targets are derived. They are the skeleton, so to speak, of a much broader project of educating the human person. It is through the creation of educational objectives, the choice of curricular materials and activities, and the deep and trusting relationship between all those involved in the education environment, that standards become animated and learning takes place.  

Enclosed you will find Standards for Christian Anthropology: Based on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body Teachings. The same content has been organized in two different ways: by grade and by theme. The set of ‘standards by grade’ were designed to align with the Ruah Woods ROOTED: Theology of the Body Curriculum (K-8) and are graduated by depth of knowledge. When using the Standards in conjunction with the ROOTED curriculum students and teachers will have a specific vertical focus ensuring continuity of learning through a systematic presentation.   

Some schools and dioceses might choose to re-order the standards to better integrate with their existing religion program. For that reason , we have created a ‘Standards by theme’ template with grade levels indicated within the standard numbering. Moving standards up or down a grade level is quite acceptable based upon the needs of your student population and your curricular materials as long as a developmental alignment is maintained.  

When closely reviewing the scope and sequence for grades 6-8, one will find that all the major themes identified in the K-5 program are again revisited at a deeper level. 

Two additional sub-themes of Vocation are also included: The Sacramentality of Marriage and Virginity for the Sake of the Kingdom. These are introduced in 8th grade. The 6th grade year has more standards than the other middle school grades to allow those schools interested in beginning a study of Christian Anthropology/Theology of the Body at the middle school level to do so without missing foundational concepts introduced in an earlier program.

When human persons know their great dignity and worth as sons and daughters of God, they are able to flourish in their Christian lives and experience profound happiness. We hope these standards will be a stepping stone for many young people to know who they are and live in accordance with their calling.  

Standards for Christian Anthropology

BASED ON ST. JOHN PAUL II’S THEOLOGY OF THE BODY TEACHINGS4, GRADES K-8  

“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Genesis 1:27

Key to Numbering of Standards 
Grade Level  

 Theme  

  1. Creation is a Gift  
  2. Original Solitude  
  3. Original Unity  
  4. Original Nakedness  
  5. Communion of Persons 
  6. Gift-of-self   
  7. Body-Soul Unity 
  8. Body Reveals the Person  
  9. Historical Man – Fall and Redemption  
  10. Purity of Heart/Virtue  
  11. Vocation  
  12. Eschatological Man – Resurrection  

Number of Standard (by Theme in each Grade Level)  

TOB       Theology of the Body Standard   

Example:  K.1.1 TOB  Means Kindergarten, Creation is a Gift, First standard, Theology of the Body.  

NOTE:  Within these Standards the term “man” refers to both “male” and “female.”  References to Theology of the Body (TOB) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) are in parentheses after each Standard. 

 

Kindergarten  

K.1.1 TOB Express that creation is a gift from God who is loving.
(TOB 13:2-3; CCC 301, 356)

K.2.1 TOB Discuss that it is unique to the human person to care for creation.
(TOB 6:4; CCC 307, 373)

K.2.2 TOB Recognize that the human person has a special relationship with God in comparison to animals.
(TOB 5-6; CCC 356, 358, 380)

K.5.1 TOB Discuss how man images the communion of God; three persons in one God.
(TOB 5-7, 9:2-9:3, 19:1; CCC 299, 343, 355-357)

K.10.1 TOB Compare the special dignity of man’s work to the activity of animals.
(cf. TOB 5:4; CCC 307, 342-343,378)

First Grade

1.1.1 TOB Express a sense of wonder for all of God’s creation.
(TOB 2-3, 13:2; CCC 299)

1.1.2 TOB Recognize the goodness of creation.
(TOB 13:3; CCC 280, 339)

1.1.3 TOB Express that every person is a gift from God.
(TOB 13:2-4, 14:4, 15, 16:3-4, 17, 18:3-19:1, 19:3; CCC 356-358, 371-372)

1.7.1 TOB Recognize that human beings manifest their inner life through their body language.
(TOB 19:4-5; CCC 2521-2524)

1.10.1 TOB Recognize that true freedom comes by choosing the good.
(TOB 13:3; CCC 1696, 1730, 1733)

1.11.1 TOB Recognize that each person is unique and unrepeatable.
(TOB 20:5; CCC 357, 366)

1.11.2 TOB Recognize that God calls us to make a gift of ourselves in love.
(TOB 46:6, 78:3; CCC 357, 1878, 2196, Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

Second Grade

2.1.1 TOB Recognize that all creatures are a sign of God’s gift in love.
(TOB 13:3; CCC 339, 342)

2.2.1 TOB Articulate how and why we are made for relationship with God (Communion).
(TOB 6:2; CCC 357-358, 374)

2.3.1 TOB Relate how we learn more about ourselves through our relationships with others.
(cf. TOB 9:4, 12:3)

2.3.2 TOB Discuss reasons why God made man male and female in Gen. 1:27 and Gen. 2:18-22a.
(cf. TOB 2-3; 13:2; CCC 371-372)

2.5.1 TOB Discuss how we are created in the image and likeness of the Trinitarian God.
(TOB 9:2 – 9:3, 13:2, 19:1; CCC 355-357)

2.6.1 TOB Express that man is called to give himself through love as “Gift.”
(TOB 15:1; CCC 357, 1878, 2196; Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

2.6.2 TOB Discuss how Jesus is the model of what it means for a person to be a gift.
(TOB 90:5-6; CCC 519-520)

2.7.1 TOB Discuss how the character of a person is embodied in their comportment.
(cf. 1Cor. 6:19-20, 1Thess. 4:4, TOB 57:1-3; CCC 2521-2524)

2.8.1 TOB Analyze how the body reveals that each person is made for relationship with God, others, and the world.
(TOB 12:1, 13:4; CCC 340, 344, 371-373)

Third Grade 

3.2.1 TOB Give examples of man’s unique relationship with God as set apart from the rest of creation: naming the animals, cultivating the earth, and choosing between good and evil.
(TOB 5:4, 6; CCC 343, 356, 373, 378)

3.6.1 TOB Contrast how God can enable people to view the world and others as gifts with how some people view the world and others as a threat, eliciting a response of selfishness and manipulation.
(cf. TOB 15:1, 46:6; CCC 2514, 2517-2519, 2524, 2531)

3.8.1 TOB Relate how the body reveals the person.
(TOB 14:4; CCC 364-366, 371)

3.9.1 TOB Relate man’s relationship with God in original solitude to the restoration of man’s relationship with God through baptism.
(cf. TOB 91:5, 92:2, 96:2-5; CCC 374, 1265, 1272-1273)

3.10.1 TOB Relate being connected to Jesus the True Vine (Jn 15:4-5) to manifesting the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).
(cf. TOB 51; CCC 736, 1831-1832, 2074)

3.12.1 TOB Recognize that in heaven there will be a profound unity and harmony between the soul and the body.
(TOB 66:5-6; CCC 996-997)

Fourth Grade

4.3.1 TOB Interpret the significance of Genesis 2:18: “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.”
(TOB 9:2; CCC 371-372)

4.3.2 TOB Compare Adam’s joy at the creation of Eve to his response to the creation of the animals.
(TOB 10:1; CCC 371)

4.5.1 TOB Extrapolate how man is created in God’s image through the communion of persons.
(TOB 9:3, 14:6; CCC 355-357)

4.7.1 TOB Connect how virtues (which have to do with man’s inner life) are expressed through the body.
(TOB 51:5-6, 53:4, 54:2-55:7; CCC 2516, 2520-2524)

4.9.1 TOB Recognize that suffering is a result of the Fall and that suffering can make it difficult for us to see the gifts of God.
(cf. TOB 26:4-5, 27:1-2; CCC 385, 400, 402, 404-405)

4.9.2 TOB Relate how Christ nourishes communion through the gift of himself in the Eucharist.
(TOB 99:1; CCC 1391, 1392)

4.11.1 TOB Demonstrate how through our work we make a gift of ourselves.
(cf. TOB 6:4, 7:2; CCC 2427-2428)

4.11.2 TOB Relate how work helps us fulfill a mission.
(cf. TOB 6:4, 7:2; CCC 373, 2427-2428)

4.12.1 TOB Discuss how at the Resurrection we will experience the most perfect communion with God and others.
(TOB 68:1-4; CCC 1023-1025)

4.12.2 TOB Identify ways where God is, or was, present in their own life.
(cf. TOB 65:5; CCC 356-357, 22ff)

Fifth Grade  

5.1.1 TOB Compare and contrast ancient myths of creation to Sacred Scripture and God’s goodness in creating.
(cf. TOB 13:2-4; CCC 285, 287-301)

5.4.1 TOB Explain how original nakedness refers to seeing the world and others as God sees; as Gift.
(TOB 13, 14:2; CCC 337, 339, 377, 2531)

5.6.1 TOB Demonstrate that man comes to know himself through a gift-of-self.
(TOB 22:4; CCC 357; Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

5.9.1 TOB Recognize that Jesus reveals the love of the Father.
(TOB 23:4, 67:5; CCC 606-607; 1823)

5.10.1 TOB Articulate how virtue is part of ‘life according to the Spirit.’
(cf. Eph. 6:13-17) (cf. TOB 51:5-6; CCC 736, 1824, 1830, 1839-1841, 2514-2519)

5.12.1 TOB Discuss how at the Resurrection we will see as God sees and our bodies will perfectly reveal his love.
(TOB 68.1, 69:6; CCC 997, 1003, 1011, 1023, 1026, 1028)

Sixth Grade

6.1.1 TOB Exhibit wonder and awe at the generosity of God in the gifts of His abundant and beautiful creation.
(TOB 2-3, 13:2; CCC 293-295, 341)

6.1.2 TOB Explain how creation is a good gift created from nothing.
(TOB 13:4; CCC 296-298)

6.2.1 TOB Define “original experience” as the most basic human experiences all humanity has in common: original solitude, original unity, original nakedness.
(TOB 4:4, 11:1)

6.2.2 TOB Explain how original solitude means the experience of man’s being alone-with-God; his unique relationship to God.
(TOB 6:2; CCC 374-375)

6.2.3 TOB Differentiate how man, as the pinnacle of creation, is both similar and dissimilar from God.
(TOB 6-7, 9:2-3; CCC 339-344, 355-358)

6.3.1 TOB Define “original unity” as the experience of man’s unity-in-difference; the unique relation between male and female.
(TOB 9:1; CCC 369-373)

6.3.2 TOB Identify the two ways of being human, male and female.
(TOB 8:1, 10:1; CCC 369-372)

6.3.3 TOB Discuss why it is a good thing that God created man as male and female.
(TOB 9:3, 13:3, 14:1, 16:1-2; CCC 371-372)

6.4.1 TOB Define “original nakedness” as experiencing the true and clear vision of the person; as gift and in God’s image.
(TOB 13:1; CCC 337, 339, 377)

6.4.2 TOB Exhibit the virtue of reverence for God, his creation, and other people by treating them with respect and honor, for God is all good and his creation is a good gift.
(TOB 14:4, 15:4, 119-120, 132:1; CCC 2096-2097, 2415-2418, 2479)

6.5.1 TOB Explain how man, in the image of the Trinity, learns about himself through a gift of himself.
(TOB 8:4, 9:1-3, 10:1, 15:1; CCC 355-357,1889; Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

6.6.1 TOB Explain gift-of-self as thoughts, words or actions that place oneself at the service of others and seek the true good of the other.
(cf. TOB 14:2; CCC 1609, 1667, 1889, 1914, 1926)

6.7.1 TOB Describe how the body-soul unity reveals man’s special dignity.
(TOB 18:4, 19:3-5, 23:5, 56-57:3; CCC 2518, 2520-2524)

6.8.1 TOB Explain how the human body is a visible sign (a “sacrament”) of God’s invisible love.
(TOB 19:4; CCC 355-356, 364)

6.8.2 TOB Describe how the human body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1Cor 6:15) and why it is necessary to “glorify God in your body” (1Cor 6:20).
(TOB 57:2; CCC 2516, 2519)

Seventh Grade

7.1.1 TOB Explain that even after the Fall, creation remains a good gift and is not totally corrupted; it is able to be redeemed.
(cf. TOB 32:3, 86; CCC 410-412, 422, 1045-1048)

7.1.2 TOB Provide examples of rightly ordered desire, given by God, and disordered “desire.”
(TOB 48:4; CCC 374-379, 400, 2514-2516, 2517-2520, 2528-2531, 2541, 2543-2544, 2546, 2548-2549, 2555, 2557)

7.5.1 TOB Propose how a “communion of persons” involves the loving gift-of-self (i.e. the Trinity, but also the unity of the Church, the family and the unity of man and woman).
(cf. TOB 8:4, 9:1-3, 10:1, 15:1; CCC 813, 1644 – 1647, 2205)

7.6.1 TOB Evaluate actions for self-mastery and describe how actions of self-mastery free one to make a full gift-of-self.
(TOB 15:1-4, 32:6; CCC 2339, 2340, 2343, 2346)

7.7.1 TOB Explain the body-soul unity in the human person from the standpoint of the “language of the Body.”
(TOB 9:4, 10:1, 14:6, 15, 16:1-2, 23:4-5, 123:4-5, 125: 1-2, 127:4; CCC 2518, 2521-2524)

7.8.1 TOB Describe how the body, by its mere existence, communicates that the human person is a gift just by the fact that it exists.
(TOB 14:4; CCC 357, 364)

7.9.1 TOB Point out that as a result of original sin man experiences concupiscence and needs to bring emotions and desires into harmony with what is truly good.
(TOB 26:5, 31:3, 31:6, 32:3, 33:1-2, 51:5-6, 54; CCC 397, 400, 405, 1707, 1865, 1949, 2514-2520, 2534-2535, 2549)

7.10.1 TOB Explain how Christ does not accuse but instead appeals to the human heart to be pure.
(TOB 45:5, 46:5-6, 49:7; CCC 2517-2519)

7.10.2 TOB Describe what ‘life according to the Spirit’ is and how following the law of God leads to true freedom and happiness.
(TOB 15:1, 45:1, 51:5-6, 53:4-5, 54:2-4; CCC 30, 736, 1731, 1824, 1828-1832, 2514-2516, 2548)

7.11.1 TOB Evaluate how love, as a power, is a participation in the love of God himself: How it is total. How it is faithful. How it is fruitful. How it is generous.
(TOB 127:1; CCC 2331, 2335, 2360, 2364-2369)

Eighth Grade

8.1.1 TOB Propose that creation should be received as a gift and not manipulated, dominated and controlled.
(cf. TOB 13:3-4, 59:3; CCC 358, 373)

8.5.1 TOB Compare how the loving communion of man and woman is like that of the Trinity, a communion of persons who are love and who in giving and receiving are fruitful.
(TOB 9:1-3, 10:4, 14:6, 15:1; CCC 355-357)

8.6.1 TOB Give examples of how a person is pure in heart, that is, when he/she perceives and respects others as a gift and seeks to make a gift of him/herself to others.
(TOB 50, 54, 57:3; CCC 2518, 2519)

8.8.1 TOB Explain that living out the spousal meaning of the body can be through marriage or virginity for the sake of the Kingdom.
(TOB 15:5, 81:6; CCC 915, 916, 922, 923, 926, 1640, 1646)

8.10.1 TOB Evaluate the beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.”
(cf. Mt.5:8 and TOB 43:5; CCC 2518, 2519, 2530-2533)

8.11.1 TOB Describe the idea of a vocation and how it is the way one makes a total gift-of-self.
(TOB 78, 86; CCC 915-916, 929, 932, 1579, 1603, 1605, 1618-1620)

8.11.2 TOB Compare and contrast the sacrament of marriage and celibacy for the sake of the kingdom.
(TOB 76:6, 78:4; CCC 915, 916, 1603, 1618-1620, 1621)

8.11.3 TOB Explain how God invites, and does not force, when he calls someone to the vocation of married life, consecrated life, or the priesthood, leaving the person free to respond.
(TOB 73:3-4, 76:4, 79:8; CCC 915, 1565, 1578, 1599, 1618, 1625-1628, 2233)

8.11.4 TOB Describe how responding to the call of the consecrated life is a radical imitation of the life of Christ and is done to work for the kingdom of God on earth.
(TOB 75:1, 75:4, 76:3, 79:2, 79:9, 81:4; CCC 915-916, 929, 932, 1579, 1618)

8.11.5 TOB Explain that when God calls a man and a woman to the vocation of marriage, he is inviting them into a special sacrament of his love.
(Ephesians 5 and TOB 87-93; CCC 1601, 1604)

8.12.1 TOB Explain what will happen to the body at the Resurrection.
(cf. TOB 64-72; CCC 997-1001)

Standards for Christian Anthropology

Based on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body Teachings

Scope and Sequence
Grades K-8

Standards for Christian Anthropology by Theme

Based on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body Teachings

NOTE:  Within these Standards the term “man” refers to both “male” and “female.”  References to Theology of the Body (TOB) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) are in parentheses after each Standard.

1. Creation is a Gift

K.1.1 TOB Express that creation is a gift from God who is loving.
(TOB 13:2-3; CCC 301, 356)

1.1.1 TOB Express a sense of wonder for all of God’s creation.
(TOB 2-3, 13:2; CCC 299)

1.1.2 TOB Recognize the goodness of creation.
(TOB 13:3; CCC 280, 339)

1.1.3 TOB Express that every person is a gift from God.
(TOB 13:2-4, 14:4, 15, 16:3-4, 17, 18:3-19:1, 19:3; CCC 356-358, 371-372)

2.1.1 TOB Recognize that all creatures are a sign of God’s gift in love.
(TOB 13:3; CCC 339, 342)

5.1.1 TOB Compare and contrast ancient myths of creation to Sacred Scripture and God’s goodness in creating.
(cf. TOB 13:2-4; CCC 285, 287-301)

6.1.1 TOB Exhibit wonder and awe at the generosity of God in the gifts of His abundant and beautiful creation.
(TOB 2-3, 13:2; CCC 293-295, 341)

6.1.2 TOB Explain how creation is a good gift created from nothing.
(TOB 13:4; CCC 296-298)

7.1.1 TOB Explain that even after the Fall, creation remains a good gift and is not totally corrupted; it is able to be redeemed.
(cf. TOB 32:3, 86; CCC 410-412, 422, 1045-1048)

7.1.2 TOB Provide examples of rightly ordered desire, given by God, and disordered “desire.”
(TOB 48:4; CCC 374-379, 400, 2514-2516, 2517-2520, 2528-2531, 2541, 2543-2544, 2546, 2548-2549, 2555, 2557)

8.1.1 TOB Propose that creation should be received as a gift and not manipulated, dominated and controlled.
(cf. TOB 13:3-4, 59:3; CCC 358, 373)

2. Original Solitude

K.2.1 TOB Discuss that it is unique to the human person to care for creation.
(TOB 6:4; CCC 307, 373)

K.2.2 TOB Recognize that the human person has a special relationship with God in comparison to animals.
(TOB 5-6; CCC 356, 358, 380)

2.2.1 TOB Articulate how and why we are made for relationship with God (Communion).
(TOB 6:2; CCC 357-358, 374)

3.2.1 TOB Give examples of man’s unique relationship with God as set apart from the rest of creation: naming the animals, cultivating the earth, and choosing between good and evil.
(TOB 5:4, 6; CCC 343, 356, 373, 378)

6.2.1 TOB Define “original experience” as the most basic human experiences all humanity has in common: original solitude, original unity, original nakedness.
(TOB 4:4, 11:1)

6.2.2 TOB Explain how original solitude means the experience of man’s being alone-with-God; his unique relationship to God.
(TOB 6:2; CCC 374-375)

6.2.3 TOB Differentiate how man, as the pinnacle of creation, is both similar and dissimilar from God.
(TOB 6-7, 9:2-3; CCC 339-344, 355-358)

3. Original Unity

2.3.1 TOB Relate how we learn more about ourselves through our relationships with others.
(cf. TOB 9:4, 12:3)

2.3.2 TOB Discuss reasons why God made man male and female in Gen. 1:27 and Gen. 2:18-22a.
(cf. TOB 2-3; 13:2; CCC 371-372)

4.3.1 TOB Interpret the significance of Genesis 2:18: “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper fit for him.”
(TOB 9:2; CCC 371-372)

4.3.2 TOB Compare Adam’s joy at the creation of Eve to his response to the creation of the animals.
(TOB 10:1; CCC 371)

6.3.1 TOB Define “original unity” as the experience of man’s unity-in-difference; the unique relation between male and female.
(TOB 9:1; CCC 369-373)

6.3.2 TOB Identify the two ways of being human, male and female.
(TOB 8:1, 10:1; CCC 369-372)

6.3.3 TOB Discuss why it is a good thing that God created man as male and female.
(TOB 9:3, 13:3, 14:1, 16:1-2; CCC 371-372)

4. Original Nakedness

5.4.1 TOB Explain how original nakedness refers to seeing the world and others as God sees; as Gift.
(TOB 13, 14:2; CCC 337, 339, 377, 2531)

6.4.1 TOB Define “original nakedness” as experiencing the true and clear vision of the person; as gift and in God’s image.
(TOB 13:1; CCC 337, 339, 377)

6.4.2 TOB Exhibit the virtue of reverence for God, his creation, and other people by treating them with respect and honor, for God is all good and his creation is a good gift.
(TOB 14:4, 15:4, 119-120, 132:1; CCC 2096-2097, 2415-2418, 2479)

5. Communion of Persons

K.5.1 TOB Explain that the human person is made in the image and likeness of God who is one God in three persons.
(TOB 5-7, 9:2-9:3, 19:1; CCC 299, 343, 355-357)

2.5.1 TOB Discuss how we are created in the image and likeness of the Trinitarian God.
(TOB 9:2 – 9:3, 13:2, 19:1; CCC 355-357)

4.5.1 TOB Extrapolate how man is created in God’s image through the communion of persons.
(TOB 9:3, 14:6; CCC 355-357)

6.5.1 TOB Explain how man, in the image of the Trinity, learns about himself through a gift of himself.
(TOB 8:4, 9:1-3, 10:1, 15:1; CCC 355-357,1889; Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

7.5.1 TOB Propose how a “communion of persons” involves the loving gift-of-self (i.e. the Trinity, but also the unity of the Church, the family and the unity of man and woman).
(cf. TOB 8:4, 9:1-3, 10:1, 15:1; CCC 813, 1644-1647, 2205)

8.5.1 TOB Compare how the loving communion of man and woman is like that of the Trinity, a communion of persons who are love and who in giving and receiving are fruitful.
(TOB 9:1-3, 10:4, 14:6; 15:1; CCC 355-357)

6. Gift-of-Self

2.6.1 TOB Express that man is called to give himself through love as “Gift.”
(TOB 15:1; CCC 357, 1878, 2196; Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

2.6.2 TOB Discuss how Jesus is the model of what it means for a person to be a gift.
(TOB 90:5-6; CCC 519-520)

3.6.1 TOB Contrast how God can enable people to view the world and others as gifts with how some people view the world and others as a threat, eliciting a response of selfishness and manipulation.
(cf. TOB 15:1, 46:6; CCC 2514, 2517-2519, 2524, 2531)

5.6.1 TOB Demonstrate that man comes to know himself through a gift-of-self.
(TOB 22:4; CCC 357; Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

6.6.1 TOB Explain gift-of-self as thoughts, words or actions that place oneself at the service of others and seek the true good of the other.
(cf. TOB 14:2; CCC 1609, 1667, 1889, 1914, 1926)

7.6.1 TOB Evaluate actions for self-mastery and describe how actions of self-mastery free one to make a full gift-of-self.
(TOB 15:1-4, 32:6; CCC 2339, 2340, 2342, 2346)

8.6.1 TOB Give examples of how a person is pure in heart, that is, when he/she perceives and respects others as a gift and seeks to make a gift of him/herself to others.
(TOB 50, 54, 57:3; CCC 2518, 2519)

7. Body-soul Unity

1.7.1 TOB Recognize that human beings manifest their inner life through their body language.
(TOB 19:4-5; CCC 2521 – 2524)

2.7.1 TOB Discuss how the character of a person is embodied in their comportment.
(cf. 1Cor. 6:19-20, 1Thess. 4:4, TOB 57:1-3; CCC 2521-2524)

4.7.1 TOB Connect how virtues (which have to do with man’s inner life) are expressed through the body.
(TOB 51:5-6, 53:4, 54:2-55:7; CCC 2516, 2520-2524)

6.7.1 TOB Describe how the body-soul unity reveals man’s special dignity.
(TOB 18:4, 19:3-5, 23:5, 56-57:3; CCC 2518, 2520-2524)

7.7.1 TOB Explain the body-soul unity in the human person from the standpoint of the “language of the Body.”
(TOB 9:4, 10:1, 14:6, 15, 16:1-2, 23:4-5, 123:4-5, 125: 1-2, 127:4; CCC 2518, 2521-2524)

8. Body Reveals the Person

2.8.1 TOB Analyze how the body reveals that each person is made for relationship with God, others, and the world.
(TOB 12:1, 13:4; CCC 340, 344, 371-373)

3.8.1 TOB Relate how the body reveals the person.
(TOB 14:4; CCC 364-366, 371)

6.8.1 TOB Explain how the human body is a visible sign (a “sacrament”) of God’s invisible love.
(TOB 19:4; CCC 355-356, 364)

6.8.2 TOB Describe how the human body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1Cor 6:15) and why it is necessary to “glorify God in your body” (1Cor 6:20).
(TOB 57.2; CCC 2516, 2519)

7.8.1 TOB Explain how the body, by its mere existence, communicates that the human person is a gift just by the fact that it exists.
(TOB 14:4; CCC 357, 364)

8.8.1 TOB Explain that living out the spousal meaning of the body can be through marriage or virginity for the sake of the Kingdom.
(TOB 15:5, 81:6; CCC 915, 916, 922, 923, 926, 1640, 1646)

9. Historical Man/Fall and Redemption

3.9.1 TOB Relate man’s relationship with God in original solitude to the restoration of man’s relationship with God through baptism.
(cf. TOB 91:5, 92:2, 96:2-5; CCC 374, 1265, 1272-1273)

4.9.1 TOB Recognize that suffering is a result of the Fall and that suffering can make it difficult for us to see the gifts of God.
(cf. TOB 26:4-5, 27:1-2; CCC 385, 400, 402, 404-405)

4.9.2 TOB Relate how Christ nourishes communion through the gift of himself in the Eucharist.
(TOB 99:1; CCC 1391, 1392)

5.9.1 TOB Recognize that Jesus reveals the love of the Father.
(TOB 23:4, 67:5; CCC 606-607; 1823)

7.9.1 TOB Point out that as a result of original sin man experiences concupiscence and needs to bring emotions and desires into harmony with what is truly good.
(TOB 26:5, 31:3, 31:6, 32:3, 33:1-2, 51:5-6, 54; CCC 397, 400, 405, 1707, 1865, 1949, 2514-2520, 2534-2535, 2549)

10. Purity of Heart/Virtue

K.10.1 TOB Compare the special dignity of man’s work to the activity of animals.
(cf. TOB 5:4; CCC 307, 342-343,378)

1.10.1 TOB Recognize that true freedom comes by choosing the good.
(TOB 13:3; CCC 1696, 1730, 1733)

3.10.1 TOB Relate being connected to Jesus the True Vine (Jn 15:4-5) to manifesting the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).
(cf. TOB 51; CCC 736, 1831-1832, 2074)

4.10.1 TOB Discuss how the body expresses virtue.
(cf. TOB 57:1-3; CCC 1803-1804)

5.10.1 TOB Articulate how virtue is part of ‘life according to the Spirit’ (cf. Eph. 6:13-17).
(cf. TOB 51:5-6; CCC 736, 1824, 1830, 1839-1841, 2514-2519)

7.10.1 TOB Explain how Christ does not accuse but instead appeals to the human heart to be pure.
(TOB 45:5, 46:5-6, 49:7; CCC 2517-2519)

7.10.2 TOB Describe what ‘life according to the Spirit’ is and how following the law of God leads to true freedom and happiness.
(TOB 15:1, 45:1, 51:5-6, 53:4-5, 54:2-4; CCC 30, 736, 1731, 1824, 1828-1832, 2514-2516, 2548)

8.10.1 TOB Evaluate the beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God”(cf. Mt.5:8).
(TOB 43:5; CCC 2518, 2519, 2530-2533)

11. Vocation

1.11.1 TOB Recognize that each person is unique and unrepeatable.
(TOB 20:5; CCC 357, 366)

1.11.2 TOB Recognize that God calls us to make a gift of ourselves in love.
(TOB 46:6, 78:3; CCC 357, 1878, 2196, Gaudium et Spes 24:3)

4.11.1 TOB Demonstrate how through our work we make a gift of ourselves.
(cf. TOB 6:4, 7:2; CCC 2427-2428)

4.11.2 TOB Relate how work helps us fulfill a mission.
(cf. TOB 6:4, 7:2; CCC 373, 2427-2428)

7.11.1 TOB Evaluate how love, as a power, is a participation in the love of God himself: How it is total. How it is faithful. How it is fruitful. How it is generous.
(TOB 127:1; CCC 2331, 2335, 2360, 2364-2369)

8.11.1 TOB Describe the idea of a vocation and how it is the way one makes a total gift-of-self.
(TOB 78, 86; CCC 915-916, 929, 932, 1579, 1603, 1605, 1618-1620)

8.11.2 TOB Compare and contrast the sacrament of marriage and celibacy for the sake of the kingdom.
(TOB 76:6, 78:4; CCC 915, 916, 1603, 1618-1620, 1621)

8.11.3 TOB Explain how God invites, and does not force, when he calls someone to the vocation of married life, consecrated life, or the priesthood, leaving the person free to respond.
(TOB 73:3-4; 76:4; 79:8; CCC 915, 1565, 1578, 1599, 1618, 1625-1628, 2233)

Vocation: Virginity for the Sake of the Kingdom

8.11.4 TOB Describe how responding to the call of the consecrated life is a radical imitation of the life of Christ and is done to work for the kingdom of God on earth.
(TOB 75:1, 75:4, 76:3, 79:2, 79:9, 81:4; CCC 915-916, 929, 932, 1579, 1618)

Vocation: Sacramentality of Marriage

8.11.5 TOB Explain that when God calls two people to the vocation of marriage, he is inviting them into a special sacrament of his love.
(Ephesians 5 and TOB 87-93; CCC 1601, 1604)

12. Eschatological Man/Resurrection

3.12.1 TOB Recognize that in heaven there will be a profound unity and harmony between the soul and the body.
(TOB 66:5-6; CCC 996-997)

4.12.1 TOB Discuss how at the Resurrection we will experience the most perfect communion with God and others.
(TOB 68:1-4; CCC 1023-1025)

4.12.2 TOB Identify ways where God is, or was, present in their own life.
(cf. TOB 65:5; CCC 356-357, 22ff)

5.12.1 TOB Discuss how at the Resurrection we will see as God sees and our bodies will perfectly reveal his love.
(TOB 68.1, 69:6; CCC 997, 1003, 1011, 1023, 1026, 1028)

8.12.1 TOB Explain what will happen to the body at the Resurrection.
(cf. TOB 64-72; CCC 997-1001)

Glossary

Body–Soul Unity   “The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the ‘form’ of the body: i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living human body; spirit and matter, man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.” CCC 365. 

Communion of Persons   a deep union/unity with another which exists through a sincere and mutual gift-of-self.  More than a simple interaction with something or someone.  

Concupiscence   the inclination toward things that aren’t good for us; it is a consequence of original sin and a permanent wound in our nature. It is not a sin in itself. 

Eschatological Man   the human person at the end of time in heaven, after Jesus returns for the final judgment and the dead receive their bodies back for eternal life in heaven or eternal condemnation in hell. 

Gift-of-Self   thoughts, words or actions that place oneself at the service of others and which seek the true good of the other. 

Historical Man   the human person in his fallen condition after original sin (everyone after Adam and Eve, except for Jesus Christ and Mary). 

Language of the Body   the way in which the body speaks without words. Even before you do something, your body already communicates that you are a gift (from, with, and for others) just by the fact that it exists. 

Man   the human person (adam – pronounced a dom in Hebrew) considered as a human being (both male and female). In the creation account of Genesis, the Bible distinguishes the first human being, ‘man’ (adam), as ‘male’ ‘ish’ (pronounced eesh) and ‘female’, ‘isha’ (pronounced eesha) 

Original Experiences   the most basic human experiences all humanity has in common: original solitude, original unity, original nakedness (See below).  

Original Man   a way of talking about the state of man before Original Sin. 

Original Nakedness   the experience of “seeing” the true and clear vision of the person; it is the experience of seeing the person as God sees them in the deepest truths of who they really are as unquestionable signs of the image of God in man.  

Original Solitude   the experience of man being alone with God. The fact that there is no other like him; Man is different from the animals, from plants and all created things. This difference is exhibited in his physical body, in his intellect (self-consciousness), in his will (self-determination).  

Original Unity   the experience of man’s unity-in-difference; the unique relation between male and female. Men and women share the same nature and the same dignity as being made in the image and likeness of God; they are embodied souls, yet they are different in their physical bodies which together form a complete picture of what it means to be human.  

Purity of Heart    is the right ordering of desires which allows us to love what is truly good; to treat God, ourselves, and others with reverence. It is an attitude, an ability, a virtue that has its source in the heart and is expressed in action.  

Spousal Meaning of the Body   the body expresses the fact that my life is a gift and that I am called to make a gift-of-self. This is the deepest meaning of my life and what is most basically true about being a human, male and female, created in the image of God. 

Threefold Concupiscence    John Paul II cites 1 John 2:16-17 in speaking of the threefold form of “the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life” (TOB 26:1). These have to do with our disordered desires for pleasure, possessions, and power. 

Virginity for the Sake of the Kingdom/Celibacy for the Sake of the Kingdom   interchangeable terms used in John Paul IIs Theology of the Body for choosing to reserve one’s sexual powers in imitation of Christ and as a sign of the future kingdom so as to be totally at the service of whatever mission God calls them to on earth. This way of life involves renunciation and sacrifice for higher goods and the exclusive gift-of-self for the kingdom of God in heaven.  

Professional Reviewers 

We gratefully acknowledge the following Catholic educators, academics, and catechists whose reviews and comments contributed significantly to the development of these Standards: 

Jill Annable
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Technology
Diocese of Grand Rapids, MI 

Timothy Carpenter, MA
Director of Religious Education
Diocese of Lansing, MI 

David Crawford, JD, STD
Assoc. Dean, Pontifical John Paul II Institute for the Studies on Marriage and Family
The Catholic University of America 

Mary Ann Draudt
Assistant Superintendent Curriculum & Technology Integration
Diocese of Joliet, IL 

Steven Greene, MA
Director, Kino Catechetical Institute
Archdiocese of Phoenix, AZ 

David C. Hajduk, PhD
High School Religion Teacher, TOB Author
Diocese of Paterson, NJ  

Keith Houde, PhD
Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology
Ave Maria University 

David McCutchen, MA
Director Religious Education
Diocese of Toledo, OH 

Elena Orozco, EdD
Assistant Director
RC Education 

Fr. John Riccardo, STL
Acts XXIX Ministry
Archdiocese of Detroit, MI 

Jim Rigg, PhD
Superintendent of Schools
Archdiocese of Chicago, IL 

David L. Schindler, PhD
Professor of Metaphysics and Anthropology, Pontifical John Paul II Institute for the Studies on Marriage and Family
The Catholic University of America 

Meghan Schofield, PhD Candidate
Pontifical John Paul II Institute for the Studies on Marriage and Family
ROOTED: Theology of the Body, Grade 6-8 Author 

Michael Waldstein, PhD
Professor of Theology
Franciscan University Steubenville 

Deacon Paul Ward, MA, MS
Superintendent of Schools and Director of Religious Education
Diocese of Steubenville, OH 

George Weigel, MA
Senior Fellow, Ethics & Public Policy Center Washington DC 

Petroc Willey, STL, PhD
Professor of Catechesis
Franciscan University Steubenville 

Fr. Thomas Wray, MDiv
Parish Priest, Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Chaplain and Curriculum Consultant
Ruah Woods Press 

Katrina J. Zeno, MTS
Theology of the Body
Author, Speaker, and Teacher Trainer 

And, of course, Pope St. John Paul II,  
for starting it all. 

 

Although Dispersed, Catholic Colleges Preserve Faith Communities

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One of the distinguishing factors of a faithful Catholic college is its vibrant community life. Students spend four years immersed in a truly Catholic culture, where faith and virtue are promoted and students, faculty and staff make friendships to last a lifetime.

Now faithful Catholic colleges have closed their campuses to curb the spread of COVID-19, and students are dispersed around the country—but community life has not come to an end. These colleges are taking innovative steps to continue Catholic fellowship and stay connected.

Continue reading at Crisis Magazine…

Webinar: Maintaining Catholic Identity in Home-based Instruction

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Dr. Dan Guernsey, senior fellow at The Cardinal Newman Society, and Tyler Graham of Donahue Academy offer this webinar on “Maintaining Catholic Identity in Home-based Instruction.”

Click on this link or the video below to view the full webinar.

You can find the corresponding Issue Bulletin at http://newmansoc.org/DistanceLearning.

Keeping the ‘Catholic’ in Distance Learning

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Faithful Catholic schools are far better for Catholics than public schools. But how do they maintain their distinctive advantage when students are forced to stay home?

In important ways, Catholic schools are doing just that with the help of students’ parents. And in this time of anxiety and isolation, the special character of Catholic schools is more important than ever.

“For Catholic educators, this trying experience can serve as a time to recall what Catholic schools do both differently and do well,” write Dr. Denise Donohue and Dr. Dan Guernsey of The Cardinal Newman Society in “Maintaining Catholic Identity in Distance Learning Instruction.” “We are good at community, prayer, integral formation, and creating a Catholic worldview.”

Those four characteristics are repeatedly cited in Vatican documents as essential to Catholic education, and they suggest a good framework for ensuring that the “Catholic” of Catholic education remains strong, even when it is done remotely.

Community life under quarantine

In a crisis, families need community like never before. And even with social distancing—or perhaps especially because of social distancing—Catholics need each other for support and sanity.

For many families, a good Catholic school is a center of Christian fellowship with school leaders, teachers and other families. That’s because Catholic schools teach students how to build authentic human relationships, and since witness is a powerful teacher, they model Christian communion in every classroom and activity.

“It is through the community that students receive ‘a systematic and critical assimilation of culture’ which passes along our Catholic traditions, values and beliefs,” note Donohue and Guernsey. “In Catholic education, the community itself is considered a formative and educative means of student formation and development, where students learn Christian values by being exposed to Christian values—primarily through the witness of adults and others with whom they interact daily.”

This community remains vital to Catholic distance learning, and teachers especially can be present to students and parents in their online classes, communications and prayers together.

“How much more important now is the presence of the teacher in these unsettling times, when coming together is difficult and ‘social distancing’ is the norm,” ask Donohue and Guernsey.

Teachers can make a special effort to write handwritten letters to students, make phone calls and send video clips—always communicating through the parents, of course. In addition to giving lessons online, teachers should be “speaking from the heart and saying and doing human things to lighten the load and let students know you miss them but are in good humor.” Most importantly, teachers and families should be praying for each other and with each other, whenever possible.

Prayer and sacrament

At faithful Catholic schools, students experience reverent Mass, Confession, frequent prayer and Eucharistic adoration. But confined to home without physical access to churches, Catholic school students may be feeling as much of a loss as adults.

Still, this “does not mean that our hearts and minds should be allowed to go on a spiritual vacation,” warn Donohue and Guernsey. Teachers should begin every online class with prayer, just as in the classroom. And parents should be encouraged to continue school practices such as morning prayer and the Angelus at Noon.

Involving parents and siblings in the school’s daily prayer life can be a positive outcome of schooling at home. “Helping families start these family rituals now can have a lasting effect on children’s faith development for years to come. In some cases, families may be relying on us to pray with and form their students, and now is an opportunity to fully engage the domestic Church and leverage fuller participation moving forward.”

Parents should be encouraged to mimic the physical arrangement of the school—not only designated work spaces and well-lit, quiet rooms for online coursework, but also the distinctive Catholic imagery and prayer spaces found in a Catholic school. If a home does not already have a substantial amount of Catholic artwork and a dedicated prayer corner (with crucifix, Bible, prayer cards, etc.), that can be easily remedied.

Forming mind, body, spirit

A faithful Catholic school is not only concerned about academics. It looks to form the student to be physically healthy and strong, morally clean and virtuous, and spiritually on the path to sainthood.

“Specifically tying subject-area materials to lessons on virtue or the faith can help make connections between course subjects such as history or English,” suggest Donohue and Guernsey. “Identifying virtues and essential questions will help parents enter into the teaching, exemplifying concepts through discussion and example.”

The loss of school athletics will be keenly felt by students, and they are likely to get less exercise at home, especially if they have access to computer games and television. Educators can encourage walking and bike riding, as well as physical activities like arts and crafts or playing instruments.

A Catholic school teacher, concerned as much for the student’s welfare as for the ease of using computers for teaching and communication, will also recognize the dangers of forcing students to sit at a screen for much of the day.

“Whenever possible, break up discussion with individual work that students can do with pencil and paper or reading from a physical text,” advise Donohue and Guernsey. “Teacher teams may want to quantify, coordinate, and ration screen time as a ‘corporal work of mercy’ to our poor students!”

Teaching a Catholic worldview

“…Catholic education does not just teach secular subjects like other schools but also imparts a Christian vision of the world, of life, of culture, and of history, ordering the whole of human culture to the news of salvation,” write Donohue and Guernsey.

This integrated approach with God the Creator as the foundation of every study requires some effort within distance learning. Teachers will be tempted to water down courses to facts that are easiest to teach remotely, but good Catholic school teachers will not neglect the importance of group discussion and opportunities to highlight truths that are evident in math, science, history, literature and more.

Ultimately, “a Catholic school can never go wrong with a good supply of literature to recommend.” Allowing more time for students to read classic works at home does not detract from a Catholic education—it enhances it.

Overall, the COVID pandemic is making it very tough for Catholic schools to pay employees and plan for the future, but students can still be given an excellent Catholic education. If Catholic educators work to develop “thoughtful and comprehensive strategies to try to compensate for the suspension of in-person instruction,” argue Donohue and Guernsey, then they can continue to exhibit the strengths of Catholic schools.

The greatest of these strengths is love. Educators can show “comfort and mercy” to “stressed and overwhelmed” students and be true partners to parents, who may be trying to work from home while ensuring that students’ education continues without interruption.

When this time of “stay at home” and social distancing is over, teachers and students will be eager to return to their schools. In the meantime, distance learning can be truly Catholic and preserve the unparalleled advantages of Catholic education.

This article first appeared at The National Catholic Register.

Maintaining Catholic Identity in Distance Learning Instruction

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Click here for PDF

With little time to prepare, Catholic schools have had to respond quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic by moving education from traditional brick-and-mortar buildings to students’ homes. Thousands of teachers are now seeking to re-package instruction tailored to distance learning.

A common way for teachers to facilitate at-home education is to copy worksheets and send home textbooks with a list of weekly assignments. This is generally done when a student is ill, but in this new extended learning arrangement worksheets and textbooks alone are not sufficient to convey the richness of the Catholic curriculum which, for most schools, has taken years to develop. 

Catholic schools are not only content providers but also evangelical learning communities.  It’s important that we come at this situation with our own needs and goals in mind. Facing weeks of missed in-class instruction and the loss of all the critical formation that happens outside of the classroom in a Catholic school, we need to devise more thoughtful and comprehensive strategies to try to compensate for the suspension of in-person instruction.

The first step is to make explicit what we do on a daily basis that makes Catholic education unique and then seek to find ways to translate as much of that magic as possible to a distance learning environment. Vatican documents on education identify several distinctive elements of Catholic education, including:

  1. the centrality of community and importance of relationships;
  2. the presence of a rich prayer and sacramental life;
  3. the integral formation of students’ minds, bodies, and spirits; and
  4. the development of a Catholic understanding of the world.

This is quite an amazing mission and a huge mandate. It is important to acknowledge up front that it simply cannot be as effectively and powerfully accomplished on-line and at home as it can where we are gathered as a community and interacting with each other personally. Catholicism is all about reality and real physical presence. We are all feeling this now, as we do our best to attend “Online Mass,” which is perhaps the best we can get at the moment—but it pales in comparison to the power of being in each other’s presence as we approach HIS presence in the Eucharist we share. So by all means let’s do what we can, but let’s be transparent that this is a time of separation and shadow, until we can once again be with the students we love and bring the full force of our apostolate to bear.

What follows are few practical tips for conducting our rich mission in a diminished environment. How can Catholic schools continue to provide these key aspects of Catholic education?

The Centrality of Community and Importance of Relationships

So much of who we are in Catholic education is based on our existence as a faith-based community, where we gather together to see, hear, and be with each other in prayer. Participation in the Sacraments, feast-day celebrations, prayer, and rituals form the basis of daily interaction and activities. The regular school day also has other community building activities like class meetings, breaks, games, and just time to hang out with each other. All day long we are building community with each other in school, and it has a cumulative effect of creating and transmitting culture. It is through the community that students receive “a systematic and critical assimilation of culture”1 which passes along our Catholic traditions, values, and beliefs. In Catholic education, the community itself is considered a formative and educative means of student formation and development,2 where students learn Christian values by being exposed to Christian values—primarily through the witness of adults and others with whom they interact daily.

How much more important now is the presence of the teacher in these unsettling times, when coming together is difficult and “social distancing” is the norm. Teachers can never be as present in distant learning programs as they are in a real classroom, so it is all the more important to do as much as possible to bridge the gap. It is assumed that teachers will be posting video help for lessons and instruction to the degree possible, but among the community building options available are short videos from the teacher, not just explain a lesson introduction, but speaking from the heart and saying and doing human things to lighten the load and let students know you miss them but are in good humor. Perhaps sending a personal video to a student (copying the parent) on his or her birthday or feast day or recording a dramatic reading of a story or poem for all the children to watch. Take a video of your garden or other image that makes them think of something you all learned or did together.

High-tech options include a livestream class meeting using Teams, Zoom, or some other group conference platform such as podcasts and class chat forums. Make this optional for younger students and give parents at least 24 hours’ notice. Shared social time with you and their classmates may be a welcome break to their home isolation. You can also do a live reading of a story to them for educational purposes without copyright infringement.3

Low-tech ways to keep students close might be through a weekly phone call to each of them. Or even write them a letter or card and mail it—they will likely remember it for the rest of their lives. Finally pray for each one of your students daily by name at a particular time and let them know it. This is a time none of us will soon forget! Don’t forget to reach out to parents as well and let them know that you are willing to facilitate help for any particular needs by leveraging school resources.

Older students will enjoy many of the previous contact ideas, but in addition they can be encouraged to sustain community through online “household” social media activities. Both college campuses and high schools have found great success with the household system, which merges various grades or groups together to form smaller sub-communities. This does not have to end with distance learning. There are many opportunities for interaction and joyful competition between groups. These fun competitions direct students’ energy and focus during down time and help maintain peer connections.

The Presence of a Rich Prayer and Sacramental Life

To the degree possible, keep the school’s daily prayer cycles going. If the school day starts with a specific prayer, encourage parents to continue the practice. Remind them that at school, grace and/or the Angelus is said before lunch and to please continue that with the students.

If a class is being live-streamed, then of course it is good to start with a prayer led by the teacher or one student. (Choral prayer or responses do not work well online.)

Not being able to participate together in the Sacraments does not mean that our hearts and minds should be allowed to go on a spiritual vacation. If anything, this is a time to look at what our lives would be like if we didn’t have the Sacraments. Why is attending Mass or going to confession so important? What would my life be like if these activities were permanently eliminated?

If possible, perhaps arrange for an all-school Mass to be video-streamed by the school’s chaplain. This can provide a common experience and keep students and teachers tied to each other in prayer.

Recognizing that students may not engage in prayer at home as frequently as they do in school, make extra efforts to insert prayer and Catholic themes into home assignments.

Provide mothers and fathers, the spiritual heads of the domestic Church, with suggestions for leading the family in morning and evening prayer, the Rosary, the Church’s daily Mass readings, the Liturgy of the Hours, or Lenten Stations of the Cross. Allow time for students to personally reflect on provided prompts or using Lectio Divina4 to more deeply uncover how God is speaking to the heart can be done by children as well as adults. Following the Church’s liturgical cycle at home as we do in school is also important. Families can now perhaps more purposefully than ever enter into that cycle by introducing new novenas,5 praying together at certain times of the day,6 and teaching their children how to do an examination of conscience7 before they go to bed. Helping families start these family rituals now can have a lasting effect on children’s faith development for years to come. In some cases, families may be relying on us to pray with and form their students and now is an opportunity to fully engage the domestic Church and leverage fuller participation moving forward.

Unlike Catholic school buildings with religious art and classrooms with prayer corners, some homes may have few religious items and no sacred spaces set aside to contemplate God’s word. Since the pandemic has prevented many people from entering the sacred space of our churches, now would be a good time to suggest to families to set aside sacred spaces in the home where children can go throughout the day to quiet their hearts and minds and thank God for His gifts, express sorrow for their failings, or ask for His assistance. A simple crucifix, a picture of Jesus or the Holy Family, a Rosary, or prayer cards can initiate a contemplative, prayerful space.

The Integral Formation of Students’ Minds, Bodies, and Spirits

Distance education lends itself to content delivery and detached academic skills, but in the process may not fully provide for the integral intellectual, physical, and spiritual needs of students. Special effort is needed to maintain this essential aspect of Catholic education.

To avoid the disaggregation of knowledge, which can arise when assignments are provided strictly by subject area, the use of broad essential questions can help tie discrete subjects together. In the classroom, quite often it is the teacher who helps make these connections, so it is important to continue integration through learning at home.

Using problem- and project-based learning approaches may also help facilitate interdisciplinary learning. When using these approaches, develop and provide grading rubrics to students when assignments are given, and suggest online resources and directions where to find them.

As for spiritual development, the above section on prayer already touched on some ways to ensure that we are educating students’ hearts and souls, but special effort toward this end should also be made whenever possible in various subject areas. Specifically tying subject-area materials to lessons on virtue or the faith can help make connections between course subjects such as history or English. Identifying virtues and essential questions will help parents enter into the teaching, exemplifying concepts through discussion and example.

Helping older students reach a deeper level of academic and moral formation through contemplation of rich and complex artistic and philosophical material may benefit from the use of Socratic seminars8 or guided discussions.9 These can be done in synchronous or asynchronous10 online options. In the synchronous option, the teacher and students meet online at a designated time (always allow enough time and patience to ensure the workings of technology) and discuss a text using traditional Socratic etiquette. If synchronous is not an option, teachers can set-up discussion prompts and require each student to make an original response to an online prompt and then two additional responses to comments made by other classmates. This asynchronous option requires an original response to a discussion prompt which ends with a required question, such as “Is this what you think?” or “Have I found all the pertinent aspects?” This is done to generate discussion, further conversation, and facilitate the gathering of different viewpoints and aspects of the topic under consideration.

While “engagement” is the buzz word in the classroom, it is even more important in a distance learning arrangement. Opportunities for interaction among teacher and students and students among themselves will help keep students motivated. Research indicates that high interaction and instructor support through online courses lead to greater course success.11

According to one research report,12 distance instructors who are effective have good:

  • course planning and organizational skills specific to distance environments;
  • verbal and nonverbal presentation skills specific to distance learning situations;
  • ability to involve and coordinate student activities among several sites;
  • communication and classroom organizational skills;
  • collaborative work with others to produce effective courses; and
  • ability to use questioning strategies.

Integral formation also provides for the health and training of students’ bodies. Even though students cannot gather together to play sports, teachers can encourage time spent each day in some form of physical exercise. Some may be able to gather with peers (while practicing social distancing) and go for a walk or bike ride with a friend. Additionally, bodily activities are not limited to athletics but also involve physical activities such as arts, crafts, and music.

Be aware of the physical toll of extensive screen time. While live-stream instruction is a very useful and effective way to build community and keep more intimate and direct contact with students, there are some real limitations. Platforms like Microsoft Teams or Zoom are quite good in replicating a type of classroom environment in real time, but extended use throughout the day can be very hard on teachers and students. Eye strain and headaches are a common side effect as well as just plain burnout if trying to keep it up all day. If going this route, consider designing lots of screen breaks throughout each class and throughout the school day. Students should be asked to look at the screen primarily when class discussions are taking place. Whenever possible, break up discussion with individual work that students can do with pencil and paper or reading from a physical text. Teacher teams may want to quantify, coordinate, and ration screen time as a “corporal work of mercy” to our poor students! And again, get the students moving constantly throughout the day, including in class when possible.

To the extent possible, give the kids and families (and yourself) a break! These are trying times. Do your best to deliver core academic material to the degree possible in the midst of a very real and historic crisis. Then take a deep breath and see how different kids and families respond. To the stressed and overwhelmed, provide comfort and mercy; to the frustrated super-students, develop scads of tailored supplemental material so they can keep flying. Just remember, this too shall pass, and (except for high school seniors) we will have time to get everything back on track later. The whole world is on pause, and we should proceed as best we can, knowing that folks remember how they were treated in a crisis.

Remember to provide accommodations to those students who qualify for them. During this time, students who require accommodations may be the most needy. Fortunately, most accommodations already require the use of individualized online programs and if not already in use, look into the accessibility of them, or ask someone to do that for you. Perhaps this would be a great way to use an hourly employee who might be otherwise laid off.  

The Development of a Catholic Understanding of the World

Understandably teachers will rely heavily on material produced by secular educators to get through the first stages of distance education. Publisher-designed worksheets and websites are a logical first place to turn. However, in many cases such resources are insufficient, as Catholic educators teach more. The Congregation for Catholic Education reminds us that Catholic education does not just teach secular subjects like other schools but also imparts a Christian vision of the world, of life, of culture, and of history, ordering the whole of human culture to the news of salvation.

The Cardinal Newman Society’s Catholic Curriculum Standards13 provide a framework for keeping your curriculum “Catholic”. They purposefully ensure that a Catholic interpretive framework is present and articulated in various academic disciplines.

Additionally, many Catholic publishers already offer textbooks and additional resources online. Some links are provided below.

Finally, a Catholic school can never go wrong with a good supply of literature to recommend. Have students constantly reading a good book. Not everything needs to be formally assessed. The Cardinal Newman Society (as well as other reputable Catholic organizations) have recommended reading lists for different ages. Whenever possible try to get a hard-copy book in front of them, especially as screen time has increased for many students right now. If a home library is thin, then there are plenty of free online books through Kindle, Spark and others.

A pleasurable alternative is to play an audio book suitable to the age range in the household and have students draw, build a puzzle, or work with Legos or clay while they listen—which they often will happily do for an hour or more under the right conditions.

A recent study reported that students do learn differently when comparing online reading to reading from an actual text. Students annotate and highlight more in hard texts (even though both means have this capability), but reading comprehension actually improves with highlighting texts online.

For Catholic educators, this trying experience can serve as a time to recall what Catholic schools do both differently and do well: we are good at community, prayer, integral formation, and creating a Catholic worldview. We now get to try this in greater partnership with our parents to get through this crisis. Once this is all over, we can come together to re-dedicate ourselves to the value of our classrooms, relationships, and awesome calling.

Resources

Webinar to Accompany this Document: https://vimeo.com/403718817/4265ea3c8f

Religious

Mass Online: http://kofc.org/en/news-room/articles/watch-mass-online.html

Catholic Online School: Daily Online Mass Readings with Deacon Keith Fournier.

FORMED: Lenten Reflections, religious movies, devotions, cartoons, and more: https://watch.formed.org/browse

Holy Heroes Sunday Mass preparation for kids: https://www.holyheroes.com/MassPrep-s/57.htm

Stations of the Cross with Fr. Robert Barron (for high school students and adults): Stations.wordonfire.org

Academic

The Catholic Curriculum Standards, from the Cardinal Newman Society: https://cardinalnewmansociety.org/catholic-curriculum-standards/for-educators/

Called to Be More! Free 5-week trial. Based on St. John Paul IIs Theology of the Body, this program is fully online and accessible for teachers and students in grades PreK-5 and 9-12. The high school program was designed to conform with the Bishops Curriculum Framework for high school students and can be accessed here: https://app.ruahwoodspress.com/register/account. The K-5 program: https://ruahwoodspress.kartra.com/page/OCw1

Virtual Book Fairs for Catholic Schools: Leisure reading for Catholic children. Provides a rebate back to the school when you include your school’s code: https://goodnewsbookshop.com/

Kolbe Academy Online: Free literature lesson plans: https://kolbe.org/free-literature/

Standards for Online Course Preparation: https://www.nsqol.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/National-Standards-for-Quality-Online-Courses-Catalog3-2019.09.01.pdf

Institute for Catholic Liberal Education School@Home Resources: https://catholicliberaleducation.org/schoolhome/

Arts of Liberty project developed by Master of Classical Education program to support online learning. Links to lessons, study guides, and textbooks on Logic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, Astronomy, Theology, Philosophy, Politics, History, Literature, and Natural Sciences: https://artsofliberty.udallas.edu/

Institute for Excellence in Writing is offering a free, completely digital, three-week program of English language arts instruction that covers writing, grammar, vocabulary, and poetry memorization for grades 3-12. https://iew.com/three-weeks-of-language-arts-instruction-from-iew

 

 

 

Students Learn Science, Ethics at Franciscan University

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Studying the sciences at a faithful Catholic college, like Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, prepares students for their careers and for considering the moral dimension of their work. Students are given “tools to work through ethical decisions guided by the light of Truth,” says Dr. Dan Kuebler, dean of the natural and applied science programs at Franciscan University.

Dr. Kuebler believes Franciscan University graduates can make an impact through their witness in healthcare professions and help “rebuild a culture of life.” The Newman Society recently asked Dr. Kuebler to discuss what’s different about studying the sciences at Franciscan University, and about plans for future science offerings.

Newman Society: How does Franciscan University of Steubenville teach the sciences from an authentically Catholic perspective?

Dr. Kuebler: All of our students take an integrated core curriculum that enculturates them in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and, in particular, the theological and philosophical tradition of the Church. What they learn in these courses allows them to think critically about and fully engage with the learning experiences they have within the science programs.

Within the biology curriculum there are many issues that are discussed from a scientific perspective such as human sexual behavior, in vitro fertilization, cloning, contraception, etc. Students are not only taught about the latest science regarding these topics, but they also engage with their science faculty regarding the ethical and moral dimensions of these topics. Because they have been given the framework by which to engage these issues in their philosophy and theology classes, they are able to articulate and then ultimately defend the Catholic positions on these matters, positions that uphold the inherent dignity of human life.

If we fail to help our students achieve this integration, then we are not preparing them to live out their vocation as Catholic health care providers and scientists. We are not preparing them to be salt and light to a world sorely in need of a witness to the Truth.

Photo via Franciscan University of Steubenville

Newman Society: Last fall, Franciscan University unveiled a new biochemistry degree. Can you tell us about this exciting development, and other plans for science offerings at Franciscan?

Dr. Kuebler: The new biochemistry degree offers another science option for our students, particularly those interested in medical school and graduate school. The program takes the best of our existing biology and chemistry faculty along with new biochemistry faculty to produce a program that gets students into the lab doing research early on in the program.

In addition to the biochemistry degree, we are planning on launching four-year engineering degrees in Software Engineering and Mechanical Engineering over the next two and a half years. Currently we have partnership programs in which students spend two to three years on campus taking pre-engineering courses and then finish their engineering degree at a partner school.

While students in the program succeed academically at the partner schools, they do not want to leave the Franciscan academic community given the robust integration of faith, reason and community that exists here between our students, faculty and staff. Providing a high-quality fully accredited Bachelor of Science in engineering here on campus, we will be meeting the needs of these students as well as many other potential Catholic young women and men whom God has called to this field.

We are also expanding the cybersecurity course offerings within our computer science program with the aim of adding a certificate in cybersecurity to allow our students to have the preparation and hands-on experience to enter this burgeoning field.

Newman Society: Why do you think receiving a faithful Catholic education is crucial for future doctors, scientists and healthcare professionals?

Dr. Kuebler: There are so many ethical issues that scientific researchers and healthcare professionals face in the workplace. Too often, a utilitarian ethos drives medical decisions from end-of-life care to fertility treatments and leads to care and decisions that undermine the inherent dignity of human life.

By being immersed in the Catholic intellectual tradition and all its beauty and wisdom, our students have the tools to work through ethical decisions guided by the light of Truth. Their witness and ability to influence other healthcare professionals is the only manner in which we can hope to rebuild a culture of life that respects human life at all stages.

Newman Society: Franciscan is also well-known for its strong theology programs. How do the sciences and theology studies work together? Do many science students also minor in theology?

Dr. Kuebler: Our students must take three theology courses and three philosophy courses to graduate. Many students choose to take just three additional courses to minor in one of these two disciplines. Most of the science programs have five or six free electives, so it’s easy for students to do so.

This type of preparation only helps our students better articulate the beauty of the faith and navigate the ethical minefield of modern science and medicine in such a way as they bear witness to the Truth.

We host many interdisciplinary talks about topics such as gender ideology, fertility treatments, genetic modification and transhumanism so that students can hear from experts in both science, theology and philosophy on these topics. This type of integrated approach is essential for true learning.

Catholic Colleges Refuse to Disintegrate Faith from Science, Says Newman President

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Our Sunday Visitor recently published the following article online, featuring Newman Society President Patrick Reilly:

There is a false notion that religion is an impediment to science. It is a contention that students in the sciences of biology will likely confront in their field. Educators at committed Catholic colleges explain that faith and science are in harmony with one another, and it is part of their mission to help students understand that.

Good Catholic institutions integrate these two bodies of knowledge since God is the author of both, and faith united with science provides moral safeguards. In the field of biology, however, where creating human life in petri dishes and changing the DNA of a human embryo are possible, human beings mistakenly think that they can play God.

“It’s not really a matter of integrating faith with science, it’s refusing to follow the atheist approach of disintegrating faith from science,” according to Patrick Reilly, president and founder of The Cardinal Newman Society, which promotes faithful Catholic education and publishes the annual Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. “A Catholic school or college should be eager to address obvious and fundamental questions of where things come from, who designed such amazingly complex systems, what are the purposes of things, and what is man’s role in nature. Science, like every discipline, is better understood and appreciated with the insights of Christianity.”

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