I made the rounds at St. Joseph’s Indian School this afternoon during reading intervention time. All the teachers had small groups of students working on language art skills, particularly needed by each group. I watched the six American Indian students in the upstairs computer lab who have been identified as needing to improve their comprehension and reading speed. A teacher supervised and reviewed comprehension with them while the computer timed their word speed. Their immediate goal was to improve to 100 words per minute.
I visited the Religious Education classroom. Richard had class with the 15 2nd– 4th graders who are preparing for sacraments this year. He had medals of Mary to give to each of the students and we prayed a prayer of blessing before giving them out as a reminder of Mary’s love.
Tonight at the Fisher Home (6th– 8th grade boys) the initial talk was of sports, the upcoming basketball season and tonight’s NCAA football championship. But later, Thomas and Andrew started asking many big religious questions.
What happens to your soul when you die?
What are Heaven and Hell like?
Do you think the world is going to end soon?
Can God forgive any sin if you are sorry?
I welcome those kinds of questions and wish they came up more often, but never feel I do them the justice they deserve when they do arise. But I encouraged them to keep thinking and searching to the answers for those types of questions.
I remember how big those questions were to me. They are just as big today but I feel less anxious about them and about not having all the answers as I get older. I hope they will always think about these issues with the seriousness they deserve. I’m so glad they have people like you and the other staff members to turn to with these questions. It’s a HUGE part of growth.