Heart and School Podcast
God's heart. Your school.
Educators and friends, Gina, Nicky, and Laura, share inspiration, practical tips and laughs to encourage you in your calling as a Catholic School educator. Come to have your cup filled with reminders of God’s love for you and your school!
Heart and School Podcast
S1 E3 - Living the Mission: Incarnation
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In this episode of the Heart and School Podcast, Nicky, Laura, and Gina begin talking about the mission of Jesus and how the reality of God becoming human impacts our Catholic schools today.
On today's episode of the Heart in School Podcast, we begin talking about the mission of Jesus and how the reality of God becoming human impacts our Catholic schools today. We're so glad you're here.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the Heart in School Podcast, where we take time in the middle of our busy educator schedules to consider God's heart for each one of us in our schools. It's a place where you can find inspiration, practical tips, and hopefully a few laughs to encourage you in your calling as a Catholic school educator. My name is Gina, and each week I am joined by my educator friends Nikki and Laura. We can't wait to journey with you as we allow the Lord to fill our cuffs and remind us of the sacredness of our work in his schools.
SPEAKER_01Hello, friends. Hello. Good to be back together. Good to see your faces. Okay, friends. So, as you know, I love to laugh dearly. And many times memories from teaching and other times will pop into my head and I'll just start laughing. And I had a question I wanted to throw out to you today are there any times that pop into your head right now where you were teaching and you had to break what you were doing because something or something was said where you could not hold it together and you had to join in in the laughter or start laughing yourself.
SPEAKER_00One story does come to mind for me, and I actually like I knew I absolutely could not laugh, so I didn't break, but inside I was laughing, and I've laughed about it many times since that time. So I'll try to tell this quickly. It was actually my first year of teaching and probably the first week of teaching. So it was right out of the gate. And I taught in a school where we only had one class of every grade. I taught sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. I knew the sixth graders were coming into my room and they're traveling as a whole pack. And before I could even see them round the corner to come down the hallway to my room, I could hear them. It was like a just a cacophony of sound of everybody yelling at each other. And I see them come around the corner, they're all fighting, yelling at each other. They get into the room and they sit down and they're all just everybody is yelling at each other. So I finally quiet them down. I'm like, what is going on? And I'm gonna change the names just not to call anybody out, but they said, Timmy says he can walk on water and nobody can walk on water except for Jesus. And then they all start yelling again, like people taking sides or whatever, and they're like, Yeah, Timmy, Timmy can't walk on water, only Jesus. And so then there's Timmy and he's like, I did it, I did it, I walked on water, I don't know what to tell you, I did it. And then they're all screaming and he started getting worked up and I could see tears were in his eyes. So he gets up out of his chair and he runs out of the classroom and runs down the hallway. And I mean, this is my first week of teaching. I'm like, I don't know what's going on, but is this a Catholic school or what? But this kid who was in the class, I loved working with him. He had a little sassy streak to him, but he gets up and starts running after this kid. And so I stop him. Zach, stop. What are you doing? And he's like, I'm gonna run after Timmy. If he's going to the bathroom, I want to see if maybe he can walk on the toilet water. And I was like, I know I cannot affirm this behavior right now of running after another student, but that is really witty and funny. And it's like, I want to see if maybe he can walk on the toilet water. That's that's that's good, kid. That's good. That's my story. That's really funny.
SPEAKER_02That's funny. I actually just thought of a an experience I had where I had six, I think there were sixth graders at the time, they may have been seventh graders, who were were hiding Cheetos in their coats. They're like, Oh, I'm cold, I gotta keep my coat on. We're like, okay, uh, I I didn't believe them. So I saw what was going on and I said, I'm gonna participate in this. So the next class that I was with them, I had my coat on and had put some Cheetos in my coat just to like very gradually like, Why are you wearing your coat? And I said, Oh, you know, I just just wanted to keep it on. And so every now and again I would just take a Cheeto out until like one kid noticed, then another kid noticed. And it was hysterical because the kids would be like, I can't believe she's doing that. And then they would look to their friend and see. And it was so funny because I because then I was just like, What is it? Is it ridiculous that I'm hiding Cheetos in my coat and eating during class? And just it was just actually, yeah, it's ridiculous for you to do that too. So it was just a funny moment of we shouldn't be doing it. But I, you know, it was it was a way that I could make a point, but it being like a moment of levity too. So it wasn't so serious like stop eating Cheetos, but they got the point, you know, so it was pretty funny.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. Oh, thank you for sharing your story. Nikki, how about you? I have so many, but mine that probably the hardest I've laughed is the one year I thought I could teach middle school. The one and only year, and then I went back to third and second grade. But it was April Fool's Day, and the kids had gotten together and they were like, We're supposed to give this to you from the office, and it was an unmarked envelope, and I opened it up and it was like, To whom it may concern. Nikki Miss Kay at the time is what it was called. Miss K is no longer welcome to teach at our school. And it went on to be like a letter firing me, but it was riddled with spelling errors and grammatical errors, and I was crying and just crying by the end of this, and they were like, How did you know? How did you know it wasn't real? I was like, one, this is an unmarked envelope. Two, you made this in like word processing, and there's no like school font. Three, this would never happen. But they were so proud. They worked hard, they gathered all as a class to write this. So I thought it was like community building and hilarious.
SPEAKER_00Were there Cheeto smudges on the corner? No, no Cheeto.
SPEAKER_01They did a they did a series of things that I'll share another time, but wow, they really went all out for April Fool's Day, and I applauded their efforts.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's a good one. That's funny.
SPEAKER_02I like Oh, that's good. Well, I love the stories, so uh we can get into it this week. Last week, um, we were able to discuss the quote about the mission of schools. The Catholic schools do not have a mission, the mission has schools, and how practically we can keep that mission before us in everything that we do in living our vocation as Catholic educators. In the book we referenced that Father Nesi and Thomas Hunt edited that as a compilation of the church documents, there's a beautiful introduction to the documents themselves that it gives a deeper explanation of what they are, but then also what does it mean for the Catholic school to be an important part of the mission of the church? So, in order for us to understand the mission, we have to understand Christ's mission. So, what did Jesus come to do? So, Father Nazi suggests we acquaint ourselves with some of the distinguishing characteristics of the church and reflect upon how we embrace and promote them in our schools. So he highlights four of the essential mysteries of our faith, which are the incarnation, the trinity, the paschal mystery, and the Eucharist. So we'll go over those over the next couple of episodes and what do they mean and how do we live them within the rhythm of the life of the school. I know that was really helpful for me in our classes when we we talked about how do these mysteries become a reality in our daily life in the Catholic school. So the first one we'll talk about the incarnation.
SPEAKER_01So Nikki? We talk about the incarnation every year at the beginning of the year in my classroom, and I always throw it out to my students. Like, let's look at that word and think about the word carne. Like you've heard carne, it oftentimes, especially certain cuisines, means meat. So meat, and then you go to flesh. And so the word incarnation means God taking on flesh, taking on the meat of human beings as his own.
SPEAKER_00Nikki, just curious, is it in the second grade, third grade curriculum? Or is something wow, yeah, nice.
SPEAKER_01Making sure that we talk about mysteries at the beginning to set them up, that like there are things that are known, there are things that we trust in the faith and the mystery, and then there are things that you can know parts of it, but then the depth of it is a mystery. So Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So that's the historical context of it, is that you know, God became man, he became flesh. And the abiding significance of that, like what that means for us, Father Nuzzi suggests or kind of outlines four things within that. So one is affirming the goodness of creation, that if the Lord would come into creation, that there is a goodness to it. The inherent dignity of all people, that God came to connect with people and be like us in all things except sin. The third thing is the conviction that in and through humanity, God's purposes can be realized. So it's not God up here and us down here that God came in and he realizes his purposes in the midst of humanity. And then lastly, the idea of whatever humanizes divinizes. So that's the quick brushstroke of those four things. But I thought we could take some time to talk a little bit more in depth about each of those things so that we can really understand how do we bring the incarnation to life in our schools? How do we really live out that abiding significance and make it be a centerpiece of the mission that we are living and promoting in our schools? So I guess any initial thoughts before we move into sharing some ideas for affirming the goodness of creation?
SPEAKER_02I think one thing just maybe basically about these mysteries, I think it can be easy to conceptualize them or make them a philosophy instead of concretizing them into our day-to-day mission. And so I think that's what's really important is like what impact does this have on me and my classroom and on my school today? And I think just in the goodness of creation, I think affirming the goodness of creation, the fact that your students are there, the children in your classroom are there and that they exist is good. And I think that's a very practical thing. It's something we can affirm in them that they are created, they are loved by God, they're loved into being. And because of that, they are good. Regardless of choices, regardless of anything else, there is a goodness to them and who they are, and reflecting that to teachers and parents and everything too, I think is a place that as educators, we can affirm that goodness in the person across from us, whomever that is, and the students, and really helping them not really just learn the words of that, but the depth of meaning of the goodness of who they are, is something a teacher can do. I think unfortunately the opposite can happen too if we're not attentive to affirming the goodness in the students and the people that we meet. I think that's something that we can very easily keep at the forefront of our minds every day. Is just the goodness of their being there. Maybe that's an oversimplification, but I think it's important to recognize and affirm that regularly.
SPEAKER_01Agreed. And making sure, I think, again, at the beginning of the year, that is a great place to start, is how loved you are by God, each of you and your differences and everything about you. Um, and I'm thinking, which some people would be like, oh, that's kind of contradictory, but like I'm thinking of confession. We go at the beginning of the year, each class they cycle through, but it's a moment where you're taking these things where kids are thinking, I'm not good because I did this. And you're giving them this opportunity. And I always remind them there is nothing you could do that would ever take away that inherent goodness that God loves you and He gifts you this sacrament so that okay, this is washed away. Let's begin again. You are so good, you are so beloved, and it's actually such a loving sacrament where some people have the opposite idea.
SPEAKER_00I love all of that. I guess I was not thinking of affirming the goodness of creation in that way, but I love, I love thinking of it because I think it takes it even deeper than what I was thinking, which is not only the physical world is good, but we as humans are the crown of creation, right? That's what they say. The humans are the crown of creation, and that includes everybody, not just certain people or people who act in a certain way or look a certain way or whatnot. So I love that.
SPEAKER_02I think I think that's I think that's good. The the human as the crown of creation, even in in the creation account in Genesis, God created and it was good, and it was good, and it was good, and it was good, and it was very good. So understanding that the in the cadence of the creation narrative, humans are last, you know. Uh in the image of God, he created them, male and female, he created them, and they were very good. And so I think that's that's even an important distinction, too. So things are good. What God created is good, but we are very good. And instilling that, I think, is critical to understanding again, thinking of worldview and how we see the world. That's a that's a critical piece of it. And the mission, our mission is so different because we have this view of the inherent and inviolable dignity of the human person. That's kind of a another point that Father Nuzzi brings out. That's another aspect of this, the mystery of the incarnation that can be realized in the school. But I think they're interconnected in that, in in a particular way.
SPEAKER_00Definitely interconnected. I think, you know, the goodness of creation, then the dignity of the person as that crown of creation. But I hadn't heard that before, Laura. I really like that. Like it was good, it was good, it was very good. And it's just a beautiful thing. One thing that I've been trying to do with my own children and that I've been trying to work into my work at school or my friendships, and I think this is something that could probably be used just in general in classrooms. I'm thinking about it as you bring up this idea that you are good, is to tell my children I delight in you. I delight in spending time with you, that there is something that is delightful about you and spending time with you, and a verbal way of affirming that goodness in you and that you are loved and your presence, just your presence alone, is good and something that I enjoy. Just a random idea. Yeah, I like that.
SPEAKER_02And the presence, the presence of each individual person in a classroom is an essential component to the identity of that classroom, too. So if somebody's missing, it's different. So it's just an understanding of the presence of the person makes a difference. And the goodness is despite choices. And I think of that when, particularly as principal, there were a lot of times I would visit with students who made bad choices, but they are good. And how do we continue to affirm that in the midst of the need for correction and formation? Because that's a that's a part of what we do as educators, is we're teaching, we're forming, there's correction that comes along with that. And how we do that really matters, and always maintaining the goodness of the person, even if the choice was not good. Um, and how can we do that? I think is really important. And that's certainly not something that I did perfectly as a principal. There are many situations I think of where I could have handled them differently, but understanding how instructive those are and how formative they are for the person and how they how they grow, especially when they're well, at any point in time, but especially when they're little, I think it's really important to keep that in mind as educators.
SPEAKER_00So do you have any practical thoughts there, Laura? How do you do that? How do you correct and also affirm their goodness?
SPEAKER_02I think that's a great question. Again, I'm certainly not an expert at it, but I think just talking about that. I think how we engage, the the correction is the correction of a behavior or a choice, not an accusation that you aren't good. And so, you know, especially with older students, it's specifically saying that. So you are good. However, this choice you made is something that that in the future we would make a different choice. Here's why, or here's the impact of that choice that that had either on the classroom or on other people. You know, there's a there's a reason that you should have made a different choice, but making sure that that's not tied to their worth or their dignity and making that very clear. How you do that with older versus younger students, I think it varies quite a bit, even from student to student. But just always keeping in mind if something like how I react matters, if something needs to be corrected, it's a it's typically a behavior that needs to be corrected, not the child. There's not a something defective with the child, it's the behavior that needed correcting.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I like that. I try to think about that too, like avoiding statements like you are blank because then it's attached to identity, like you are bad, but to say like that was not a good choice. You're attaching the evaluation to the choice rather than attaching the evaluation to the person. And I think that is like a little change in mentality that can play out in verbals, which kids might not even pick up explicitly, but can go a long way because yeah, we're just not attaching a valuation to them as a person.
SPEAKER_01I was thinking for the younger grades, I always start off with the phrase a lot of times, you are better than this. And then I go on immediately to compliment them. You are kind, you are a good friend. And then because I work with sensitive kids that cry when you they are called over to you, then you put in like, I saw that you were whispering behind their back, but you are a good friend, and that doesn't match who you are, and just going back to you were created and you are good, but what you did doesn't match that, and it goes back to that inherent goodness, and I've just found a great result in that language over the years.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that's very valuable language. Before we fully move into a little bit more on the dignity of the person, although I feel like we've been talking about it the whole time, just curious if there's anything that you've done at your schools or in your classrooms where you're really affirming the goodness of God creation those first five days. Any fun ideas in that realm?
SPEAKER_02I don't know if this fits really um into that, but I think allowing kids to wonder and wonder at creation too, the magnificence of it. When I was principal, we had a total solar eclipse, so we were in the path of totality. And the older kids went to the park down the street, so it was, you know, maybe half a mile away or whatever, and the younger students were on the playground area. But being able to witness the most magnificent thing I've ever seen, I think it was so beautiful. And uh, my principal colleague who arranged all of the plans and a lot of protocols and all these sorts of things, I was just like, what's the big deal? And then I experienced it, and it was pure awe at the beauty of what God has done through creation. I think being attentive to kind of something spectacular like that, and watching them and hearing them experience that and really be moved by that beauty was awesome. That's really a one-time thing, but that was what that was something that would just stands out to me as one of the most magnificent things I've ever seen.
SPEAKER_00My best idea that I have is similar, but not a big phenomenon. So my methods teacher for science when I was in college had us do this in our course, and then I taught science for seven years, middle school, and then I also taught one year of high school biology. So I did it in my own methods course, and then I had all my students, including my middle school and high school students, do this, and it was powerful every single time that we did it. The assignment was over the course of a semester. So you give it to them at the beginning of the semester and give them time, they can do it in their own time. But by the end of the semester, they have to turn in five drawings of something in nature that is drawn with like intense detail, and it'll be graded just on the amount of detail and care with which you have drawn it. And then we have a little viewing, they lay them out on their desks and you take a walk around. But I know for myself when I did it, and then the feedback that I got from my students was this was amazing because we took time to look at that flower that maybe seemingly is kind of I walk by it every day. And now I looked at it in great detail and wow, the Lord has really created something amazing. And the more that we take time to look at that, the more we can be in awe of what we see. And I think particularly the older kids really, I think it really resonated with them, the high schoolers. And then and then in a Catholic school, you have the ability to say, you know, God's creation and bring us to that, like you were saying, Laura, that wonder, that awe.
SPEAKER_02Well, and just to tie that back to you, to the uh, you know, the humans being the pinnacle of creation, if God put that much thought, energy, and effort into that flower, imagine. Just imagine what thought, energy, and effort he put into and love he put into creating you. That's just a neat way to kind of highlight the intricacy of creation, and then you as a human uh just exploring the possibility of the depth of love that went into creating you.
SPEAKER_00Which I think is a beautiful jumping off point that we can pick up next time to talk a little bit more about the dignity of the human person. So incarnation, affirming the goodness of creation, and heading into dignity of the human person in our next episode. Laura, would you be up for closing us in a prayer? Sure.
SPEAKER_02Name of the Father and Son of the Holy Spirit, amen. Amen. Lord, we think we thank you for the gift of uh this time together. We thank you for the gift of the call uh to serve you in our Catholic schools. We thank you for the the wonder of who we are, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Lord, we ask for a greater awareness of the gift of the person in front of us, the person that we uh uh especially might uh struggle with. Um just ask for patience and grace in uh really reflecting you to everyone that we meet. Lord, we thank you for uh the countless gifts in our lives that we don't yet recognize and just ask for your eyes to see, to see what you've given us and to see how you see. And we ask this all in Jesus' name. Amen. Father's son, amen.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode. If you enjoyed it, would you share it with a friend or two and leave us a review? We also invite you to follow the Heart and School Instagram page for more encouragement and practical tips for your Catholic educator journey. We are praying for you and your schools. See you next week.