Day Two: Signs and Symbols

I don’t want to waste time in this blog describing the “housekeeping” portion of my class, which finishes the first day. That is the time when I ask students to review the syllabus with me. There is nothing interesting about that! So, let’s move on to Day Two.

Like it was stated in a previous blog, most of the classes start with a Bellwork. Almost every Bellwork is intended to “activate prior knowledge”. The lesson of that particular day “sticks” if students already have some prior knowledge they can use to relate to the new knowledge they will be receiving.

Students are asked to do the following:

•       Write your name on the slip of paper that Mr. Smith gave you.

•       Think about if you were with your friends or family and they could only characterize you with one word (not your name). What would that word be? Write that word next to your name and fold the piece of paper and put it in the jar.

They have just a few moments to do this. As they finish, I collect the slips of paper in a jar and transition into prayer.

I show them the following image and discusses how the mystery of God is beyond human language and so we need symbols to represent who God is. If we think about it (contemplate) we can actually grow closer to the Truth of the mystery, but we should always remember that we can only grow closer to the mystery of God; we cannot fully know the Truth of that mystery.

After the prayer, I asks students to share their Bellwork.

I pick slips of paper out of the jar and ask students if they can determine who the “word” on the sheet of paper belongs to. I do this several time; if the class is small enough, I make sure everyone’s slip of paper is read. This is a way that we can continue to cultivate Love in the classroom. As students share their Bellwork, it gives other students a chance to communicate how the view themselves or how they think other people view them.

At the end of the exercise, I conclude for the students that the word is only a representation of the person, but it is not the person themselves. This is obvious, but I stress that we can use signs and symbols to point us to the person, but we cannot confuse the sign or symbol with the person, themselves. This will connect to the lesson for the day.

Before I give the lesson, I always review previous concepts discussed in class. I encourage students to take notes on the review as the review is often the last time.

I ask students to complete the following sentences, one at a time. They can use their notes from the previous day to assist them. This is not a test or a quiz. It is just practicing using language that will be commonly used in class.

•       Christianity is not a religion about God….

•       It is a Relationship with God.

•       The result of a relationship with God is…

•       Knowledge of our Authentic Self.

•       If we know and live our authentic self then…

•       We can be Truly happy.

These concepts will drive the course and students will revisit this often and try to understand everything studied on class as they relate to this logical progression.

The next blog will discuss the objective: Students will be able to define what sign and symbol are in relationship to the thing that it represents.

(His head is too heavy sometimes)