Catholic in Film School

Although I have not blogged in a few days, I am happy to report that I have been a very busy bee and “everything” is back on track.

Pilgrims is no longer postponed as I have overcome the technological issues I was having. I should have a better idea of when I can announce a new launch date by this weekend.

The time I usually devote to blogging has been spent consuming every bit of information I can on two topics:

1) The United States Agency for International Aid

and

2) how in heck to teach children with disabilities.

Since it’s already October I’m trying to figure out what I will be doing over the coming spring semester and over the summer. I’m looking to intern next semester and hopefully to work on a set this summer. Even if I’m just the coffee girl, I am determined to be on a movie set this summer.

That being said, it might end up being my own set. I just had an interview yesterday morning to be selected for a month-long program in a certain foreign country to do a project of my choosing, which of course in my case would be a film and/or web series.

I have become increasingly fascinated by the activities of topic #1 USAID, which includes a “family-planning” program that has come under fire in the last 15-20 years for multiple reasons, including testing “new and improved” contraceptives on third-world women. If I do get selected for this program, this controversy will be the root of whatever project I make.

In other news…

I had my first experience teaching my Confirmation class over the weekend. We watched Bella and afterward I led a discussion. It didn’t go as well as I had hoped but I learned a lot from the experience, namely that I’m going to have to change my entire lesson plan for the entire course….and while I’m at it I’m going to have to change the way I think about catechesis and teaching in general.

I have a couple of kids who are enrolled in special education, another group with learning disabilities, and one “disruptive” kid who can’t read. I put disruptive in quotes because if I couldn’t access the material I’d probably be “disruptive” too.

I discussed this particular issue in my class and my professor gave me a number of suggestions. However, I was slightly sad to see that there aren’t many diocesan resources or scholarly writings on how to teach religion to youth with mental disabilities. I found a number of workshops and such, but nothing that was easily accessible, which like I said, quite saddens me as everyone deserves to hear the Gospel articulated in a way that they can understand.

Luckily, I have a very progressive Director of Education who has pretty much honored every suggestion I’ve given. I’m planning on completely changing the dynamic of the classroom, instituting a winter retreat for community-building, and using more media in the sessions. I’ll probably end up using every source SQPN has to offer this year.

And now I remind myself to take a breath.

Pax Christi, Rebecca.