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w w Thursday, October 19, 2000 ConmeMiiry Everyday Graces The Southern Cross, Page 5 I applaud many innovations in education, but as the mother of four school-age children, I confess to hav ing a serious problem with one of them—the daily reading log. In many elementary schools, children are required to keep a list of the title of Reading is not a that book isn’t appreciated as much for the pleasure it yielded as for the oppor tunity to add yet anoth er title to the list. Yes, children need motivation to read. All the competition from television, computers, and Nintendos prevents chil- every book they read, the Mary Hood Hart dren from filling up their date they read it, and the author’s name. Sometimes they even have to list the number of pages read. I guess such a log is necessary in an age when children aren’t reading as much as they should, but I sure wish there were another way to encourage reading without turning it into conspicuous consumption. In my life, reading has always been a pleasure, something I’ve done not because I have to or should, but because I want to. I wish for my children that same pleasure. Although reading logs are intended to keep children enthusi astic about reading for its own sake, they can have the reverse effect, by turning reading into a method of getting something— whether it be a good grade, recog nition, or a prize. While surely the child enjoys the book at the time, leisure time with books. Yet could n’t that motivation be found in more creative ways than assigning reading logs and giving awards to the children who’ve consumed the most book in a month? When my son was in first grade, he was required to fill in a log for all the books he read alone or I read to him. Each time the chil dren’s lists reached the one hun dred mark, their names were posted on the classroom wall, and they were rewarded. The list of children who read 100 books included most of the class. But the list grew short er as the numbers increased. My son’s name appeared with many others on the list of those having read over 200 books (there are only 180 days of school) but a couple of children in his class were listed as having read over 600. competitive sport When I spoke to his teacher about it, she shared her dismay that the competition had heated up so intensely among one or two chil dren, and she felt they were reading books mainly to show each other up. While there’s no doubt that reading skills will improve with all this reading going on, I have to wonder how much pleasure these children derived from the books themselves. And what will happen to their interest when reading is no longer a contest? While I encourage my children to read, I don’t make a fuss about the competition. I am doubtful they will ever win a prize for the most books read. But I have confidence that one day they’ll enjoy books for the intrinsic rewards they bring. I must admit feeling a little infe rior to those parents who do such a competent job of keeping their children’s reading logs up to date. While reading is as natural in our household as eating and sleeping, recording what we read is not. I’ll read a chapter of a book aloud almost every’ evening to my chil dren, but only rarely do I remember to write it down. When we sit on the couch to impulsively page through a book, I make a mental note to record the book later, but invariably I forget. At the end of the week or month, when reading logs are due, I try to reconstruct what we read, but I always over look some titles. I start feeling really silly when I scour the bookshelves at home try ing to pick out books we read over the last weeks, so I can write them down in the log. Perhaps I’ve got a problem with reading logs because they remind me of the times in my life when I’ve been required to count calories. I never enjoyed recording those either, and eating certainly became less pleasurable when I had to log everything I put into my mouth. I’m willing to accept the fact that in most grades, particularly the early ones, reading logs are here to stay. But as one who tries to be understanding and supportive of my children’s teachers and their requirements, I hope they can appreciate my nostalgia for my own school days—when reading was considered a pastime, not a competitive sport. Mary Hood Hart lives with her husband and four children in Sunset Beach, N.C. Lay Ministry takes academic, spiritual preparation By Kate Blain Albany, NY 4 iscemment” is part of the process for JL/those considering a vocation to reli gious life. People interested in lay ministry should go through a discernment process too, say experts in the field. Preparing to become a “lay ecclesial minis ter” —the newest term for laity serving the Church—takes both academic and spiritual preparation, said Maureen O’Brien of Duquesne University, president of the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry. The association encompasses more than 50 graduate education programs in the United States. Most of those involved in lay ministry are middle-aged women, many with grown chil dren. A new book from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), Catho licism USA: A Portrait of the Catholic Church in the United States, cites the average age of lay ecclesial ministers as 50 and notes that the majority are Caucasian. But an increasing num ber of post-college-age people of various races are being drawn toward lay ministry. “We’re getting more people who are younger,” said Betsy Rowe, director of the two- year Formation for Ministry Program (FMP) for the Diocese of Albany, New York. The pro gram trains lay people to use their gifts in min istry. This year, its youngest participants are in their late 20s and early 30s. Several African Americans and Hispanics are participating. Ms. O’Brien said a positive campus ministry experience during college or volunteering with an organization like the Jesuit Volunteer Corps leads young people to feel called to lay min istry. “Virtually everyone I talk to sees it as a call,” she said. Deciding whether to pursue a career as a youth minister, director of religious education or pastoral associate should not be a snap deci sion, the experts agreed. “It’s a process of discernment: looking at yourself and having dialogue with those who know you well, who can listen and give honest feedback,” Ms. O’Brien stated. “An [internal] call is vital, but you need a sense of external call.” Those not already active in a faith community probably aren’t appropriate for lay ministry careers, Ms. Rowe noted. She said active laity should ask themselves, “What are my gifts? Where is my passion? What kind of work gives me life?” “Talk to people already involved in ministry and have them tell their stories,” she urged. Next, said the experts, lay persons should find out what credentials are necessary for the area of ministry that interests them. Ms. O’Brien said each diocese has different requirements; religious education directors usu ally need a master’s degree, and one may be required for pastoral associates, as well. Some dioceses require a pastor’s recommendation for acceptance into a pastoral-formation program. Lay ministry formation programs are just being instituted in many dioceses, Ms. O’Brien said. “There’s an attempt to create something appropriate to the lives and call of lay people.” Laity may have to explore outside their own dioceses to find an appropriate program, she added. Some dioceses have internship programs that help laity gain skills while discerning their call. Ms. O’Brien believes some type of “supervised placement” is necessary. Academically, she said, lay ministers need a grounding in traditional areas of theology, including Scripture, Christology and ethics; and ministerial skills, including pastoral counseling, communication skills, planning liturgies and, for religious education directors, catechesis. “You need appropriate credentials,” Ms. Rowe stated. “I’m not sure that’s a master’s in theology. It could be a degree in social work with theology credits.” Spiritual formation is as important as aca demics, the pair said. “What the best programs are coming to [believe] is that lay people grow individually and communally,” Ms. O’Brien said. She recommended reflecting on one’s call through Bible study or Renew 2000 groups, and said formation also should include spiritual (Continued on page 11)