PDF Download by Sister Mary Seton Schlather
Sister Regina Alfonso’s new book, Go Teach! And Jesus Showed Us How, with illustrations by Sister Marie Fihn, is the fruit of a long germination born of reflection on Scripture and experience in teaching. The seed was sown forty-four years ago in 1972 in the form of a request from Sister Mary Christopher Rohner, who asked Sister Regina to create a methods course. The course became the basis for her book, How Jesus Taught: The Methods and Techniques of the Master, published in 1986. Sister Regina explains in her new book’s Preface: “Since that book is now out of print and unavailable to people who wished to give copies to their teachers, I decided to republish it with updated language and expanded content.”
Sister Mary Kathleen Glavich, who edited and formatted the book, also wrote the Foreword. Among other things, she writes, “In the Gospels, Jesus is addressed as Teacher more than any other title….He did not have modern teaching tools….Still, the simple methods he used in first-century Israel and the principles on which they are founded can touch the hearts and form the lives of students of all centuries and countries.”
Sister Regina unlocks ways to apply the “simple methods” in ways and language modern students can understand. Unlike other manuals, this one is formatted in sense-lines, almost like a long free-verse poem. In her Preface, Sister Regina writes, “I chose to set the thoughts in sense lines instead of block paragraphs in order to encourage pondering and applying the content, rather than just reading it.”
In addition to in-depth understanding of scripture and masterful methods of teaching, sweet humorous touches enliven the book. As Sister Mary Kathleen writes in the Foreword, “Gospel stories are told with a creative twist.” Here is one sample. Sister explains how Jesus taught large crowds and might have been a little put out by the distracted ones in the audience. Then she writes:
However, the sight of darting, giggling youngsters
playing tag among the long robes
and sandaled feet of his audience
would have pleased him,
since he never tried to teach them.He simply blessed them
and left their instruction
to their parents!”
The book is available in The Gallery at the Chardon provincial center and from Sister Regina Alfonso for $12.00 (or $10 when ten or more copies are ordered.) Sister Regina’s email address ralfonso@ndec.org can be used to contact her about purchasing copies of her book.
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