As part of the Values subject, the sixth grade students of Sagrado Corazón School (Valencia, Spain) have undertaken an exciting project entitled “Getting to know a Marist Brother”. The main objective of this project is to encourage the students’ interest and curiosity about the life and work of the Marist Brothers through interviews as a didactic strategy and cooperative work.
The main objective of the project is to bring students closer to the reality of the Marist Brothers, with the aim of learning about their values and lifestyle dedicated to service and the Word of the Gospel. Likewise, to learn about the interview process as a didactic learning strategy and to develop communication skills.
The project has been developed in several stages, including the initial preparation, the conduct of the interview and the closing of the interview.
1. Preparation
The students, guided by their teacher, are divided into small groups with the aim of collecting data on the Brothers of the Community of Valencia in order to make a good presentation at the time of the interview and to write a series of questions aimed at understanding and getting to know better the life of the Brothers, their motivations and their own life experiences.
2. Interviews
The students interview the Brothers, with each member of the group distributing the presentation, the questions to be asked and the closing.
Example of prepared questions:
- Where and how did you feel God’s call to be a Marist Brother?
- How did your family react?
- What is the experience, event, situation that makes you feel most proud of your time in the Community of Valencia?
- What is life like in Lebanon? What are the children like there? What marked you most about your experience in Lebanon as a teacher?
- What is your favourite prayer? How do you recommend praying with God?
- How did you experience your childhood in the village where you were born? What anecdote do you remember fondly?
- How many communities have you been in and what have been your roles?
- What is a typical day like in your community? How do you Brothers live?
3. Closing the interview
The person in charge of closing the interview makes this moment dynamic with a few words of thanks to the Brother for his testimony.
It is incredible to be able to listen to the great stories and experiences that the Brothers have lived throughout their lives and all over the world, caring for the most needy, dedicated to the missions and being evangelising witnesses and continuers of the dream of Saint Marcellin Champagnat. For our students it is an opportunity to listen to great life lessons that undoubtedly fills them with emotion, the Brothers becoming for them great references and role models.
The success of this project demonstrates the commitment of the Values subject to the integral formation of the students. The students not only learn about the life of the Marist Brothers, but also develop fundamental skills for their personal and academic growth. At the end of the project, the students’ initial curiosity and interest are transformed into a deep respect and admiration for the mission of the Marist Brothers, leading to a reflection on how they can apply these values in their daily lives.
Amparo Domínguez and Joan Jorques – Maristas Valencia