This week while the executive director of Family Honor is up at the World Meeting for Families, I’ll be getting ready for my first presentation of the new school year. Family Honor offers courses in chastity for parents and for parents-and-teens. Last year was the first year my husband and I participated as presenters, and I’m absolutely sold. As a teacher and speaker, working with Family Honor is a dream. Here’s why:
Your whole team is thoroughly trained. It’s not easy getting through Family Honor’s online course, The Truth and Meaning of Sexuality, Love, and Family, because it’s serious preparation in the reasons behind chastity and the most effective ways of teaching chastity. You don’t have to be an amazing scholar, but you do have to do the work, pay attention, and think for yourself. It’s a pleasure working on a team where everyone knows their stuff.
(Frankly: I don’t think it should be possible to be certified as a catechist unless you’ve completed this course or one like it.)
All the behind-the-scenes business is impeccably organized. For every presentation, there is a checklist of roles and responsibilities. As a presenter, I can be confident that the support team has got the venue under control, all the props in place, and jobs assigned. I just show up ready to give my portion of the class, no need to worry that I’ll be putting out 10,000 fires at the last minute.
The presentation manual has everything written out to the letter. I don’t have to reinvent the wheel. I can commit to a class without having to write the class. My job is to review the day’s class, then look at my parts in detail and read through the “script.” I’ve got the flexibility to add in personal observations, but if I don’t know how to put something into my own words, there’s a perfectly good explanation right there on the page.
You don’t have to be an amazing speaker to do a good job. The class presentations have been carefully crafted, and then revised and updated to respond to feedback over the years. The talks are robust. Because presentations are divided among multiple speakers, no one person has to carry the whole show. You can be an average volunteer, and if you put in the time to learn your talk and practice it, you’re good to go. The content speaks for itself.
It’s fun and relaxed. We’re talking about sex, and some of the big themes are reverence for our sexuality, respect for ourselves and others, and regard for the inherent dignity and worth of every human being. Huge topics. But the talks include some good skits and dialogs to keep things lively, and all the presenters are always fitting in a few good stories from their own background.
Everyone on the team is happy. Not fake-happy, but genuinely glad to be there and full of love and joy. Can’t say that every place you go.
The trains run on time. You start on time and end on time. One of the team roles is timekeeper — making sure that each presenter sticks to his or her allotted time, so that classes don’t go off the rails. When I’m giving a talk, I have a clear view at all times of how much time I have left, and I get the five-minute, two-minute, and one-minute silent warnings, no squinting at the watch or trying to figure out what 7:53 plus eighteen minutes is. It’s that respect for the human person embodied in a respect for each other’s time and patience.
I can do this. I’m a busy person. I’ve got kids, I homeschool, I write, I teach — I’m not looking for things to do with my free time. I don’t need another hassle, and frankly I can’t take on very much else beyond my normal life. Presenting for Family Honor is plug-n-play. Nearly all the presenters are busy people, and the reason the program works is because isn’t doesn’t weigh you down. You just pick up your part and go.
The parents are the best. When you present with Family Honor, you meet parents from across the spectrum. Parents who know more about teaching chastity than you do, and parents still struggling with the topic in their own life, or wondering how to respond to really difficult situations. But all the parents love their kids and want what is best for them. It’s an absolute pleasure getting to see so many loving people packed into one room.
Best gig ever. Check it out.
Image courtesy of Family Honor.
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