We began this evening with a 20 minute discussion about the Graduation Ceremony. Evidently last year’s graduation was a bit … well … rowdy, and so we were reminded that it takes place in the context of evening prayer. It’s a celebration of and in our local church and we should maintain an atmosphere of prayer. Please, no whistling, yelling, or hooting! No jeans, no ball gowns, and no cell phones.
Tonight is our last get together before graduation. It wasn’t a normal class, however, instead we were asked to discuss the ILM program as a whole and provide feedback to the ILM staff. One of the ILM Administrators sent a worksheet so we could prepare, and the discussion was facilitated and recorded by past graduates. We were asked to think about our experience over the last three years and focus on various questions.
“What were your expectations coming in to the Institute in September 2010?” Since I came from a Protestant background, my original intent was to learn more about my chosen faith. I wanted to understand as much as I could and I didn’t want to get it from individuals through random conversations. I wanted to learn the Truth from knowledgeable instructors.
“Were they met?” Yes. This program is well managed, organized, and delivered. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in the Church. Although (evidently) the ILM program is intended for “leadership” training I would insist that it is also valuable for those who might prefer to fill a secondary “assistantship” role in their Parish.
“Did the Institute work for you?” Yes. Even though I attended church regularly as a child and felt somewhat knowledgeable, I know more now than when I began this program; about Catholicism in particular and about Christianity in general. This is an excellent program and I feel privileged to have been part of the class of 2013.
“What can you tell us about the content of the courses?” Most of the instructors were very interesting and their lectures were spellbinding. Some of the instructors failed to connect emotionally with the content of their lectures, but the information provided was interesting anyway. Some of the instructors had difficulty keeping my interest, either because they were poorly prepared or it was a repeat of previous lectures. There wasn’t too much emphasis on social justice, but there were too many disconnected sessions on social justice programs. They should keep this focus prominent, but tighten and reorganize this subject to remove the repetition.
“Were the methodologies (lectures, Saturday sessions, discussions) successful?” I enjoyed the Saturday sessions; however a lunch period consisting of 45 minutes is insufficient. I would strongly recommend a 60 minute lunch period so that students can interact more. Initially I was uncomfortable about the discussion sessions; because I didn’t want to hear what other students thought; I wanted to hear what the church thought. I certainly didn’t want to waste time hearing myself talk because I wouldn’t be learning anything new. Eventually I discovered that other student’s ideas were interesting to hear, and to trust my ability to discern the value of their comments. Learning to interact with other students was very helpful.
“Were we successful at working together and respecting you as students?” Yes. All of the students I met were interesting and friendly, and the staff was friendly and helpful. It might be helpful for the staff (and students) to appreciate the diverse motivations students have in attending the ILM program. For instance not everyone intends to be a leader, yet the benefits for all students are still tangible.
“If you could make just one suggestion or say one thing to us, what would it be?” I’ll admit that initially I wasn’t thrilled about writing papers because I didn’t feel qualified to express my opinion, especially after only a few class sessions. However, after some hesitation, I especially enjoyed the 2nd year classes during which we shared our unfinished papers and listened to feedback. At times the guidance regarding the written assignment was poor, leaving the instructor’s expectations undefined and difficult to determine. Having a written description of the assignment and expectations was extremely helpful.
I didn’t appreciate the subtle push by some of the instructors against the teaching and norms of the church. Nevertheless, I do see some value in understanding the views of those on the fringe of church teaching. Occasionally we received subtle suggestions that the church should be following the lead of our instructor. One in particular told personal stories of resistance against authority as a novice, and was proud of her personal stand against authority as a sister.
A few students that there wasn’t enough information about leadership, or leadership skills. One student mentioned that since we would (presumably) be working in a ministry, that we should have received training concerning the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Another student suggested that all of the classes should be organized like seminars, with more discussion and less lecture. Another student felt that there wasn’t enough emphasis placed on the prayer partner program, saying that it was a great idea but it wasn’t executed very well.
We all agreed that the Site Kreator website needed work too. Sometimes the information was wrong, and sometimes it was too late to be helpful. The intermittent availability of the WiFi connection was also a sore point for most of us, but we all agreed that emails from the staff were very welcome.
Something else we all talked about during the evening was our friendship. Although we all started out as strangers we ended up as family. I said that I expected the intellectual component, but I didn’t expect the community component. I am a more open person in my personal life as a result of my experience at the Institute for Leadership in Ministry.
I also think that most of us were interested in coming to audit one or two of the third classes being offered next year. Most of us think meeting at ILM on the Saturday classes, for lunch would be fun, and one of our facilitators graduated about 6 years ago, and her graduating class still meets every quarter. I like that idea too.
“Are you willing to help out with the Institute in the future?” Maybe …
“If so, in what ways?” Not sure …
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