How do teaching orders have enough time for lesson planning/grading?

[Lady Grey, Hot]

I'm a teacher in a Catholic school, and even as a single layperson without a ton of other responsibilities or commitments, my job feels completely consuming. I do try to prioritize half an hour or so of lectio divina every day, but even that feels like an indulgence some days - I can't imagine (and not for lack of wanting) also doing the Liturgy of the Hours, Rosary, spiritual reading, Adoration, an entire hour of community recreation, etc. and still having time to make sure I'm not completely unprepared to teach the next day. Any first- or second-hand experience on just how those in teaching orders do it?

[Nunsuch]

Different communities have different prayer schedules and different degrees of flexibility. Not all, for instance, require specific prayers or devotions like the rosary or adoration. Not all do the entire liturgy of the hours, and some may be more likely to have time in contemplative silence or lectio. In some communities, much of the prayer schedule is private, and communal recreation (and even meals) may not be daily. [I do find it interesting that you didn't mention Mass, which is most likely to be a daily prayer commitment.]

I also think it's important what you prioritize and how long you've been doing what you do. 

Finally, don't forget stuff like cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. Most sisters--like all of us--also do those things, too!

[GraceUk]

I have often wondered the same. But some teaching orders are thriving in the USA but not so much here in the UK I don't think. Nursing would be the same. How could you be a nurse and still have the time for devotions and community life.  I sippose the only way would be in a school or hospital run by the order. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lady Grey, Hot]

13 minutes ago, Nunsuch said:

[I do find it interesting that you didn't mention Mass, which is most likely to be a daily prayer commitment.]

Teaching in a Catholic school, I'm fortunate to have it built into my school day at least a few times a week, so I guess I didn't even register it as being something separate.

[Totally Franciscan]

The community I was in managed to fit all into the day.  We prayed A Short Breviary, followed by half hour of meditation, then Mass, breakfast washing our own dishes, and then off to class/teaching.  Laundry was done on Saturday, as well as one's assigned charge (cleaning, etc.).  The vast majority of the household tasks, such as cooking, heavy cleaning, etc., were done by the canonical novices, who didn't attend classes or teach.  Out on mission, a cook was hired to prepare lunch, the main meal of the day for the sisters, but each sister took turns cooking the light evening meal for their sisters. Afternoons were free for lesson planning, as well as a bit of time after evening recreation and after other chores on Saturday and Sunday. The whole schedule worked like clockwork, just amazing to behold.

 

[Dymphna]

Also, it may be worth to keep in mind, that in some orders sisters will usually not work a full-time job, but 75-80%. Precisely for the reasons you mention - prayer and also community life need time.

[BarbTherese]

On 4/2/2023 at 4:20 AM, Nunsuch said:

Finally, don't forget stuff like cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. Most sisters--like all of us--also do those things, too!

I think what nuns do all day is a fairly common question.  It must draw a smile from anyone with convent or monastic knowledge or experience.  Nuns certainly don't have time to grow moss or cobwebs.  

[gloriana35]

I hope this has changed, but it was terrible when I was a teaching Sister. Far too much was done in common - not only Mass and the Offices, but silly 'recreation,' common spiritual reading (aloud), meditation together, the rosary and Stations of the Cross. Technically, there was an hour free during the silence in the afternoon, and another hour between recreation and Compline, but they were interrupted - not because of any emergency, but just to give us another chance to obey. I am very conscientious by nature, and already had degrees before I even entered, but I had piles of papers to grade, no lesson plans on many days - if I started to try and prepare a lesson, it would be interrupted with 'come and dust the pews' (they may have been dusted that morning...), or other nonsense. There were a few hours on Sunday which were supposed to be free, but needing any time to one's self (even though it was schoolwork!) meant one was not 'community minded.'

Some links I've seen on this forum show community schedules packed with all sorts of private devotions, common recreation, then athletic recreation  - think twice! It isn't all inspirational. 

[Nunsuch]

2 hours ago, gloriana35 said:

I hope this has changed, but it was terrible when I was a teaching Sister. Far too much was done in common - not only Mass and the Offices, but silly 'recreation,' common spiritual reading (aloud), meditation together, the rosary and Stations of the Cross. Technically, there was an hour free during the silence in the afternoon, and another hour between recreation and Compline, but they were interrupted - not because of any emergency, but just to give us another chance to obey. I am very conscientious by nature, and already had degrees before I even entered, but I had piles of papers to grade, no lesson plans on many days - if I started to try and prepare a lesson, it would be interrupted with 'come and dust the pews' (they may have been dusted that morning...), or other nonsense. There were a few hours on Sunday which were supposed to be free, but needing any time to one's self (even though it was schoolwork!) meant one was not 'community minded.'

Some links I've seen on this forum show community schedules packed with all sorts of private devotions, common recreation, then athletic recreation  - think twice! It isn't all inspirational. 

Most of the communities I know, at least in the US, are less rigid than they used to be, and local house schedules are determined collaboratively, and generally not from "on high." 

Also, @Dymphna said: "Also, it may be worth to keep in mind, that in some orders sisters will usually not work a full-time job, but 75-80%." Unless they are retired, most sisters I know work far more than this--more than many lay people! And this often goes well into their 80s. Maybe this is true for some orders, of course.

[JHFamily]

You are single, yet there are many responsibilities that you must take on... feeding yourself, doing laundry, cleaning, etc. that the teaching sisters I know simply do not have. Sisters are assigned for these tasks and will not teach during the year(s) they are put in charge of those duties. They take turns, and all must take a turn.

In the morning, they rise and head to chapel for meditation, Office and Mass. Breakfast is waiting after, then it's off to school! Many teachers have a free period in which to do some work during the day, at least in my state they do. When they return home, they have free time until the evening when they return to the chapel for the Rosary and Office, followed by supper. A short recreation follows, which is optional, then time for Compline. Many stayed in the chapel after Compline for spiritual reading/adoration, but again, that is optional. The time after Compline is free once again before lights out. So, there is are two significant amounts of time that can be used for outside classwork. Three if you include recreation. On the weekends, there are light duties, but again, a lot of free time.

One thing that many of us out in the world do not understand is that when time is well-regulated and there is no procrastination going on, then often the demands are not as heavy and are easier to accomplish. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by JHFamily

[Nunsuch]

1 hour ago, JHFamily said:

You are single, yet there are many responsibilities that you must take on... feeding yourself, doing laundry, cleaning, etc. that the teaching sisters I know simply do not have. Sisters are assigned for these tasks and will not teach during the year(s) they are put in charge of those duties. They take turns, and all must take a turn.

In the morning, they rise and head to chapel for meditation, Office and Mass. Breakfast is waiting after, then it's off to school! Many teachers have a free period in which to do some work during the day, at least in my state they do. When they return home, they have free time until the evening when they return to the chapel for the Rosary and Office, followed by supper. A short recreation follows, which is optional, then time for Compline. Many stayed in the chapel after Compline for spiritual reading/adoration, but again, that is optional. The time after Compline is free once again before lights out. So, there is are two significant amounts of time that can be used for outside classwork. Three if you include recreation. On the weekends, there are light duties, but again, a lot of free time.

One thing that many of us out in the world do not understand is that when time is well-regulated and there is no procrastination going on, then often the demands are not as heavy and are easier to accomplish. 

This may apply to some teaching communities, but certainly not all. I know almost none that still have "housekeeping" sisters, who perform the tasks formerly assumed by lay sisters (a status abolished by Vatican II). It is impossible to generalize about these things. The rigidity of the short period of religious life as conducted between 1917 (code of canon law) and Vatican II is neither really "traditional" nor maintained by many communities today. Some, yes, but not most. Most sisters share domestic responsibilities, do their own laundry, clean their own rooms, etc.

[Sister Leticia]

I've attempted to edit this, as after I posted it I saw a line drawn through most of the text. I can't get rid of it! - but I am not intending to cross out my own words, I assure you all!!

 

A few things, from a religious sister (though not a teacher)

My congregation, the Society of the Sacred Heart, was founded to be apostolic contemplatives, for the service of education. St Madeleine Sophie wanted prayer and contemplation to be at the heart of our lives. In order to enable the mission, our sisters never said the full monastic offices, but prolonged personal prayer and the Eucharist were, of course safeguarded. 

What JHFamily has described is how life used to be for our sisters pre-Vatican II, when they lived in communities of 30 or 40, with sisters responsible for cooking, cleaning and laundry. The community's mission focus used to be their school or college, so yes, their daily schedule facilitated this. And I'm aware that in the US you still have congregations like this - but you also have others like mine, who started moving into smaller communities around 1970. And here in the UK I don't know any apostolic congregations in large communities with designated cooks and suchlike.

I have always lived in communities where we do our own laundry, take turns at cooking and preparing prayer each evening, and agree on other responsibilities, shopping rotas, who cleans where - that sort of thing. Ideally there's at least one green-fingered sister able to look after the garden, and someone with a lighter or more flexible workload/timetable who can fill in when someone else is extra busy. But we also don't have an enforced recreation, as Gloriana described from her previous experience. We catch up with each other's day, discuss the news etc over dinner, and then, after prayer, if people want or need to disappear to their rooms they can. 

There is, of course, always a kind of [hopefully healthy] tension between maintaining energy for mission - and the demands of a ministry which might mean working evenings or weekends - and energy for community, and for being part of Province teams, meetings, processes etc. And having time and energy for our prayer life, and for hobbies, exercise, creativity, contact with family and friends etc. This isn't only a tension for teachers - sisters who work in parishes, for example, or in hospitals (neither of these being 9-5), students and others also have to find a healthy balance between these different aspects of our life. But I assure you, it is all do-able.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Sister Leticia
words crossed out, unable to un-cross them

[Lady Grey, Hot]

1 hour ago, Sister Leticia said:

students and others also have to find a healthy balance between these different aspects of our life.

Actually, I might be even more in awe of sister-students - having the flexibility to stay up late was absolutely crucial to my getting through college.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Lady Grey, Hot
Verb tense

[Nunsuch]

17 hours ago, Lady Grey, Hot said:

Actually, I might be even more in awe of sister-students - having the flexibility to stay up late was absolutely crucial to my getting through college.

I have a good friend who's doing her MA at Catholic Theological Union. She lives in an intercommunity house there, which she really likes. As with @Sister Leticia, they do everything cooperatively, including facilitating prayer time. 

Most of my sister-professor friends live either singly or with one other person, and manage their lives much the way I do. They are of course much busier than most students.... 

[Lady Grey, Hot]

@gloriana35 - Thanks for your personal insight! Very interesting!