On Day 13 of the book, 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, I suggest that one way to become a better disciple/servant to God and our students is to pray for the kids we teach. In the book, I suggest more than just a general class prayer, but specific prayers and intentions for each individual student we teach.
The Month of the Rosary offers a special opportunity to put this practice into action. When you pray the Rosary, offer up each Hail Mary with an intention specifically related to the particular mystery of the Rosary you are praying. This makes your meditation more than just a reflection on your life and the mystery of Christ and Mary’s life, but a meditation on the lives of your students and their unity with Christ.
So in addition to teaching your students to pray the Rosary this month (meditation on the mysteries as well as the actual prayers), pray the Rosary yourself this month and offer it up for your students.
How to Pray the Rosary for Your Students
Here are a few different ways to pray a Rosary for your students:
- Have a class list on your desk. As you pray each Hail Mary, move your finger down the list and offer the prayer with an intention related to the particular mystery you are on. Or put a mark next to each name after you’ve said the prayer.
- Open a blank work document and start a numbered list for each decade/mystery of the Rosary. On each line write “Hail Mary” or “HM” and the name of the student you are praying for. If you want to go a little deeper, write the actual intention you would like to offer.
- Depending on how many students you teach, you may need to rotate through your class lists in different ways so that each student doesn’t match up with the same mystery every time you pray. Start with alphabetical order, then reverse alphabetical order, then use a seating chart, etc.
- If you created index cards or pop sickle sticks to remember students names or to call on random students during class discussions, use these physical items to help you keep track of prayers for each student.
