Freshman Homework Assignment: Father Interview *
20 points

Do this little by little by little over the next few weeks: * See me if, for any reason, you cannot do this with your father. You will tell me with whom you can do this exercise. It is important this be an adult male. You have to tell me of your situation ASAP, early during the first week.

1. Set up a meeting with your father. Ask him for an hour of their time. Make sure it is in a situation where you have privacy and the time to really talk. You have to do this as soon as you get this assignment!
2. Tell them you�d like to learn from their experiences about growing up. Give them my letter; then let them read this. Assure them the purpose is to listen and learn-not to challenge or debate.
Have your interview on Friday, Saturday or Sunday of Labor Day weekend You'll need a day or two to reflect and think about what was said, and good reflection takes time.
3. At your meeting let the other person talk and just listen. Ask only clarifying questions. Take notes. You might want to record this; you�ll treasure it as you get older.
4. Written assignment, preferably typewritten:
1st part: Summarize the ideas expressed by the person interviewed. Do this briefly--one paragraph. This is not the major part of the written assignment.
2nd part, MAJOR PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT: Reflect and try to get deeper into the �lessons� you got out of the interview. The major part of this �reflection paper� is about you and what you learned, NOT about what your mom or dad said. Center NOTon what was �taught� but on what you really learned from the experience. Click here if you would like to see a past Father interview This is good, but Ryan should have related more of his father's story.
5. Do your first draft. I�d suggest you let the person read your paper. Did you reflect their ideas accurately. What did they think about your reflections on the conversation? This could be a learning experience too. This needs to be finished the first weekend so you have time to reflect, have it proofread and finalized.
6. Don�t forget to thank them for their time.
7. Proofread. Have someone else proofread this. After your paper is done, have the person you interviewed read it and sign it. Ask them what they think. Do this well and this assignment could be a valuable keepsake for you.

Assigned topic. Ask them...
Would you tell me about your adolescence, especially the first weeks of high school. What do you remember most about your life when you were my age? Was it an easy time for you? What were the biggest challenges you faced? During this time of your life, who or what were the biggest hindrances to your happiness and growth? Where did you find help? Is there one bit of wisdom you�d like me to remember during freshman year?



Dear parent of this freshman theology student,

Thanks for taking the time to read my introductory letter. I hope you took time to read over course goals and the course introduction. Did you visit the Freshman Theology Website Visiting the website, bookmarking it, looking around and showing it to parents was assigned homework on the first day of class. There�s a lot here, including a daily summary of what we are doing in class and the assigned homework.

The first major, graded homework assignment in this freshman class involves you. I�ve done this for years and have gotten very favorable feedback from my fathers as well as students. Fathers are asked to take time and discuss their adolescence with their son, centering on their freshman year of high school. Please skim over the first chapter of our text Understanding Catholic Christianity. You�ll see it centers on the world of the freshman, and tries to help your son to understand the changes and challenges he faces in this time of major transition. These changes he faces are not only social but also intellectual, physical, emotional, even spiritual. This section can help him better understand himself and can help him feel more comfortable with himself. It can help him become aware and, anticipate some real challenges of adolescence, and offer suggestions about to handle these. This assignment also gives him an opening to come to you share his worries, problems and hopes. He needs to be able to open and honest with you--and the best way to enable him to do this is for you to be to open and honest with him. Your son needs to be able to talk to you as the young man he is.

Don�t worry about teaching him anything, just take time to share your story with him. He should have come to you and arranged a meeting time where leisurely and quiet discussion could take place. I hope this is the beginning of many discussions between you and your son occasioned by SLUH theology. You are the primary teachers of your son, most especially in the area of his spiritual growth. If we at St. Louis U. High can help in any way at all, please don�t hesitate to call.

Matthew Sciuto
SLUH Theology Dept.
[email protected]
school: 531-0330, ext. 545
home: 771-2098

You can call me if your schedule warrants a later discussion. Your son should have giving this page to you by the weekend after the first week of school so you have plenty of time to think about this and set up a good time to talk. I�ve assigned this for a few years, and many of my students tell me that this is one of the best assignments of their freshman year. They say that this helps them better know and understand their father and brings them closer.

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