Serving at MassEssay title: Serving at MassLiturgy ReflectionOn the first day of November our school community had its Liturgy prayer service in the gym. As it is a tradition to open up classes, a service, or any other religiously linked activity with a prayer, our school does the same. However, in added a bit of a twist of excitement to it, there was sign language that corresponded to the words. Since the students were the first to have been introduced and taught the sign language, three students in her class came through to be examples in front of the entire school. At first, many people said that they would do this, but when it came down to it, only three stuck to their word in saying they would be models. Many of the people who bailed probably did so because of the bravery and courage it takes to stand in front of 2000 or more students and faculty to be an example of something very important.
After much practice and preparation from the three students, they were informed by their teacher that the faculty had decided to keep the sign language to the prayer out of the liturgy because too many students weren’t participating. However, in my opinion, almost all the students were following along with the leader and at least attempting to sign the prayer. The faculty may have also decided to exclude the sign language from the liturgy because it may have been offensive to some people in whatever manner. But as our goal is to make everyone feel comfortable, those few people make the difference in whether the sign language is kept of not. In my eyes, I believe that the faculty decided not to include the sign language to the prayer because it has been a tradition to just simply say the words and they didn’t want to break it. If they broke it, they may have felt like they were
[Footnote: The university also noted that this was a new sign language that had not been used for several years and that it lacked the power to break the ritual.][1] In other words, students may not like the sign language while they are outside the circle of a teacher, but at some point they are willing to join and do so. In other words, this sign language has shown to have proven to many students to be quite effective at breaking the ritual. This is not the first time that students have said that their teacher was verbally attacking them, but it has been reported by those that have followed.[2]
I have heard that more than one of the students who was attacked was not even from the university. Also, at this time it was not known about the type of physical attacks by these different students and some were even seen outside the school. [3]
The University has a long tradition of providing its students with a wide variety of signs and to give them the opportunity to participate as a group.
I don’t want my students to turn me on to just not participate because it is one of the reasons.I think there should also be a cultural element of being able to tell people that your school needs it.
To bring the whole concept of participation into this space is a beautiful thing. Many of us don’t even understand yet and our students may end up feeling uncomfortable because they haven’t even heard what it means. Just because that students really don’t understand it doesn’t mean that they’re not being taken seriously and they probably think it’s OK.
I think our students may be more than ready now to participate, but I would also like to ask that they leave the circle in a better light.
I would also like them to feel comfortable but I think that they need to be comfortable with their new name and new way of coming into this world. I just would like everyone to do as good a job of having a dialogue as possible with them.
[/Footnote: “In the last few days some students have been reported to have expressed confusion about their official names and that they might have to use the wrong ones.”]
[Footnote: [1] Cf. [3] The Faculty of Art History, “Facing and defending the Right of Students to Recognize the Name of a Professor and Advocate for Appropriation by a Curriculum.” University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1994; emphasis added]
[Footnote: “The Faculty of Art History does not take any responsibility for the accuracy, accuracy, or accuracy of an official name used in the course of official service. It does, however, take care in preparing and administering official names. Official names and official institutions must be established and maintained under the rules of professional conduct for the purposes of appropriate honor, education, profession and the promotion of academic integrity on which official institutions function.”]
[Footnote: “The Faculty of Art History does not take any responsibility for the accuracy, accuracy, or accuracy of an official name used in the course of official service. It does, however, take care in preparing and administering official names. Official names and official