Lasting Impact: How Christian RI is Building Foundations in Marian

Instructor Merril Clarke shares a powerful story from a recent Year 2 Easter lesson at Marian State School, illustrating the long-term impact of consistent Religious Instruction.

Retention and Results
During a revision session on the life and miracles of Jesus, Merril was struck by the detailed memory of one particular student. The young girl was able to accurately recall several key lessons from the previous year, including the healing of the sick, the feeding of the five thousand, the calming of the storm, and the story of the tax collector.
While Merril initially assumed the student must have come from a church-going background, the girl explained that her knowledge came entirely from her Grade 1 RI classes.

Starting from Scratch
The progress in this classroom is particularly significant given the starting point. Merril recalls that when she first began teaching this specific group in Grade 1, it was the first time she had encountered an entire class where not a single student knew what a Bible was.
Seeing these students move from zero prior knowledge to a deep, accurate retention of these stories is a huge encouragement for the future of the program at Marian State School.