What We Are Looking for in a Candidate Teaching Couple…
Note: CCL's Teacher Training Program is also available in Spanish. To request an application, write to lpp@ccli.org or directly download the Spanish form
We’re looking for some very special married couples...for a very special apostolate — couples willing to teach NFP and to witness to it virtuous application as responsible parents.
CCL Teaching Couples are well-trained, and provide very professional instruction and consultation in NFP. And while it is possible to learn the method in other ways without a Teacher (Home Study Course, CD, video), as a Teaching Couple you can provide something that just can’t be as effectively replaced with a book, CD or DVD—your own witness, experience, and passionate dedication.
CCL teachers serve in a particular way. Teaching Couples are very knowledgeable of NFP, but are also capable of witnessing to their virtuous use of NFP in a way that shows they are responsible parents. When considering entering CCL’s Teacher Training Program, it’s important that you become familiar with CCL’s way of teaching and the Principles of CCL. These Principles are also found on the Teaching Couple Application Form.
CCL teaches three signs of fertility — cervical mucus, basal body temperature, and the cyclical changes in the cervix itself. Our Teaching Couples must have six months of practical experience with CCL's Sympto-Thermal Method (observing, charting, and interpreting their own signs of fertility) prior to certification. Also, the training program ensures that our Teaching Couples are able to teach all the signs effectively.
Teaching Couples must also be able to speak about the moral aspects of NFP. Experience has shown that ethical values are the best motivation for a behavior that requires a high degree of self-control. Therefore, for practical as well as theological reasons, our Teaching Couples witness and explain the morality of birth control decisions and the Traditional Christian teachings to help provide this motivation.
Over the years our student couples have reported life-changing benefits from being introduced to the spiritual side of the NFP decision during their classes. They have thanked us, and many went on to join the ranks of Teaching Couples due to receiving this information in a CCL class. For many it was the first time they had ever understood the traditional Christian teachings about birth control.
CCL also promotes the benefits of breastfeeding and its effects on the return of fertility after childbirth during the class series, and expects teachers to have relevant experience. As such, a CCL teacher who is a mother will normally breastfeed her baby during the first six months of life by providing 100% nourishment from her breasts, day and night, according to the demands of her baby. Once the baby begins solids, the mother normally continues to let the baby nurse on demand until baby-led weaning occurs. (For Teaching Couples prior to their first baby, this is, of course, academic, but we expect them to encourage and support those who are trying to nurse.)
Teachers also need to understand the importance of their presence and availability to their children, especially when the children are at the crucial ages below three years. Therefore, one of the parents must be available at all times to any children under age three. On the other hand, CCL recognizes that in certain instances, fathers and mothers may both need to work and be separated from their child/children in order to meet the basic financial needs of the household. During such times, CCL feels that the additional requirements of being a volunteer Teacher could be detrimental to the family and suggest CCL Promoter training until the family circumstances change.
If you would like to learn more about what to expect in the teacher training program, see Training Overview.
What do you need to do to apply? You will need to fit the eligibility criteria listed below.
Eligibility Criteria for CCL Teacher Training Program
Philosophical Criteria:
1. Agreement with the Principles of CCL.
2. Teach as a married couple.
3. Agree to normally practice exclusive and continued breastfeeding.
4. At least one parent normally must be present and available to the children below the ages of three years.
Practical Criteria:
1. Six months of practical experience with CCL’s Sympto-Thermal Method (observing, charting, and interpreting your own signs of fertility) prior to certification as a Teaching Couple.
2. A full course of instruction in CCL's Sympto-Thermal Method of NFP or current enrollment in a class or Home Study Course.
3. Current membership in the Couple to Couple League. (If you are receiving the Family Foundations magazine, you are a current member. If not, your membership is not current; you can renew your membership by phone or online.
4. Computer and internet access along with an email account.
If you fulfill both the philosophical and practical criteria, please fill out the Teaching Couple Application Form and submit. We look forward to receiving it!
If you have any questions about whether you meet these criteria to become a Candidate Teaching Couple, please contact Rich Braun at CCL Central or call 800-745-8252, ext. 3105.
