Welcome! | Essential Apologetics

I'm Suchi Myjak, and I help Catholic teens understand and confidently articulate why we believe what we do, so that they can go forward with purpose, rooted in sure knowledge to navigate a confused world.

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What others say

Sorry, Mrs. Myjak! I definitely have been thinking about feedback for the class; it's been on my mind, but I've been dealing with a lot of other stuff too!
I guess I could just answer the questions you've got up there...
1. I liked how much sense TOB made. I've heard so much about it (mostly because I've read a lot about JP II), so it was nice to finally explore it! There weren't a lot of struggles for me, aside from finally learning "okay, here's where the bar is set. Now you have to live up to that".
2. See answer to previous question.
3. I felt like I was finally finding my purpose, like someone was finally taking the time to speak the truth to me! And that rush of good feelings associated with learning the truth, with knowing "this is teaching you about who you really are, and Who God really is" made me excited!
4. Learning the truth! For me, it's hard to get better than that. The way that the class was taught certainly helped; I was able to understand all of the material discussed and explored, so there was no snag there.
5. There wasn't much about the class that I would fix! But, of course, there's always something. For starters, the time of day really stunk for me, so it was hard to motivate myself to attend a virtual class at an inconvenient time. Second, the discussion board: it was a really neat idea that started strong, but as people started dropping off, there were very few positive voices on the board. Third, the Zoom environment. Don't get me wrong, Zoom worked for this, but there are alternatives that might be more engaging to use. Fourth, the pace of the classes. I think that there was a little bit too much material crammed into each lesson, and that splitting each chapter into two sessions might have been a better method. That way, we would have had time to deal with all of the tangents that naturally came up, and still have plenty of time--and actually finish on time each time! [Edited for conciseness.]
6. I would definitely recommend this class! It's been so instrumental in my understanding of the Faith, of God, and of myself that I would easily recommend it to anyone and everyone regardless of whether or not they're interested!
Thanks again so much for teaching this class! It has been one of the most informative courses that I've taken this year, and has been such a blessing to learn this knowledge.
Thank you!
-Max (student)

Hi Suchi!
My husband and I listened as we made dinner. We found it fascinating. I know Maria also finds the facts and logical arguments fascinating, ...
Also, we find the material very thought-provoking and often talk about it throughout the week. I am also so impressed with your ability to answer her questions so readily. It is very obvious that you can easily defend your/our faith. I am praying Maria learns how to do this from you.
Thank you so much for teaching Maria apologetics. She (and I) have learned so much.
Michelle (parent)

Thank you! You are such a blessing to these high school students...

Thank you for being an amazing CCD teacher. I really enjoy your class.

Hello Mrs. Myjak,
Here are my responses to the questions:
What did you like about TOB? What did you struggle with?
I loved this class! It was very informative and helpful in shaping my life in the future. I believe it gave a great insight into what the church teaches about the “relationships” that modern society has done a great job corrupting. I did not struggle with very much of the class save for trying to keep a cool head after re-hearing how crazy the worlds stance on this topic is.
Was there anything that confused you or challenged you?
Not really, arguing the relativistic view and the corrupted philosophical mindset of the world is one of my favorite things to do, however, this class helped me greatly in arming myself with even more knowledge to take in the battlefield of adult life.
What got you excited about it?
My mom for sure LOL! I have a few friends who took the same course as well so I had already heard how amazing it was before I even started!
What did you like best about the class?
I loved the discussion that we could have (it obviously would have been much better in person but it was great as is). The teacher was probably the best part ;)
What did you dislike or what would you change?
Obviously being online is not the best, but understanding that there is not much we can do about that in person I have absolutely no complaints!
Would you recommend the class to someone who's thinking about signing up?
Absolutely :)
Verso L’ Alto,
Jordan (student)

Thank you so much for teaching me. I really enjoyed being in your class.

Hi Suchi,
I think the class is wonderful. The content is a little bit over my children's heads but challenge is good. It would be nice have the students break up into groups to work on topics together and get group feedback. Just a thought.
God bless you for all your are doing for my children. I am truly grateful.
Sincerely, Karen (parent)

a wonderful year of Essential Apologetics classes! I learned a lot about the Faith and how to defend it, and I had a great time

Hi Suchi,
Thank you so much for asking for feedback. Your class is amazing and I'm so grateful that you're so generous with your time in volunteering with these kids!
Thank you so much,
Mary Beth (parent)

I really appreciate all the work you put into helping us understand and defend our faith.

3 years of your class certainly trumped 10 years of CCD! Or maybe it was just the perfect finishing touch

Hello Suchi,
Thank you so much for offering this beta course this spring semester. E__ gained much from this TOB course, especially from the interactions with the other students and the opportunity to hear other Catholics speak on various topics. This TOB course is his first course where he could shared his Catholic perspective on various issues and topics with other mature and thoughtful like-minded Catholic peers.
I pray that you will continue this TOB course or start up an Apologetics class in the coming year.
We would definitely be interested.
But most of all, thank you for dedicating your time in teaching this TOB course in the midst of caring for your husband Russ with all his medical appointments and chemo treatment. It is only through the hands of God that He has given you the strength and love to do both.
My family and I have been praying and will continue to pray for Russ and for his complete healing and for minimal side effects from his treatments. And we pray for God's strength, peace, and love for you and your family.
Wishing you and your family a restful summer.
In Christ,
Lency (parent) and family

Dear Suchi
My favorite thing about the class is that you are providing a safe environment in which to talk about sensitive matters concerning our world. You are also providing a lot of resources to discuss new and pertinent information which parents have a difficult time acquiring. -Jodie
My favorite thing about the class is the foundation of our faith in which these discussions can occur. -ian
One suggestion for improvement of the class would be to continue. (Its a great class) -Jodie
One suggestion for improvement of the class would be to have a bigger classroom. -Ian
Thank you for teaching this class.
God bless,
Jodie (parent) and Ian (student)

Hi Mrs. Myjak,
Class this year has been really interesting. I like it when we have small group discussions about topics, because it's an easy and comfortable way for everyone to get to share their thoughts and hear other perspectives. Other than that, things are pretty interesting and good as they are, so I don't really have any other feedback.
Thank you!
Gina (student)

(Parent of apologetics student.)

Dear Suchi,
Thank you so much for your message.
We are very grateful for your dedication to help us form the young people in our community and for making such an integral element in their education so accessible.
We as parents very much appreciate the topics that you have selected for the discussions, the ideas presented as well as the way in which you have raised an awareness for the many challenges that the young people ought to expect from society in general.
Your perspective as a convert to the faith has been refreshing too and much needed in our community. In the past, you have shared brief experiences from your personal journey, and this witnessing was very powerful in rooting our children's faith.
We also think that it's important for the young people (and the older too) in our community to see a competent, successful professional woman like you, fully espouse her faith.
M says that he particularly likes the relevant topics that you cover. He sees the discussion topics as having immediate applicability to the world today. He also very much appreciates learning about your personal journey to the faith.
N says that the videos have been extremely helpful in understanding the concepts in class.
What can change/improve?
We feel hard pressed to think of ways to improve it or to change it. My only suggestion as a parent is for you to share more of your personal story with your students. They admire and respect you very much, so I think the sharing in your journey is very powerful. Sharing more of one's own history, I believe, helps establish a stronger bond with the students. It may also help to have the students bring up in class more of their personal struggles.
M suggests explaining in more depth the arguments to refute attacks to the faith, and more guidance in the way to engage in such discussions. (ie. "practice" refuting them in the public sphere.)
N suggests having more opportunities for small group discussions with the peers in class.
Thank you again Suchi! You are a gift to our community.
Beatriz (parent)

Hi, Mrs. Myjak!
Okay, feedback time!
1. There were a lot of things I liked about class. I liked that we were able to talk about real issues without worrying about being censored, like on social media. And that we were encouraged to think deeply about really tricky questions, and look for the truth at their hearts. I loved learning the truths of Theology of the Body, and how it felt like my body already knew these things, even before my mind did.
2. A lot of things challenged me. So many of the teachings are countercultural... and not only for the world, but for the view of Catholicism that I grew up with! (the whole "sex is dirty" view). As such, I needed to learn to open my mind (and am still trying to).
3. What got me excited was the idea that God was trying to tell me something through my body, and I had no clue what it was. Then we learned about the spousal meaning of the body, and it just clicked. This was what I was looking for. This is why I'm hungering for something more to do with my life. And it felt really good to learn that!
4. As for what I liked best... I liked learning super-deep truths that impacted my daily life. I liked being around other young people. I liked looking at myself in the mirror and making myself think "you're beautiful" instead of criticizing my physique. I really liked it that God was included in the whole process, with the "Take it to Prayer" sections... although at the same time I really didn't like those sections, because I knew it meant I had to stop doing homework, open myself up, and be vulnerable with God! I've been getting used to the idea that I can come to Him with everything, so being encouraged to actually do that was really nice.
5. What I disliked or wanted to change... It seemed like you didn't have enough time for all the material you wanted to cover. We were always running overtime. I liked it how for one class, we met early, and so we were able to finish the material and have time for our own questions, and talking. Maybe you should lengthen the class time, or split chapters into multiple weeks?
6. I would TOTALLY recommend this class! I already want my sister to take it!? This class changed my life and helped me see my body, and other's bodies, in a whole new way!
Well... I think that's it for feedback. Once again, thank you, thank you so much for doing this! I know you're going through a lot right now, and I'm amazed that you were able to teach us at the same time. And it really felt like God was working through this course, and answering my deep questions about life. So... thank you. I'll be praying for you, your husband, and your family. God bless!
-Grace (student)

Thank you so much, Mrs. Myjak!
I have learned so many amazing ways of how to charitably defend the Catholic Faith .... I can't wait for the spring semester!!
Maria (student)

Hi Mrs. Myjak,
I did have a comment or two:
First and foremost, I absolutely love the material that you cover in the classes. It’s fascinating and extremely relevant to all of us today. ... I really enjoyed that whiteboard-writing activity in the ToB last year, and reading aloud that play some weeks back in this year’s program was also really exciting and got me into what was going on.
That first year I participated, where we were all stuffed into the library and got to act out opposing sides of debates, taught me volumes. It might just be me, but I love to participate and really do activities together, and I think that’s how I internalize the information best. So that would be my only real thought.
Thank you so much for all your effort! I know these classes aren’t easy to lead. I’ve learned a lot throughout the years and really appreciate your dedication.
God bless,
Kayla (student)

Dear Mrs. Myjak,
One of my favorite things about class is when we get to make suggestions for the lists and make it personal (the issue about races that dominated, the list of people who focus most on money or most on the family), and when we got to read Choosing Andrew out loud. It really helps bring the messages home to me by applying these things to people in the world around us. The links to articles on Principles and Choices are really cool too; I've looked at least two of them up and been blown away by what I found there.
One thing I would improve... I'm not sure about that, because usually any of the problems I have with class are my own fault (I keep procrastinating on the homework?). As for questions, I think you've answered most of the ones I had. Usually they come to me when we learn new things in class, and are then answered.
Thank you so much for teaching this class. I've learned a lot. God bless you!
-Grace W (student)

Hey, Mrs. Myjak,
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
I love how much I've learned in class so far, I really think that taking the class was worth it. It's a very educational class, and I like how we are encouraged to think about things in several different ways.
As far as improvement goes, the only thing I can think of would be doing the class at a location that's a little closer to us, like [redacted].
Thank you so much for all that you've taught us!
-Max (student)

What did you like about TOB? What did you struggle with?
I really liked watching the videos, but I found the content sometimes hard to talk about.
Was there anything that confused you or challenged you?
Not really at the time, but I was wondering if you could refresh my memory on how to go about talking to someone about homosexuality. I thought it made perfect sense during class, but now one of my friends just “came out” as bisexual and I want to be ready in case she wants to talk about it. I’ll look back at the materials for that chapter as well.
What got you excited about it?
There are a lot of lies in the world right now, so to have a class where we could learn and discuss the truth was amazing.
What did you like best about the class?
I liked when we got into really good discussions.
What did you dislike or what would you change?
Sometimes the topic on the forum was a little broad, and the few people answering were typing out really long responses, and I didn’t have time to write something like that.
Would you recommend the class to someone who's thinking about signing up?
Of course!!! I learned a lot from you!
Thank you, Mrs. Myjak!
Megan (student)

What did you like about TOB? What did you struggle with?
I really liked how everything in TOB made sense. Everything that it teaches is just how we are made to live. There’s nothing surprising in the Theology of the Body.
Was there anything that confused you or challenged you?
Living out the Theology of the Body is definitely challenging, but it’s something that we all have to work on
What got you excited about it?
Learning how everything makes sense according to Gods plan.
What did you like best about the class?
The discussion was really helpful especially when people brought up ideas that might seem to contradict something
What did you dislike or what would you change?
I mean obviously it would be best if it could be in person but for an online class you did an amazing job!
Thank you
Dominic (student)

I learned more in your class than I have in all my previous years of faith formation combined. Thank you so much...

(Student in apologetics classes.)

... I really appreciated the practical pointers for approaching current moral issues ...

Mrs. Myjak,
Thank you very much for class today! At first I was a little skeptical of the class and didn’t know what to expect but now, only two classes in, I am SO excited to continue on the course with everyone. I am already enjoying the Forums and the posts, I really enjoy this form of teaching and you are an Amazing teacher.
Thank you so much for the opportunity, I’m already looking forward to next week!
Verso L’ Alto,
Jordan (student)