http://www.zephyrhillblog.com/2012/04/big-families-are-they-all-yours-some-snappy-comebacks/
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Are They All Yours!
http://www.zephyrhillblog.com/2012/04/big-families-are-they-all-yours-some-snappy-comebacks/
Monday, December 2, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Reasons to Oppose Common Core
Updated Dec. 21, 2013
I put together another post of examples of Common Core Curriculum.
http://coolstuff4catholics.blogspot.com/2013/12/why-common-core.html
More links to reasons to oppose Common Core. Please check my archives under Common Core, also.
This YouTube Video give a good overview of the topic.
Cardinal Newman Society has several articles. Here are a few.
Common-Core-is-Curriculum-Contrary-to-Advocates' Claims
Cardinal Newman Society, November 19, 2013
Green-Bay's Bishop-Ricken-Says-No-to-Common-Core-in-Diocesan-Schools
Cardinal Newman Society, November 21, 2013
English-Professor-Provides-Review-of-Common-Core English Standards
Cardinal Newman Society, November 22, 2013
Ethan Young, a high school senior at Farragut High School in Knox County, Tenn. is speaking at a local school board
in early November about the problems with Common Core
standards.
Common Core Stanards Math Lesson. For those who want to see the Common Core Standards in action, here is a classroom. The teacher is a wonderful, engaging woman, the kids are delightful, but step back and make note. This IS a curriculum. How are they going to be tested? How does the teacher know if an individual understand the concept taught if the students work in a group? (Name one job in life in which a person is evaluated on group performance?--remember Common Core is supposed to for job readiness in the future?) How old are the children? What should these kids be learning in math at this age? The kids are expressing frustration. The lesson appears to be totally nonsensical.
Rotten to the Core: Obama's War on Academic Standards (Part 1)
Rotten to the Core (Part 2): Readin', Writin' and Deconstructionism
Rotten to the Core (Part 3): Lessons from Texas and the Growing Grassroots Revolt
Rotten to the Core: The Feds Invasive Student Tracking Database
The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation also has numerous sources about the problems with Common Core.
CATO Institute has lots of info on Common Core.
Sandra Stotsky, Ed.D.
Janice Campbell Lots more links posted here.
Dr. Pesta Testifies Against Common Core in Wisconsin on youtube
Here is a specific example of why Common Core is not good.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/righty-or-lefty-quiz-grills-7th-graders-about-political-social-preferences
Here is another example of why Common Core is not good.
http://www.newstalk1130.com/pages/mckenna_blog.html?article=11799542
Talk show host Viki Mckenna discussed Common Core on Tues. Nov. 5 on the 10:00 and 11:00 hours.
And another curriculum example from Common Core.
http://dcclothesline.com/2013/08/25/a-monstrous-story-for-a-monstrous-curriculum-the-ugly-heart-of-common-core/
Still another example of Common Core curriculum.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/11/06/common-core-lessons-blasted-for-sneaking-politics-into-elementary-classrooms/?intcmp=trending
Curriculum that is aligned with Common Core.
Educational Freedom Coalition
Read why teachers are opposed to Common Core.
http://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/tag/teachers-against-common-core/
Here is a short video by Karen Schroeder.
http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/education/item/16265-karen-schroeder-on-common-core-video
Karen Schroeder also writes here.
http://truthinamericaneducation.com/author/karen-schroeder/
Another article about her and Common Core.
http://watchdog.org/82726/americans-have-a-common-cause-in-battle-against-common-core-state-standards/
She is President of
Advocates for Academic Freedom
Andrew Pudewa of the Institute of Excellence in Writing provides testimony against Common Core in OK
Testimony of Andrew Pudewa to Common Core Interim OK
Anthony Esolen and Patrick Reilly on EWTN, "The World Over" with Raymond Arroyo, Nov. 7, 2013
PATRICK REILLY, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, and ANTHONY ESOLEN, professor of English Literature and Development of Western Culture at Providence College, on the recent letter by Catholic professors to the US Bishops urging them against the inclusion of the "Common Core" curriculum in Catholic schools.
http://www.ewtn.com/tv/live/worldover.asp
The article below states reasons why you should oppose Common Core.
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/meet-anti-common-core-movements-super-hero-shane-vander-hart
From the above article:
1. This is dataless reform. "Advocates say it's researched, but there is no evidence that centralizing standards will raise achievement," he said. "It's never been field-tested -- it's just a grand experiment in 46 states with nothing behind it."
2. The process of adoption is flawed. "State legislatures had nothing to do with adopting these standards, they came from special interest groups. Think about it," he said. "It's sinister -- adopting education policy by bypassing the legislature."
3. It's unconstitutional. It violates the Tenth Amendment, he claims. Education is not a power of Congress. Communities and states are the only ones that should be involved. "The federal government has no legitimate role in education." Three federal laws would be violated -- if not the letter of the law, certainly the spirit.
4. Content. Debate rages in every state over whether these are the best standards out there. "Look at my website. I have links on content to several outstanding sources on this subject."
5. Data mining, or data privacy. No matter how many reassurances you hear that the problems are being addressed, "there are websites out there that show a love affair with kids' data. My question is always, 'Aren't you curious what student-level data they will want you to provide?'"
6. Cost of implementation. "In Iowa the cost of test assessment now is $3.50 per student. Under Common Core, it will be $22.50 per student. But it doesn't stop there. School districts have to purchase new books, provide teacher training ... and some schools don't have broadband yet."
A State Rep. expresses 5 Reasons to Oppose Common Core.
Five Reasons to Oppose the Common Core
Great article by Maureen Whitmann.
http://catholicmom.com/2013/
When writing to your Archbishop or Catholic Superintendent of schools, this article supports your Catholic position against Common Core.
When writing to your Archbishop or Catholic Superintendent of schools, this article supports your Catholic position against Common Core.
Catholic Scholars Blast Common Core in Letter to U. S. Bishops
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave money to NCEA for Common Core
Cardinal Newman Society.org
National PTA received 1 Million dollar Grant from Bill and Melina Gates Foundation.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2009/12/National-PTA-to-Mobilize-Parents-for-Common-Core-Standards
National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers accepted money from the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation, AFT, American Enterprise Institute and many others
Huffington Post
Test Score Plummet after implementation of Common Core Standards
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/08/09/Test-Scores-Plummet-After-New-York-Adopts-Common-Core-Standards
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/10/8534385/what-new-york-learns-kentucky-about-common-core-education
More information here: Reasons why to oppose Common Core in Catholic schools. What is Common Core.
Pittsburgh Catholic Against Common Core
NAC Chair Recommends Episcopal Review of Common Core in Catholic Schools
Found at the Cardinal Newman Society. The NAC Chair is speaking to the Bishops at their annual USCCB meeting.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave money to NCEA for Common Core
Cardinal Newman Society.org
National PTA received 1 Million dollar Grant from Bill and Melina Gates Foundation.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2009/12/National-PTA-to-Mobilize-Parents-for-Common-Core-Standards
National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers accepted money from the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation, AFT, American Enterprise Institute and many others
Huffington Post
Test Score Plummet after implementation of Common Core Standards
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/08/09/Test-Scores-Plummet-After-New-York-Adopts-Common-Core-Standards
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/10/8534385/what-new-york-learns-kentucky-about-common-core-education
More information here: Reasons why to oppose Common Core in Catholic schools. What is Common Core.
Pittsburgh Catholic Against Common Core
NAC Chair Recommends Episcopal Review of Common Core in Catholic Schools
Found at the Cardinal Newman Society. The NAC Chair is speaking to the Bishops at their annual USCCB meeting.
Stay informed and email, write or call your state representatives and senators, U. S. representatives and senators, Governors, local school boards, teachers, principals, your Catholic Superintendent and Archbishop if they have implemented Common Core or are considering it.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Temple Grandin
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Charlotte Mason Books, Resources, and More!
Books:
A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola
A Charlotte Mason Education: a home schooling how-to manual by Catherine Levison
More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison
A Charlotte Mason Study Guide: a simplified approach to a "living" education by Penny Gardner
*For the Children's Sake by Susan Shaeffer Macaulay
The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason
Real Learning: Education in the Heart in the Heart of the Home by Elizabeth Foss
When Children Love to Learn: a practical application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today edited by Elaine Cooper
Online Books:
The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason
A Full Life: The Works of Charlotte Mason
Blogs:
Macbeth's Opinion
Moments with Mother Culture by Karen Andreola
Discussion Boards:
4 Real --Education in the Context of Life
Websites:
Ambleside Online
Mater Amabilis: a Charlotte Mason Style Curriculum for Catholics
Queens Homeschool Supplies
Penny Gardner's Charlotte Mason's Website
Simply Charlotte Mason
Tanglewood School Curriculum
Yahoo Groups:
Catholic Charlotte Mason
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Fascinating Article About Children and Self Control: Home school marketplace: Don't Eat That Marshmallow
Don't Eat That Marshmallow! by Ellyn Davis, homes school marketplace, August 19, 2013
In
the late 1960s, Walter Mischel, a psychology professor at Columbia
University, performed a series of tests on preschoolers referred to as
"The Marshmallow Tests."
Mischel
"tested" over six hundred 4-year-olds by putting each child in a broom
closet-sized room alone with no distractions and only a child-sized
table and chair. On the table were a bell and a plastic plate.
Mischel
would place a single marshmallow on the plate, and as he did, he made
the child an offer: the little boy or girl could either eat one
marshmallow right away or could wait while he stepped out for a few
minutes, and when he returned he would bring a second marshmallow. But
they only got the second marshmallow if they hadn't eaten the first one
by the time Mischel re-entered the room. He also told the children that
if they rang the bell on the table while he was away, he would come
running back and they could eat one marshmallow but would forfeit the
second.
Mischel followed these "Marshmallow Kids" for the next 18 years and made
some startling discoveries about how our ability to resist a
marshmallow as a 4 year old affects us years later.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
The Importance of Reading Aloud by Emiy Cook
Currclick.com
I cannot stress enough how important reading aloud to your children is. Educationally speaking, it may be one of the most important things you do for them. Most parents can find the time to read a picture book or two with their infants and toddlers. But once a child learns to read, that snuggly read aloud time usually ends. I think it’s actually more important to continue that read aloud time well into their school years.
But my child is fully capable of reading their own books. Why should I read aloud to him?
There are a number of reasons, but here is what I consider the top 5:
5. Reading aloud creates a family bond, especially if there are other siblings listening as well.
Your children will fondly look back on their memories of listening to you read aloud, giggle over how you did “all the voices,” and fondly recall favorites stories heard at your knee. They’ll play games of pretend based on the stories you read to them, imagining themselves in Narnia, adventuring along the Mississippi with Tom Sawyer, or playing with Pooh Bear and Piglet in the Hundred Acre Wood. Just because a book is considered “children’s” literature, doesn’t mean it’s childish. Many of my favorite books are written for children! A good story is a good story, and you will find that you enjoy many great books just as much (if not more!) than the kids. Some of my favorite memories are of reading aloud to my children. I recently finished reading The Hobbit aloud with my twins, and my oldest daughter kept trying to listen in as she did her school work in the other room. I read it aloud to her a few years ago, and it is still one of her all time favorite stories. I can’t wait until my youngest is old enough so I can help her discover Middle Earth and all of its charms.
4. Reading aloud will help to stimulate their imagination.
When you read aloud, you don’t have to choose books at any particular reading level. So while you daughter is just getting comfortable with easy chapter books, you can read books far above her level to her. You can expose them to fantasy worlds full of talking animals, knights and battles, distant countries… the literary world is open to you! Literature is peopled with characters that your children will want to emulate and filled with places they’ll want to pretend. Poetry will fill their minds with beautiful language and spark their own creativity with words and stories.
3. Literature will expose them to difficult ideas and situations in a safe way.
Life is full of hard truths, and what better way to learn of them than from a beautifully written story read to them by someone they love and trust? Charlotte’s Web shows that sometimes, a beloved friend dies, not from any terrible illness or violent act, but simply because it is a part of life. Literature will also build empathy – they’ll put themselves in the characters place, wondering how they would react in the same situation.
2. Reading aloud to your children can increase their vocabulary.
Again, because you aren’t limited to choosing books within their reading level, you can expose them to a world of beautiful language. This will also help build their thinking skills – rather than interrupt the story to ask about a particular word, they’ll be more apt to use context clues to try and figure it out themselves.
1. If you start when they are very young, reading to your children daily will build their attention span.
A child who’s been read to his whole life will be able to concentrate and pay attention to something for far longer than a child who spends all of his time playing video games or watching television.
But most importantly, reading to your children will give them a love of literature. I mourn for the children who grow up thinking Winnie the Pooh is just a brightly colored cartoon character, who never get to meet Charlotte and Wilbur, Sara Crewe, Charlie Bucket and Tom Sawyer. Reading aloud will give them a respect for the written word, introduce them to the wide world and the great conversation and build their cultural literacy. It will give them a legacy of great literature to pass on to their own children.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Getting Started: Timely Advice, Practical Tips and Helpful Resources: Resource List: Homeschool Connections: Special Needs
These resources at the beginning of the list apply to all homeschoolers, but the majority of the resources listed would be good for struggling learners, special needs children, or even children with specific needs.
1) Number one resource we all need to accomplish this huge task before us: Grace. Don't homeschool without it! Prayers, sacraments, and sacramentals are all sources of grace.
2) Find out the legal requirements in your state. Homeschooling requirements vary from state to state. Join your state homeschool organization and/or HSLDA.
3) mater et magistra magazine is a valuable resource to keep you connected with other Catholic homeschoolers.
4) catholichomeschool.org lists many Catholic homeschool support groups and forums. Some are listed on my blog here, although some may not exist anymore. Homeschool Groups and Forums
5) catholichomeschool.org also lists many Catholic homeschool e-mail loops. You can also do a yahoo search or find groups on Facebook.
6) Catholic Heritage Curricula offers "Mom to Mom" Connections chcweb.com
7) www.love2learn.net has many reviews of resources.
8) Check out resources in your community, extended family, in the school you are enrolled in (If enrolled), at Catholic homeschool conferences, on the internet and more.
9) A few years ago, I did a talk on technology--especially how it assists special needs kids. If you go to the archives under "Technology" and "New Face of Homeschooling" you will find the info--not all links are listed here: Technology as a Tutor, Technology as a Teaching Tool, Technology as a Source of Information,
10) Vision Therapy
11) Also search under "vendors" in the archives.
10) Check out the library: Our library system that is connected with other libraries has 134 books related to dyslexia, 259 books on ADHD, 202 books on bi-polar.
11) The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett
12) Handwriting without Tears
13) Joyce Herzog
Scaredy Cat Reading System, Learning in Spite of Labels, Joyce Herzog's Choosing and Using Curriculum--(especially designed for special needs kids), Timeless Teaching Tips
14) Home Schooling Children with Special Needs by Sharon Hensley
and many more resources at Almaden Valley Christian School.com
Sharon also offers consulting services. Her catalog is a great place to start!
15) Mastery Publications Masterypublications.com
16) Explode the Code Explodethecode.com
17) All About Spelling allaboutlearningpress.com
18) All About Reading allaboutlearningpress.com
19) Large graph paper or turn the paper sideways, color coding, base ten blocks, and other inventive ideas
20) Math-u-see: mathusee.com
21) Diet: Food dyes, food additives, food preservatives, food allergies (wheat, peanuts, corn, soy, dairy).
22) Callirobics Callirobics.com
23) Cathy Duffy Reviews Cathy Duffy Reviews.com
24) Homeschool Reviews homeschoolreviews.com
25) History Pockets: History Pockets
26) Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic is now Leaning Ally learningally.org/
27) High Noon Books: highnoonbooks.com
28) Baby Sign Language. We used with our speech delayed nephews, but works well with all children.
29) Audio Books--many sources.
30) How to Teach Your Child to Read and Spell Successfully by Sheldon R. Rappaport
31) Memorize poetry!
32) Touch Math touchmath.com/
33) Educational Insights Hot Dots
34) Mathafact--great games for reinforcement. matchafact.com/
35) Great explanation of dyslexia: What is dyslexia?
36) Early Childhood Learning Palettes: Math and Reading. This was helpful for a friend's child.
Learning Wrap-ups
37) Audio Memory: audiomemory.com/
38) National Challenged Homeschoolers Association Network
39) Dianne Craft
40) Lindamood-Bell
41) Brain Balance Centers, Disconnected Kids: Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program for Children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and other Neurological Disorders by Dr. Robert Melillo,
and Reconnected Kids by Dr. Robert Melillo
42) Brain Gym.com/,
Brain Gym
43) Learning Rx A friend used this program both for her son who was brain injured and her daughter that was easily distracted.
44) Red Letter Alphabet Book
Blue Number Counting Book
45) Catholic Icing Great ideas for those of us who are arts and crafts challenged--in my case the mom and not the kids.
46) How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop: Understanding Learning Disabilities
47) A Mind at a Time by Mel Levine
48) Educators Publishing Service
49) Think Fun
50) For the child who struggles with academics, find something he is good at!
51) Straight Talk
52) Mother of Divine Grace School
53) Brainpop
54) Google the disability of your child and apps. or assistive technology and loads of information comes up.
55) There are yahoo groups for just about every type of learning or physical disability
56) Understanding Autism Through Rapid Prompting Method
57) Driven to Distraction by Dr. Hallowell
58) Growing at Home, Nourishing Your Special Needs Child, The Home School Court Report May/June 2005
59) This cite assists students with studying skills, including those with learning disabilities. Study Guides and Strategies
60) Catherine Moran. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge. She has presented on Homeschool Connections and at numerous IHM Conferences. You can find recordings both places. She also has some booklets as pdf files for purchase, especially The Unique Learner--Homeschooling Children with Learning Disabilities and It's All Academic--Homeschooling for Success, as well as others of interest. You can contact her at ihm51@neo.rr.com
61) Smart but Feeling Dumb by Harold N. Levinson, M.D.
62) Kids in the Syndrome Mix of ADHD, LD, Aspergers, Tourettes, Bipolar and More! The one stop guide for parents, teachers, and other professionals by Martin L. Kutscher, MD
63) Superparenting for ADD: An Innovative Approach to Raising Your Distracted Child by Edward M. Hallowell and Peter S. Jensen
64) The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross W. Greene, Ph.D.
65) Temple Grandin DVD--Based on the true story of a girl with autism who goes on to earn her Masters and PhD
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
More Common Core Information
More Links to articles on Common Core:
Sandra Stotsky, Ed.D. has numerous links to articles against Common Core.
http://www.uaedreform.org/sandra-stotsky/
Joy Pullman has also written articles against Common Core.
http://heartland.org/joy-pullmann
Richard Innes of the Bluegrass Institute has also spoken out against Common Core.
http://www.bipps.org/author/richard-innes/
Karen Schroeder of Advocates for Academic Freedom speaks out against Common Core.
http://advocatesforacademicfreedom.org/default.asp#.UfkGLW08n3w
Monday, July 29, 2013
Another Reason to Homeschool: Washington Times: Whitehead: Turning Public Schools into Forts
WHITEHEAD: Turning public schools into forts
There’s a peril in the mindset of the police state, John W. Whitehead, Washington Times, July 29, 2013.
As surveillance cameras, metal detectors, police patrols, zero-tolerance policies, lockdowns, drug-sniffing dogs and strip searches become the norm in elementary, middle and high schools across the nation, America is on a fast track to raising up an Orwellian generation — one populated by compliant citizens accustomed to living in a police state and who march in lockstep to the dictates of the government. Yet as I point out in my book, "A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State," with every school police raid and overzealous punishment that is carried out in the name of school safety, the lesson being imparted is that Americans — especially young people — have no rights at all against the state or the police. Indeed, the majority of schools today have adopted an all-or-nothing lockdown mindset that leaves little room for freedom, individuality or due process.
Once upon a time in America, if you talked back to a teacher, or played a prank on a classmate, or just failed to do your homework, you might find yourself in detention or doing an extra writing assignment after school. Nowadays, students are not only punished for transgressions more minor than those — such as playing cops and robbers on the playground, bringing Legos to school, or having a food fight — but they are punished with suspension, expulsion and even arrest.
When high school senior Ashley Smithwick grabbed the wrong lunch sack — her father's — on the way to school, the star soccer player had no idea that her mistake would land her in a sea of legal troubles. Unbeknownst to Ashley, the lunchbox contained her father's paring knife, a 2-inch blade he uses to cut his apple during lunch. It was only when a school official searching through students' belongings found the diminutive knife, which administrators considered a "weapon," that Miss Smithwick realized what had happened and explained the mistake. Nevertheless, school officials referred Miss Smithwick to the police, who in turn charged her with a Class 1 misdemeanor for possessing a "sharp-pointed or edged instrument on educational property."
Read More: Washington Times
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Why Do We Homeschool: Catholic Lane
Why Do We Homeschool? by Elizabeth Yank Catholic Lane July 22, 2013
“Why do we homeschool?” Often when we begin homeschooling there is something that prompted us to begin. It may have been a child struggling with school, a negative socializing experience, or any number of issues. Once the mom begins, she may feel conflicted that her children will miss out on some great academic experience. She may moan, “I wish I had a real science lab” or “I could never have an interesting literature discussion like I did in my British Literature class.” So why are we doing “that”? Why are we homeschooling? Because we want to educate the whole child; we want to educate the child for eternity.
On occasion my twin nephews, who are six years old, will burst into song, “Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before you. How I love you.” In a public school setting, I guarantee the teacher would not appreciate or encourage such a song. But in the home, this is a beautiful testament of my nephews’ childlike faith.
Too often we focus on the academics and overlook the whole child, the need to build the character of the child and consider all aspects of the person. In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Blessed John Paul II described Christ as one who “labored with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and loved with a human heart” (par. #4). We need to ask ourselves when we educate ourselves and our children, “Do we labor with Christ’s hands, think with Christ’s mind, act with Christ’s will, and love with Christ’s heart?” We sometimes become so consumed with educating our children’s mind, we overlook shaping their wills, teaching self-control of their drives and passions, training their hands, and nourishing their hearts and souls.
Because the child is a whole, integrated person, we cannot always compartmentalize when we will be educating their minds, their hearts, or their hands. While showing my daughters how to crochet, we might have a discussion on a topic that would form their character or is related to their academics. In practicing her violin or playing the piano, my daughter develops any number of virtues, such as perseverance, attention to detail, and listening to the soul. When I ask a young child, “Please bring me a diaper or wash cloth” or another simple task, I am testing his will and encouraging his obedience. In the home, education is life.
What are we educating? The whole child.
How do we educate the whole child? Father Kentenich, the founder of Schoenstatt, an apostolic lay movement said, “We must educate our children in such a way that he or she can later give themselves to God, freely and of their own accord, when and where God wishes. When God asks us to return our children to him, we cannot keep them for ourselves. We must return our children from where they came, our Heavenly Father, whether in a consecrated life or a married or single state of life” (The Nazareth Family, unfinished manuscript, Fr. Jonathan Niehaus, 9).
Anybody can accomplish school academics for a year. We want to instill a lifelong love of learning, a striving to be a saint. Homeschooling should be a restoring of childhood to its proper place. Even if you did not experience an ideal family situation when growing up, because of death, divorce, or brokenness, our Heavenly Father through the gifts of the Holy Spirit gives you the grace to transform your family into a family filled with the love of Christ.
What is your goal in homeschooling? If you define a successful homeschool year as doing every problem on every page and finishing all the textbooks and workbooks by a certain date, you may accomplish your goal, but did you achieve success? With this goal, you may end up a burnt out, frazzled, crispy-around-the-edges mom.
If you define your goal as the extreme opposite—Oh, just hanging out and doing whatever you feel like whenever—, then you don’t have a plan. What are “you” trying to accomplish? We need to have a goal. I need to know, “Why am I doing this? What do I hope to achieve?”
What is the one thing you want to accomplish this year with each child? It can be a habit or a virtue, not just a subject or a skill. What are the social, emotional, psychological, and academic reasons that you are doing this?
Let us strive to make our homes havens of peace, joy, laughter, and love. Pope John Paul II said the home “is truly ‘the sanctuary of life’” (Evangelium Vitae). Ultimately, homeschooling is an avenue to live that sanctuary of life. It is turning our homes into oases of love, miniature churches, in the midst of the world.
Homeschooling is not about academics or SAT scores or basketball scholarships. It’s about love. Love your children with the love of Christ. I may not always want to love, especially when someone is being unlovable, but I can ask Christ to love through me. Since we are fallen creatures, teaching our children to love is a lifelong process. In Familiaris Consortio, we read, “Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being” (Par. 11).
Homeschooling is all about love.
http://catholiclane.com/why-do-we-homeschool/ July 22, 2013
“Why do we homeschool?” Often when we begin homeschooling there is something that prompted us to begin. It may have been a child struggling with school, a negative socializing experience, or any number of issues. Once the mom begins, she may feel conflicted that her children will miss out on some great academic experience. She may moan, “I wish I had a real science lab” or “I could never have an interesting literature discussion like I did in my British Literature class.” So why are we doing “that”? Why are we homeschooling? Because we want to educate the whole child; we want to educate the child for eternity.
On occasion my twin nephews, who are six years old, will burst into song, “Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before you. How I love you.” In a public school setting, I guarantee the teacher would not appreciate or encourage such a song. But in the home, this is a beautiful testament of my nephews’ childlike faith.
Too often we focus on the academics and overlook the whole child, the need to build the character of the child and consider all aspects of the person. In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Blessed John Paul II described Christ as one who “labored with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and loved with a human heart” (par. #4). We need to ask ourselves when we educate ourselves and our children, “Do we labor with Christ’s hands, think with Christ’s mind, act with Christ’s will, and love with Christ’s heart?” We sometimes become so consumed with educating our children’s mind, we overlook shaping their wills, teaching self-control of their drives and passions, training their hands, and nourishing their hearts and souls.
Because the child is a whole, integrated person, we cannot always compartmentalize when we will be educating their minds, their hearts, or their hands. While showing my daughters how to crochet, we might have a discussion on a topic that would form their character or is related to their academics. In practicing her violin or playing the piano, my daughter develops any number of virtues, such as perseverance, attention to detail, and listening to the soul. When I ask a young child, “Please bring me a diaper or wash cloth” or another simple task, I am testing his will and encouraging his obedience. In the home, education is life.
What are we educating? The whole child.
How do we educate the whole child? Father Kentenich, the founder of Schoenstatt, an apostolic lay movement said, “We must educate our children in such a way that he or she can later give themselves to God, freely and of their own accord, when and where God wishes. When God asks us to return our children to him, we cannot keep them for ourselves. We must return our children from where they came, our Heavenly Father, whether in a consecrated life or a married or single state of life” (The Nazareth Family, unfinished manuscript, Fr. Jonathan Niehaus, 9).
Anybody can accomplish school academics for a year. We want to instill a lifelong love of learning, a striving to be a saint. Homeschooling should be a restoring of childhood to its proper place. Even if you did not experience an ideal family situation when growing up, because of death, divorce, or brokenness, our Heavenly Father through the gifts of the Holy Spirit gives you the grace to transform your family into a family filled with the love of Christ.
What is your goal in homeschooling? If you define a successful homeschool year as doing every problem on every page and finishing all the textbooks and workbooks by a certain date, you may accomplish your goal, but did you achieve success? With this goal, you may end up a burnt out, frazzled, crispy-around-the-edges mom.
If you define your goal as the extreme opposite—Oh, just hanging out and doing whatever you feel like whenever—, then you don’t have a plan. What are “you” trying to accomplish? We need to have a goal. I need to know, “Why am I doing this? What do I hope to achieve?”
What is the one thing you want to accomplish this year with each child? It can be a habit or a virtue, not just a subject or a skill. What are the social, emotional, psychological, and academic reasons that you are doing this?
Let us strive to make our homes havens of peace, joy, laughter, and love. Pope John Paul II said the home “is truly ‘the sanctuary of life’” (Evangelium Vitae). Ultimately, homeschooling is an avenue to live that sanctuary of life. It is turning our homes into oases of love, miniature churches, in the midst of the world.
Homeschooling is not about academics or SAT scores or basketball scholarships. It’s about love. Love your children with the love of Christ. I may not always want to love, especially when someone is being unlovable, but I can ask Christ to love through me. Since we are fallen creatures, teaching our children to love is a lifelong process. In Familiaris Consortio, we read, “Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being” (Par. 11).
Homeschooling is all about love.
“Why
do we homeschool?” Often when we begin homeschooling there is something
that prompted us to begin. It may have been a child struggling with
school, a negative socializing experience, or any number of issues. Once
the mom begins, she may feel conflicted that her children will miss out
on some great academic experience. She may moan, “I wish I had a real
science lab” or “I could never have an interesting literature discussion
like I did in my British Literature class.” So why are we doing “that”?
Why are we homeschooling? Because we want to educate the whole child;
we want to educate the child for eternity.
On occasion my twin nephews, who are six years old, will burst into song, “Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before you. How I love you.” In a public school setting, I guarantee the teacher would not appreciate or encourage such a song. But in the home, this is a beautiful testament of my nephews’ childlike faith.
Too often we focus on the academics and overlook the whole child, the need to build the character of the child and consider all aspects of the person. In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Blessed John Paul II described Christ as one who “labored with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and loved with a human heart” (par. #4). We need to ask ourselves when we educate ourselves and our children, “Do we labor with Christ’s hands, think with Christ’s mind, act with Christ’s will, and love with Christ’s heart?” We sometimes become so consumed with educating our children’s mind, we overlook shaping their wills, teaching self-control of their drives and passions, training their hands, and nourishing their hearts and souls.
- See more at: http://catholiclane.com/why-do-we-homeschool/#sthash.lQZqvulH.dpuf
On occasion my twin nephews, who are six years old, will burst into song, “Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before you. How I love you.” In a public school setting, I guarantee the teacher would not appreciate or encourage such a song. But in the home, this is a beautiful testament of my nephews’ childlike faith.
Too often we focus on the academics and overlook the whole child, the need to build the character of the child and consider all aspects of the person. In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Blessed John Paul II described Christ as one who “labored with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and loved with a human heart” (par. #4). We need to ask ourselves when we educate ourselves and our children, “Do we labor with Christ’s hands, think with Christ’s mind, act with Christ’s will, and love with Christ’s heart?” We sometimes become so consumed with educating our children’s mind, we overlook shaping their wills, teaching self-control of their drives and passions, training their hands, and nourishing their hearts and souls.
- See more at: http://catholiclane.com/why-do-we-homeschool/#sthash.lQZqvulH.dpuf
“Why
do we homeschool?” Often when we begin homeschooling there is something
that prompted us to begin. It may have been a child struggling with
school, a negative socializing experience, or any number of issues. Once
the mom begins, she may feel conflicted that her children will miss out
on some great academic experience. She may moan, “I wish I had a real
science lab” or “I could never have an interesting literature discussion
like I did in my British Literature class.” So why are we doing “that”?
Why are we homeschooling? Because we want to educate the whole child;
we want to educate the child for eternity.
On occasion my twin nephews, who are six years old, will burst into song, “Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before you. How I love you.” In a public school setting, I guarantee the teacher would not appreciate or encourage such a song. But in the home, this is a beautiful testament of my nephews’ childlike faith.
Too often we focus on the academics and overlook the whole child, the need to build the character of the child and consider all aspects of the person. In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Blessed John Paul II described Christ as one who “labored with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and loved with a human heart” (par. #4). We need to ask ourselves when we educate ourselves and our children, “Do we labor with Christ’s hands, think with Christ’s mind, act with Christ’s will, and love with Christ’s heart?” We sometimes become so consumed with educating our children’s mind, we overlook shaping their wills, teaching self-control of their drives and passions, training their hands, and nourishing their hearts and souls.
- See more at: http://catholiclane.com/why-do-we-homeschool/#sthash.lQZqvulH.dpuf
On occasion my twin nephews, who are six years old, will burst into song, “Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before you. How I love you.” In a public school setting, I guarantee the teacher would not appreciate or encourage such a song. But in the home, this is a beautiful testament of my nephews’ childlike faith.
Too often we focus on the academics and overlook the whole child, the need to build the character of the child and consider all aspects of the person. In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Blessed John Paul II described Christ as one who “labored with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and loved with a human heart” (par. #4). We need to ask ourselves when we educate ourselves and our children, “Do we labor with Christ’s hands, think with Christ’s mind, act with Christ’s will, and love with Christ’s heart?” We sometimes become so consumed with educating our children’s mind, we overlook shaping their wills, teaching self-control of their drives and passions, training their hands, and nourishing their hearts and souls.
- See more at: http://catholiclane.com/why-do-we-homeschool/#sthash.lQZqvulH.dpuf
“Why
do we homeschool?” Often when we begin homeschooling there is something
that prompted us to begin. It may have been a child struggling with
school, a negative socializing experience, or any number of issues. Once
the mom begins, she may feel conflicted that her children will miss out
on some great academic experience. She may moan, “I wish I had a real
science lab” or “I could never have an interesting literature discussion
like I did in my British Literature class.” So why are we doing “that”?
Why are we homeschooling? Because we want to educate the whole child;
we want to educate the child for eternity.
On occasion my twin nephews, who are six years old, will burst into song, “Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before you. How I love you.” In a public school setting, I guarantee the teacher would not appreciate or encourage such a song. But in the home, this is a beautiful testament of my nephews’ childlike faith.
Too often we focus on the academics and overlook the whole child, the need to build the character of the child and consider all aspects of the person. In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Blessed John Paul II described Christ as one who “labored with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and loved with a human heart” (par. #4). We need to ask ourselves when we educate ourselves and our children, “Do we labor with Christ’s hands, think with Christ’s mind, act with Christ’s will, and love with Christ’s heart?” We sometimes become so consumed with educating our children’s mind, we overlook shaping their wills, teaching self-control of their drives and passions, training their hands, and nourishing their hearts and souls.
- See more at: http://catholiclane.com/why-do-we-homeschool/#sthash.lQZqvulH.dpuf
On occasion my twin nephews, who are six years old, will burst into song, “Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before you. How I love you.” In a public school setting, I guarantee the teacher would not appreciate or encourage such a song. But in the home, this is a beautiful testament of my nephews’ childlike faith.
Too often we focus on the academics and overlook the whole child, the need to build the character of the child and consider all aspects of the person. In his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Blessed John Paul II described Christ as one who “labored with human hands, thought with a human mind, acted with a human will, and loved with a human heart” (par. #4). We need to ask ourselves when we educate ourselves and our children, “Do we labor with Christ’s hands, think with Christ’s mind, act with Christ’s will, and love with Christ’s heart?” We sometimes become so consumed with educating our children’s mind, we overlook shaping their wills, teaching self-control of their drives and passions, training their hands, and nourishing their hearts and souls.
- See more at: http://catholiclane.com/why-do-we-homeschool/#sthash.lQZqvulH.dpuf
http://catholiclane.com/why-do-we-homeschool/ July 22, 2013
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