Catholic schools or home schooling?

William Fahey, President Thomas More College of Liberal Arts had praise and advice for homeschooling mothers at a recent homeschooling conference in Massachusetts, and caused some controversy. "'Home schooling puts an almost unmanageable strain on mothers, he said.
Home-schooling mothers are expected to be several things at once: mothers, homemakers, teachers, disciplinarians, wives and, for some, wage earners, too.
If home schooling seems like too much, he said, it’s because it is. We are political creatures, in the Socratic sense, and students learn best with other students. Schools are the best alternative for teaching children,' he said."
The editors of the Register covered both sides of this often contentious issue in the article below. Having lived on both sides of the fence, I find myself in a unique position to comment on the debate.

I homeschooled my two oldest daughters for ten years. I was asked to do so by my husband right after our honeymoon, and I thought he was asking a lot. I am a certified teacher (K-12 English as a Second Language, and I knew how much work was involved) Mr Fahey agrees that asking a mom to homeschool her children is a herculean task, especially when coupled with her other responsibilities. In my case, this meant helping to support my family.
I swung between years of structure (Seton), semi-structure (Catholic Heritage Curriculum) and do it yourself curriculum when the budget was low, and I used books donated by friends. I enjoyed the company of my three girls, and the extraordinarily close relationship they forged. I enjoyed the various homeschool groups which we joined and the close friendships we forged. I saw my girls grow in their reading and writing skills, math facts, knowledge of nature and history, and most importantly their Catholic faith. It was a wonderful experience in many ways, and I miss it. Having my girls home for the summer is as close as we get now to that family togetherness we once shared.

But it was not perfect. Having to work part time and having my youngest child, Christina with Down syndrome, meant we missed many opportunities to socialize with other homeschoolers, due to work and therapy commitments. Sometimes this left us feeling out of the loop, an misunderstood by more affluent homeschoolers who had more free time. Homeschooling is not possible for those without the luxury of a full time stay at home mother. Not that these families were swimming in luxury; most of these mothers make heroic sacrifices to be able to stay home, they drive old vans, wear hand me down clothing, live in overcrowded, outdated homes and prepare their own simple meals, rarely going out to eat or on vacation, still, with all these sacrifices, if a mom must contribute to the family income as I do, homeshooling may not be an option.

Another problem was that many Catholic homeschool groups at least on Long Island, where we lived at the time, were temporary. We belonged to nine groups which lasted from one to three years. While me met a variety of people, it was discouraging to see groups disband so often. Homeschoolers by nature are an independent bunch; and often these groups split over ideological or personality differences, some of which were painful and divisive, forcing bystanders to take sides or lose friends.

Another problem was that very few of these groups (four) had leadership from a priest, and this led to women taking overly strong leadership roles in these groups by default. This is not natural in the Catholic Church, where women's roles as nurturer and teacher are treasured, and the priest's role in ministry is central. Our children had little time to become involved in actual church activities. Some of this was not our fault, we homeschoolers were looking for a more traditional take on our faith, and it can be hard to find. We often travelled far and wide to attend more traditional Masses. What we did find were some young priests who shared our love for the Latin Mass, and homeschoolers formed the basis for many of these fledgling Masses; as attendees, altar boys, and schola singers. We enjoy being the leaders of the return to tradition in many areas; living the liturgical year, reading classic literature, learning Latin and Gregorian Chant. This is something I continue to enjoy whenever my visits home give me an opportunity to attend the Latin Mass near my old home. I am very proud of the support the homeschooling community has given to this movement of the Holy Spirit within the Church.

Another issue is discipline. I taught English at some homeschool co-ops and enjoyed working with children other than my own. I taught a literature-based writing class in which four girls won diocesan awards for their creative writing on pro-life themes. There were times, however, when a mother's over protectiveness meant that certain students, mostly adolescent boys, were disruptive and rude, making it nearly impossible to teach. Homeschooling can easily become too much of a shelter, keeping mothers from seeing the truth about some of their children's faults. I was not immune to this with my own children, and often asked for feedback from moms who taught them in cooperative learning situations about their behavior when in groups. Children who have mom's undivided attention at home, can easily become adverse to taking turns, and allowing others to be the center of attention in a homeschool, making transition to the classroom painful for both student and teacher. For this reason, homeschoolers are often viewed as odd by even devout Catholic school teachers.

As a homeschooling mother who made the decision to enroll her children in traditional Catholic schools, I am sometimes viewed as something of a traitor. Many homeschooling mothers see their second (or is it third?) vocation as a lifelong commitment, even extending into college. I saw it as a temporary option, rich in opportunity, to be re-evaluated each year as my children's needs changed. When my high school freshman expressed a desire to see her friends more, and an interest in nursing, I understood that a good Catholic convent school with a strong science program would better meet her needs. Gabbi found the transition taxing in terms of pure hours of her day; after six hours of schooling, she had 3-4 hours of homework. When she played sports, she was often up till midnight finishing her homework. Exams were times of great stress for her. There were many benefits, however, she enjoyed seeing her new friends on a daily basis, and taking part in school events; softball games, plays, concerts, field trips, and conferences. She made friends with international students, saw herself as part of a larger group, and got to know religious sisters. Gabbi made the honor roll two out of three semesters, taking honors classes, and was the star prosecutor in the moot court in her civics class. She heard her mother's values repeated by adults she respected, and gained the affection and respect of her instructors. We look forward to her college career with greater confidence because of her smooth transition to Catholic school.
My sixth grader, Isabella, was growing defiant to being taught at home, and expressed the greatest enthusiasm for our family move to Connecticut where we found truly Catholic schools where sisters in full habit taught catechism from the beautiful "Faith and Life" series from Ignatius Press. Bella's teachers were deeply devoted to their students and knowledgeable about their subjects, and Isabella has blossomed into a self-motivated, enthusiastic student who works on extra credit projects on her own, and chatters happily throughout the evening about events at school. Both girls have found wonderful Catholic girls for friends, some of whom have been homeschooled themselves.
I find some gaps in the Catholic character of the education in Catholic schools, where secular textbooks, especially those used for history and literature, could be replaced with some of the wonderful texts emerging from the Catholic presses. For example, I showed my pastor the textbooks from Ignatius Press for middle school history, "All Ye Lands" and he heartily agreed that they were far superior to the existing textbooks and moved to change them at once. The lay teacher who got the new books was thrilled that she no longer had to correct anti-Catholic elements of the textbook. As a substitute teacher in the school, I was able to introduce the children to some of the rich traditions we had time to celebrate as homeschoolers; the Jesse Tree, the O Antiphons, etc. I enjoyed attending First Friday Mass and Benediction with the class, as well as field day and the end of year concert and art show.
As I stay home most days and pursue my writing career, I thank God for the opportunity to home school my daughters when they were younger, feeling pride in our accomplishments academically, socially and in the faith. We have integrated our family into the larger Church as we support good Catholic schools and share the riches we gained in our Domestic Church.
Fr Josephy Fessio once told a group of EWTN supporters that homeschooling would be the salvation of the Church, and I agree; the richness of tradition which has been enjoying a revival in the Catholic homeschool has a lot to offer the Catholic educational community, if we are willing to learn from one another.
"Alongside the home-schooling movement are signs of renewal in Catholic schools. Parish schools are often the best in academics and discipline. Now, many dioceses are shoring up the faith content of their schools as well, using the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a standard for religious instruction texts.
Maybe the new interest in home schooling is part of a larger trend toward better schooling in general.
Maybe the rise in home schooling will cause schools to improve in order to compete. That would make home schooling a sign of hope for the future of education."
Read the entire article in the Register.

Great defense of Home Education

From the Pointless Shrew. We're educated, we're politically conservative, and WE VOTE! Worse of all for liberals, we are making plenty of babies, and converts to our way of life, so soon, you'll find we're running the country.

Book Review: A Haystack Full of Needles

Go over to Cause of Our Joy for a review of my friend Alice Gunther's wonderful new book on socialization for Catholic families.

Heroic Catholic families

The late Fr. John Hardon said, "only heroic Catholic families will survive in this world".
Dr Jeff Mirus of Trinity Communications describes the heroic Catholic family at the dawn of the Third Millenium. Here's my favorite paragraph:
"In early third millennium America, heroic Catholic families generally don’t send their kids to public schools if they have any conceivable alternative. Nor do they take advantage of parochial or diocesan schools if their staffs are still riddled with cafeteria Catholics (or worse). If a sound Catholic school is not available, heroic Catholic families pull up roots and move, or they found independent schools, or they home school. Even if outstanding schools are available, they may still home school. I use the word “generally” in the first sentence, because there are exceptions to every parenting rule, and it isn’t anybody’s job but yours to make the best decision for your own children. "
Faced with only Cafeteria Catholic schools in our area, we have home-schooled, tried to start an independent school many times (and failed) and now we are discerning whether to pull up roots and move for outstandingly Catholic schools. And we are catching flack from a few quarters. But, we are heroic. Thanks, Dr. Mirus, I needed some affirmation!
HT Catholic Culture.org

Charlotte Diocese to Offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form

The exponential growth of the Latin Mass around the world has been so gratifying. I know a homeschooling family who moved to Charlotte two years ago, and has been praying fervently for this.

Yesterday, Gabriela sand at the High Mass in Dix Hills, and after lunch, went to hear her teenagehomeschool friends sing at a Low Mass in Cutchogue. Later she told me, "I like the Latin Mass better, it's really more reverent."

Homeschoolers are leading the way back.

Mission Accomplished.

St Mary's Church in Baltic, Ct.

HT The Crescat

Homeschooling in California is OK: State Superintendent

March 11, 2008An update to HSLDA Members and Friends on the California Court of Appeal Decision on Homeschooling:State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell comes to the defense of homeschool families. "The California Department of Education policy will not change in any way as a result of this ruling. Parents still have the right to homeschool in this state," he said.
After the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District in Los Angeles ruled on February 28 that parents had to be credentialed teachers to educate their own children the statement from O'Connell is encouraging news for the homeschool community."O'Connell has it right," said Michael Farris, Chairman of HSLDA. "But the court decision must still be overturned before homeschool freedom can be restored in California."
HT Home School Legal Defense Association

The Governator stands up for homeschoolers in California

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has voiced his opposition to the State Applellate Court Ruling which effectively outlaws homeschooling in California.
"Every California child deserves a quality education and parents should have the right to decide what's best for their children," the governor said in a prepared statement. "Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children's education."
Way to go, Governator!
James Dobson, founder of the Focus on the Family powerhouse Christian publisher, called it "an imperious assault on the rights of parents."
"How dare these judges have the audacity to label tens of thousands of parents criminals – the equivalent of drug dealers or pickpockets – because they want to raise and educate their children according to their deeply held values?" he said.
"The case before them involved one couple – the ruling should have been confined to that one couple, not used to punish an entire class of people, the vast majority of them religious conservatives," he said.
The California Teachers' Union applauds the ruling. What a surprise. They want 166,000 more kids under their control, bringing their state subsidies with them.

HT World Net Daily, Drudge Report

California's one two punch for the gay agenda

Here's a Citizen Link video on how the gay agenda is being sold 'under the radar' in public schools. This storybook , "And Tango Makes Three", tells the story of two 'gay' penguins who adopt a chick and have a happy family. Some good parents had this book thrown out of school libraries in Illinois, Missouri and in Virginia, causing the ACLU types to howl censorship. These are the same people who show up with supeonas when a little girl gives a classmate a Christmas card in Kindergarten.
This California pastor is advocating a full scale desertion of the public schools in California because of this:

"California pastor Ron Gleason is calling for parents to remove their children from public school after California lawmakers passed their version of affirmative action -- and he's asking churches to ease the discomfort in the process.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed into law SB 777, making it unlawful to criticize homosexual, bi-sexual, and transsexual teachers. Dr. Ron Gleason, director of the group California Exodus, says the bill goes even further. "Schools are not allowed to say 'mommy' and 'daddy' anymore," Gleason states. "Children will be taught that sexual orientation and gender are merely a matter of personal choice -- and they will be taught to find what is 'right' for them."

HT One News Now
First Punch: force political correctness in public schools in California.

Second Punch: force all parents to send their children to be re-educated.

This is a lesson from the Adolf Hitler playbook. He banned homeschooling in Germany, to have access to German children. Maria Von Trapp documents this in her book, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers". The Nazia undermined Jesus, and parents, and sought to replace them with idolizing Hitler.Melissa Buskeros' mother was detained and she was put into mental hospital for home educating, since Hitler's law still stands in Germany.

Are you frightened yet? You should be. Read this terrifying parallel between the Nazi plan and Outcome Based Education:

In spite of the information explosion, America hasn't heard the message. Perhaps our leading change agents don't know what their deceptive strategies and dumbed-down curricula will do to our children. Maybe they haven't noticed the similarities between their educational strategies and former Nazi tactics for molding young minds and teaching group conformity. Perhaps today's psychological manipulations are simply a modern expression of human "wisdom" without biblical guidelines. However, it seems clear that U.S. and Nazi change agents share one tragic trait: the dearth of the kind of honesty and integrity that once made America safe for children.
That propaganda and indoctrination were two of the cornerstones of Nazi education is no secret. Hitler's goal was National Socialism, a fascist state that would subdue the world. Learning his lessons from Soviet revolutionaries, he knew that only cloaked promises and misleading visions could win the support of the unsuspecting masses -- and build a compliant army of young radicals. That America's educational and political leaders would stoop to the same low standard has remained hidden from the general public. That their aim is global socialism with cradle-to-grave surveillance is angrily denied by the trained and trusted guardians of our children's minds.

If the sleeping public doesn't wake up and resist soon, it will surely be too late to stop the rising tide of deception that threatens to engulf our children. If so, God's people will once again have demonstrated the blinding consequences of spurning truth and loving lies.

THIS is why homeschooling is under attack in California. They don't care if your children learn to read, write, calculate and think. They merely want to re-educate them in the liberal agenda. It began when I was in elementary school in the 70's coloring "Save the Whale" posters and continues today with little children in first grade being shown inappropriate books about sexual preference and terrifying videos of how the world will end in their lifetimes if they leave the lights on too long. Many public school teachers think themselves the moral and intellectual superiors of their students' parents, no matter how educated the parents are. I know, I was in the lunchroom as a colleague and heard their conversations. Liberals always think their views are righteous, and that conservatives are the great unwashed. THAT's why our children must be forced into re-education.

Think I'm exaggerating? Again, learn from history Goals 2000, re-designed by Hillary Clinton, and Outcome-Based Education where graduation from high school depends on children having proper attitudes, liberal attitudes, not being able to think for themselves.

Sign the petition here to protest the persecution of homeschoolers in California. Inform yourself on what this could mean if this decision stands.

Once, before my daughter Gabbi (now 14) was old enough to homeschool, a tiny paragraph in a HUGE omnibus bill would have required all mothers who homeschool be certified in each subject area they teach. This would have effectively outlawed homeschooling. At a homeschool conference, I met the valiant lady who led the charge to defeat this provision. She was aided by Dr. James Dobson who sounded the alarm on his "Focus on the Family" radio show and the Home School Legal Defense Association who are both active here. I spoke with 2 Congressmen on Long Island at the time, who were astounded at the number of phone calls to the Capitol. We literally shut down the switchboard for days, an unprecedented display of the power the grassroots. Let's do it again, let California know that their values are not our values, nor that of the majority of Americans, and we will fight for the freedom to educate our children in the Christian tradition.

What is wrong California's Catholic governor and his Catholic wife?

Where is California's cardinal?

For those who aren't concerned about that homeschool family

from my friend NY Mom who blogs over at Catholics for Huckabee:
I just came across this poem, written at the time of the Holocaust. I thought it so appropriate for the times we are living in, given the complete apathy of many Catholics and conservative minded people to the dangers rapidly approaching the family, especially that of the homeschool family:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

I think the parallels are clear.

Do you think "Homeschool is cool"?

YouTube is hosting a video contest of homeschooled kids on this theme. Video entries will be accepted until Jan 8, 2007.

Down syndrome students are doing well in Catholic schools

Ben Severian is the first student with Down syndrome to attend Xavierian Catholic High School. "Xaverian Brother James Kelly, president of the school, said it's "a testament to the caliber of our students" that Ben has been warmly embraced. No one has ever picked on Ben. Students have instead gone out of their way to help him, he said.
"I think he inspires them," said Brother James, noting that Mount St. Joseph is the first Xaverian school in the country to accept a child with Down syndrome.
"They see him working hard and struggling to learn while some of the others can be lazy at times," he said. "He's a great blessing to our community."
Brian Abbo, a 15-year-old classmate and Ben's best friend, said students feel close to Ben because he is a genuine and caring person.
"With Ben, you can't get mad," said Brian. "He never does anything to hurt you. He's not going to judge you. He considers everyone his friend."
The biggest challenge to enrolling students like Ben is the financial cost, according to Brother James. The inclusion program launched with Ben's enrollment is being funded this year by a grant from the Catholic Coalition for Special Education. The St. Giles program, named after the patron saint of people with disabilities, is currently operating on a year-to-year basis depending on the availability of funding, but Brother James would like to add another student with special needs next year. "
HTCatholic Online
Many more options are being offered to children with Down syndrome than ever before.
School districts are beginning to be open to providing therapies to children who do not necessarily attend their schools, but may attend private schools or homeschool.

My daughter Christina will not be attending Kindergarten in the public school, I plan to send her to part time Montessori pre-school where she can learn at her own pace.She loves the hands-on activities which she selects, and is able to use until she has learned what she needs to learn. Christina will, however, attend 10 hours of therapy provided for the district, three hours in the school, and seven hours at home.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Conference

Authentic Catholic Education: The Parental Duty was the theme of this year's Conference, in Chantilly, Virginia. Speakers included: Dr. Ray Guarendi, Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, Mr. James Stenson, Fr. Paul Scalia, Dr. Mary Kay Clark, Fr. Pablo Straub, Mrs. Virginia Seuffert, and Mrs. Laura Berquist. I will be posting on the talks.

The Reason I Homeschool My Children

I once heard Fr. Joseph Fessio at an EWTN rally on Long Island, about ten years ago. He said that, "Catholic homeschooling will be the salvation of the Chruch". Although I had planned to homeschool my then toddler Gabriela, I thought that this statement was a bit over the top.
Now I know it's true. Read on.

Homeschooling is Getting a Bad Rap in Jersey

I normally cringe when there are 'homeschoolers' in the news. So many unstable or abusive parents who neglect their children's education hide behind the rest of us who slog on, day after day educating our children. I fear that the term 'homeschoolers' will forever conjure up some backwater family hostile to the 'guvmint' people.
As a Catholic mother, I would feel that I'm endangering my three daughters' eternal souls if I DIDN'T homeschool them, in the immoral culture we live in. The Catholic schools are hardly better, here, in fact they can do MORE damage, as one tends to trust that what they are foisting on the students is truth, when sadly, many times it isn't. I know this from personal experience with the historical-critical method of 'debunking' the miracles of the Bible, which I learned in Catholic high school.

Dr. William Marra, who homeschooled in the 1970's when it was unheard of, had a three-pronged approach for decontaminating children from the Culture of Death:

1. Take them OUT of the sewer of popular culture, blocking it's access to your home. Stuff towels under the door if necessary.

2.Create a Catholic culture in your home. Celebrate liturgical seasons, teach Church doctrine, read the lives of the saints, hang plenty of holy pictures on the walls, and don't forget frequent attendance at Holy Mass and the family rosary!

3. If you can, after doing steps 1 and 2, teach them the academics. But, if you're having a bad day, just pull out a deck of cards and deal the them. You have accomplished so much with the first two steps, you can afford to lose a day or two!

Think of all the children WON'T learn in school:
AlGore environmental voodoo science
Homosexual immorality as a healthy lifestyle choice
Many details about sex you never wanted them to know until marriage(or after).
How to sin with no consequences, and how to secretly abort a baby.
How Christian white men have caused all the misery in the world.
Why Obama/Hillary would make the world's greatest president.
The wonders of Islam, (they may even be forced to practice it as in California).
Why it doesn't matter if you can't read or add, if you feel good about yourself.

I could go on, but you get my drift! And they wonder why we can homeschool in half the time it takes for a regular school day! Just look at all the nonsense we can eliminate from the curriculum!

Why I Homeschool

(see the link above for Phylis Schafly's article on how public schools shape American Culture)
I was born in 1962, and in 1967, when I attended Kindergarten, my Catholic parents purposely sent me to public rather than Catholic schools because of some negative experiences our cousins had there.
When I was attending Jr high, Values Clarification hit the public schools. My father used to get involved in heated discussions with my teachers on open school night, on the topic, "exactly whose values are we clarifying?" The next morning, he'd warn me which of my teachers would be trying to find out 'whose father was that lawyer who argued with me last night?'
A sex ed program that included discussion (positive of course) of abortion and homosexuality was to be implemented in the high school. Dad and Mom unsuccessfully tried to get our pastor in the battle, and found themselves working with valiant Baptists instead. Most of our Catholic friends assumed that our moral values would be taught, and refused to get involved. With the support of a handful of parents, my parents managed to get an alternative sex ed program, one that required a parental signature.This program did not contain objectionable content, but the teachers mocked the students who wanted to sign up for this program. I was prepared by my parents for a fight, so when signing up for 'sex ed B' as it was called, the teacher at the table said, "what's the matter, honey, your parents don't want you to learn about sex?""No," I replied, "they just want to teach me their way!"
I tired of defending my faith against anti-Catholic bigotry in high school, whose teachers' ideas of European history was a study in how Catholics oppressed the people via the Inquisition, etc, until the Reformation and Enlightenment freed mankind from religious fanaticism. The course ended, naturally, with the fable of how Pope Pius and the Jesuits were in league with the Nazis. I learned a lot, having to do independent research to defend the Church against these lies, but I had no friends.When I was pummeled mercilessly in a senior boys indoor soccer class, as a sophomore (was this retaliation for Title IX?) I quit public school for good.
I chose to go to the Catholic all girls high school my mother attended to get as far away from the public school world as possible, and in many ways I did.
I was taught how to write, something I still enjoy immensely, I found like- minded friends and was rewarded with good grades and appreciation for academic achievement. I regained my self-esteem, and even learned to be a public speaker, something discouraged by the public school's hostile environment.
The Kinsey Report, however, had slithered into the minds of the nuns, and I was taught essentially the same sex-ed in Catholic High School that my parents fought against in public school. Only this time it was more insidious, as it had the stamp of moral authority, "sister says go out and get a diaphragm, don't listen to that old man in Rome, he ignored his advisors when he wrote "Humanae Vitae", and he doesn't understand women anyway.""Oh, and don't show your mothers your notebook they wouldn't understand"sister concluded.
I should have known better, but I swallowed it hook, line, and sinker! It led me to years of suffering until God in His infinite mercy, gave me a wonderful Hispanic Catholic husband who was raised in a nation with some traditional values in the schools, to set me straight. I became a teacher, and now teach part-time at a local Community College which is even worse that either of my high schools.
In the Literary Magazine, a young woman proudly wrote an essay about her abortion, and a young man wrote a 'comical' essay about killing some of his siblings to get more money from his grandparents! These are the best and the brightest students this school has to offer?! I shudder for the future of this nation!
Is it any wonder that I homeschool my three beloved daughters!!