Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => General Discussion => Topic started by: OBrien on July 13, 2016, 12:34:12 AM
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Maybe this subject has been brought up before but since I am new here I am still learning to maneuver.
With all the concerning things that are happening in private and public schools why not homeschool?
How many of you use a public school or private school for your child(ren)'s education? Is the school SSPX, CMRI, SSPV?
Why do you not homeschool?
Just curious.
OBrien
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Boy, that is a good question! We home schooled and we never regretted it. I, mom, just regret not doing it sooner.
I think some parents use the public/private schools for babysitters. Both parents work. They work just to have medical coverage. Some say "social is so important."
The social I have seen is rotten! And by the time the child is age 11-12 they rebel the parents.
Our children had no problems getting jobs. As long as there is GED, that is what they did and just kept going. No one turned them down for jobs, in fact, employers wanted home schoolers. They can read and write, not like those coming from public schools.
Those who have never home schooled don't know what they are missing. Especially those who live in AZ. AZ does not require you to be a licensed teacher, or look at your curriculum. Every state is different and that might hold some parents back.
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We started homeschooling 7 years ago. My only regret was not starting sooner. Unfortunately my husband was not on board with me homeschooling. He wasn't sure they would learn. It took a very difficult senior year for our oldest son and behavior problems with our second oldest before he conceded.
Our second son, our first graduate, has had a little difficulty with college acceptance...but the colleges he has applied to are in New York state which has high restrictions on homeschoolers. Some colleges just won't accept homeschoolers because they can't "guarantee" their academic qualifications. But many of the junior colleges don't even require SAT testing anymore, so they work well for homeschooled students. He will be starting one of those in the fall majoring in computer science.
Why don't more people homeschool? Many reasons. Most don't think that public school/private school is that bad. Really they don't. Some mothers just don't believe they can teach 4 or 5 children at once without going crazy. Other mothers face a lot of pressure from family and friends who think homeschooling is weird or unfair to the children---you know the "socialization" thing. A great many families are dual income families and they just can't physically do it. Then their are those who health or mental status just will not permit them to home educate.
I try not to be judgmental about it. Everyone has to come to their own conclusions in their own time.
Yes, the schools are horrible, even the private schools. But this modernist idea of bricks and mortar schooling is hard to rethink.
Homeschooling is growing though, especially as the tech people become parents. They remember what their experiences were like--bored, made fun of, ostracized, isolated----and they don't want that for their kids. So they are working from home---and educating their children.
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There can be some benefits to good social interaction in school ... provided it's with good Catholic kids from good Catholic families. If not, that same consideration would be a downside.
Another downside of homeschooling is that often the kids have less structure and discipline ... just due to the comfort of being in a home environment.
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How many of you use a public school or private school for your child(ren)'s education? Is the school SSPX, CMRI, SSPV?
Why do you not homeschool?
We have done both school (SSPX) and homeschooling. We have been homeschooling for two years now, so I can share with you our reasons for each:
1) School: we sent our children to an SSPX school because it was very close to us, it gave our children the opportunity to interact with other (traditional) Catholic children in a trustworthy environment, and because we wanted to support a good Catholic school. Also, since English is my wife's second language, we thought that a school would be better.
2) Homeschool: when we found it impossible to send our children to the SSPX school due to theological reasons, homeschooling was the only option. We would NEVER EVER send our children to a public school or any private school that is not operated by solid, trustworthy traditional Catholic clergy. So our reasons for homeschooling are primarily to shield our children from the cesspool of modern society, but also so that we have control over our children's education and I believe we are giving them a better education than they were receiving at the SSPX school. Not that the SSPX school was giving a poor education, but with the one-on-one interaction, and the fact that we can push our children to excel (whereas at school everything gets dragged down to the level of the least intelligent children in the classroom) we are putting them through a much tougher curriculum than they had at the SSPX school. Plus, it turns out my wife is very good at homeschooling and English being her second language has not been an issue.
THAT SAID ... if I had the choice, we would probably send our children to a school. This would give my wife much more time to do other duties around the house like cooking and cleaning that go by the wayside during school. It would also give our children more interaction with other Catholics and real friends. As it stands, their siblings are really their only friends. We try to invite other Catholic families over but we can't do it all the time especially since travel is involved. I would never simply abdicate my duties to a school though. As when our children were at the SSPX school, I think parents ought to take a keen interest in what's going on and pitch in as much as possible.
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I home schooled because I was led to the truth. I was given the authority of the AZ Gov. Mecham in 1990's to read federal grants. Other women with me guided me to truth. Our goal was to find who was bringing sex ed. into the state of AZ. It was the catholic dioceses. I found that! We went traditional and home schooled! The docuŠ¼ents I read, books and such was enough to make me move!
"Change Agents in the classroom" just to mention one. I was shocked about the dioceses but now I know that the New Order has been marxist for a long time, probably 60 - 70 years! The dioceses around the world, New Order support Gov't and state, not God.
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I home schooled because I was led to the truth. I was given the authority of the AZ Gov. Mecham in 1990's to read federal grants. Other women with me guided me to truth. Our goal was to find who was bringing sex ed. into the state of AZ. It was the catholic dioceses. I found that! We went traditional and home schooled! The docuŠ¼ents I read, books and such was enough to make me move!
You're probably familiar with Randy Engel's recent article "Does Francis Really Love Children and the Family? (https://akacatholic.com/does-francis-really-love-children-and-the-family/)" and book Sex Education: The Final Plague (http://www.newengelpublishing.com/products/Sex-Education-%252d-The-Final-Plague.html), then."Change Agents in the classroom" just to mention one. I was shocked about the dioceses but now I know that the New Order has been marxist for a long time, probably 60 - 70 years! The dioceses around the world, New Order support Gov't and state, not God.
So Novus Ordo sex ed. spread to the public schools?
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This would give my wife much more time to do other duties around the house like cooking and cleaning that go by the wayside during school.
You don't delegate chores to the children?
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As they get older we are able to delegate more. Our oldest daughter is only 8 years old so she has only recently been able to start assisting with some minor cooking unsupervised. She is not able to cook a full meal though. At this point she is capable of making eggs and peeling/boiling vegetables. The children do help clean as well, but I find that the younger children (non school age) are generally more hindrance than help not because of ill will or laziness but because of incompetence/lack of physical strength. But as everyone gets older the children are progressively taking a greater share of chores. Our oldest son is 9 and he can help with yard work some but does not weigh enough to operate the riding lawn mower (plus is not tall enough to reach the pedals).
None of them are big enough to use the vacuum cleaner yet for example and brooms pose a challenge for them as well.
We had 5 children in 8 years though so when we first started homeschooling all of the children were still very young. It is getting better though. If the children were at a school there remains a lot of stuff that my wife could do that she doesn't have time for now (or lacks the fime to do it to the standard we would like -- maybe our standards are too high, I don't know).
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As they get older we are able to delegate more. Our oldest daughter is only 8 years old so she has only recently been able to start assisting with some minor cooking unsupervised. She is not able to cook a full meal though. At this point she is capable of making eggs and peeling/boiling vegetables. The children do help clean as well, but I find that the younger children (non school age) are generally more hindrance than help not because of ill will or laziness but because of incompetence/lack of physical strength. But as everyone gets older the children are progressively taking a greater share of chores. Our oldest son is 9 and he can help with yard work some but does not weigh enough to operate the riding lawn mower (plus is not tall enough to reach the pedals).
None of them are big enough to use the vacuum cleaner yet for example and brooms pose a challenge for them as well.
We had 5 children in 8 years though so when we first started homeschooling all of the children were still very young. It is getting better though. If the children were at a school there remains a lot of stuff that my wife could do that she doesn't have time for now (or lacks the fime to do it to the standard we would like -- maybe our standards are too high, I don't know).
My husband and I had a difficult transition from public school to homeschool. Obviously, the chores often get put aside during the day.
It was very hard at first but we talked a lot about it. At the time, I also had very small children and only 2 who could really help.
But...we simplified out life. We bought paper plates for breakfast and lunch. We firmly finished school at a designated time, which allows for about 1 hour before my husband gets home for chores to get done. And Saturday until 3 pm is chore day.
Homeschooling is a huge commitment and it takes sacrifice and compromise from both parents. We have had to try several things and continue to work on it. By far the biggest issue is I don't have time to really clean like I want to.
My husband does more now than before, but so do I. Basically, I am a school teacher and nurse only I am still home and not in the workforce.
It can be very frustrating, especially if you have high expectations. I have known very meticulous husbands and wives who have a very hard time homeschooling because there is just not enough time to focus on the house.
One mother I know quit homeschooling all together because she couldn't do both.
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You can home school year round. We know a couple who both work at a hospital and home school 4 children. They teach even late at night if need be.
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Mom was a fan of paper plates, crockpots, specific daily chores, VERY few toys, simple bedrooms (only a bed a nightstand). Our clothes had to be hung in the closet with a basket for socks and such. We had 5 weekday outfits, 2 Saturday outfits and 2 Sunday outfits. For her sanity she had few items that were decorative. When I asked her about it she said she didn't have time to clean all of that and homeschool.
We spent lots of time reading. Our seated/writing work was probably only one hour of time a day while we were expected to read 3-4 hours a day.
We were not involved in many outside activities (like homeschooling groups) because they took too much time from our homeschooling day.
When some of the children were older my parents hired a tutor to help the younger children so they could focus their attention on the older children.
It had its bad moments but I wouldn't change it for the world. I loved being homeschooled.
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You can home school year round. We know a couple who both work at a hospital and home school 4 children. They teach even late at night if need be.
I had no idea that school wasn't year round until I was 15!
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As they get older we are able to delegate more. Our oldest daughter is only 8 years old so she has only recently been able to start assisting with some minor cooking unsupervised. She is not able to cook a full meal though. At this point she is capable of making eggs and peeling/boiling vegetables. The children do help clean as well, but I find that the younger children (non school age) are generally more hindrance than help not because of ill will or laziness but because of incompetence/lack of physical strength. But as everyone gets older the children are progressively taking a greater share of chores. Our oldest son is 9 and he can help with yard work some but does not weigh enough to operate the riding lawn mower (plus is not tall enough to reach the pedals).
None of them are big enough to use the vacuum cleaner yet for example and brooms pose a challenge for them as well.
We had 5 children in 8 years though so when we first started homeschooling all of the children were still very young. It is getting better though. If the children were at a school there remains a lot of stuff that my wife could do that she doesn't have time for now (or lacks the fime to do it to the standard we would like -- maybe our standards are too high, I don't know).
There's an interesting Montessori list of "what children should be able to do at each age".
I have 1 ten year old boy, who is strong and heavy enough to run the riding lawn mower. But he only helps -- he can't do the whole 5 acres by himself. He's good at mowing, but not "finishing" (getting close to everything).
But my other 5 kids are girls, and all of them are skinny. The 7 year old easily handles a broom and dustpan. Between the 4 oldest, they do pretty much all the chores around here. I do outdoor stuff, and I use bleach and clean the toilets. I also have to supervise to make sure things get done. I do the dangerous things (e.g., dumping a pot of boiling water and potatoes into a colander). But that's about it.
Regarding vacuums -- perhaps yours is too heavy. We use a nice, lightweight one like this, which is almost a pleasure to use, even for the kids:
http://amzn.to/29VC7CK
It actually vacuums, and it's easy to dump as well as de-hair with a sharp knife. But it does actually "suck" as opposed to the ones which just sweep.
For an even lighter vacuum:
http://amzn.to/29VCVYf
Those only "sweep" but they do an amazing job considering how light they are, and considering even a girl can use it. Even if you had to use a "real" vacuum once a week, these would do a good enough job for daily use. Also, you can use them on hard floors as well as carpet. The kids especially enjoy using this kind of vacuum.
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Here are a couple of chore lists:
2-4 year olds
help dust
put napkins on table
help put away toys
put laundry in hamper
help feed pet
4-7year olds - "Help" is the important word at this age. Many of the chores will be done as a helper and slowly kids can graduate to doing them independently!
set the table or help set the table
put away toys/things
help feed pets
water plants
help make bed
dust
put laundry in hamper
help put dishes in dishwasher
water the garden
help wipe up messes
help with yard work (rake with child's rake or plant flowers, etc.)
help clear table
help put away groceries
8-10 year olds
make bed
water plants
clean room with direction
set the table
clear the table
dust
vacuum
feed pets (depends on type of pet and how your comfortable your child is interacting with the pet)
help make dinner
put laundry in hamper
help wash the car
help wash dishes
help load/empty dishwasher
rake leaves
take out the trash
11 year olds and older
take garbage out
set the table
clear the table
clean room with direction
put away groceries
clean the bathroom with direction
clean the kitchen
dust
vacuum
mow lawn
feed pets
water plants
put laundry in hamper
help with laundry and eventually start doing own laundry
help make dinner/make small meals on own
help wash the car/wash car
make bed
help with yard work
shovel snow
wash dishes/load or empty dishwasher
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I would say that a healthy instructing of children how to work -- from an early age -- is not only key to being able to homeschool, but also key to being able to lead a normal (one-income, no birth control) Catholic family lifestyle.
That's rule #1 if you're going to have more than about 2 children: they HAVE to carry their own weight. As soon as they're able, they need to help out. It's only fair, and life isn't about play, play, play AT ANY AGE. This is the valley of tears. Once you're done with school, you work. Even in old age, you have to worry about your health, and your children and grandchildren. Plus you might be volunteering at Church. You never get to just sit around and "play" all day.
You get to rest in Eternity -- not before. :)
Also, for a Catholic, one of the most important things you teach your children is MORTIFICATION, or "doing that which you don't want to do" (very closely related to "NOT doing that which you WANT to do").
One of the main advantages to country living is that parents are forced even more to teach their children to work. That, along with a more "natural" environment, is the primary advantage of such a lifestyle.
With city/suburb living, life is too convenient. You don't have to require much of your children, so many parents don't.
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This link has a few good resources for homeschooling moms:
7 Excellent Ways to Keep a Clean House While Homeschooling
http://classicallyhomeschooling.com/7-ways-keep-clean-house-homeschooling/?utm_content=buffer9431d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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That's rule #1 if you're going to have more than about 2 children: they HAVE to carry their own weight. As soon as they're able, they need to help out. It's only fair, and life isn't about play, play, play AT ANY AGE. This is the valley of tears. Once you're done with school, you work. Even in old age, you have to worry about your health, and your children and grandchildren. Plus you might be volunteering at Church. You never get to just sit around and "play" all day.
This is a very good point, and really a "side benefit" of having a large family -- it helps you to be a better parent by forcing you to make your children pull their weight instead of "taking the easy way out" and just requiring very little of the children because that's easier than disciplining them.
With city/suburb living, life is too convenient. You don't have to require much of your children, so many parents don't.
I have seen people say this from time-to-time ... but I really wonder how everyone else finds suburban living so easy! I've never found it so myself and there is always work to be done and extra things that could and would be done if we had more time.
We basically live suburban living. Technically we live in a small village, but it is so close to the city that it can scarcely be called rural and our property is only 3/4 of an acre. I haven't found it much different to living "officially" in the suburbs. But we still have lots to do, mostly homeschooling, but it's also a part-time job sourcing clean organic food and making connections with farmers, cooking every meal from scratch, making our own (chemical-free) laundry detergent and soap, and more mundane things like dishes and keeping the house tidy. These are all things that would be the same no matter where we live. I don't think we will ever have a shortage of chores for our children to do.
We've gotten on a bit of a tangent from my explaining myself to Geremia ... the upshot of all of it is my response to the OP's question "Why Not Homeschool?", and that is, that there are legitimate reasons for people not to homeschool if they have a trustworthy traditional Catholic school nearby. The Church has really promoted Catholic schools in the past. I think there are many benefits to them. There are also many benefits (and a lot of work) to homeschooling. If you don't have access to a good Catholic school homeschooling is mandatory as far as I see it (even if all you can manage is giving your children some books to read -- anything is better than the indoctrination centres called public schools). But I don't see homeschooling as inherently better or morally superior to a proper Catholic school. And for many, if the option is there, I think a good Catholic school would be the better option.
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And for many, if the option is there, I think a good Catholic school would be the better option.
I don't know if you can trust any of the traditional Catholic schools anymore after we just found out that at the SSPX school in Post Falls some of the boys were sodomizing each other.
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Secret Societies are doing their job, being secret! We take the words of the young, we believe or we don't. Of course there was no one with a camera moment. But we know it is happening and that is enough.
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I love the idea of homeschooling, to prevent children from being corrupted into modern society's confusion. Also, the best behaved kids I know, were homeschooled.
If I ever have children be it His will, homeschooling is the way to go, or Montessori. Although, I know that Montessori can be expensive.
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Maybe this subject has been brought up before but since I am new here I am still learning to maneuver.
With all the concerning things that are happening in private and public schools why not homeschool?
How many of you use a public school or private school for your child(ren)'s education? Is the school SSPX, CMRI, SSPV?
Why do you not homeschool?
Just curious.
OBrien
I believed what I had been told for YEARS: that I ought to send my kids to the SSPX's school.
After what I experienced, I cannot say I would do that again. I would strongly recommend against it, in fact.