CATHOLIC HOME SCHOOLING
Over the past
15 years it has been inspiring to see Catholic Home Education slowly flourishing in
the UK.
More and more families are opting to keep their children within the heart of
the family where they are able to keep the world at bay and choose what and how
their children learn.
In the UK
it is possible to study traditional subjects with very few problems. Many
Catholic children have homeschooled from primary level to GCSE in; English
Language, English Literature, Mathematics, History, Latin, R.S (Bible
Studies), Physics, Chemistry, Biology and more.
T
An
Example of Home Schooling Seaton
Home
Study
School
Catholic Homeschooling has grown from strength
to strength in the United States, and is now beginning
to gain in popularity in Catholic England. Homeschooling
centers have also developed locally supporting Catholic families. They are
centered around a homeschooling chaplain, prayer time, the liturgical year,
play time, and a classical Roman Catholic liberal arts curriculum. These
centers normally provide support for homeschooling families for one or two days
of the week so that children can build friendships with those who share the
Catholic Faith. Catholic homeschooling is acknowledged as offering an extremely
high standard of education and is always rooted in an orthodox Roman Catholic
Faith ethos.
In the UK it is possible to study traditional subjects with very few problems. Many Catholic children have homeschooled from primary level to GCSE in; English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, History, Latin, R.S (Bible Studies), Physics, Chemistry, Biology and more.
T
An Example of Home Schooling Seaton Home Study School
Catholic Homeschooling has grown from strength to strength in the United States, and is now beginning to gain in popularity in Catholic England. Homeschooling centers have also developed locally supporting Catholic families. They are centered around a homeschooling chaplain, prayer time, the liturgical year, play time, and a classical Roman Catholic liberal arts curriculum. These centers normally provide support for homeschooling families for one or two days of the week so that children can build friendships with those who share the Catholic Faith. Catholic homeschooling is acknowledged as offering an extremely high standard of education and is always rooted in an orthodox Roman Catholic Faith ethos.
Catholic Home Schooling:
A Handbook for Parents.
Click (HERE)
10 Steps to Starting {Catholic} Homeschooling
Step 1: Pray.
Ask the Lord to help you and your
husband discern if He is calling your family to the life changing
decision to home educate. (note: praying about it might not ease that
unsure feeling but it will help you decide if you want to go to
step two). You might want to go to Adoration, go to daily Mass, do a
Novena as a family, and pray often until you clearly hear what the Lord
wants of you.
Step 2: Why Homeschool?
Make a list of the pros
and cons of homeschooling your family. Ask yourself questions like:
Why do I want to homeschool? Do you like the choices you have available
in the public, private, or Catholic schools in your area? If public
schooling is not an option, can you afford the other two options
(Catholic schools have scholarships if you cannot afford it, please look
into those). What do you want your children to accomplish through
their education? How long will you homeschool? What grades do you want
to homeschool? (some families homeschool K-12, others just K-8, others
just high school). Also, talk to your children (if they are old enough)
about homeschooling, they may have some questions that you would want
to ease them with. Don’t shy away from taking children homeward bound
from regular schooling environments.
Step 3: Philosophy Statement.
Take the answers to
step two and write a mission statement for your family. State the
reasons why you are homeschooling and how you want to accomplish this.
Home educating is more than a full time job; it is a life-altering
decision. When the schooling gets tough, this mission statement (which I
also suggest you print and place in the room you will be homeschooling)
will help you recall why you took on this beautiful journey. This
statement should be written by both you and your husband (even if you
are the main educator), and will help you stay focused on the ultimate
goals for your family. Here are some examples of Homeschooling Mission Statements.
What Mary Kay Clark says about this: “An important first step is to write out a Statement of Philosophy, to make it clear to yourself, your spouse, and your children what you hope to accomplish. Why is a Home School necessary? What are your purposes? What are the values you intend to impart to your children? Your Statement of Philosophy should be in positive terms however, and not simply reflect your objections to something in the local schools. It is vital that you and your spouse agree on the Statement and, if you enroll in a Home Study School, their Statement of Philosophy should agree with yours. Your statement could prove vitally important as evidence to local authorities of your “religious convictions” and “sincerity of belief.”
Step 4: Research Laws.
Find out what the laws and
legislation say about homeschooling in your state are. Every state has
different requirements from what the educator needs to have to what each
child is required to do to what age you are legally bound to start.
The Home School Legal Defense Association
is a great source for finding these laws for home educating in your
particular state. If your child has already been schooling, what do you
need to do to register your school with the local district/state and
unenroll him from his current school?
Step 5: Read.
There are many wonderful books about
homeschooling out there and particular to Catholic Homeschooling. The
main ones that come to mind are these: Catholic Home Schooling: A Handbook for Parents by Mary Kay Clark (of Seton Homeschool), Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum by Laura Berquist (of Mother of Divine Grace), Homeward Bound: A Useful Guide to Catholic Home Schooling by Kimberly Hahn (yes, Scott Hahn’s lovely wife), Catholic Homeschool Companion by Maureen Whitman and Rachel Mackson, and A Haystack Full of Needles by Alice Gunther.
Step 6: Curriculum Approaches.
You will need to decide which curriculum approach you
want to take with your family. This depends on many factors including,
but not limited to: the size of your family, the ages of your children,
and what your budget is (but please don’t let money stop you!), your
child(ren)’s style of learning, and your teaching style. Ask yourself,
do you want to enroll your child(ren) in a program or do you want to
keep grades and records on your own? Do you want to write your own
lesson plans or do you want to buy them already done? Also, refer back
to your mission statement to make decisions on curriculum approaches.
Are you going all Catholic books, some Catholic books, all secular? You
might want to also order catalogs from the different Catholic homeschooling providers to get an idea of what they are all about, what books they provide, etc. You can join Catholic Book Swap on Facebook or CathSwap on Yahoo Groups to ask questions about books and curriculum as well.
Step 7: Set Measurable Goals.
Make sure you go child by child and set goals for each child. These
goals should include the common core subjects in addition to
extracurricular goals. Also consider the abilities of your child(ren)
when setting these goals. Ask yourself: What do you want your child to
learn and how will you track their progress? What are the state’s or
district requirements of each child at their grade level? Make sure you
divide the list into short-term and long-term goals. Please note that
these are to guide you and not suppress you; they will help pave the
road to a successful homeschooling experience. They may change in time
but at the heart of it they should also mimic your school’s Mission
Statement. Your goals should include: Cognitive Goals, Spiritual Goals,
Social Goals, and Physical Goals. Goals should be written,
challenging, measurable and specific, tied to a deadline (per quarter or
semester), and not to conflict with each other. Having goals
helps keep the children and teacher focused, motivated, and on track.
Reaching goals will give you a sense of accomplishment. Not reaching
goals gives you specific insight on what subjects need more attention
and review.
Step 8: Homeschool Conferences.
If you can, attend
a local homeschool conference. Local conferences are a great way to
connect with others in your area that are also contemplating or those
that are “experts” at this. Also, a great way to learn more about what
home educating is really about (vs. what society thinks). Going to a
conference? Use my Conference Survival Kit
found on my personal blog. I find homeschool conferences revitalizing!
The speakers are often experts in the field of homeschooling. If you
can make it out to the Immaculate Heart of Mary National Conference sponsored by Seton Homeschool
out in D.C., please do! Last year was the first year I attended. I
got to meet many of the wonderful women that have taught me so much in
the past years about homeschooling via their blogs or online. I also
got to spend time learning more about our beautiful Catholic Faith and
even to go to Confession, it’s like a mini-retreat of sorts! Plus, you
get to go out to lunch and dinner with like-minded friends! Watch their
video.
Step 9: Local Support Groups.
Look for a local
associations that will support your mission and curriculum style. You
can learn so much from local homeschoolers! Look for Catholic groups in
your area that will help you keep a familiar and similar vision for your
school. Some of these groups have email lists on Yahoo Groups,
you can start asking questions there. Some groups require you join
their group before inviting you to their Yahoo mail list. Catholic Homeschool Support has a great search engine to find a support group in your area.
If your group has a Co-Op, consider contacted them and asking if you
can visit for a couple of hours or a day so you can see what they do.
Co-Ops can be a great way to have encouragement the first years
homeschooling. Sometimes local groups are not available, thanks to
technology, we have online support groups available. On Facebook there
is a Catholic Homeschool Moms group
you can ask to join. In that group of over 600 moms, you can post
questions and ask for advise whenever needed. Some of the Yahoo Groups
are also online only such as Catholic Homeschooling.
Find those available to you. You can also search Catholic
Homeschooling Blogs for suggestions and advice. Just be careful not to
overwhelm yourself with looking at ALL that others are doing!!!
Step 10: Get Organized.
If you read through my
list, you noticed I kept saying homeschooling is a life-altering
journey; well it is. Homeschooling is not a schooling choice alone.
Many people have used A Mother’s Rule of Life
by Holly Pierlot to organize their homes and make the children managers
of their homes along with mom. Personally, I love Laura Dominick’s
book A Plan for Joy in the Home. Both books take you step by step on how to create a schedule for chores and schooling. You will love it!
Now, It is my hopes that after 15 years in the classroom and four
years homeschooling, this little list will help others who are
contemplating home educating their children. Will this be an easy task,
you ask? NO. Anything good and fulfilling is not easy in life. Is it
possible to homeschool? Absolutely, do not fear! My very wise friend,
Nola, puts it best:
“Personally, I think anyone can make it [homeschooling] work. We are our children’s best teachers. No one starts out thinking it will be easy, or they’ll be “good” at it. It comes down to priorities and goals. And experience. I think if a parent thinks homeschooling is superior to away school then the only thing standing in their way is fear. Fear can be overcome!…The only thing you need is prayer. I struggle all the time with whether I should be doing this (and she’s only 6!!!). But those fears and doubts are not from God. No more than the fears and doubts in marriage, in parenting, in anything that is good. Pray for clarity and peace. He is always there for us.”
Hello, I love the look of your site! I have just set up a Catholic home-ed website for advice, resources etc for the UK, including GCSE level. If you think it looks useful, please feel free to link to it, or contact me for more information.
ReplyDeletehttp://catholiccurriculumonashoestring.weebly.com/
God bless you in your work!