Catholic approach to education

Cville Virginia · #1 Apr 5, '11, 11:41 am

Before I go on , I want to state that my children are 2 years away from elementary education. Anyhow, I currently stay at home with my two kids and have decided not to put them in preschool because we can't afford the preschools in our area. I have a degree in Special Education and have interned in many different classroom settings, from preschool to high school. We rent in an area in which the public schools have ratings like 3 and 4 out of 10 (according to greatschools.com) The districts with the good public schools have very high rent that we can not currently afford and (unless my husband somehow gets an amazing raise) won't be able to in 2 years. The Catholic school in our are is not very affordable (compared to Catholic schools from where I grew up) and, even with financial assistance, I think we would be pushing it. I would consider homeschooling, but I plan on having more children in the future and worry that caring for the little ones may hinder the older kids' education.

I was wondering, has anyone sent a child to a low rated school and achieved positive results? Also, how does homeschooling with little ones work? Is it very hard and are the older kids able to learn/ do the little ones feel ignored? I have a few years to figure it out, but I figure I could use some advice.

Maureen1125 · #2 Apr 5, '11, 7:14 pm

Have you looked into other private schools in the area...non-denominational, Lutheran? When my son was little, we used our tax refund and paid the tuition in full. Now, I just make the monthly payments. My son is currently in 4th grade at the same Catholic School I attended.

Do you plan to go back to work after the kids are in school? Even registering as a Substitute teacher would bring in some extra money

heart4home · #3 Apr 5, '11, 7:50 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cville Virginia

Before I go on , I want to state that my children are 2 years away from elementary education. Anyhow, I currently stay at home with my two kids and have decided not to put them in preschool because we can't afford the preschools in our area. I have a degree in Special Education and have interned in many different classroom settings, from preschool to high school. We rent in an area in which the public schools have ratings like 3 and 4 out of 10 (according to greatschools.com) The districts with the good public schools have very high rent that we can not currently afford and (unless my husband somehow gets an amazing raise) won't be able to in 2 years. The Catholic school in our are is not very affordable (compared to Catholic schools from where I grew up) and, even with financial assistance, I think we would be pushing it. I would consider homeschooling, but I plan on having more children in the future and worry that caring for the little ones may hinder the older kids' education.

I was wondering, has anyone sent a child to a low rated school and achieved positive results? Also, how does homeschooling with little ones work? Is it very hard and are the older kids able to learn/ do the little ones feel ignored? I have a few years to figure it out, but I figure I could use some advice.

I homeschool and have for 12 years. I'm not going to say it's always easy, but it is always the best choice for our family. Homeschooling is a lifestyle and for many of us it's not a lifestyle we'd easily give up.

I will tell you that I have a son in college now, that was homeschooled from 3rd grade and on and I still have a preschooler and many in between.

My advice if you are truly interested is to join a homeschooling group in your area, a Catholic one if possible. Many have email loops and you can join in the discussion and ask questions. You may be able to join in some meet ups etc. as well and make some friends along the way.

There are also many discussion boards online for homeschooling, so just do a Google search and see what you find. There are many different styles and options and it's great to look into it before your kids get to the actual "school" age.

purplesunshine · #4 Apr 6, '11, 6:48 am

If you have a special education degree it may be feasable to get a job at the local catholic school as a teacher in ANY sort of capacity and have your children attend for free or for some sort of reduced cost.

Personally, I'm not a fan of preschool or even kindergarden. First grade is FIRST grade for a reason. A properly socilized child from a good (eg. not at-risk) family has no reason to go to school before the first grade. Now a parent *can* opt to do this. But it should be optional.

I see too many kids driven to neurotic behavior becuase the've been in daycare for years, go to school for 13 years....alot then go on to Masters and PHD's...not becuase they're bright but becuase they don't know how to live without the structure of an insitiution.

At the same time, there are homeschool kids who would benefit from attending school for a few years, not for socialization or acedemia per se, but to expand their world. Homeschooling, atleast around where I live, is white, chirstian, decently wealthy, and female oreiented. It's a very narrow scope, especally as children age.

You have to figure out what is best for YOUR children and YOUR family. Your children aren't near school age, yet. Planning to homeschool now is all fine and dandy, but you never know what obsticales may come down the road.

Em_in_FL · #5 Apr 6, '11, 7:49 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by purplesunshine

If you have a special education degree it may be feasable to get a job at the local catholic school as a teacher in ANY sort of capacity and have your children attend for free or for some sort of reduced cost.

That's not a bad idea... not to mention you'd be bringing in a little extra income to help with the cost of school!

We're sending our kids to Catholic school... I am working full time to support this decision financially.

kristacecilia · #6 Apr 6, '11, 8:05 am

Homeschooling with little ones is VERY doable. Matter of fact, I would venture to say that most homeschooling moms are dealing with little ones while they are educating their older children (like myself!)

There are a variety of things that make it workable.

- Utilizing nap and play times to do lessons with the older children.
- Encouraging older children to take charge of their own education as much as possible. This benefits both the child and the mother!
- Having older children take short turns playing with the younger children, reading to them, or even assigning an older child to teach the preschoolers a subject like music or art while the mother works with other chidlren.
- Developing play centers and projects younger children can do while mother works with older children.
- Involving younger children in the lessons.

We do all these things. Also, teaching a lesson to ONE child in a one-on-one session takes significantly less time than trying to teach a lesson to a classroom of students. So homeschooling takes very little time per day to complete anyway.

Here is a great Catholic homeschooling forum.

happymommy · #7 Apr 6, '11, 8:11 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by kristacecilia

Homeschooling with little ones is VERY doable. Matter of fact, I would venture to say that most homeschooling moms are dealing with little ones while they are educating their older children (like myself!)

There are a variety of things that make it workable.

- Utilizing nap and play times to do lessons with the older children.
- Encouraging older children to take charge of their own education as much as possible. This benefits both the child and the mother!
- Having older children take short turns playing with the younger children, reading to them, or even assigning an older child to teach the preschoolers a subject like music or art while the mother works with other chidlren.
- Developing play centers and projects younger children can do while mother works with older children.
- Involving younger children in the lessons.

We do all these things. Also, teaching a lesson to ONE child in a one-on-one session takes significantly less time than trying to teach a lesson to a classroom of students. So homeschooling takes very little time per day to complete anyway.

Here is a great Catholic homeschooling forum.

Yes! Our 16 month old was just nursing while I taught science....going great until he bit me!

4 year old is drawing pictures and working in his little books.

It's not easy and there are days I want to stop, but there are many more good days, so we just work through the crazy days!

kristacecilia · #8 Apr 6, '11, 9:06 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by happymommy

Yes! Our 16 month old was just nursing while I taught science....going great until he bit me!

4 year old is drawing pictures and working in his little books.

It's not easy and there are days I want to stop, but there are many more good days, so we just work through the crazy days!

LOL. Here, too! And inevitably in the spring when the weather is JUST starting to get nice but not really nice enough to spend tons of time outside yet, you get cabin fever and start dreaming of putting them on the bus one morning.

At least I do. LOL.

But we work through it, just like you said. We've jsut gotten to the other side of the blahs here.

happymommy · #9 Apr 6, '11, 9:17 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by kristacecilia

LOL. Here, too! And inevitably in the spring when the weather is JUST starting to get nice but not really nice enough to spend tons of time outside yet, you get cabin fever and start dreaming of putting them on the bus one morning.

At least I do. LOL.

But we work through it, just like you said. We've jsut gotten to the other side of the blahs here.

We are having that day here! It's snowing...again! Ah, the big yellow bus..come take me away for the day!

prstoessel · #10 Apr 6, '11, 7:14 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cville Virginia

I would consider homeschooling, but I plan on having more children in the future and worry that caring for the little ones may hinder the older kids' education.

Please continue to consider homeschooling. We have five children (ages 3 to 15). Yes, it IS a challenge. I am not going to say it's easy. But it can be done and will likely be much better handled by you rather than the schools you are describing.

Even if we were to send our children to school, we still would have the hours of homework each night to contend with. An average homeschool day in the elementary years is about two or three hours; about the same amount of time you'd be spending doing homework with them. The big differences are that you will be working with them when they're fresh, instead of at the end of the day when they're tired, and without much of the negative influences that exist in the public school system. In most states, you also get out of the ridiculous standardized tests which puts an incredible amount of pressure on the children and it has no benefit to their education.

And as the older children get older, they tend to help the younger ones as well. We do not know how it happened, but my third child learned to read without much formal instruction from my wife. He just picked it up because he was sitting on her lap while she was teaching children numbers 1 and 2. He is an exceptional reader.

Look in your area for support groups and co-ops just to get more information. In our area, most of the homeschooling families are an average of 4 or 5 kids. Many have 8 to 10 kids. While there may be Catholic groups in the area, don't just stick with those. One of the groups we belong to is non-denominational (some are even atheist). All of whom are good people with a mutual cause; to give the best educational experience possible to their children.

Also, just so you can say that you've done your due diligence, check out some of the more popular homeschool resources. Google what's below and see what you think.

The Institute for Excellence in Writing
Math-u-See

Books:
The Writing Road to Reading
Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum

Anything by Charlotte Mason.

There's more. PM me if you'd like more references. Peace.

Shin · #11 Apr 6, '11, 11:03 am

You'll definitely be better off in the long run with the quality of the education if it's homeschooling, almost anywhere.

The morality education is priceless as well as keeping the little ones outside of the bad influences at the regular schools.

Cville Virginia · #12 Apr 6, '11, 1:11 pm

Thank you so much for all the great advice and encouragement! I really feel more at ease about homeschooling now, if that is the path we take. Lately, people have been preaching to me that kids will fall behind without preschool or with home school but it is great to hear that there are parents out there who can tell me their children are flourishing in home school (or without traditional preschool). The teaching at a Catholic School idea is great too, although I'd have to see how it would work if we have more kiddos in the future. Like I said before, still have a couple of years to work it out

kristacecilia · #13 Apr 6, '11, 2:11 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cville Virginia

Thank you so much for all the great advice and encouragement! I really feel more at ease about homeschooling now, if that is the path we take. Lately, people have been preaching to me that kids will fall behind without preschool or with home school but it is great to hear that there are parents out there who can tell me their children are flourishing in home school (or without traditional preschool). The teaching at a Catholic School idea is great too, although I'd have to see how it would work if we have more kiddos in the future. Like I said before, still have a couple of years to work it out

This is such a great time- when you have years to consider and learn about your schooling options and no pressure to start anything yet!

While you are discerning what option is best for your family, I highly recommend reading some books on homeschooling and theories of education. Here is a good list to start you off- I hope your library has some of them for you!

Real Learning
Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum
The Well-Trained Mind
Home Education and the rest of Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series, available free online here.
Catholic Education: Homeward Bound

There are many, many more and many resources available online, including the 4Real Learning Forum.

Also, it is a great time to educate yourself on the laws regarding homeschooling in your state or country. You can start with the Home School Legal Defense Association.

Iheartcoffee · #14 Apr 6, '11, 8:30 pm

I honestly don't know much about homeschooling, but you could send them to the local school and then do supplemental work with them to fill in the gaps after school or on weekends. That way your children are at school during the day-allowing time to work and save up for life in a better school district or Catholic school- and then gaps can be filled in as needed.

cominghomeCC · #15 Apr 7, '11, 9:26 am

I homeschool 3 of my 4. The eldest is in high school. I also care for 3 toddlers. It is doable. The parents of the toddlers have no issues with this, they glean knowledge from the lessons. The older kids are reading with them all the time. More than if it was just the toddlers and I at home.

Look at scheduling things so that the little ones aren't just left to do whatever. If you need one on one with one child, the other can play and occupy the little ones. They can practice their read aloud skills, play counting games with objects, or color matching games with the younger siblings. A K student can help the older ones too. If they can read numbers(1-10), they could hold flash cards for older siblings to learn math facts. It would help the K learn the facts.

An older sibling can do flash cards with a K or grade 1 student with basic phonics. They could learn the letter sounds. BIG leap to learning. In turn that K or grade 1 student can then do the same for the next youngest once they learn the sounds.

There are many many ways to make it work