Structured Homeschooling Gets an A+

[Pirate_Talker]

I would love to home school, at least in the early years. Not for the academic edge, but to give children a good grounding in Christian values before they face peer pressure in an increasingly agnostic world. Not that I have children, but if I did in the future.

A good Catholic school can help you with that. Although I have many degrees my children went to a public grade school and a Catholic high school. I felt I could take care of the young years but might need help as they got older. It worked out great for me. I never considered homeschooling because i think interaction is part of education. Since they would be living in the world soon enough, it was a good idea to tackle the world and listen to my Catholic take at a time when they actually listened to me. God bless you in your journey.

 

[Pirate_Talker]

To Rich O:

I have a degree in Political Science. I disagree that a parent needs a college degree to homeschool, especially at the elementary level. There are many people who are self-taught, for whatever reason, and are highly intelligent. If a late-bloomer decides to concentrate their resources on their children’s educations, rather than their own, they should not be impeded because they don’t have a college degree. In fact, I had many classmates in college who managed to show up on graduation day and claim their degree, that had spent four years majoring in alcohol. A degree these days is almost a necessity, but also not so hard to come by (if you have the money to pay for the education). I’d rather a child be taught by a competent, self-taught parent than a parent who has a degree but majored in partying. Is a degreed parent who graduated with a C-average more competent than a self-taught parent with an above average I.Q.?

The fact that my children are homeschooled and are advanced in their studies does not diminish your wife’s value as a teacher. Your wife and I are not in a competition. It’s important not to invest the ego too much in our children’s accomplishments or those of a spouse. As parents, we are there to support them and to help them reach their full potential. It’s wonderful that your children had superior educational resources so that they were able to achieve their potential, i.e. scholarships to college. Please be careful about appearing to be elitist though. A person’s human dignity and value is ultimately not based on worldly success. I would rather my child be a good person without a college degree, than committing white collar crime on Wall Street.

I didn’t take Rich as being an elitist but rather a person who had some experience he wished to share. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Pirate_Talker]

I was home schooled from grade 10 and on after my science teacher told me i was a fool for thinking that creative design was real and asked me not to raise my hand or give my opinion ever again. i got up and left the school right then and then, i learned so much more at home where I was safe, could include bible and real world teaching and not be bullied, and I did like the fact that school was 1 min away since I just had to wake up

i think everyone should be home schooled, if you have the power or means to do it.

How did it work out in college? Were you comfortable enough to try it out?

 

[Mar044]

i got my high school accreditation and went to University of Toronto taking Criminology, and Japanese studies. I found it fine, although in school or not my spelling was always questionable

honestly I found myself more educated on issues as I was free to explore any subject at home with no limitations. I believe in creative design, the believe like the speed of light testing that science can be wrong, thus i believe the age of earth is not as old as what science says it is, the bible has a clear family tree for the most part going back to adam and eve, and i don’t see how science can explain to me how nothing can be created out of nothing and some big bang created the uni, and that we are monkeys evolved. so scientists say we have only been around a short time compared to millions of years on the earth…how can that be, since population growth as a measurement shows the same timeline as the bible…8-12 thousand years?

so in point i took home school because

I believe in creative design

i believe the earth is not as old as science says because someone guessed and made it fact, and carbon dating and ice cores need base references to compare to and if your wrong the carbon dating is wrong and actually people have replicated icecores to seem millons of years old when in fact warm melting and re freezing man times in the season can cause the same effect.

i believe in science for some basic rules but thing science is a realign in itself because they tell you stuff is fact when nobody was there to see it, where the bible and most other religions such as quran tell the same story of creation.

 

[Pirate_Talker]

i got my high school accreditation and went to University of Toronto taking Criminology, and Japanese studies. I found it fine, although in school or not my spelling was always questionable

honestly I found myself more educated on issues as I was free to explore any subject at home with no limitations. I believe in creative design, the believe like the speed of light testing that science can be wrong, thus i believe the age of earth is not as old as what science says it is, the bible has a clear family tree for the most part going back to adam and eve, and i don’t see how science can explain to me how nothing can be created out of nothing and some big bang created the uni, and that we are monkeys evolved. so scientists say we have only been around a short time compared to millions of years on the earth…how can that be, since population growth as a measurement shows the same timeline as the bible…8-12 thousand years?

so in point i took home school because

I believe in creative design

i believe the earth is not as old as science says because someone guessed and made it fact, and carbon dating and ice cores need base references to compare to and if your wrong the carbon dating is wrong and actually people have replicated icecores to seem millons of years old when in fact warm melting and re freezing man times in the season can cause the same effect.

i believe in science for some basic rules but thing science is a realign in itself because they tell you stuff is fact when nobody was there to see it, where the bible and most other religions such as quran tell the same story of creation.

I’m very happy that you thrived in your home school invironment. Not everyone does. but if I may note, without being critical, your grammar and spelling could use a liitle help. Do you think you were short changed in being home schooled in language arts? English requires a lot of pratice and study.

 

[Mar044]

my spelling have always been well questionable before and after I left lol

 

[DeoSalvatoreMeo]

I didn’t take Rich as being an elitist but rather a person who had some experience he wished to share. Just my humble opinion.

I did. Particularly this:

“I’ll match my wife’s abilities and proven record in the Brooklyn public schools and in the Bangkok International Schools against any woman’s anywhere any time, and I’m certain she’ll rank in the top half dozen. The proof is in the results. My oldest son won a four year full scholarship to Vanderbilt University.”

Rich O believes that his wife is in competition with parents that choose to homeschool their children. You said “in your humble opinion” but Rich’s statement was not humble and it comes across as arrogant. Perhaps it was not intended that way. It certainly comes across that way to me. The success of a homeschool mother is not a threat to his wife’s achievements. I don’t know why he is posting as though they are. Apples and oranges.

 

[ringil]

Sure. The first is within the realm of possibility, though unlikely. I’ll concede this much - the lack of the degree itself might not be an impediment, but the education of the four years is a necessity.

As to the second, I’ll match my wife’s abilities and proven record in the Brooklyn public schools and in the Bangkok International Schools against any woman’s anywhere any time, and I’m certain she’ll rank in the top half dozen. The proof is in the results. My oldest son won a four year full scholarship to Vanderbilt University.

My daughter, alas, went to Christendom College in Virginia, a pokey little school in the middle of nowhere.

Your daughter went to Christendom? WOW! I had a guy eons ago who tried to convince me to go there but I am so glad I didn’t! It’s not exactly known to be the pinnacle of learning. I hope your daughter enjoyed herself though! Is she right-wing?

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

You’re truly upset by the Christendom College choice? Or are you joking?

Christiandom College is a fantastic small private school. The chaplain there baptized my son and married my wife and I. Just because a college doesn’t have an A rating athletics program doesn’t mean it is “hokey”. It is one of the few colleges left in the states that is still loyal to the Magisterium.

 

[HouseArrest]

Christiandom College is a fantastic small private school. The chaplain there baptized my son and married my wife and I. Just because a college doesn’t have an A rating athletics program doesn’t mean it is “hokey”. It is one of the few colleges left in the states that is still loyal to the Magisterium.

That is what I thought. I don’t have any personal experience with the college. From everything I have read and through the opinions of people I respect, I thought it was a good school. That is why I was surprised when Rich seemed upset by his daughter’s choice of schools.

Ringil, why do you say it’s not the pinnacle of learning?

 

[vz71]

That is what I thought. I don’t have any personal experience with the college. From everything I have read and through the opinions of people I respect, I thought it was a good school. That is why I was surprised when Rich seemed upset by his daughter’s choice of schools.

Look at his location box.
I know when it comes time for my kids to go to college I am unsure I will want them travelling across the country.

 

[HouseArrest]

Look at his location box.
I know when it comes time for my kids to go to college I am unsure I will want them travelling across the country.

It is quite far, but the post seemed to be referring to academics rather than distance.

Plus he called it a pokey little school.

 

[ringil]

That is what I thought. I don’t have any personal experience with the college. From everything I have read and through the opinions of people I respect, I thought it was a good school. That is why I was surprised when Rich seemed upset by his daughter’s choice of schools.

Ringil, why do you say it’s not the pinnacle of learning?

Christendom may be authentically Catholic but that doesn’t mean you get a quality education there. The school doesn’t have top tier professors and many of the professors have only Masters’ Degrees.

The College of Mary Magdelan (NH) is also orthodox but with a student body of 60 students I wouldn’t call this a great school either.

Same with Ave Maria Unicersity.

Catholic Univ. of America is an example of a school that is both orthodox and a provider of excellent education to it’s students.

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

Christendom may be authentically Catholic but that doesn’t mean you get a quality education there. The school doesn’t have top tier professors and many of the professors have only Masters’ Degrees.

The College of Mary Magdelan (NH) is also orthodox but with a student body of 60 students I would call this a great school either.

Most of the people in the current Administration have advanced degrees from top tier Ivy League schools and look where that’s gotten us.

 

[ringil]

Most of the people in the current Administration have advanced degrees from top tier Ivy League schools and look where that’s gotten us.

It’s just a fact that some schools are better than others. Christendom, Ave Maria, Thomas Aquinas, College of Mary Magdalen are not recognized to offer fabulous educations.

In fact at Aquinas students don’t even read modern textbooks as class materials. All of their education is through analysis of Classic Western Literature and Medieval Church writers.

Do you think relying on these types of sources exclusively will give a student all they need to know to operate in our world? I find it quite odd myself.

Having an in-depth knowledge of Aristotle might make for a stimulating dinner conversation but it hardly prepares a young person for a career.

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

It’s just a fact that some schools are better than others. Christendom, Ave Maria, Thomas Aquinas, College of Mary Magdalen are not recognized to offer fabulous educations.

In fact at Aquinas students don’t even read modern textbooks as class materials. All of their education is through analysis of Classic Western Literature and Medieval Church writers.

Do you think relying on these types of sources exclusively will give a student all they need to know to operate in our world? I find it quite odd myself.

Having an in-depth knowledge of Aristotle might make for a stimulating dinner conversation but it hardly prepares a young person for a career.

If they are reading antiquated history textbooks, they are probably getting a more accurate history of world affairs than if they read modern “corrected history” (more like fabricated history) textbooks.

Has math changed all that much since Archimedes?

 

[HouseArrest]

If they are reading antiquated history textbooks, they are probably getting a more accurate history of world affairs than if they read modern “corrected history” (more like fabricated history) textbooks.

Has math changed all that much since Archimedes?

I don’t have much faith in modern textbooks, either.

 

[HouseArrest]

It’s just a fact that some schools are better than others. Christendom, Ave Maria, Thomas Aquinas, College of Mary Magdalen are not recognized to offer fabulous educations.

In fact at Aquinas students don’t even read modern textbooks as class materials. All of their education is through analysis of Classic Western Literature and Medieval Church writers.

Do you think relying on these types of sources exclusively will give a student all they need to know to operate in our world? I find it quite odd myself.

Having an in-depth knowledge of Aristotle might make for a stimulating dinner conversation but it hardly prepares a young person for a career.

My (high school) kids are taking classical courses, such as Greek History and Greek Literature. They are reading the Iliad and the Odyssey, for example, as that is actually Greek Literature. Would it be better to read a modern author’s take on the Iliad, or to read the Iliad itself? Why are modern texts always better?

 

[vz71]

I don’t have much faith in modern textbooks, either.

I purchased new books from my homeschool association.
I have noted the copyright date of the English text is in the 1960’s.

It is unfortunate, but it appears that some modern religion texts are filled with ‘the spirit of vatican II’ and have watered down the teachings to such a degree as to be meaningless.
I have taken to teaching my kids directly from the Baltimore Catechism, the CCC, and the Bible.
They love the pure fact approach of the Baltimore Catechism.

 

[HouseArrest]

It’s just a fact that some schools are better than others. Christendom, Ave Maria, Thomas Aquinas, College of Mary Magdalen are not recognized to offer fabulous educations.

In fact at Aquinas students don’t even read modern textbooks as class materials. All of their education is through analysis of Classic Western Literature and Medieval Church writers.

Do you think relying on these types of sources exclusively will give a student all they need to know to operate in our world? I find it quite odd myself.

Having an in-depth knowledge of Aristotle might make for a stimulating dinner conversation but it hardly prepares a young person for a career.

I agree it is just a fact that some schools are better than others, simply because is not probable that so many schools would be of exactly the same caliber. But what are going by that determines that those schools you listed are not recogized to offer fabulous educations? Says who?

I just looked through the faculty listing online at Christendom and there are many with PhD’s, in addition to other advanced degrees.

Do I think the students will get all they need to know to operate in our world? What constitutes everything they need to know to operate in our world? Is it a certain amount of facts?

This is from the Thomas Aquinas website:

*Students develop the lost tools of inquiry, argument, and translation — in critically reading and analyzing texts, in mathematical demonstration, and in laboratory investigation.

Equipped with these tools, the graduates are fortified to undertake any area of study, professional training, or vocation. Grounded in the arts of thinking and with a broad, integrated vision of the whole of life and learning, every subject becomes an open door. Even more important, alumni are prepared to live well the life of the free citizen and of the Christian.*

It sounds like the goal is to guide the students to be able to learn anything - themselves. That is the goal of a classical education.