I’ve homeschooled using Seton with a middle schooler. It’s intense but no reason not to get out and do things. We went to a monthly science class, 2 weekly library game meetups (one with other homeschoolers, another with a mixed group). She did a lunch’n’learn co-op as well as a day-long trip every month.I’d have to disagree. While some of that may exist, in my Catholic homeschooling circle, almost everyone is enrolled in a program and must submit homework, quizzes, tests, projects, etc. Families cannot be going hither and yon and expect to complete the program. It’s simply impossible. Those who aren’t enrolled chose that because they wanted to be more vigorous in certain subjects, such as Latin or the classics. We took one field trip this year to see the solar eclipse. Just because a homeschool group offers a lot of choices doesn’t mean that a homeschooling family is attending each event. Standardized tests shows there’s more learning going on in homeschools than there are in public and even private schools.
Could not be more true.Depends on where you live, though.
But again given all that 1 in 10 is not that great when this article is from a state where 1 in 20 (about 5%) of children are homeschooled. That’s simply twice the number of typical vocations. Given that Christian homeschoolers make up the majority of homeschoolers in New England but believers tend to be a minority in society, the demographics are in favor of vocations from such a self-selecting group.There’s a connection between doctrine and vocations. The parochial schools my kids attended were very weak on doctrinal content. Nothing was said to be definitely true or false, right or wrong. Everything is subjective, or relative. A few teachers did sneak in some doctrine here and there, almost on the sly.
We started a classical Catholic high school, and we already are seeing a few vocations. We are very similar to the home schooling group. They have vocations too
Our bishop is good, encouraged us and the home schoolers. But the liberals have a stranglehold on the local official Catholic schools. They won’t change. They have few vocations.
Well, it’d be incorrect to say that using every opportunity would have no learning. I have a background in education and could quite easily put together a complete curriculum-based solely around activities. Now, this wouldn’t fit our needs, but it is possible. Just the monthly science/ecology class alone would have been more than enough to turn into an entire years’ worth of middle school learning.Oh, I get it! I thought you were saying homeschoolers were so busy that there is no schooling happening. We don’t get out for field trips or other educational events, however, we are very involved in the parish, so we are social.
Still, twice the rate is significant. One would hope that we could see a percentage closer to what was once considered normal. However, I think that in the next generation of homeschoolers, we will see this rate continue to increase.
I think homeschooling is only one part of the equation, however, and I think that a healthy parish environment is absolutely essential. In our little Latin Mass community of 80 people, we have had a vocation a year (this year two!) for the past 5 years. That’s a pretty big percentage. Where you have Adoration, processions and devout Masses, there will be vocations.
The parish is important, but my point is that:Yes, traditionalists do tend to enter orders rather than being ordained for a diocese, so their numbers don’t show up in this article. I just used that as an example of the parish environment being so important in men and women pursuing vocations. Homeschooling just reinforces what happens in the parish; we don’t live in a vacuum.
I’m just about to turn 40. I was not Catholic as a child, but evangelical Protestant (entered the Church as an adult). As a result, I had some intense Sunday School and VBS and Wednesday Bible studies etc. I can tell you that the quality of the religious education I received as an evangelical child was far beyond the quality of the religious education my cradle-Catholic friends were receiving at the time. My best friend, who’s the same age as me, recently found her 2nd grade 1st Communion prep book. And it’s terrible. Doesn’t even talk about the Real Presence one bit. It’s all just, sharing in Communion is how we show that we are all God’s children, it’s a community meal, etc. etc. In 6th or 7th grade CCD this same friend was taught about reincarnation – although at least that wasn’t in the diocesan-approved book…I agree parents are a big factor, but so is curriculum. Lots of very involved parents sent their kids to schools with liberal religious education programs, and there were few vocations.
I suspect if home schoolers had been using Sadlier, Silver Burdette, Benzinger, or the other cotton candy religious education programs my kids had in school, you would have seen few vocations from home schoolers, too.
It isn’t about the curriculum.“Nearly all vocations stem from children who had involved parents who sought out religious and educational opportunities.”"
(Prior poster)
I agree parents are a big factor, but so is curriculum. Lots of very involved parents sent their kids to schools with liberal religious education programs, and there were few vocations.
I suspect if home schoolers had been using Sadlier, Silver Burdette, Benzinger, or the other cotton candy religious education programs my kids had in school, you would have seen few vocations from home schoolers, too.
The homeschooled children I see standout so much they are kinda easy to spot. They are well behaved. They are more engaged in whatever situation I see them. They follow the conversations, they respond, they have interesting comments. They are more mature, more able to participate in an adult setting. These are still kids, but they already possess more of the traits we expect to see in an educated person.Homeschooling for most children is a complete misnomer as they do field trips, co-ops, take classes in art and gym during elementary school in public schools and math, science, etc in upper grades.
I was dissatisfied with the standard religious programs in our Phoenix diocesan schools. My kids have been to three different diocese schools. BUT, I will say that the first diocese school they were in also included an added Atrium program. This program had a teacher who specialized in Atrium RE and taught all of the grades. This had a major influence on my children’s knowledge and interest in their faith, and I am eternally thankful for that teacher and the program.Non-diocesan Catholic schools also seem to be cranking out the vocations, too.