| Author | |
Red Cardigan
Forum Pro
Joined: June 16 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 470
|
| Posted: July 04 2007 at 8:48pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Well, Martha, to be fair, at the time the homeschool was fairly new and I don't think they'd had many high schoolers through the program; and it is possible to read "Macbeth," for instance, without a deep understanding either of Elizabethan England or of early Scottish history.
But the attitude I'm talking about was kind of an either/or: either Shakespeare was secretly Catholic, or his works would just be more anti-Catholic Elizabethan priest-killing propaganda with nothing good in them! So of course, the school decided that Shakespeare was secretly Catholic and pretty much taught his works that way.
And what bothers me about that attitude is that it's far too absolutist. You simply can't prove that Shakespeare was or wasn't Catholic by reading the plays, as the process of separation from the Catholic faith wasn't instantaneous, and many beliefs were held in common both by Catholics and by Church of England adherents in those days.
I pretty much agree with you that it's fine to learn to think and act as a Catholic as long as we're willing to accept both the good and the bad in our faith history. But ultimately I think it's not a good idea to confuse a genuine Catholic perspective, which is capable of appreciating Shakespeare even if he wasn't Catholic, with a less genuine perspective that wants to coat everything with a layer of Catholicism whether this is true, or good, or even necessary.
__________________
http://www.redcardigan.blogspot.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
allegiance_mom
Forum Pro
Joined: June 26 2007
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 163
|
| Posted: July 05 2007 at 8:46am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Eleanor wrote:
| Looking at this from another angle, I guess it also relates to the question of whether children should be given the space to make connections on their own, vs. having things spelled out for them. As I understand it, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, and unschooling would tend toward the former, while unit studies, Five in a Row, and some classical methods would tend toward the latter. |
|
|
I will just contribute a quote from the Magesterium of the Catholic Church:
"Religion must not be taught to youth only during certain hours, but the entire system of education must be permeated with the sense of Christian piety. If this is lacking, if this Holy Spirit does not penetrate and inflame the souls of teacher and pupil, small benefit will be derived from any other sort of education; instead damage will be done." (Militantis Ecclesiae, Pope Leo XIII)
Notice that Pope Leo does not say that every item must be Catholic, or contain a Catholic quote or image. Christian piety is the aim.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Martha
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 25 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2291
|
| Posted: July 05 2007 at 9:50am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Eleanor wrote:
| Looking at this from another angle, I guess it also relates to the question of whether children should be given the space to make connections on their own, vs. having things spelled out for them. As I understand it, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, and unschooling would tend toward the former, while unit studies, Five in a Row, and some classical methods would tend toward the latter. |
|
|
ouch. I don't think I spell things out FOR my children and I don't think those methods neccessarily do either. Rather I think it's a difference of how children are encouraged to make connections and the ways in which they are given the opportunity to do so.
allegiance_mom wrote:
I will just contribute a quote from the Magesterium of the Catholic Church:
"Religion must not be taught to youth only during certain hours, but the entire system of education must be permeated with the sense of Christian piety. If this is lacking, if this Holy Spirit does not penetrate and inflame the souls of teacher and pupil, small benefit will be derived from any other sort of education; instead damage will be done." (Militantis Ecclesiae, Pope Leo XIII)
Notice that Pope Leo does not say that every item must be Catholic, or contain a Catholic quote or image. Christian piety is the aim. |
|
|
No, he certianly doesn't and I don't think so either. However, he does say "the entire system of education must be permeated" and I think he meant more than just "oh yeah, and there were catholics around somewhere back then too." Somehow, I think a lack of Catholic "talk", wouldn't fit his idea of an education permeated with the faith either.
For *me*, not every subject has to be one or the other way. For example, I'm going to use Hillside Education's language arts materials this year. Catholic provider, with beautiful and excellent quality materials, some Catholic quotes/pictures sporadicly, but not every page is a saint story/picture. I'm perfectly okay with that and we're eager to use it. Our history however, is most certainly going to be very Catholic. Our science is going to be very neutral, imho, with zero mention of religon at all unless I bring it into the subject myself.
But then again, I don't use the same teaching philosophy for every subject either. We are very CM is some areas, very classical in others, and yet very traditional in some other ways.
But I think, I pray, my curriculum and methods are permeated with the faith, my Catholic Centered Curriculum. 
__________________
Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: July 05 2007 at 10:18am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Eleanor wrote:
| Looking at this from another angle, I guess it also relates to the question of whether children should be given the space to make connections on their own, vs. having things spelled out for them. As I understand it, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, and unschooling would tend toward the former, while unit studies, Five in a Row, and some classical methods would tend toward the latter. |
|
|
Hmmm...in my house, unit studies are all about strewing great books and suggesting ideas that facilitate making connections. We all make connections--adults and children alike. They are definitely not made for us.
Five in a Row isn't Catholic so you wouldn't see an infusion of the faith there, but I do think that when we design our own unit studies or we use an existing study and tailor it to our family, we can integrate the faith in a way that is very natural and not at all contrived.
I use primarily living books and Charlotte Mason methods (narration, copywork, dictation, nature study and picture study) in my house. But I'm not a Charlotte Mason purist.I'm naturally drawn towards unit study with an emphasis on literature because that's the way I learn and the way I can best enthuse my children. It's also the best way to learn at home in a large Catholic family in my experience. Because I'm always looking for the Catholic perspective and the Catholic connection for myself, it's only natural to find it when we're on a rabbit trail. Stories of the saints are obvious vehicles. The observance of the liturgical year within the context of daily family life is another. If the atmosphere of the learning environment is wholly Catholic then learning is permeated with the faith. If your day is framed in prayer and punctuated with real observance of the faith, it IS a Catholic education.
All that said, I appreciate well-written Catholic curricular materials. If it's forced or contrived the children are the first to notice. If it's well-done, they are the first to benefit.
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Eleanor
Forum Pro
Joined: June 20 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 326
|
| Posted: July 05 2007 at 4:32pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Elizabeth wrote:
| Five in a Row isn't Catholic so you wouldn't see an infusion of the faith there, but I do think that when we design our own unit studies or we use an existing study and tailor it to our family, we can integrate the faith in a way that is very natural and not at all contrived. |
|
|
Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that FIAR had Catholic content.  I was just trying to say that there's a range of philosophies regarding the desirability of leaving children to make their own connections (in any area, not just religion), and that perhaps one's views on this issue might affect one's opinion of the various approaches to integrating the Catholic faith into other subjects. For instance, in many of the materials from CHC and Seton, connections between religion and other subject areas are very clearly and frequently spelled out (*), even when the relationship is an indirect one.
From what I've read on this thread, this approach is welcomed by many families, especially those who are inexperienced in their faith, or who simply find it too heavy a burden to identify and discuss these sorts of links on their own. I'm glad they find this helpful. But I'm not convinced that these books are inherently "more Catholic" than others I've seen -- also written by Catholic authors -- in which the faith comes across more as a "foundation" than as a "center stage attraction."
Elizabeth wrote:
If the atmosphere of the learning environment is wholly Catholic then learning is permeated with the faith. If your day is framed in prayer and punctuated with real observance of the faith, it IS a Catholic education.
All that said, I appreciate well-written Catholic curricular materials. If it's forced or contrived the children are the first to notice. If it's well-done, they are the first to benefit. |
|
|
Thanks for putting this so clearly. I agree that Catholic materials can be a great blessing. As a matter of principle, we would strongly prefer them over secular or Protestant materials, which is why we were looking into these curricula in the first place.
--
(*) "To spell out" = "to make plain," "to make clear and understandable." The dictionary doesn't consider this to be a pejorative phrase, and I certainly didn't intend it in that way. We can all benefit from having things spelled out for us at times.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: July 05 2007 at 5:57pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Eleanor,
Please don't worry. I don't think it's taken as a pejorative phrase. And you are correct in observing that some families will want things more plainly stated. Personally, I think connections are more meaningful if the child makes them herself--or if she makes them together with a parent, as in a mutual "aha" moment or even an "aha" moment that mom has planned for the child.
When you stop to think about it, MOntessori presentations are all about making something plain. There is crystal clarity in what your aim is in presenting. It's just that you want the child to take what you're presenting and make it her own.
A textbook that forces Catholic references into every area seem like it takes "something" which belongs to the author and thrusts it upon the child. I think that is what is making you squirm.
Many children aren't fond of syrupy materials that drip. They are rather distracted by them. They look for what the "real" meaning is: is it the spelling patterns or all the other stuff around them? Sometimes, the answer can be "both." Sometimes not. Some of my children like the faith woven into CHC's spelling books, for instance. They can easily learn the words and they like the mini-catechism lessons that are also on the page. Most of my children, however, benefit from the clarity of AVKO spelling.Their spelling lesson isn't Catholic, per se, but they are Catholic children learning spelling .
I look for the best way to teach a child a particular thing. And then I find it quite simple to integrate faith throughout our studies. Does that make any sense at all?
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Eleanor
Forum Pro
Joined: June 20 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 326
|
| Posted: July 06 2007 at 12:42am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Elizabeth wrote:
Personally, I think connections are more meaningful if the child makes them herself--or if she makes them together with a parent, as in a mutual "aha" moment or even an "aha" moment that mom has planned for the child.
When you stop to think about it, Montessori presentations are all about making something plain. There is crystal clarity in what your aim is in presenting. It's just that you want the child to take what you're presenting and make it her own. |
|
|
Planned "aha" moments can be wonderful.  Montessori has a lot of these -- for instance, when the child discovers that the pink tower can be built horizontally, so that its cubes match up with the brown stair prisms. In traditional Montessori (AMI), the teacher would demonstrate the basic function of the materials, and then, for the most part, leave the children to discover these connections on their own. By contrast, the more modern American-style Montessori (AMS, et al.) advocates demonstrating the connections (called "extensions") explicitly -- either by instructions, or by photographs -- rather than risk having the child miss out on such fun and meaningful experiences. Of course, AMI supporters would counter that the experiences would be much less fun and meaningful that way!
Both AMI and AMS were founded by Catholics (Maria Montessori and Nancy Rambusch, respectively). I guess this area of pedagogical disagreement goes back a long way.
Elizabeth wrote:
| I look for the best way to teach a child a particular thing. And then I find it quite simple to integrate faith throughout our studies. Does that make any sense at all? |
|
|
Yes, it does. I'm even inclined to hope that, if we put the study of our faith at the center of our family's learning, it will sort of integrate itself into the other areas -- assuming the materials we're using are supportive of a Catholic worldview.
Of course, my 3-year-old is currently in a phase of asking "Did God make this?" about anything and everything (chairs, cats, hamburgers, cars, raisins)... so maybe my perspective is a bit skewed. 
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Celeste
Forum Pro
Joined: April 03 2006
Location: Nebraska
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 263
|
| Posted: July 25 2007 at 8:34pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
How cool is this? This was from ZENIT today, and it reminded me of this discussion.
Benedict XVI Urges Loving the Human and Divine
Encourages "Quite Catholic" Attitude
Benedict XVI says the beauty of Christianity is in relishing both the human and the divine.
The Pope said this Tuesday during a question-and-answer session with 400 priests of the dioceses of Belluno-Feltre and Treviso, in the Church of St. Justina Martyr in Auronzo di Cadore, near Lorenzago di Cadore, where he is vacationing.
One of the priests asked the Holy Father about enjoying human things, such as recreation. "I liked playing soccer more than going to Eucharistic adoration," the priest said, explaining that his superiors in the seminary scolded him for this.
"Doesn't bringing man close to God, and God to man, happen in our humanity, even for us priests?" he asked the Pontiff.
"I would be against choosing whether to play soccer or to study sacred Scripture or canon law. Let us do both," Benedict XVI responded. "We cannot always live in high meditation; maybe a saint at the highest levels of his earthly existence can do that, but normally we live with our feet on the ground and our eyes fixed on heaven.
"Both are given to us by the Lord and therefore loving human things, loving the beauty of this earth, is not just very human, but also very Christian and quite Catholic."
The Pope said that a "healthy and truly Catholic pastoral care" includes living in what he called the "et-et," Latin for "and-and."
He explained that this should prompt us "to live humanity and the humanism of mankind, all the gifts that the Lord has given us, which we have developed and, at the same time, not to forget God, because in the end the great light comes from God and only from him comes the light that gives joy to the realities of the things that exist."
"Therefore," the Holy Father said, "I would like to work for this great Catholic synthesis, for this 'et-et'; to be truly man -- that everyone according to their own gifts and their own charism loves the earth and the beautiful things the Lord has given us, but to also be grateful for the light of God that shines on the earth, that gives splendor and beauty to everything else."
"Let us live in this Catholicity joyously. This would be my answer," Benedict XVI concluded, prompting applause from the priests present.
Celeste
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Red Cardigan
Forum Pro
Joined: June 16 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 470
|
| Posted: July 25 2007 at 11:39pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Celeste, I'm so glad you shared this! How beautiful! 
__________________
http://www.redcardigan.blogspot.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
hopalenik
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 17 2006
Location: Connecticut
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 230
|
| Posted: July 26 2007 at 11:02pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hi,
Going all the back to the first question, I have a slightly different comment to make....When I first picked up CHC's stuff, several years back I almost had to laugh and feel quesy at the same time. The little folks material is very CAtholic and very overstated about it. I found it way too much and nearly returned everything, however, my children who had never been exposed to anything else, thought nothing of it. So now, I too, just accept the very Catholic material as normal (except for that second grade science book!). So I would not be surprised if in a year or too, the shock from seeing such explicit Catholic material has not faded away.
Holly
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
DivineMercy
Forum Pro
Joined: June 14 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 146
|
| Posted: July 27 2007 at 4:42am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Eleanor wrote:
[QUOTE=Elizabeth]
Of course, my 3-year-old is currently in a phase of asking "Did God make this?" about anything and everything (chairs, cats, hamburgers, cars, raisins)... so maybe my perspective is a bit skewed. |
|
|
My 3 year old does this, too! Coming from a boy who just a few months ago when I asked if God made something, like the clouds or flowers, would say "no, mommy, they grew from seeds". Too cute and fun!
Michelle
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
happymama
Forum Pro
Joined: Feb 05 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 410
|
| Posted: July 28 2007 at 10:35pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
i just read through this thread for the first time, and i want to reply with my thoughts. first, i think it was a great question to begin with, and i agree that it's difficult to articulate the issue without sounding nit-picky!
i certainly think that some materials are too inundated with theological/spiritual dimensions. Imagine CHC starting to sell Montessori materials! Would the Red Rods be painted blue - Mary's color - with the ten commandments written on each rod?!
my concern is NOT that this is in any way "harmful" to my children, but that i'm a huge believer in ecumenism and spreading the faith by living our normal, Catholic lives and yet still being able to relate to non-Catholics. i think that if my children were to grow up in an environment completely saturated with "Catholic talk", interacting with non-Catholics might be, well, weird for both parties. It's like if EVERY decoration in your home, every material in your classroom was DISTINCTLY Catholic, how welcome would a protestant friend feel there? i have many protestant friends who get a bit squeamish about my Mary statues and so on... piles of rosaries laying around... but there are plenty of other beautiful things, too. Especially in my classroom.
maybe i'm not making much sense, it's quite late, but in addition to knowing their faith, i really want my kids to learn to get along well with non-Catholics and be able to be comfortable and have meaningful conversations with them. i hope that my children will have very deep faith, yet be informed ("well-rounded") enough to be approachable by others.
I have a devout friend. She's not "well-rounded" in this sense. When our mutual (also devout) friend got engaged to a non-Catholic, she flat out told her that the whole relationship was a mistake. She just couldn't see any situation working outside of the bubble she lives in - the picture-perfect family of all cradle Catholics receiving the Eucharist together, praying the rosary together... She has no respect for other family situations. Call it extremism? I want to avoid extremism in my children's education, and if a text is completely and unnecessarily drowning in cliche religiosity, then yes, i'll return it for something else!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennyMaine
Forum Pro
Joined: July 26 2005
Location: Maine
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 209
|
| Posted: July 29 2007 at 4:46am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wow, happymama. I just have to chuckle at how different we are.
For me, I've always felt that if my best friend, a Baptist, were perfectly comfortable in my home and/or with my homeschool materials - well, then I knew I was hiding my faith in an effort to get along. As a revert to the faith via the road of Protestant Fundamentalism, I am so proud to be Catholic. I want to sing the praises of my faith to everyone, and having a Catholic home environment and curricula is a natural extension of that desire. Having been vehemently anti-Catholic for years, I can guarantee you that I wasn't brought back to the faith by Catholics who were just living quietly ecumenical lives. I was won back by being made uncomfortable and having to take a long, hard look at myself.
For my children, I do want them to learn as much as possible about their faith and above all to not be ashamed of it. It's hard to be a light on a hill when you're trying to blend in with other faiths. My children do learn about other faiths and are taught how to perform the spiritual works of mercy in a gentle way -- but they can't do these things if they don't know their own faith inside and out. For my family, using Catholic materials does achieve that goal. As the only Christian child in my entire pubic school for grades K-8, I was deprived of a Catholic education and it cost me plenty in the choices I made as a young adult. I want my kids to have an actual Catholic education - personally, I can't achieve that without using Catholic materials. How can I pass on what I never received myself?
As for the story of the marriage you mentioned, I have nothing but respect for both your friends. If I had a friend entering into a mixed marriage, I would also warn her of the dangers and then love and pray for her always. At the opposite end of your example, I work with a Catholic woman who is leaving her husband after 17 years of marriage -- he mocks her faith and prevents her sons from attending Mass, etc. It's been an awful situation and certainly not what she envisioned in the rosy glow of a new relationship 17 yrs ago.
I think we are all so blessed at this point in time. We are overwhelmingly supplied with homeschool curricula of every size, shape, and philosophy possible. So, I'll go on supporting texts that are completely "drowning in cliche religiosity" and I'll be proud to do so. And you'll go on avoiding them. The beauty of it is that each family can pray and earnestly seek the Lord about what He wants their home and school to represent for Him. I made many visits to the Blessed Sacrament and prayed about my choices for homeschool materials. And as we all know that other families have prayed and sought Him, we don't need to feel threatened by each other's choices. I think each homeschool has it's own path to follow. As long as we are respectful and don't use derogatory terms to describe what other moms feel are legitimate choices, there shouldn't be any problems, right?
__________________
--JennyMaine, Mom to Catherine (17) and Sam (15) "The countenance is a reflection of the soul. You should always have a calm and serene countenance." -- Therese of Lisieux
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Martha
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 25 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2291
|
| Posted: July 29 2007 at 10:07am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Jenny - I feel the exact same way! Thank you for saying it far better than I could have. I too have not understood how "blending in" can make ones faith stand out.
As for the mixed faith marriage thing....
I don't think the more orthodox (?) friend was intending to be cruel. I think she was trying to be kind as she foresees many a problem down the road, esp once children enter that marriage. As someone married to a non-religious husband (who is very supportive most of the time, btw) it is very hard. I don't know what I'd do if my dh wasn't okay with my raising the children in my faith, because this is not a negotioable area for me, kwim? It's probably the only thing I won't negotiate with my dh on. I'll do what I can to make it as comfortable for him and to help him understand, but it is going to happen.
__________________
Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
happymama
Forum Pro
Joined: Feb 05 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 410
|
| Posted: July 30 2007 at 12:02am | IP Logged
|
|
|
"blending in" - hmmm. I hadn't meant to support that. No watering down of anything, either. These days it'd be pretty hard to call a Catholic, SAHM, home-schooling daily-Masser someone who's just "blending in"!
I happen to live in a place where virtually all of my friends are protestant, i have only 1 Catholic friend to speak of, and she lives 20 miles away from me. So, I can live a life of solitude, or open my heart and doors to other moms who are protestant. Friendships begin on common ground. God-willing, the way that i live my life, what i write on my blog, and the answers i give to the questions i'm asked will point other women towards the Church. If i insist on bringing my Catholic faith into every single sentence I speak to my friends, how long do you think they'd stick around?
My point is, i'm educting young children. I'm not the novice master of some discalaced Carmelites. I loved dearly the Pope Benedict quote above in this thread. We encourage pius practices and deep faith in our kids, but there is a time and a place for everything. If my kids want to play basketball, should I insist on first painting a picture of the sacred heart on their ball and up on the backboard? Should we stop a t-ball game every 5 minutes and gather for a quick prayer? If we are learning violin, must i only play liturgical music?
I love the secular phonics book, Phonics Pathways. It has worked marvelously for us. I'm not going to go searching for a Catholic phonics program to replace it, just so everything can be "Catholic." That's my only point.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennyMaine
Forum Pro
Joined: July 26 2005
Location: Maine
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 209
|
| Posted: July 30 2007 at 8:37am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Happymama, I'm so glad for you that you are a happy mama, as your name says. I'm glad for you that you are comfortable with your choices. I know I'm very pleased with my Catholic curriculum and the role it plays in our education and family life.
Have a great day!
__________________
--JennyMaine, Mom to Catherine (17) and Sam (15) "The countenance is a reflection of the soul. You should always have a calm and serene countenance." -- Therese of Lisieux
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
atara
Forum Rookie
Joined: March 25 2011
Location: Louisiana
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 53
|
| Posted: March 26 2011 at 8:31pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
margot helene wrote:
Perhaps that is something of what you are feeling. For me it takes more than appearances to make a Catholic program. That is why I like programs like RC History so much.
Blessings
Margot |
|
|
What is RC history?
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: March 26 2011 at 8:35pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
atara wrote:
margot helene wrote:
Perhaps that is something of what you are feeling. For me it takes more than appearances to make a Catholic program. That is why I like programs like RC History so much.
Blessings
Margot |
|
|
What is RC history? |
|
|
RC History -- Connecting With History by Sonya Romens
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
atara
Forum Rookie
Joined: March 25 2011
Location: Louisiana
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 53
|
| Posted: March 26 2011 at 8:46pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
JennyMaine wrote:
Wow, happymama. I just have to chuckle at how different we are.
For me, I've always felt that if my best friend, a Baptist, were perfectly comfortable in my home and/or with my homeschool materials - well, then I knew I was hiding my faith in an effort to get along. As a revert to the faith via the road of Protestant Fundamentalism, I am so proud to be Catholic. I want to sing the praises of my faith to everyone, and having a Catholic home environment and curricula is a natural extension of that desire. Having been vehemently anti-Catholic for years, I can guarantee you that I wasn't brought back to the faith by Catholics who were just living quietly ecumenical lives. I was won back by being made uncomfortable and having to take a long, hard look at myself.
I can't achieve that without using Catholic materials. How can I pass on what I never received myself?
|
|
|
I really appreciate and relate to this. I am a convert as well and I also changed public schools constantly. Like you, I made some poor choices. I feel so behind the pack when it comes to educating my child in a Catholic way. I love anything that is Catholic so I am probably not as picky about it as I should. I never had a Catholic upbringin and every thing it can teach me, to help my child, I will take. Having been raised fundamental protestant, I can tell you that the Catholic faith has so much more to experience and learn. Just start with all the feast days and sacramentals! I'd never get it all without more help. Cradle Catholics may take for granted how much they know.
P>S. Thanks for the link Jenn!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TxTrish
Forum Pro
Joined: Oct 23 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 321
|
| Posted: March 28 2011 at 3:25pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Eleanor wrote:
The second book is trying to teach both science and Catholic theology simultaneously. (CHC is quite explicit about this.) ... Even if all of the material is good and true in itself, as a method of teaching science, it just seems fundamentally disordered.
|
|
|
For me it was a Seton science chapter(an early grade, don't remember anymore it has been so long) that was supposed to be teaching about the heart, circulation etc....
and it spent 75% of the lesson talking about the Sacred Heart. 
I was absolutely beside myself. I thought my brain was going to explode! Needless to say, that was the last year we actually used Seton for our science curriculum. I still use the Seton texts for many subjects, and love them don't get me wrong.
But, I'd have to agree - it is a personal preference thing. What sends me over the edge may seem like a perfectly lovely idea to someone else.
__________________
+JMJ+
Gabrielle20, Deavon18, Elizabeth12, Mary10, Greg8
and a grandson!
My Blog
"Duty before everything, even something holy"
St.Padre Pio
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Can we have "too much Catholic talk?"
