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Dawn
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I had a comment left at my blog last night from someone who is asking Catholic homeschooling mums to help her understand our decision to homeschool. Specifically, I think, why we would shun Catholic education to home educate. I thought I would pass it along here in case anyone wants to engage in the discussion. (You can follow her link at my blog, it's in the nightstand post.  )
I don't really have time this weekend to tackle this, so I directed her to an earlier post of mine (titled, How and Why We Came to Homeschool), as well as my Home Education archives *and* the 4Real Learning Blogroll.
Of course, if I could, I would quote Elizabeth's whole book! That pretty much sums up the decision for me. 
Oh, and here's the comment:
Quote:
| Sorry to comment off topic but you don't have an e-mail listed or one that I could find anyway...I could use your insight. I recently composed a post about being mystified about the decision to homeschool. It's by no means an attack upon those who make that choice. Rather, it's more of a request from those who do homeschool to educate me and others as to the merits of your choice. Please make comments on my blog or on your own. I will check back. Thanks. |
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
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Elizabeth
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Hmmm....I'll be in the car all day but maybe if I bring a copy of the book along I can find just one good quote.
I think the thing for me is that it's not about NOT going to school, it's about staying home. We don't homeschool for negative reasons (because I don't like school), we homeschool for positive reasons (because we learn so much together at home that can't be replicated anywhere else).
If I had time, I'd give you a list of all the positives, but I must get moving. maybe someone else can?
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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)
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Mary G
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Elizabeth wrote:
I think the thing for me is that it's not about NOT going to school, it's about staying home. We don't homeschool for negative reasons (because I don't like school), we homeschool for positive reasons (because we learn so much together at home that can't be replicated anywhere else).
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Elizabeth -- this sounds like a PERFECT summation of home learning rather than school. Too often folks think of us as trying to protect our kids from something (which we are but that's NOT the primary goal) but we're actually trying to get them to, in the subtitle of my blog, "living, learning, and loving in the heart of the home with God at the center of all we do".
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MaryG
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Mackfam
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Dawn,
I'm so glad you posted this because I got the same comment word for word under my Anniversary Post of all things!
I don't have time to address this - today's my dd's 11th birthday!
This is such a loaded question anyway. I'm betting that if every single member of this forum posted their reasons for choosing to homeschool, they would all be as unique and varied as we are. Families are just different. This isn't for everyone. For others, it is our vocation.
I'm going to wait to see what you and Elizabeth and others come up with.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Servant2theKing
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Our own homeschooling venture began when we withdrew our two oldest from a nominally Catholic school (which I had also attended as a youth), due to their use of state materials which strongly conflicted with Catholic teaching. The loss of Catholic identity in US schools, then and now, would be sufficient cause for us to continue to homeschool, but our greater reason for doing so has evolved from the fact that we have finally found the true essence of what it means to be a Domestic Church. It is in and through the homeschooling lifestyle that we are able to be, and become, MORE of what the Church teaches us family ought to be! Before we homeschooled our Faith, and family life, were compartmentalized and we were able to devote only mere fractions of our time, energy and attention to what truly matters most. Now Faith and family are the primary elements of ALL that we think and do and say, every moment of every day! It's not really about choosing school or non-school forms of education any more...it's about fully embracing the commission to be a Domestic Church!
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Rachel May
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I'v always loved Willa's quote in the book about the family journeying to Heaven together.
If you believe that the point of Man's existence is to serve God in this world and be happy with Him in the next, everything you do should be ordered to that end. For us, homeschoolng is a way for all of us to order our lives to that end together.
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lapazfarm
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You know, awhile back I would have jumped right into this one. But I just don't have time or energy for debates any more. If she wants to find out why folks homeschool she can certainly look around and do some reading for herself.I don't mean to sound rude, but all it takes is a little effort on her part (rather than ours). There are plenty of books and articles out there on the subject. 
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Cheryl
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Dawn, I noticed that when I commented on your blog this morning. I thought your answer was good.
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LisaR
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I have to agree with what has already been said- it is because I CAN and because we enjoy learning together. I am not on a militant battle with the schools or school families (which, incidentally, as my sons have grown, some of their closest friends are school kids, some of the moms I admire and hope to emulate the most locally are "school moms").
And a very personal aside- for us to make the commitment for me to be a SAHM is a very big one. We are at poverty level (at least according to those government charts, LOL! ) and it seems to make financial sense for me to educate my children at home for a fraction of the cost, and a better use of my Church's financial resources (as they COULD be giving us large scholarships for our children to attend school there, which is so generous!).
oops, maybe I should have posted on her blog or yours. no time to redo.
I see she is from my area (more or less) . If she is really interested, there are lots of Homeschooling groups I could steer her to!
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Lisa
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MaryM
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Oh and here is the commentors blog post for anyone interested.
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NavyMom
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I subscribe to this particular blog and when I saw the post this morning, I made the following comment:
In my case, I have a special needs child. ADHD. Autism Spectrum. ODD. SPD. The Catholic Schools just can not work with this. I would love to send my neuro-typical daughter to a Catholic school (if I could afford one, which is a whole other topic...). For special needs kids, public schools can offer more services but being a military family that moves around a lot, sometimes we live in places that do not have the best public schools (like now.) So I am homeschooling not really by choice. It is what I have to do now. I feel God has called me to this at this point in my life. I did not choose it and I do not love it. It is not long-term (I hope) but if it is, it is. One year at a time, one kid at a time. I think that is the most important thing- look at each child as an individual and see where he or she is at and see what they need and what is available. By the time my kids graduate highschool, they will probably have a few years home with me, a few years at public schools and a few years at private schools. We are about to move and the school I am checking out for my special needs son is a private Baptist school. Am I thrilled about this when there are 4 good Catholic schools in the town we are moving to? No. But this particular school has a great program for special kids.
Oh, one plus is I have to say I am learning a lot with my kids this year, espcially about my faith.
I could tell you a bunch of negatives, but this is my reality right now so I have to focus on the positive. Here are a few more postives: we have not been sick this year at all, no mommy gossip, and no school politics!
Anyway, there is a whole world on the web for Catholic home educators. If you are curious for learning more check out: 4RealLearning Forums (http://real.thenetsmith.com/)
God Bless!
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ladybugs
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Mackfam wrote:
I don't have time to address this - today's my dd's 11th birthday!
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Happy Birthday!
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Mackfam
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Thank you Maria! We had a wonderful day!
I posted my response to her comment here .
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Jen Mackintosh
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Dawn
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ladybugs wrote:
Mackfam wrote:
I don't have time to address this - today's my dd's 11th birthday!
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Happy Birthday! |
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Yes! Happy Birthday to your daughter! (What a nice day to have a birthday! )
Thanks everyone for your insight on this matter. I hope Leigh is finding the comments left at her blog (and here if she stops in) to be helpful.
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Cay Gibson
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I've gotten where I don't try to explain it anymore. Unless people are open to learning more, they won't understand.
I think it has little (primarily) to do with education and a lot to do with relationships. In a day and age that neglects relationships while promoting educational politics, that concept just blows people's minds.
Homeschooling is a lifestyle. It's that simple and that complex.
Perhaps Elizabeth has a "relationship" blog post you could direct your reader to.
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Cay Gibson
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Rachel May
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I'm curious. Do you think these statements of hers are true?
"Up until the last 5-10 years or so, homeschooling was pegged as a fundamentalist, evangelical endeavor. "
"After all, Catholic education is still considered by many to be the gold standard."
I was surprised by the first statement because when I started homeschooling 5 years ago, I did not perceive it as being a fundamentalist, evangelical endeavor but having had a fundamentalist, evangelical history. Maybe it was just my immediate environment, but I only knew Catholic homeschoolers at first. Even still, most homeschoolers I know IRL are Catholic.
For the second statement, I don't know anyone who sends their kids to Catholic schools. I don't know many Catholics with kids who aren't homeschoolers, but the few I know send their kids to Lutheran or Montessori or public schools. Do Catholics still consider it the gold standard? Just curious, as I keep coming back to her basic presumptions about homeschooling and Catholic education and wondering if they have merit.
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LisaR
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I have to say, I think IL (where blogger is from and where I reside) still has some mighty fine Catholic schools, with Children's Adoration, Mass, Confession, Rosary, excellent Catholic texts, lots of devout large families, etc fairly common. I am assuming that she is surrounded by this. I have lived in other parts of the country where I would have been very nervous about how "catholic" the education really was, but it must vary quite a bit across the country.
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~Rachel~
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I have to add here that for some the sheer COST of going to a Catholic school is often prohibitive... not all of us have one so local!
Be that as it may, my own reasons for homeschooling were really that I wanted MORE for my children. I wanted them to do some of the things I knew the schools no longer did, to experience the fun and love of learning I did To have a POSITIVE experience of school.
And maybe to learn a few things most kids in the system don't seem to nowadays
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MaryM
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Rachel May wrote:
I'm curious. Do you think these statements of hers are true?
"Up until the last 5-10 years or so, homeschooling was pegged as a fundamentalist, evangelical endeavor. "
"After all, Catholic education is still considered by many to be the gold standard." |
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Lisa had a good point about the possible environment in that area in regard to number 2.
I think how you perceive things is based on your support network. If who you are around is Catholic, parochial school parents then those statements would seem like the reality because your peer group doesn't encompass Catholic homeschool families. They would seem like an obscure small ringe group.
There are lots of people who still think that Catholic homeschooling is not a big group. We recently had a woman come to our support group who had homeschooled for years in the area without knowing there were Catholic homeschool groups. She just assumed most Catholics chose Catholic schools.
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Mary M. in Denver
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