The data inputted to this document came from Marianna Bartold
and was obtained through the Catholic Resource Network bulletin
board (computer/modem). It appeared in the June/July 1994 issue
of "The Catholic Family's Magnificat!".
When many parents start to home school, they use an outside
curriculum source that assists them by sending prechosen books
and preplanned lesson plans. This is an excellent way to begin
and continue home education for many reasons;
Sooner or later, parents begin to toy with the idea of looking
for and choosing books on their own. The reason may be that
parents feel more comfortable with the idea of home schooling
after some experience with it. Perhaps they have discovered the
individual learning styles of their children. It may come down to
the simple question of economics. (It is definitely cheaper to
build your own curriculum.)
There are a few things parents should consider when deciding on
whether or not to" strike out on their own,"
so to speak. The list includes;
First, parents must realize and remember they have the
continual graces from the Sacrament of Matrimony to use in, among
other things, the upbringing of their children. They have given
their children a life, a name, and a faith. Both parents must
know it is their Godgiven responsibility to see to the proper
education of their children, no matter which approach they choose
to incorporate. Knowing this, parents will have confidence in
themselves because they trust God to help them.
It is often helpful for parents to write down the reasons they
home school or want to do so. With this list of reasons, in
addition to articles clipped out from daily newspapers,
magazines, etc., pinned to a bulletin board, they can often be
used to reinforce and strengthen the conviction to home school on
difficult days. By adding a little prayer and offering of the
day's tribulations, a family can turn all their daily duties and
studies into merits and graces. (Remember Our Lady of Fatima's
requests to offer the sacrifice of our daily duties.)
Next, a careful look at the books already in the home can reap
a nice harvest to be used in the home school. Pile the books and
divide them into grade levels and subject matter, taking into
account each child's strengths and weaknesses. Don't forget
storybooks, picture Bibles, audiocassette learning books, and any
learning games that may be tucked away.
Then the search to supplement the family library begins. Getting
books that the family needs can be challenging and rewarding.
Catholic curriculum providers like Seton and Our Lady of the
Rosary sell some books on an individual basis. Libraries,
bookstores, garage sales, or family and friends who want to get
rid of books are other places to tap into.
Another consideration is going to sources other than Catholic
ones. If parents decide to look into these resources, I would
like to add a word of caution choose carefully. Many catalogues
sell publications that espouse antiCatholic ideas and present
false information, especially in many of the popular Language
Arts and History text and workbooks.
On the other hand, there are many resources and supplements that
are not hazardous to either Catholic or Christian beliefs at all.
Some handson manipulatives and math helps are a few examples that
come to mind.
After the books have been chosen, the lesson plans must be
planned and written. How one approaches this task depends on
personal taste, the way the parent teaches, and the way the
family approaches time management. Some people write their lesson
plans daybyday, while others want to do so weekbyweek.
A lesson plan book that records all educational work done is a
valuable record to keep. Most book stores or supply houses carry
teacher planning books, as do numerous home school catalogues. A
family can also make their own master planner, subdividing into
week and day plans for each class. The records need not be
extensively detailed, but they should be kept in a consistent
manner. Try to list the books and then the pages worked from, as
well as checking off work as it is completed.
The parent planning the lessons may want to prepare for each
child, one at a time, going through each book for each subject.
Another approach is to go by the subject first, and plan for each
child's lessons on that particular subject. Many do this simply
because the family studies subjects together, according to the
ability of each child.
Children's ages will affect the way a parent teaches. A family
with many preschool children and/or babies in the home, with only
the eldest child being taught, will have a different schedule
than a family with more children who are "officially"
learning and have only one toddler running around.
Further, the abilities of each child must be considered. Not only
must a child's strengths in certain subjects be emphasized, but
the child's weaker or lessfavorite areas must be worked on.
A parent can motivate a child by using his strengths as
encouragement while gently challenging the child's weaker areas
with the child's favorite method of learning.
Most important, the parents must be willing to take on more
responsibility in organizing their time. This means making the
whole family aware of the schedules, plans, and chores assigned
to each member. Children must realize they are part of the team,
too.
This is where some people hit a snag in their home education.
Many parents are reluctant to have their children help in
maintaining the home. They must realize that home schooling is
total education, and they are preparing their children for the
day they must care for their own homes. Nobody is doing children
any favors when they are not expected to take on
responsibilities. This is where the husband can be a great help
to his wife who, in most cases, does the actual teaching. He must
back her up when the children balk about doing either their
studies or their chores. Together, husband and wife can work out
a plan to institute in their home.
Because the mother of the family is taking on greater
responsibility when she educates her children at home, her time
becomes even more precious. The family will come to realize that
home schooling is a way of life, which is certainly
different than the lives of many of our contemporaries whose
children are not in the home all day. Consequently, the mother
doesn't have time to do all the household chores, errands, and
teaching all in one day. She would be foolish to try to do so all
by herself.
The family must understand that mothers are the "keepers
of the home" and not the "maids of the home."
Children will not be harmed by dusting lower shelves, picking up
their own dirty laundry and putting it in the hamper, helping to
wash, dry and fold clothes (and the tricky part is putting them
away!), storing away their shoes, setting or clearing the table,
etc. The young ones can be an invaluable help in the home. Let
them know it.
Both parents can supervise and work with the children as they are
learning to do chores. Running through on how to do particular
chores, letting the children know we will be inspecting the
results, and informing them they will be doing things over if not
done properly is a great way to start. Many children will try to
slip out of their responsibilities by daydreaming, poking around,
taking too long to do the job, or starting and stopping. Timing
them the first time lessons or chores are assigned, by making a
game out of it, is a good way to find out what they can do when
they want to do it! However, it will undoubtedly happen that the
children will try to "shirk the work."
This is where obedience comes in. Those who will home school
their children from their earliest years may be more fortunate in
this than those who begin home schooling later. Explain to the
children that there is always someone to obey, no matter how old
we become. For example, we parents must obey God through the laws
of the Church. One of those laws is, "Honor thy father
and thy mother."
Give the children practice sessions on instant obedience, like
learning to answer immediately when called, while also stopping
what they are doing and walking straight to the parent who
summoned them. Explain, even to the young ones, that no
complaining, backtalk, or questioning will be tolerated. Then
begin working on the studies and the chores again.
It has been my experience that children will continue to badger a
parent, particularly the mother, until they can get the parent to
break down out of sheer exhaustion. That is the beginning of what
I call "Burnout Blvd." Both parents must
present a united front to the children, letting them know that
the father reinforces the mother's stance. Instead of letting the
children rule, make it a policy to reinforce positive attitudes,
sunny dispositions, and quick, properly done work with praise and
encouragement. Nip in the bud any beginning tendencies to
disobedience. This can be done by giving extra chores in addition
to those that either should have been done or were done poorly,
or by taking away a toy, favorite ritual, or privilege. It is an
old saying, but a true one, that children want a semblance of
order and discipline.
Stress to the children that they are practicing virtues of
obedience and charity when they help their mother with the
housework. Teach them to be on the lookout for ways to help their
siblings, too. Just because we are done with our own chores
doesn't mean we can't help someone else with theirs.
Try to schedule everything absolutely vital to the home life. Do
this by making a priority listthings that must be done each day
or week. For some families, scheduling rising times, meals,
chores, and class times helps to keep things running smoothly.
Different tricks, like cooking two dinners every other day so
that the extra dinner is put in the freezer, help give a little
breathing room. Or let older children prepare dinners as the
parent puts away clothes, gives the baby a bath, writes the
bills, or attends to other duties. Break times between classes
are great times to give the children "minichores"
It lets them stretch and helps keep the house clean.
Another timesaver for dinner is the use of paper plates for, in
my opinion, it saves valuable evening time for more important
things, like praying the family rosary and letting both mother
and children spend time with the father.
Do whatever is necessary to make the chores less of a chore, the
home life less complicated, and the children happy that they are
home schooled. Just don't get caught up so much in the schedule
that it becomes impossible to bend. Some days the schedule must
be thrown away for the day and things allowed to run their
course. If aggravation becomes a matter of course instead of an
occasional thing, something is wrong and adjustments should be
made.
The most important thing about home schooling is to remember why it has been chosen as the method of imparting knowledge of God and academics to the children. We want our children to know and love our Catholic faith. If parents practice the faith in and out of the home and church, and try to season all things with love, patience, and firmness, the children will learn to follow the examples set before them. Marianna Bartold and her husband Tim have home schooled their children for the past four years. Marianna is the leader for her local Catholic home school support group. She resides with her family in Clinton Township, MI.