JJ starts his Homeschooling today

JJ is 16 years old. This summer, he had vehemently objected to being homeschooled. After doing a 40 day consecration to our Lady, he started his work today.

This is his schedule for today:

10:00 am Saxon Precalculus (2 hours). He has to redo it. He does not feel confident.

12:00 pm Read "The Personal Memoirs of US Grant", 50 pages. (History -2 hours)

Lunch

3:00 pm Read "What Jesus Saw from the Cross" (Catholic Literature 1 hour)

4:00 pm Read topic of choice from Encyclopedia (30 minutes)

4:30 pm Essay on topic of choice. (Air Gun)

He did everything according to schedule. He did not get distracted or frustrated. Praise be to God.

09 Eucharistic Congress Photo Blog -Fr. Leo "Grace Before Meals"

Father Leo is a Filipino priest who immigrated to the US in his youth. He graduated magna cum laude and summa cum laude in his priestly studies in Rome. His vocation is to spread the Gospel through "cooking".

In the 2009 Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte, he explained what his vocation is all about. The bottom line of his talk is "you do not know when you will be challenged to a "throw down". Are you ready?"

What a profound statement!!! Are we really ready to pass life's trials?

From the website of Fr. Leo www.gracebeforemeals.com

Flay traveled to the Mount St. Mary’s campus in June and challenged Father Leo to the “Throwdown” marking the first time the Iron Chef has faced off against a priest. The two prepared Fusion Fajitas for a select group of families, members of the Mount St. Mary’s community and other guests outside University President, Thomas H. Powell’s home. “Having Bobby Flay challenge me to a Throwdown was a complete surprise and shock,” said Father Leo. “I’m a huge fan of his and Food Network so it was an honor just to be on the show and cook alongside of an Iron Chef. It was a fun day having people come together and enjoy our fajitas…it’s what the concept of Grace Before Meals is all about.”

09 Eucharistic Congress Photo Blog -"The Donut Man"

The Donut Man, whose real name is Robert C. Evans, is a Catholic children's singer-songwriter. He is called the Donut Man because one of his first songs included the line "Life without Jesus/God's Love is like a donut; there's a hole in the middle of your heart."^[1] He is a convert to the Catholic faith, having previously been a Protestant Evangelical.

Economics - Top Books for Homeschoolers

As an economist, these are my recommended books for any high school homeschooler to study. It is the works of great economists themselves.

Read my article here.

College Preparation: Top Books and Resources on Economics

Thomas Jefferson Education Method and Catholic Homeschool

I've come across Thomas Jefferson Education Method when I was researching about appropriate classic books for my children. It just didn't stick with me at that time until it was brought again to my attention.

The focus on the 3 R's, that is, Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic is one of the basic educational philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. The Robinson Curriculum has this too for his underlying focus.

I also agree with focusing on the 3 R's first before anything else.

I disagree though with Thomas Jefferson himself when he said that the other "r" for Religion and the study of the bible should be left out of the hands of students.

The study of faith takes precedence in my homeschooling goals. I used the Robinson Curriculum on the assumption that there is no questionable books against the Catholic Faith. I used the Robinson Method because I like the book sequence and its ability to advance the reading level of my children. But, the 4th "R" is very important for any Catholic Homeschooling Families. It is for this reason, that I do not recommend this education method for Catholic Homeschoolers.

Hard Copy of a Book is Better than Online Reading

Steph comments:

You mentioned the suggestion of having a hard copy even if it is online.

I just heard on Sacred Heart radio -( EWTN/St.Joseph radio) that there was a study done on reading comprehension. Reading online is NOT good for some kids. Something about holding it an actual book, working other areas of stimulation. ( the heaviness, smells, touch etc) helped comprehension. Don't read this as a blanket statement.. but for some kids having an actual book in hand really helps.

I said:

The marketing of RC is very poor. I passed it up in 2004. Now, that I am using it, I am very impressed with the book choice especially on Economics (which is my graduate degree). I also like the rationale of the mental discipline of math
if your children will be pursuing the science and graduate studies. I also like that the books are not too technical and scholarly but enjoyable to their reading levels. I do not worry about workbooks etc. I am not pressured to fit a curriculum to my lifestyle. And, with highly sensitive, RADish and ADHD children, they do not get "stressed out".

In the beginning, I just had second thoughts on how I can address my goals for a Catholic education for my children as a priority. I came to the conclusion that if I can immerse it through their essays and bring up their reading level so
they handle the actual Catechism of the Church, the bible, Catholic literature in raw form. Also, I incorporated what the Catholic HS providers are aiming in giving a superior Catholic education.

I do not think though this curriculum will fit everyone. But, the results for my emotionally challenged children are amazing. And, it is very affordable. I did not have to spend over $1,000 to educate the 8 kids. You just need a laser
printer and the desire to go "thrift shopping" for vintage books.

God Bless,
Joy

Visit my other blogs:

mrstreasures.wordpress.com - my scratch pad for ideas to write.

joyinpiano.wordpress.com - my piano teaching studio

Teach Science After Calculus

In my Catholic large family discussion group, Patti made a comment on Science in college.

I wrote:

"Science is after calculus. I know this will create dissent. But, I have no problems with it. I do not stop the kids from enjoying nature and reading about it in the encyclopedia. There is just no formal study until after calculus."

Patti comments:

Actually, being a chemical engineer major in college (although I met my dh and decided that was NOT what I wanted for my life anymore ;-), I tend to agree about the formal study of science AFTER the study of mathematics. I believe that SERIOUS study of the sciences is very difficult without the proper mathematical background...too much must be taken for granted and not fully understood (particularly in physics and chemistry, but even to an extent in the other sciences). The Apologia high school series has math requirements for each level...but I even think they are a little lenient in this regard.

This all being said, I love the Apologia younger series for an introduction to science from a natural science point of view. This can be easily understood, particularly when you bring the Creator into it, without higher math. I'm sure there are plenty of other series that focus on natural sciences that can be used for younger children....I just happen to like this series -- we're even lapbooking it this year!

I personally love the idea of TJE and Robinson....I actually own the Robinson curriculum. But I have problems implementing it with our learning issues here (two dysgraphic, highly kinesthetic learners). But I keep hoping for a child that it will work well with....still have four that have yet to be determined ;-)

Blessings,
Patti

Catholic Homeschool and Self Teaching

I like the Robinson Curriculum Book Sequence. I feel no pressure or resistance from the kids. I am very tempted to use the book sequence of other Catholic homeschool curriculum providers but for now I will stick with RC to put other "variables constant".

I am of course adding one hour to the mandated 5 hour a day studying. I added Catholic Studies/Bible/Catechism/Literature. So our family is doing 6 hours a day.

My goals are to train them the habit to self-teach themselves and not be afraid to handle old, thick books and actual historical writings/memoirs/documents. Before, my kids were averse to old prints and they prefer the glossy, shiny
attractive books. Now, they appreciate books that are yellowish, thick and in the early 1900s. When I am able to buy a vintage book, their eyes widen and lit up. Again, the goal is for them to critically analyze history through actual
historical documents and make their own conclusions. I recall doing that in college with my history professors. I hated it because I was not used to the smell of old books. But, the lesson that I got was clear: history is from the perspective of the writer.

I want to bring up their reading level to the point where they can handle college and graduate studies work. The results of their reading manifest greatly in their essays. Their choice of words are improving. In correcting their essays, they see the pattern in their errors in writing. So learning grammar is in the reverse. Grammar studies are from "parts to whole". In this approach, it is from "whole to parts". Either way is good.

In terms of critical analysis and reading comprehension skills, I sort of do a check when I discuss the books with them but not to challenge them but to engage them in an intellectual discussion. I want them to be able to study and learn
as much as they want without me (but of course I know what they are reading). I like our discussions after I implemented the program for two months because I do not have to go down to their level. They go up to where I am.

The 6-hour schedule for me a day is already rigorous. But, remember it is 6 days a week, year round. The rationale for that is it takes time for your brain to gear up after a long vacation. WIth a five day schedule, by Friday you feel like already doing a TGIF thing and your concentration drops dramatically. The mandated 5 hour in RC aims for you to do chores and other interests the rest of the day so it does not all accumulate on a Saturday.

On Math, it is time-based for 2 hours. Some kids can do 2 lessons a day. But, the average is 1 lesson per day after 1.5 hours. So, I encourage them to proceed to the next lesson but they don't follow me and just stick with one lesson. They must be already drained by one lesson. The older kids say that they can go faster but with the 5% error rate they do not want to take the chance of repeating the lesson again, so they rather work slow.

It is a tough call on delaying science. But, the rationale behind it is the "real science" requires a solid understanding of high level math.

Explaining the Catholic Robinson Curriculum to Fellow Catholics

Karen, a discussion group member in my yahoo group, has this question for me.

Joy --

It sounds like you are following the Thomas Jefferson Education
model...with two hours of math, writing, and reading. Is that so? I
don't know any more about it than that idea. Can you tell me more
about how it works and what material/curriculum you are using?

Thanks!!!


Blessings,

Karen
+AMDG+

Karen,

Thomas Jefferson Education, Robinson Curriculum and A2 sort of use the same method. You focus on the 3 R's - math, writing, reading. There is no lesson plan and syllabus. You just go through the sequence of books recommended. I follow more the Robinson Curriculum and I joined the Catholic Robinson Curriculum group where we discuss any "questionable books" in the book sequence.

You put 2 hours to math, 2 hours to reading, 1 hour to essay writing.

Children under 10 do copywork for essay. Children under 3rd grade do their phonics and math facts review.

You do not teach. You guide them to self-teach. You can let them narrate to you to give you feedback or you can do activities with them. However, the 5 hours required must focus on the 3'Rs using "self-teaching". You train them to
acquire the habits of self-teaching, Monday to Saturday, year round.

The book recommendations of the above proponents are literature-based, living history, actual historical documents, classics. You can do the program without any cost to you except the printer costs. All the books are available online for free. But, it is recommended you have a hard copy of the book. For me, reading online gives a false illusion to the child - one page at a time. It makes them have phobia with thick books. So, I hunt the books at thrift shops, ebay and amazon or library so they can actually experience a thick book and not be afraid of it.

Their book list is engaging (so far) to my ADHD and RADish kids. There were occasions where they wanted to quit on the first few chapters but I encourage them and tell them that it gets better on the next few chapters. So far, it did. After finishing the book, some like it, some do not like it as much except for some parts. I use that as a teaching moment to tell them that they have to learn to handle books that are not interesting for them but considered of great literary value. All of them are excited about their next books.

RC uses Saxon Math for the mental discipline of doing 30 to 60 exercises a day with 5% error rate. I think of it as putting the "math muscle" in your brains. When they take SAT, they will persevere (or have the mental discipline) because they are used to the long hours of computing and problem solving taking into account "accuracy".

Vocabulary is taken from the recommended literature from Grades 3-12. Same goes with grammar and spelling. There is no formal instruction unless there are obvious difficulties. But, I try not to worry about that until they progress in their reading list.

The Essay part is a minimum of one page a day for one hour. Average is 2-3 pages a day. Topics can be their own choosing or sometimes I give them prompts. I think the goal is to write effortlessly and make it part of their daily routine.

I added one hour to reading Catholic literature/scriptures/saints/catechism. I avoid "short stories" but use the reading lists of all Catholic homeschool curriculum providers.

In the afternoon, the older kids study for AP Tests for an hour.

Sometimes, kids read 2 different books within the 2 hour frame. I now require them to spend 30 minutes on a topic of their choice using Encyclopedia Britannica and Book of Knowledge (1920's).

Science is after calculus. I know this will create dissent. But, I have no problems with it. I do not stop the kids from enjoying nature and reading about it in the encyclopedia. There is just no formal study until after calculus.

The reading list for this method is available online for free except the Catholic literature.

http://www.hstreasures.com/robinsoncurriculum.html

You have to be in the room to make this program work though or it won't work. If our 3 year old is too playful and distracts them, we move away to a different room or I let them go to another part of the house. My daughter who used SETON last year prefer RC method but still reads the required literature for SETON and MODG on top of her RC books.

The rest of the day is devoted to chores and what other areas of interest they want to pursue -->creating chaos :).

God Bless,
Joy


Visit my other blogs:

joyinpiano.wordpress.com

mrstreasures.wordpress.com

The Shortest Prayer for Kids but Most Effective

Rose, my mother-in-law, called me after my gallbladder surgery to say one thing. "Joy, I want you to pray "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" as often as you can. Write it down on a card and put it in your pillow."

I got the small crucifix. This was given to me by the priest who officiated our marriage. I felt that if I see the crucifix, I will be prompted to say "Jesus, Jesus".

She called me again on another day. She told me, "I hope you told the children to say "Jesus, Jesus" as much as they can." Honestly, I just told my 8 year old son this short prayer. Noah was giving me so much problem that I taught it to him first.

When we went to my mother-in-law's house last Saturday, I found her house filled with labels of Jesus. I went to the bathroom and there it was on the door. Cool.

She handed me a plastic sandwich baggie with cutout cards with her writing of Jesus in it. She is making a clear point to me. How can I not get it?

So, I asked the most troublesome kid at the moment, my Noah, to have the privilege to go around the house to stick the "Jesus labels". He got tired.

I continued to cut out the "Jesus" labels and posted it on areas where it is more noticeable for the children and on eye level for the little kids.

For our evening meditation, I read the history of the short prayer from a small booklet called "The Wonders of the Holy Name" to everyone. They enjoyed it.

Jesus, Jesus, Thank you for this gift of knowing Your Holy Name.

Raymond Clarke III, Murder of Annie Le, Rages in Children

Check out this article "Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Possibilities in Annie Le's Murder"

The persona of Raymond Clarke III does not evoke a chilling fear in us. Here is a young man, just a few years older than my first born. He doesn't look like a bum at all to me. You can see that he was somber and exhibiting a certain level of anxiety in photos taken during his arrest.

However, all evidences are leading to him. It will be very difficult to find another suspect when DNA results, the scratch marks on his chest, interviews all point about a great possibility that he murdered Annie Le.

The story made me ponder about the motive for awhile. First, I am concerned about the fragility of mental health disorders and how it can manifest in subtle, unpredictable ways. Second, the motive that the police said about "workplace violence" case, does not resonate with me. How can a young man, well-built hurt a fragile, looking Asian girl?

It is for this reason, that I concluded that something "snapped" with Raymond Clarke during those moments when he hurt Annie Le. For sure, we will know in time.

Since the age of Annie Le is not so far from Raphael, my first born, I can relate very well to the parents of Annie Le and Richard Clarke.

Are we able to predict the "choices" that our children will make once faced with extreme amount of stress? I feel sadness for the parents of Annie Le and her fiance. Annie Le is a smart young girl taking a doctorate in pharmacology in an Ivy League school. It is an accomplishment in itself. The future of Annie Le could have been equivalent to success. There is no doubt that in her youth, she was a stellar student. One day, Annie Le's mother woke up and her daughter is gone.

On the other side, Raymond Clarke's mother is grieving. She is experiencing so much regret and fear for her child. She is probably blaming herself for what she was unable to do when Raymond was young to prevent all these.

The story is very sad. It makes me stop my world for a second to write this article on "Intermittent Explosive Disorder" and try to relate it as a possible cause of this violence. Read the article here.

Pulling my children out of Public School System

I always wanted to let my children go to a Catholic private school. It is beyond our means though. So, while Alex and I worked on the healing of children, we put their education as a second priority.

As long as they were functioning well in public school, that is, excelling we thought we can address the public school issue later on.

We did not realize that public school contributed to our problem instead of helping us. No matter how much effort, the peers in public school have so much influence on our children.

In the beginning of this blended family situation, Alex thought I could not handle homeschooling everyone. You see, I do get stressed out quite easily. He cannot imagine homeschooling 9 children when I was just used to 2 children prior to our marriage.

So, here we are beset with so many peer-related family problems. Our sons and daughters, who were 9 year old to 12 years old at the time of our marriage are now 14 to 17 years old. And, no matter how much we were a "prayerful" family, we cannot save our children from "peer pressure".

Here is an article I wrote about public school versus homeschooling. It gives a synopsis on why you should pull your children out of public school. Click the link.

Daily Catholic Homeschool Schedule

A typical homeschooling schedule using Robinson Curriculum, the Catholic way:

7-8 am Wake up, Morning Prayer, Prayer in Honor of Your Guardian Angel and 7 Glory Be’s

8-9 am Breakfast, Walk the Dog or Daily Mass

9-11 am Mental Math, Math Facts, Saxon Math

11-12 pm Reading (Literature from the RC core reading list for appropriate level or grade)- first part

12 pm Recite the Angelus

12 to 12:30 pm Continue Reading – second part

12:30 to 1:00 pm Read topic of choice in “Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia”

1 pm Lunch

1:30 -2:00 pm Read Catholic literature, Catechism, Bible

2:00-3:00 pm Essay writing or vocabulary

3:00 pm Divine Mercy Novena

3:30 -4:30 pm Chores/ Free Time/Play Time

4:30 – 6:30 pm Chores/Free Time/Play Time

6:30 pm Dinner/Clean up/ Baths

8:00 -9:30 pm Family Prayers/Novena/Consecration/Scripture Reading/Rosary

To learn about the Robinson Curriculum, please read my article "Self Teaching Method: Robinson Curriculum"

Saturday is a school day for us

The Robinson curriculum suggests 6 days a week, year round education. For now, I am trying to go with this schedule for a month.

Let me tell you about the Robinson Curriculum in a nutshell, please read the article "A Self-Teaching Method" here.




It is not easy to follow a 6 day schedule. A part of me just wants to relax. Yet, there is some sense to what the Robinson Curriculum is prescribing. It takes time for your brain to go back to speed after a vacation. Robinson Curriculum is a very challenging curriculum.

Keeping them busy with school work will eliminate cluttering other parts of the house. You can account for all of them when they are homeschooling.

Talking about clutter, see the evidences.

Is there such thing as a Catholic Robinson Curriculum for Homeschooling?

Though I am not a pioneer in this philosophy, I have decided to use this curriculum for 8 of my 9 children that I am raising. My first born is already in a Catholic college at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. I have a 17 year old boy in 11th grade, a 16 year old boy in 11th grade, a 15 year old girl in 10th grade, a 14 year old girl in 8th grade, a 12 year old boy in 6th grade, a 11 year old in 5th grade, a 8 year old boy in 3rd grade and a 3 year old boy in K-3. A total of 8 children.

There are many Catholic homeschooling curricula in the market. I will try to write a short article on the strengths of each of this homeschool Catholic resources in the near future. But, for the purpose of this blog, I want to explain how I am implementing the Robinson Curriculum in the light of our Catholic faith.

If you have heard about the Robinson Curriculum, you might have passed it up for another curriculum in the past. I actually did that. But, for some reason, it caught my attention when I read that it won “First Place for Middle School and High School curriculum ” awards in the Homeschooling Parenting Magazine for consecutive years. I won’t pass up such a recognition so I decided to research on this curriculum in depth.

If you want to know about the Robinson Curriculum in a nutshell, here is my article entitled
“A Self-Teaching Method in Homeschooling: Robinson Curriculum”.



I believe strongly in the educational philosophy of Dr. Robinson, a scientist who put together this curriculum based on his experience in homeschooling his children after his wife died. In college and graduate school, a student has an easier time navigating the ropes of the academic life, if the student has excellent reading skills, writing skills (essay writing) and math skills. The RC focuses on mastering these skills as a priority.

My family is a late bloomer in the homeschooling movement. After serious soul searching, my husband and I decided that we must live up to the ideals of our Catholic Faith. It is an important legacy that we will give to our children. Everything in a child’s life change dramatically around them. Our Catholic Faith is their stabilizing force. It makes them feel secure. It becomes the foundation of their moral values. It is the backbone of our family’s core values. It is the duty of each Catholic parent to provide a Catholic education for their children.

he Robinson Curriculum was formulated by Dr. Robinson, a Protestant. However, his educational philosophy does not contradict the Catholic faith. His philosophy revolves around the premise that the best way to learn is to acquire the skills of self-teaching. Thus, the education of the child lies primarily on the child. The parents are the “guides” for this is the scenario when they become young adults. We cannot make the choices for our children. We will watch our children decide for themselves on what they want to learn or do in their life. The RC curriculum trains our children to view their academic studies as their responsibilities. It trains them the natural consequences of being lazy in your school work and the sense of accomplishment one feels when they have taught themselves.

With the core reading list of 150 books, I add my own reading list of Catholic literature, doctrines, scriptures and catechism. As each child progresses in intellectual development, they reach out to their Catholic books to know about their faith. I encourage them to be “critical readers” to question their new-found knowledge and seek the answers to it.

God did not force His love on us. He gave mankind the choice to love Him. However, in giving us the choice, He never failed to let us know that He is around us. And, that we can always turn to him in life’s obstacles and challenges. This is the beauty of homeschooling, particularly a Catholic homeschooling curriculum. Your child is learning in his own pace about his or her faith. You see their eyes lit up when their Catholic traditions and beliefs make sense. You are there to witness it on a daily basis. You see them struggle on their math problems and they “offer it up to God”. You praise them for their good deeds for the day and they respond “All Glory to God!” You check their essays and on top of their writing work is an inscription “A.M.D.G” and sometimes “JMJ”.

AMDG for AD Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph)

Public School Vs. Homeschooling: Which is Better?

The article 'Public School Vs. Homeschooling: Which is better?" is one of my recent articles with the purpose of encouraging Christian parents to pull their children out of public school. Read the article here.



I was educated in a Catholic private school from Kindergarten to High School. It was run by the Maryknoll sisters. We have nuns to teach us for Religion classes. I recall quite well Sister Clotilde. She was an American around the age of 75 years old. She would walk and check out each room and interrupt the lessons to give us some piece of advise. She was very outspoken and direct. She would not hesitate to tell you what she thought.

I recall quite vividly one personal encounter with her as a 4th grade student. Sister Clotilde visited my classroom and talked about apples in the basket. She asked us "If there is just one single apple left, would you take it or leave it alone?" My world stopped for a moment. I usually take the best portion in the meals that my parents served us during dinner. It was really something to think about. It is very funny that I never forgot that incident.

I have such wonderful experience with my Catholic school that I vowed that my children will go to a Catholic school too.

Well, I did send my children to private school for the first four years of their lives in a Catholic school until we immigrated to the Virginia in 2000. Private school was not affordable to me as a single parent. I justified and rationalized everything that my children will be in good hands.

In 2001, I moved to California. I was very disappointed with the school system so I homeschooled my two boys. My younger son then 9 years old was taught using Abeka. The older son, who was 13 at that time, used SETON.

I was pleased with both curricula but SETON caught my attention because my older son, who was a reluctant reader liked it very much. He loved the Saints stories and was able to follow through the curriculum without any problems. Meanwhile my younger son was just too young too complain.