Emmanuel Books ~ God IS with them!

Who knows how long I was on the phone with Paola?

What I do know is that I came off happy, relieved and confidant in what curriculum choices to make for next year. She remembered the names of my children, their ages and interests. How many times have I heard other homeschoolers say the same.

Where else will someone talk through every decision and give you such pertinent advice on curriculum? Their catalog reads like a homeschooling manual, with descriptions like no other vendor.

http://www.emmanuelbooks.com/

This year has been hard on many financially, us included. When the coupons came from places that undercut Emmanuel Books, I asked my husband if he felt we should go that route and save some money? Knowing that I consistently talk to Paola who always has time for me and experienced advice with each item in her catalog, he said no. I was relieved. We both feel it is important to support this small, Catholic, family business!

The quality of what they offer has a price to us.

What they stand for has a price to us.

We remain grateful for Emmanuel Books and the time and care for homeschoolers that the Ciscanik family provides! That family embodies exceptional service in building relationships with their customers!

May God continue to bless them.

Fordham Univ. Professor of Philosophy on Homeschooling

Dr. William Marra on Home Schooling

The late Dr. William Marra, a philosophy professor at Fordham University for many years, gave numerous speeches at Catholic conferences, including homeschooling conferences. He homeschooled his own children. Dr. Marra passed away on December 12, 1998, on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to whom he had a great devotion. The following is a brief part of a speech he gave in Toronto in 1993. May he rest in peace.

In homeschooling, aim at certain academic excellence. I claim that is the bonus that is always thrown in. If you seek first to defer harm, if secondly you permeate the situation with a Catholic atmosphere, the easiest part is the academic subjects.

Those few people who are destined to be the cultural leaders will have a far better preparation homeschooled than they will going to the most prestigious, expensive private school around.
The moment a child is four or five, don’t let him go to the government schools. That is when the most damage is done to Faith, reason, intelligence, and everything else.

If you keep them home for at least eight years of schooling, and hopefully for four or five more years, by that time they can even survive Fordham or Notre Dame. They can survive anything! The main thing is to protect the innocence of young people.

There are about six or seven small Catholic colleges in the United States. Home schooled children going to places like Christendom, Thomas More, Magdalen, Thomas Aquinas, Steubenville—they are the hope.

These will be the serious Catholic parents and the serious Catholic citizens. Those who want to be cultural leaders will need a college education. College is the easy part. Grade school and high school are the hardest parts.

Where there is a Catholic culture, it is founded on Catholic truth. However, this no longer exists except in a few pockets. Quebec probably was that way fifty years ago. Where one sees the churches, the streets named after saints, there once was the wonderful sense of the French Catholicism. Large families abounded and no one begrudged a new baby coming in the world. A new baby was celebrated. Of course there were problems, but there was a sense of the Catholic adventure of life.

When culture is a cause, anytime a given culture exists, you don’t need formal education in anything. The citizens of that culture, from the babe in arms up to the oldest man, everyone will gain strength and light and solidarity as it were, through a spiritual osmosis: the very stones of the street, the very stations of the cross at the crosswalks, the very names of the cities, the very fact that we say “on St. Michael’s Day, we are going to do this,” instead of saying “on September 29th.”

When you start using the saints as your chronology, illustrations from the Bible and the lives of the saints, when Joan of Arc is a topic among you, and not some rock star—that is Catholic culture.

The beauty of Catholic culture is that the more you practice it, you don’t have to articulate your Faith—you live it. That is where we get the great treasures of our culture, like music, the fine arts, architecture, without any great effort on our part, because this always accompanies Catholic culture when it is authentic.

Catholic culture is the cause of the wonderful harmony and the high level of civilization that has been enjoyed in the past. There is no such culture today.

Today we are having these small homeschools. Because there is no Catholic culture, Catholic culture has to become the effect. Thanks to Christ-centered homeschooling, these children, born into this barren culture, will be the future heroes. These heroes will have a dedication to Truth.
These homeschooled heroes will understand who is Christ, what is Truth, what is the Church, what are the enemies of the Church.

Some of these heroes are going to swear a vow to be holy, and they will mean it. These home schooled heroes will reject our secular materialistic world and all its vices. These homeschooled heroes will understand that life on earth is a pilgrimage. Some of these home schooled heroes will be dedicated to a zealous pursuit of the Truth, no matter what it costs them in study, dispute, or controversy.

Because of their dedication and formation in homeschooling, these parents will give us the young people who will be the heroes of sanctity in the first place, and the heroes of Catholic culture in the second place.

It is these homeschooled heroes who will make the cultural barren desert bloom once again.

Delmarva homeschooling in the news

June 7, 2009
Home schooling on the rise

By Candice Evans - Staff Writer

SALISBURY -- When Amy Miller finished her final year at the Southern Delaware School of the Arts, the eighth-grader asked her mother if she could be home-schooled.
"It was a little scary at first because she's a really good student and I didn't want her to fall behind," said Amy's mother, Nancy Miller, who began home schooling her 15-year-old daughter about a year ago.

Characterized as an "artistic student" by her mother, Amy decided not to attend a public or private high school because home schooling allowed for more flexibility in her daily schedule. Now, the Laurel resident can devote more attention to the performing arts, while "staying on track" academically in all subjects. "It's been an awesome experience," Nancy, 50, added.
Plus, Amy's choice isn't all that unusual. Every year, the number of home-schoolers continues to rise across the country.

As of spring 2007, an estimated 1.5 million, or 2.9 percent of all school-age children in the U.S., were home-schooled, up from 1.7 percent in 1999, according to new figures from the U.S. Department of Education.

"Home schooling has been growing every year since 1980," said Manfred Smith, the founder and president of the Maryland Home Education Association based in Columbia, Md. "Currently, there are about 26,000 kids home schooling in the state." Ten years ago, the number of home-schoolers landed in the 15,000 range, Smith said.

Why the change?

The new federal government annual report, "The Condition of Education," found that 36 percent of parents said their most important reason for home schooling was to provide "religious or moral instruction"; 21 percent cited concerns about school environment; 17 percent cited "dissatisfaction with academic instruction"; and 14 percent cited "other reasons," including family time, finances, travel and distance.

Either way, Brian D. Ray, president of National Home Education Research Institute, said the switch to a home-school education is not an easy decision for most parents. "Each type of schooling has its benefits and drawbacks," said Rebecca Jones, co-administrator of the Hand and Hand Homeschoolers group that uses the Internet to connect more than 30 families in Sussex County. "Parents need to decide what fits their child best of all." And sometimes, it takes a while to figure out the ideal academic setting for a student. For example, Jones' oldest son, now 16, attended public and private school prior to home schooling. "If the child is having problems, you can stop and go over it until they grasp that concept," said Jones, 42, whose son had difficulty focusing in the classroom. "That's quality of education instead of quantity."

Right now, Jones' three younger children also learn from home. But she always gives them the option of ending their home-school education each year. As it turns out, the high school prom wasn't enough for her son to give it up. The home schooling online network has allowed him to make new friends, take field trips, play on athletic teams and participate in group activities with other families.

"Is home schooling easy? No," Jones said. "But we teach our children out of love and commitment to their education." Even though Mckenzie Conley earned her diploma in a nontraditional environment, the Salisbury resident, like most high school seniors, is heading to college in the fall.

"We didn't like some of the influences my girls were being exposed to in the public schools," said McKenzie's mother, Cherry Conley, who has been home schooling her children for the last 10 years. Another Delmarva mom, Rita Clucas, started home schooling her oldest son after he completed kindergarten in the public school system.

"He wasn't getting the education we had hoped for and we weren't impressed with what we saw coming home with our son," said Clucas, the mother of four children, who range in age from 2 to 14. "We thought he would do better being around his family, to pass on our values."

Other parents like Nancy Miller say home schooling offers a chance to develop a closer relationship with their children.

"I wanted the extra time with Amy before she grew up and went away," Nancy said.

cevans@dmg.gannett.com
410-845-4639

Support for Catholic Homeschooling

Father Corapi is a supporter of Catholic Homeschooling....so many priests are. In June, the annual IHM conference will take place. For 2 days a sea of Catholic homeschoolers will converge and be nourished by the encouragement of dozens of well-known (again, many EWTN)priests, even illustrious authors like Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand! For a complete description of each talk -
http://www.ihmconference.org/national/flyer.pdf

It has been said by priests that they see the Catholic homeschooling movement as the work of the Holy Spirit to strengthen the Catholic church. See THIS link for quotes from Catholic documents, Popes, and catechism supporting Catholic Homeschooling.

You may be surprised and impressed by a list of "famous" homeschoolers.

You Can Homeschool video ~ part 1, HSLDA

local homeschool co-op meeting

We will be having an information meeting for parents interested in finding out more about Blessed Jose’ Luis Academy for your own family or to pass along information to others who might be interested in participating in the school in the fall. We will hold the meeting Monday, March 30th at 7:00 pm (location to be announced).

If you would like more info please feel free to leave a comment here and your contact info will be forwarded.

Also, If you would like to join us – we are having a Seder Meal on April 1st. This is a service project our school is executing to more fully partake in the Passion and Death of our Lord. I have attached an invitation with more information.

Please feel free to forward this information to others you feel might be interested.

Below is a little information about our co-op.

A home schooling educational cooperative (for grades K-8) that integrates Catholic spirituality with academic, human and apostolic development for each child, and practical tools to continue this formation at home. It will establish an orderly, creative learning environment, which encourages growth in Christ’s virtues, especially charity, in both children and their parents.

Blessed Jose’ Luis Academy
The vision of the Academy is to raise strong Catholic leaders who will actively pursue the unique missions given to them by Christ at baptism.

The students and parents will meet one day per week, with the work to be continued at home throughout the remainder of the week. The children will be broken into age categories, with a teacher and assistant in each class. The classes covered at Blessed Jose’ Luis Academy will be Art, Language Appreciation/Literature, Excellence in Writing, History, Religion, and Science.
An additional part of the mission of the school is to have the children work together on apostolic projects and we encourage the older children to take a more active role in leadership within the school.

Some Excerpts from our Philosophy:
All people are endowed with a specific set of human talents and struggles, which are inherent to the individual. Schooling which encourages the development of human virtues (human formation) and assists each student with overcoming his/her natural passions will produce solid citizens who can adapt to a multitude of environments without compromising Christian beliefs.

The principle of Integral Formation as defined by St. Ignatius of Loyola is the core of the educational system employed at Blessed Jose’ Luis Academy.

The effect of integral formation brings us back to our universal vocation accepted at baptism – to preach to all nations. God has asked each of us to be leaders in the environment in which he has placed us. It is not sufficient simply to be good people; we must encourage others toward the good. The graduate of Blessed Jose’ Luis Academy is a Christian witness, fully integrated, ready to lead in any environment to which God calls him.

“The human person needs to live in society. Society is not for him an extraneous addition but a requirement of his nature. Through the exchange with others, mutual service and dialogue with his brethren, man develops his potential; he thus responds to his vocation.” (CCC 1879)

Homeschooling studies just keep getting better and better!

Homeschool Students Score Better Academically and Socially
Basic Statistics

Academically

Home school students scored significantly higher than their public and private school counterparts. The studies below prove homeschool students do exceptionally well when compared with the nationwide average. In every subject and at every grade level of the ITBS and TAP batteries.

Socially

Studies also show homeschoolers mature and better socialized than are those sent to school. Dr. John Wesley Taylor's nationwide study revealed that the self-concept of home school students was significantly higher than that of public school students for the global and all six subscales of the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. The Galloway-Sutton Study (performed in 1997), showed that from five success indicators (academic, cognitive, spiritual, affective-social and pyschomotor), comparing with public and private schooled students, "in every success category except pyschomotor, the home school graduates excelled above the other students."

Cost

The average amount spent on home schooling per child in the US is $450.
Household Income18% of home school families earn less than $25,000,
44% of households between $25,000 and $49,000.
ReligiousOver 75% attend religious services

Links to Studies

Homeschooling Works!Findings of an independent study by Lawrence M. Rudner, Ph.D., Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation

Home Education Across the United StatesStudy on home schooling, conducted by Dr. Brian D. Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute. (1997)

General Research Fact SheetFrom the non-profit National Home Education Research Institute was founded by Dr. Brian Ray.

Fact Sheet I From the non-profit National Home Education Research Institute was founded by Dr. Brian Ray.

Fact Sheet IIb From the non-profit National Home Education Research Institute was founded by Dr. Brian Ray.

Fact Sheet IIIb From the non-profit National Home Education Research Institute was founded by Dr. Brian Ray.

Homeschooling on the ThresholdA Survey of Research at the Dawn of the New MillenniumBy Dr. Brian Ray.

Videos

What Research Says About Home Schooling
This professionally produced video features an informal interview with Dr. Brian Ray, President of the National Home Education Research Institute, simple graphics that summarize main points about the research findings, and a minimum of technical language. Information about topics such as "who is home schooling and why," the "socialization of the home educated," and "academic achievement" makes this a useful tool for presenting home education to critics, professional educators, or anyone for whom home schooling is a novel concept. (18 minutes, 1993)

Homeschooling in Action
This exciting video is an hour-long documentary on how to get started homeschooling. By getting a candid glimpse into the daily homeschooling habits and activities of three experienced families, along with some great advice from many homeschooling "experts," you will get a realistic view of what a successful homeschool "looks like." After watching the tape, you should have a basic idea of how to get organized, set up your schedule, choose curriculum, find resources, and get connected with other homeschoolers in your community and state. Produced by Kevin Lundberg.