![]() Schmitz taught introductory biology and advanced science as an instructor at a community college and in university courses. He is married to a faithful woman who is a pro-life obstetrician/gynecologist and is the father of four beautiful children with a fifth child expected in June 2016. George Schmitz graduated with degrees in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin in 2006 (Ph.D.) and the University of Illinois in 1999 (B.S.) with a minor in chemistry. Microbiology, upper level science development, Champaign, IL geography, summa cum laude, Columbia, SCĭoris Kasprak, York Technical College, biology, human anatomy, Rock Hill, SCīetsy DeBry, M.A. Literature – Mary Collart Mack, B.S English literature, Rock Hill, SC, Julie Keller, Beth Mortenson, Green Bay, WI Music – Kim Barry, Elizabeth Wagner, upper-level fine arts, Indianapolis, IN History – Mark and Katie Glaser, Columbus, OHĮarly Childhood Education – Jaquie Stevens, Charlotte, NC (Since this posting our family of 7 children has grown–as of 2015, we have four successful college graduates– yes, they will do great, four married children and a total of 10 grandchildren) My children’s success has encouraged me to want to share Catholic Schoolhouse with you. The curriculum and idea sharing between moms has pushed burn-out away with fresh approaches. They have made new friends who inspire them to learn more. The structure written into Catholic Schoolhouse propels us forward each week to discover new things. It was so easy to just do the minimum, saying, “I’ll get to them later.” Sometimes we started an interesting topic, but often got interrupted by the demands of other stages, only realizing later that 12 weeks was too long to spend on spiders!ĭeciding to give one morning each week exclusively to them has been a wonderful decision. It was a little like jumping into the deep end of the pool and then learning how to swim! To say that God has blessed us for answering His call to homeschool would be an understatement.Īs my children grew and our emphasis shifted to high school and college, I noticed my elementary aged children were getting lost in the academic shuffle. In spite of this God called us and we pulled five kids, grades K through 7 out of school. In fact, I would say it was the last thing we ever planned to do. We started homeschooling in 1999. Neither Tom nor I were particularly inclined to homeschool. Now, years later, after lots of planning, writing, and editing, Kathy and I hope that other communities can benefit from this program that we have so carefully researched and coordinated. The year was so enjoyable! I felt that all of the work had been worthwhile, so we continued creating years two and three to complete a three-year cycle of academic work for elementary age children. We ended up with a small, but dedicated, group of families. In particular, Kathy encouraged me, and we teamed up to create Catholic Schoolhouse.Īfter one crazy year of determining our scope, structure, goals, plans, writing memory work, and choosing projects, we recruited our members. ![]() Anyway, how hard could it be? So, I talked with some friends who agreed the program could fill a void in the Catholic homeschooling arena. ![]() With the possibility of more children to come and many years of homeschooling ahead, I decided creating my ideal program was a good investment of my time. The program was very nice, but I kept thinking that with some simple changes and some added emphasis on Catholicism, the homeschool program would be ideal!Īt this time, I only had four children. While not entirely sure of my decision, I recruited my friend Kathy to join with her younger children. In order to meet these needs, I started visiting different homeschool support groups, co-ops, and such.Īlthough I had some concerns, I decided to participate in a non-Catholic classical homeschool program that had an academic focus. This was going to cause a lot of different play dates, yet another interruption to our “quiet” homeschool life. I was also seeing a potential for several different core peer groups developing for my children. If I were going to lose a school day and not accomplish household jobs or shopping or such, then my daughter needed to do more than a cute craft and free play with peers. Surrounded by such a large homeschooling community in our area, it seemed natural, although we did observe three local schools prior to making the homeschool decision.īy the time my oldest was finishing kindergarten, I had decided that non-academic homeschool co-ops took too much valuable time away from academics.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |