What about socialization? This is the first question everyone asks. Sadly, socialization in today's schools is probably one of the biggest problems parents face. Recent studies show that the homeschooled child is socially better adjusted than his peers in the classroom sector. This is because our schools are artificially age segregated environments and this type of environment exists nowhere else on earth except in the classroom. Our children are placed in this artificial environment and it is called socialization. They learn to socialize only with children of their own age group and suffer from peer pressure. Then they come home and won't play with their brothers and sisters because they are either too young or too old. In a homeschooled family, age is not a factor they all play with each other because they don't know any different.

Is it legal? Yes it is legal to homeschool in California.

What is Catholic homeschooling? Catholic homeschooling is many things, but most importantly it is providing a Catholic education in the environment of a Catholic home, Good text books are extremely important because this is where the education will come from. These books must be doctrinally pure and contain examples of the Faith being lived. The Faith should flow through all the text books and all the subjects that are being taught. If it doesn't, it will be learned as just another subject and not as a way of life.

 How do I know if I am qualified to teach a child at home?  It has always been taught by the Church that the parents are the primary educators of their children. Parents not only have the right but also the duty to educate their children. God never gives us a duty without giving us the ability to carry out that duty. The sacrament of Holy Matrimony is the greatest untapped resource of our age. It is an immense, extremely necessary treasury of graces, including all the graces to educate our children. Our experience at Saint Michael The Archangel Academy, has borne this out. We have seen parents with very little education educate students who excelled in college.

How do I determine a good Catholic curriculum? If parents are trying to design their own, it could be difficult in the sense that they will be "shooting from the hip". The first criterion is to get good Catholic books, preferably in sequence, with all the supporting books. A sequential curriculum is much easier to teach and to learn. If a secular book must be used in limited cases, because of the unavailability of a good Catholic book, use Catholic material such as encyclicals or other Catholic books to supplement the secular text, or at least to give the secular book a Catholic perspective. A Catholic child can easily be taught to differentiate between a godless secular book and a Godly Catholic book, but he will have difficulty differentiating between a book of another religion and a Catholic book. Thirdly, make sure that the Catholic Faith flows through all the subjects and is not taught separately or just in catechism form. Remember that we are trying to educate both the physical and the spiritual equally.

What advantage does homeschooling have over classroom education? There are many advantages, but the biggest advantage is the fact that the student will be taught one-on-one. When this advantage is combined with good Catholic text books and a teacher that really cares for him, loves him and knows him better than anyone else, the combination is unbeatable. You know exactly what is being taught every minute of the day. Another advantage is that the Catholic homeschooled child will not be deluged with sex education, he/She will be taught his Holy Catholic Faith instead.

How Much does it cost ? Typically you can consider around $3-$4 per day.

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