Questions We Are Asked
by Dr. Mary Kay Clark
Director, Seton Home Study School
My daughter in 5th grade does not do well on tests. How can I help her?
Look over the quarter tests at the beginning of the quarter. You can see what areas are tested in the various subjects. As you help your daughter do her work throughout the quarter, be sure she learns the material or skills she will be asked on the quarter tests. Don’t hesitate to review those concepts in the days preceding her taking the test. (By the way, teachers in schools go over test questions all the time. There is no reason parents should not do the same.)
After your daughter has taken the test, look it over. If you see that for some reason she has not understood a concept, go back and review it again. Don’t give her the answers for the test questions, but have her redo the questions for which she has restudied.
The point is that we want students to learn the material. We don’t want to just give grades no matter what. We are about good Catholic education, with the emphasis on both Catholic and education!
When I phoned your math counselor, he would not help me with some test questions.
Our math counselors report they receive calls from students while they are taking a math test. Our counselors are happy to help parents and students, but they are not allowed to help a student while taking a test. If a student does not understand a math problem, the parent should help the student go back and review the lessons related to the problem. Students should not even attempt to take a test if they believe they will have problems with the test. Parents should make sure the student has done well on the previous lessons before taking the test. Before each daily lesson, the student should do at least some review of previous lessons.
Students will not do as well if they do not review the lessons every day. Every good student has learned that to be a good student, one must review the past lessons. This applies to all subjects, but most of all math and English.
Please remember that math tests should be taken with the math book closed.
Do you agree with recent developments in the schools to omit cursive handwriting and let the students start working on the computer keyboarding at a young age?
There are research studies which show that cursive handwriting does help the development of the brain in some ways. Special education teachers especially have noted the importance of cursive handwriting in the learning development of their students.
Students do better in their studies with more senses used: reading, hearing, and touching (the shape of letters, for instance). In the handwriting process, the shape of letters is made with a function of the hands which would seem to impress on the brain the shape of the letters as well as the sound of the letters. It also helps in the spelling of words. Cursive handwriting also teaches students not only to write more quickly but read more quickly and think more quickly.
Handwriting develops small but also smooth motor skills with the hands and fingers. We do not know what effect the lack of cursive handwriting will have with a future generation.
My son is having trouble with history. He just does not seem interested.
It is difficult for some students to read just facts of history. Dates and events seem to pile up without any “live excitement” or personal stories.
While a history textbook can be only an outline of events and important people, history can mean more through the stories of people involved in historical events. Bruce Clark, our in-house historian, has written four novels about historical events. These novels have proved especially popular with our high school students, and parents as well. If you go to our website home page, you can click on Bruce Clark’s historical novels, and then click on the cover of each book. Notice that an excerpt from each book is provided.
It would be impossible for your student to read a biography or an historical fiction book for every character or event in a particular chapter; nevertheless, you should consider one such book for each chapter. You might find a book at the library or through our Seton SEM department. You might also consider looking for interesting information on a person or event on the Internet.
Our Seton SEM department sells several lives of the saints, which often reflect the culture or the historical events of the time. St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Joan of Arc are saints whose lives reveal their culture, places, and times. Ignatius Press and EWTN also sell lives of the saints.
I admit I don’t know English Grammar the way I should. I don’t even remember learning it, frankly. How can I teach my son?
The first thing to remember is that it is very important for your son to learn Grammar. Grammar is essentially logical thinking. Our young people need logical thinking in a society in which our leaders act on emotions and personal interest. Catholic English Grammar courses teach relationships between words and phrases, sentences, and, most importantly, ideas. This skill in reading and in writing is vital for our society to pull out of the current lack of critical thinking skills.
If you need extra help, please phone a counselor. Also, you may wish to order a lower level grammar book for a more basic presentation of the concepts. We start the English books in first grade.
The important thing to remember is that grammar is a logical progression. It is not hard to grasp once you understand the underlying principles.
My husband is a good man, but he works long hours and does not help me with the home schooling at all.
We are living in difficult economic times, but in spite of it all, fathers have a duty to be involved with their children. The Bible, especially in the Book of Proverbs, emphasizes the importance of fathers being leaders in their families. In the encyclical On Christian Marriage, the Church teaches that the sacramental graces from the sacrament of matrimony offer “supernatural power for the fulfilling of their rights and duties…”
Doug Bean, a home schooling father and author of articles on home schooling, emphasizes the importance of fathers being spiritual leaders. He recommends that “If a father has an area of expertise, such as science, he should not hesitate to take a leading role in [teaching] that subject. Other practical ways to ease into the home schooling routine are praying, reading stories, playing learning games, singing, conversing, and listening to the children read. Whatever fathers do, they absolutely need to pray for supernatural graces and ask for Our Blessed Lord’s guidance every step of the way. Home schooling can be a very humbling experience. But with God’s guidance, no challenge or problem is too great.”
If you have not done so, you might want to sit down and talk with your husband about why he is not involved. Is he too stressed out? Does he not feel comfortable with the schooling? Does he feel it is “your thing?” It could be that he doesn’t realize you would like him to help. In any case, determining the root cause is the first step toward making a positive change.
This sounds ridiculous, but my high school student does not seem to have any study skills.
One problem with classroom schooling is that often students are so used to working in the classroom in a group situation, they really never take time alone to study. Sometimes they don’t take time alone to do anything else, even praying or reflecting on their sins before confession, or applying themselves in a quiet situation to learning from a book. This inner lack of thinking and reflection can be very detrimental to the spiritual life.
Work with your student to develop study skills. You will need to take a whole day to work with your student. Perhaps you could have your younger children visit a relative while you focus on helping your high school student. Prepare yourself with the Study Skills course we have available on our home page (the top box on the right). Our lesson plans often give specific ideas for studying. If you need more help, go on the Internet and look for Study Skills ideas and even lesson plans and worksheets for your son’s grade level.
Consider having a white board in his study room and writing in large letters the process for studying a chapter: Read everything out loud, so that the brain is hearing as well as reading. Read the headings and subheadings, look at the pictures or charts or diagrams, and read underneath whatever explains them; read the section review questions and the end-of-chapter questions; read the first line under each subheading. Read aloud the assigned chapter pages. Go back and highlight important words or phrases that are asked about in the review questions.
Developing study skills is critical not just for home schooling but for later in life. For anyone planning to go to college, study skills are essential, because no one will stand over students advising them. They are expected to do the work on their own in a timely way.
I am definitely not happy with my messy house since I began home schooling.
The first rule is to make your children put things away as they go along during the day. When they finish with a toy, it must be put in the toy box. When they finish with a book, they put it back on the shelf. When they finish eating a sandwich, the plate goes in the proper place. (Consider paper plates!)
Your children should not be raised thinking that a messy house is normal. A messy house is disturbing to you, but it is disturbing for the children studying, too! They cannot study properly with clothes on the floor or on the furniture, and food and dirty dishes on the counter.
You can lessen the abundance of stuff by not buying so much. Give away and throw away whatever you can on a regular basis. My boys liked to wear the same clothes over and over again. Try it! They don’t need so many clothes! Tell grandparents no more clothes, no more toys! Books are fine! Maybe grandpa can build a bookcase; you can use one for each child!
