This time of year, many homeschooling parents are dealing with high school seniors who are wondering what they will do with their lives. Join Ginny and Mary Ellen in a lively conversation about post-high school educational options—their pros and cons—for young Catholic adults.

Your hosts' insight and practical advice are always flavored with their inimitable humor.

Show Notes:

Many homeschooling parents have high school seniors wondering what they will do with their lives. Join Ginny and Mary Ellen in a lively conversation about a wide variety of post-high school educational options—their pros and cons—for young Catholic adults.

Neumann Guide schools –Colleges recognized for their commitment to a faithful Catholic education.

Pros - Easy access to the sacraments and other spiritual benefits. Many have expanded their academic offerings. They can be counted on NOT to teach your kids anything opposed to the faith - Wholesome living conditions - no coed dorms.

Cons - Private schools – not taxpayer-funded $$$, Distance from home and family, they might not offer certain fields of study.

Catholic Trade Schools –An early but growing trend in the Catholic sphere.

Pros - Many of the same benefits as Neumann Guide Schools – wholesome environment – opportunities for spiritual growth. Less costly and takes less time (associate degree), Kids with a trade will have few problems finding a job.

Cons - It's a new concept with no proven track record. There is uncertainty about which credits will transfer if kids pursue higher education.

Community Colleges

Pros - Kids can live at home – a BIG plus. While not spiritually uplifting, the lack of residential campus life can be an improvement over four-year schools. Many students go to class and work, which is WAY more cost-effective. Credits will typically transfer to a four-year state school.

Cons - Any spiritual growth must come from local churches and families.

State Colleges and Universities

Pros - It is much cheaper than private institutions, especially for in-state students, and offers a wide range of majors. Credits transfer; many have well-regarded schools for particular subjects, such as fine arts, bioengineering, and premed. Often, they are connected to local institutions for internships, etc.

Cons - Campus life is often at odds with Catholic teaching, which requires students to be firmly grounded in the faith BEFORE enrolling. Look for Opus Dei study centers and Neumann Centers. Most professors are left-wing and prejudiced against traditional values, although that can vary among departments.

Private Colleges and Universities

Pros - Many have strong name recognition and greatly benefit graduates seeking jobs. Strong alumni networks for job opportunities. Prestigious programs that make it easier to enter into prestigious graduate programs.

Cons - $$$$ Do not allow students to become so obsessed with going to a big-name school that they forget they will graduate with possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Even smaller, less-known colleges are expensive, and they may not accept some transfer credits.

Campus life is not always wholesome. Look for Opus Dei study centers or Neumann Centers.

Homeschooling Resources

Newman Guide Recognized Colleges

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Every homeschool parent fervently hopes to raise a child who loves to read. Once they find themselves loving a book, a series, or a subject and choose to immerse themselves in the pages of a book, we have won half the battle.

So, how do we encourage children to read? How do we make it so much a part of life that there is no option but to be a reader? Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny explain ten ways to raise a reader.

Show Notes:

1. Be a reader. Let your child see you enjoying a book, magazine, or newspaper.

2. Fill your house with books. Go to the library, pick up books at sales, thrift stores, and garage sales, trade books with other moms, and put books on the Christmas lists.

3. Read aloud every day. Read aloud to the newborn, the toddler, and the primary and secondary ages. It cannot be overestimated how important it is, even for toddlers.

4. It must be a live experience; audiobooks are not the same.

5. It’s okay to be interrupted. Answer the questions, make funny noises, notice the pictures, and point to things.

6. Give emerging readers time; don’t rush it. Often, a child who has been struggling suddenly gets it. Be patient.

7. Reading at this age should inspire imagination, encourage curiosity, and be fun.

8. If you suspect a learning issue such as dyslexia, don’t panic. There are programs available to help you*. Many families deal with these issues; don’t let them quench a child’s desire to read.

9. When a child is reading independently, check in often and provide a wide selection. Don’t neglect comics and series of books. Create a culture of reading.

10. Don’t forget non-fiction! A book about video games is still a book. If your child loves dinosaurs, sharks, or the rainforest, get some books about it.

Listener question: This is an interesting one from Michael Lewis

I was wondering if you would consider making the title a bit more generic to account for the fact that plenty of dads out there are considering dropping the 9 to 5 and full-time homeschooling.

The name of the podcast reflects our experience as homeschooling mothers, but we support and admire all the dads who have taken on the majority of homeschooling responsibility. Homeschooling is a whole family proposition, and whichever parent takes on the bulk of the teaching, leaving the other to take on the bulk of earning a living, knows that both are living lives of heroic virtue.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Special Services

Seton Testing Services

While knowing the Four Rs (reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic, and religion) is essential for your child to succeed in life, it is also important to learn certain life skills to function well in the world.

Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny discuss ordinary things your children need to know, like how to manage money, how to really clean a room, and how to plan and cook healthy meals.

Show Notes:

Did you know that an entire Instagram account is dedicated to the hapless texts teens send their parents while trying to navigate life? Questions such as:

• What aisle is the pasta water in?
• What’s my middle name?
• Can I put the big silver pot in the microwave?

While knowing the Four Rs (reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic, and religion) is essential for your child to succeed in life, it is also important to learn certain life skills to function well in the world.

So often, we hear of young people who cannot:

• Shop for groceries
• Do a load of laundry
• Iron a shirt
• Sew on a button

The result is that they cannot cope efficiently in life.

You can’t send your children into the world without teaching them how to care for themselves, their homes, and the people around them. Part of the problem is that an entire generation of people out there whose mommies did everything for them, and it shows.

Let’s run through a few basic life skills your children need to know how to do.

1. Managing money.

· Children should be taught the value of money.

· How to keep track of it from a fairly young age.

· They must learn to save, give to charity, and spend wisely.

· Grasp the long view of money. Every stop at Chik-Fil-A is that much less in savings.

· Teach them to write a budget and stick to it.

2. How to make small talk.

· Conversation is a life skill.

· You will be called upon to get to know strangers in business and social situations.

· You must make eye contact and speak in sentences.

· Learn to ask polite questions, smile, and be courteous.

3. How to really clean a room.

· Start at the top and work your way down, dusting, vacuuming, and polishing.

· Putting things away, fluffing pillows, and vacuuming curtains.

· Washing windows, baseboards, and moldings.

4. How to iron a shirt.

· This skill will save money.

· Your clothes will last longer.

· And it’s a dying art and will impress friends, family, and prospective spouse.

5. Taking care of a car.

· Pumping gas, checking the oil, and changing a tire.

· Jumping the battery, cooling an overheating radiator, and general maintenance.

· Preparing for an emergency.

6. How to read a map.

1. How to plan and cook some healthy meals as well as how to grocery shop.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Notes from Social Media

Anastasia wants to know, "How do you challenge a high ability/gifted child? What’s the best way to do that without stifling their natural wonder and love of learning?"

Ginny offered, "Anastasia, they still have to learn to apply themselves to academic tasks to build future study skills. But what keeps them engaged, challenged, and stimulates their wonder and love of learning is enrichment, which includes class trips and special programs of particular interest to them."