Holy Father Calling For "Truth" In Catholic Universities

Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the Czech; Pope Benedict held a meeting in the famous Castle of Prague and took the opportunity to speak on Catholic higher education: “I address you as one who has been a professor, solicitous of the right to academic freedom and the responsibility for the authentic use of reason, and is now the Pope who, in his role as Shepherd, is recognized as a voice for the ethical reasoning of humanity... The freedom that underlies the exercise of reason, be it in a university or in the Church, has a purpose: it is directed to the pursuit of truth, and as such gives expression to a tenet of Christianity which in fact gave rise to the university....Indeed,” he continued, “man’s thirst for knowledge prompts every generation to broaden the concept of reason and to drink at the wellsprings of faith. It was precisely the rich heritage of classical wisdom, assimilated and placed at the service of the Gospel, which the first Christian missionaries brought to these lands and established as the basis of a spiritual and cultural unity which endures to this day.”
Digging into the thorny issue of academic freedom in universities, and the autonomy usually claimed by the academic world, Pope Benedict said that the proper autonomy of a university finds meaning in “its accountability to the authority of truth.”

Pope Benedict spoke of "the mending of the breach between science and religion," He concluded his thoughts by saying: “An understanding of reason that is deaf to the divine and which relegates religions into the realm of subcultures, is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures that our world so urgently needs. In the end, ‘fidelity to man requires fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom." CNS

Catholic Femina Speaks: Catholic Universities have been dropping like flies throughout the twentieth century and have declined even more through out the twenty-first century... still people every where are still funding these institutions that do not teach the truths that Holy Mother Church teaches. I am glad that the Pope has made a stand on his authority as the head of the Church to make these institutions accountable to someone. Cabrini College trying to promote homosexual agendas; Notre Dame giving Obama an honorary degree all in the name of the Catholic Church. Evidence has revealed that one's course of study does impact one's faith, and when a good intending individual attends a college that has the name "Catholic," while there is no Catholicity in their university. The new Newman Guide to Choosing A Catholic College has been released, and the schools on the list show "accountability to truth" as the Pope has demanded and a truly Catholic University. The United States Catholic Council of Bishops should follow the Pope's lead and protect the Church from Universities that ignore Church teachings. Catholic is not a club, rather a tradition of morals and beliefs to uphold. Pope Benedict calls for truth and to be Catholic is to want nothing less.

School Warning Unpatriotic

The ACLU and other critics of the 117-year-old Pledge of Allegiance are pushing for legislation that requires all public school students be given a "Miranda warning" that informs them of their right not to recite the words and instead remain silent. Should schools be required to inform students that they have the right not to say the Pledge of Allegiance? Fox Forum

Catholic Femina Speaks: Should American children pledge allegiance to our country's flag in public schools? This is the flag of the country paying for their education, and I believe that they should show some appreciation to the country that made it possible for them to receive an education. Besides most kids in public school do not know what the "Miranda Warning" is; and it is really a waste of school time. Kids do understand please and thank you... pledging allegiance to our country is letting the men who have died for our country know it was not in vain.

Pope Calls Parents to Educate Children

The World Conference for Families began in Amsterdam today, under the theme, “Modern Families: Traditional Values.” In his augural address, the under secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Bishop Carlos Simon Vasquez, said only the family “can guarantee an authentic education in values.” The conference encouraged families to take active roles in education and ensure fundamental morals were at the core of their children’s education. The bishop read passages from Pope Benedict XVI’s recent encyclical “Caritas in Veritate,” underscoring that only the family “can guarantee an authentic education in human values, because it ensures altruism and temporal continuity, which are essential in education.” Then Bishop Vasquez added “Only the vocation to paternity and maternity can transmit a responsible education in responsible procreation, which brings with it the necessary union between personal and social ethics through a harmonious existence that only the family can offer.”CNA World Net

Catholic Femina Speaks: After hearing these words from Bishop Vasquez and the Holy Father I examined a recent release from the Home School Legal Defense League. They reveal that Home Education only costs 5% of the total cost of public education, and that home schooled students score on average 40 points above public school students in standardized tests. Home Schooled Students comprise 4% of the total students educated at present and the number grows by 7% annually. So the Catholic Church is calling parents to be “the first educators of their children;” and home schooling is a viable option. For many Catholics home schooling is the only option. With the homosexual agenda of the elementary education in Massachusetts to the Stem-Cell Research plan in California Catholics cannot sit by and watch the state steal their children’s souls. I know that for many families parochial schools are too expensive and are not a viable option. Home education is an answer to the Pope’s call to educate. It protects children from the Culture of Death in the Obama Administration education centers, and does not destroy the child’s ordered view of family. Parents cannot blindly claim they do not know what their children are exposed to in school; the Holy Father has reminded us of parental accountability. I hope that the public schools will change, but I will not be fooled into allowing them to indoctrinate my children.

Bible Class In Texas Public Schools

A new class to be offered in Texas public schools, the class is going to be a look into the Bible. Texas has been preparing to offer a Bible class since 2007. The School board wanted to be sure that the teachers were prepared to teach the class and had the proper tools to offer it before initiating the mandate to offer a Bible class. Over 2008 the Texas Department of Education took the Legislators’ 2007 mandate, which ensures that a class on the Bible's impact on history and literature of Western civilization would be taught in an "objective, academic manner that neither promotes nor disparages religion," and not "from a particular sectarian point of view." The class is to give students an overview from a purely educational standpoint leaving out any particular religion. News-Journal
Catholic Femina Speaks: A public school class on the Bible, hmmm. This just sends up red flags for me. The Bible is the word of God, and it has to be represented as such. Taking religion away from the Bible is like taking Christ out of Christmas; you are left with the shell of something that once was good and is now a perversion of secularism. A class taught on the Bible will only be as true as the individual teacher’s representation. Furthermore giving parameters on teaching ties the hands of the teacher and degrades the Bible to merely literature. I foresee that this class will rob faith rather than spread it. Stripping reverence and honor due to the Word of God cannot bring good.

Catholic College Imperative For Social Studies & Humanities

Does college affect the spirituality of the person? This was the question that propelled the University of Michigan Study, the researchers observed students majoring in: Education, Vocational/Clerical, Business, Biology, Engineering, Physical Science/Math, Humanities, and Social Sciences. At the start of the study researchers had expected the Physical Science/Math students to move farther from religion, but the truth surprised the researchers. The group studied nearly 26,000 students graduating high school between the years 1996-2006. The researchers concluded that students majoring in Education had the greatest church attendance and put the most emphasis on the importance of religion. The study observed that students who studied Humanities and Social Studies were the most likely to loose their faith. Ars Technica
Catholic Femina Speaks: This study is very interesting, especially considering that most of the “real Catholic Colleges” are liberal arts or humanity based. I believe that this is because these subjects speak the most of religion and it is imperative that these subjects be taught in light of the faith. I hope that this study enlightens people to the importance of studying at a Catholic college particularly for the humanities and the Social Sciences.

Montessori Home School Supplies

I am very interested in the Montessori approach to homeschooling, particularly for younger ones and I came across this store online: By Way of the Family; and was very impressed. The store sells a variety of home school and preschool supplies: Toys Worth Buying, phonics matrials, and supplies to form a school zone. This is a great place to start homeschooling, or purchase more supplies. It even offers a program like girl scouts dedicated to St. Theresa of the Little Flower for girls. The store is located in Ave Maria, Florida and I hope to visit soon.

By Way of the Family

Praying for Our Kids

I really like this prayer for Moms, it gets down to the nitty gritty of being a Mom. It is a wonderful vocation and God will help Moms carry their cross. Don't hesitate to ask! I bought my mother (mom of 7) a plaque "Dear Lord Grant me the patience to endure my blessings." Every child is a blessing, I have two and I love both of them more than I could have imagined, and because I care so much I want them to have a great life and I need God's help with this vocation. http://catholicexchange.com/2009/06/04/119184/

Toys Worth Buying

It took me three Christmases and two birthdays to discover that my daughter does not play with the huge menagerie of toys she receives at any gift letting party. Before her third birthday I contemplated what I should get her as a gift and my sister prompted me to look into the toys suggested in the Montessori school approach. I decided to purchase a few of the toys. A wooden art easel, wooden puzzles, basic wooden toys, and books; these toys were more expensive than the items I had bought at previous holidays and did not come with all the bells and whistles. My daughter opened each gift and, as I expected, was more excited about the other presents directly from the store advertisements. To my surprise shortly after her birthday she began to play with the educational gifts I had bought for her and they are now her favorite toys. The other presents that she received lost their charm in less than a week and now reside in the closet. I highly recommend veering away from the plastic noise making toys to simpler classic toys; I am very surprised how much time my daughter spends playing with them, and learning.

http://www.melissaanddoug.com/

Teaching Phonics!

Baby can’t read and monkeys can’t read either! Phonics is the only way for your rational intelligent child to learn how to read. The “Whole Word Method” used by many public and private schools throughout the country is a way to quickly make children memorize words. In the short term this method is highly affective, but in the long run children do not understand the principles of phonics so reading a wider range of words is impossible.
I attended public school for grades kindergarten through fourth grade, and I learned the “Whole Word Method” of reading. My mother was always impressed by how quickly I learned to read, but she was upset when she learned that her eight-year-old did not know all the sounds for the alphabet. My mother started from scratch to re-teach me how to read, but the damage from the “Whole Word Method” was difficult to erase. I was challenged in spelling and in english for many years from this program. So I highly recommend teaching reading the correct way the first time.
Take phonics one day at a time, put alphabet cards up on the wall with pictures to help children learn and remember the letters’ sounds. Repetition is the best way to teach children the alphabet. Make it fun; use your own Alphabet cards with pictures that are relevant to your child. Generic cards work, but your child will learn more when the work interests them.
There are many good resources for teaching Phonics, find the reading program that best fits your child’s personality and learning style.

Baby can’t read and monkeys can’t read either! Phonics is the only way for your rational intelligent child to learn how to read. The “Whole Word Method” used by many public and private schools throughout the country is a way to quickly make children memorize words. In the short term this method is highly affective, but in the long run children do not understand the principles of phonics so reading a wider range of words is impossible.
I attended public school for grades kindergarten through fourth grade, and I learned the “Whole Word Method” of reading. My mother was always impressed by how quickly I learned to read, but she was upset when she learned that her eight-year-old did not know all the sounds for the alphabet. My mother started from scratch to re-teach me how to read, but the damage from the “Whole Word Method” was difficult to erase. I was challenged in spelling and in english for many years from this program. So I highly recommend teaching reading the correct way the first time.
Take phonics one day at a time, put alphabet cards up on the wall with pictures to help children learn and remember the letters’ sounds. Repetition is the best way to teach children the alphabet. Make it fun; use your own Alphabet cards with pictures that are relevant to your child. Generic cards work, but your child will learn more when the work interests them.
There are many good resources for teaching Phonics, find the reading program that best fits your child’s personality and learning style.

Preschool Activities

Preschoolers learn best by doing, hands on learning: puzzles, blocks, lacing cards, Play-dough, etc. the list is endless. Toys and activities that stimulate, also educate. Nearly any daily activity can be used for learning. When I am cooking I let my daughter help measure, when I am doing laundry I let her help identify colors as I sort clothes, and when I place my throw pillows on the couch ask my daughter which color pillow goes next in the pattern. She benefits from me taking a little extra time in what I do.
My preschooler loves anything she can eat. We make organic cereal necklaces, edible play-dough with peanut butter and grow plants she can derive veggies from to name a few. She loves painting anything especially finger painting. I tie painting into some other subjects to make it more beneficial. We paint a penguin, talk about God creating the birds and then talk about where penguins live. The library is a good aid in finding books to help keep kids interested. I use a fun fictional penguin story as an added bonus. The book Montessori on a Shoe String has a lot of really good ideas; it is available from Catholic Heritage Curricula.

Preschool Progress

Kids like to see their progress, and stickers, stamps, and stars are a great way for them to see how well they are doing. I have made a chart for my daughter with all the work she does in an average day, and as she does it she places a sticker in the square. I have added pictures to help her know which place to put the stickers. At the end of the day she likes to see all the stickers she has earned. I print a new one each week, so that she can have a fresh look at each week. It also teaches her the days of the week because she sees the day that she is working on.

School Zone

I like a designated school zone. Preschools are great models; they have all the books, toys, and mini furniture in a specified area with posters and charts. Don’t be afraid to make a school zone, it helps children feel more comfortable. I have a space set aside, with a mini easel, reading area, and little table set up with her work, and my daughter loves this space, she knows it is just for learning. It makes learning fun and easier for me because everything is always ready for a lesson. This space also gives my daughter independence because she can go on her own to find a book, do a puzzle, or write on the chalk board.