In this round of Q & A's from homeschool families, Dr. Mary Kay Clark responds to memorizing the catechism, standardized testing, summer school, and more.

by Mary Kay Clark | This can be a problem when a student is old enough to work on his own, but doesn’t really have sufficient supervision of his work.

by Mary Kay Clark | Consider asking your older children to start their schoolwork earlier in the day, for instance, at 7:30 a.m., so they can get at least one or two subjects done before the noise begins from the younger children. Since older children usually stay up later than younger ones, they might try doing some of their schoolwork after the little ones are in bed.

by Dr Mary Kay Clark | Try to understand why your husband is opposed, but have a conversation only if it can be without bitterness or argumentation. He may be opposed because he thinks you are not qualified to teach, or because the children are not being “socialized,” or because the children do not have opportunities for sports activities. Whatever the reason, try to become more informed about reasonable answers: you are using an accredited curriculum or you will have the children participate in activities with other homeschooled children.

by Dr Mary Kay Clark | Contact someone you know who is homeschooling, and see if there is a support group in your neighborhood. Contact people in your parish and tell them that you are looking for a Catholic homeschooling support group. Contact Cecilia at Seton

8. Where can I find solid information about the Common Core standards? 7. This is my first year homeschooling. Where can I learn more about how to homeschool? 6. Should I look over the children’s tests before sending them to Seton? 5. How can I help them answer literature questions? 4. What advice can you give us for finishing the book reports?

Would it be possible for me to combine my children in some of the same academic subjects, such as science, history, and religion? Yes, many parents do that for children in adjacent grades. You need to be careful about there being too much of a difference in comprehension. In religion, you can certainly discuss the same subject, such as a particular sacrament, but when it comes to memory work or testing, unless they are close in abilities, you should use the test appropriate for each child’s grade level. For instance, you may teach two students with the same religion book if they are both in Baltimore Catechism No. 2, but you may have the younger child take the tests for the No. 1 book.

1. Why does Seton emphasize English while other schools, even Catholic ones, put much less emphasis on English? Catholic schools traditionally have been strong in English courses to promote thinking ...

1. There has been so much discussion on the internet about the Common Core program being implemented in schools, even in Catholic schools. What will you be doing about the ...

I feel like my life is a treadmill.  It’s always running ahead of me and I am always trying to catch up. My book, Catholic Home Schooling, has a chapter ...

1. Do you mind if I send work to be graded only when all the children are finished with their quarter’s work? 2. My husband and I believe that we ...

1. My son has finished his math. May I buy the next book and have him start on the next grade level? 2. Will you be making supplemental videos for ...

Because of illness, we are not as far along in our studies as I would like. What tips do you have for us to catch up? For some subjects, you ...

How important is it that I stay on the Seton schedule? The Seton lesson plans set a schedule based on what we believe is realistic for the student to accomplish ...

May we mail in just some of the subjects which my 5th grader has finished, or do I need to wait until the tests for all the subjects have been ...

The National Assessment Governing Board reported that only 24 percent of America’s 8th and 12th graders have “solid writing skills.” What can we parents do to help our children improve ...

What is the best advice you can give to start off the new school year? Daily family prayer is essential for success in Catholic homeschooling. Start the day with prayer, ...

Do I need to return my children’s lesson plans at the end of the year? Yes, please return the lesson plans. Enrollments include the use of the lesson plans for ...

I have been homeschooling for a couple of years, but I think that we could accomplish more with a better schedule and routine. What do you suggest? The trick to ...

Why do you have specific books assigned for the first and second quarter book reports in the elementary grades? Since our graders cannot be familiar with every book that might ...