Summary
By pairing real-world experiences with Seton’s curriculum and instruction, our son is developing a strong foundation as he works toward future success.There are no words to express how Seton’s curriculum has been a catalyst for our youngest son, Adler’s, success. My husband and I have three children; two are grown, and Adler is 16 years younger than his closest sibling.
Our daughter, Melissa, lives with her husband and our grandson. Our oldest son, Matthew, is very involved in his younger brother’s life. I am a retired student support staff member from St. Joseph School in Pekin, and my husband, Tracy, is a retired Sergeant Deputy for Tazewell County.
Rooted in Faith
Seton has given us a very competitive education, and the curriculum aligns with our faith and morals. We are happy to share how Seton has been a blessing in Adler’s education and formation of his virtues and morals.
His greatest interest is Meteorology. On his own time, and since homeschooling allows this, he studies models and geography. (We can add political science to this, too.) He spends time mapping cities and countries.
If the weather is coming in, we can postpone class so he can study the models and gather information from the two weather stations on our roof and back fence.
Studying the Skies
We were able to take Adler and two of his friends, who altar serve with him, to the Lincoln Weather Service Building in Illinois.
The tour lasted an hour and a half, but after three and a half hours, we suggested letting the gentlemen return to their work. The men were speaking a whole different language with our son about CAPE, joules, and hook echo. Adler actually called a tornado on the models.
One of our biggest blessings is the time Adler spends helping us with our church projects. We work together to build and sew items for the Church. One project that we all worked on was a processional canopy for the Eucharist.
It really was a heartwarming moment in our lives to see our son serving our Lord with our priest in the procession of the Body of Christ. Homeschooling makes this time together possible. Seton ensures Adler receives an education that exceeds that of most schools and continues to build on the strong foundation he has received.
A Servant’s Heart
We encouraged him to be involved in anything that was not school-related. He chose to go with the life of a servant’s heart. He has volunteered at the Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Pekin since the age of 12. He has received an education in virtues from the people he has volunteered with. He also volunteered for his grade school.
They had him wash dishes after lunch, then help in gym class. Now, when he shows up at the parish-sponsored Fish Fries and Chicken Dinners, the parents volunteering have a built-in babysitter with our son. We honestly believe that our son could not have built such a strong base without the opportunities Seton Home Study has provided for our family.
Another interest of Adler’s is programming and building computers. Our oldest son helped teach his brother to build his first computer.
Adler later rebuilt another computer, worked on friends’ computers, and then taught a few of his friends to build their own too. A mother sent me a picture of him helping a friend.
An Education Without Walls
Retirement has afforded us time with Adler. We were blessed to visit my husband’s grandfather’s village in Italy before he immigrated to the US in 1910.
We were able to attend Mass at the church his grandfather attended in Talamello, Italy. He has also been able to visit the Vatican, many churches, and Cathedrals in Italy, and these have become our favorite experiences while visiting Italy.
We decided to make this year’s trip to Italy the “Senior Class Trip” because we wanted Adler to experience firsthand the educational inspiration Italy offers. His journey took him to Mount Etna, where he learned from a local perspective and heard the story of the crossing of the Rubicon from a San Marino merchant. He was profoundly inspired by the honor of praying at the tombs of Saints, including Saint Carlos Acutis, just seven days after his Beatification.
Adler is gaining his own unique education: from monitoring temperatures in remote deserts and exploring climate change, to swimming in the Mediterranean, savoring meals in small hamlets, and walking out onto an iceberg on Mount Blanc, each experience teaches something new.
Furthermore, by pairing these real-world experiences with Seton’s curriculum and instruction, our son is able to develop a strong foundation as he works toward future success.
