| We are starting our seventh year
with STAA. First, the reason we use STAA is because of Divine
Providence. Our family had been considering home education for quite
a while when in the mail we received information regarding STAA, to
this day we do not know how they got our name. We have been very
pleased with their program and counseling. There are five children
in our family. Six years ago when we started I was pregnant with our
fourth child with a son in 3rd and a daughter in 1st. Our son has
special need issues and was the main reason we pulled children out
of parochial school. These past six years have allowed us to adapt
our children's educational needs to individual challenges. Our
oldest son (age 14) is planning on attending the Legionaries of
Christ Apostolic summer program in New Hampshire in just a couple of
weeks. He wouldn't be doing this without the extra time we have had
together these past years of home schooling. The STAA curriculum and
counselors helped us adapt materials to [our son's] ADHD needs and
my teaching "quirks". As a result we were able to meet Mike's
emotional challenges and adapt academically so that now he is
becoming a very faith-filled young man who is now more mature
academically and is ready to meet the academic challenge! . (All
without medication!) Our second oldest a daughter, [age 12] is a
highly motivated and independent learner who likes the challenge of
school and the fact that it is set up to do on her own when mom is
busy. The third child is a boy age 9 and is not as independent as
his sister but more independent than his older brother. Through
annual evaluations STAA helped me to meet his particular needs also.
This was my first child that I taught to read by myself, yes, he is
reading at his own pace (a little slower than the older two but
picking up speed every day.) Our fourth child is a 5-year-old girl.
I have not done any formal work with her and am totally amazed at
how much she has picked up just by being in the same room as the
rest of us when we're "schooling". She is very anxious to get
started doing "formal" school shortly. Our fifth child is a 2 year
old boy who is adored by the whole family and is just absorbing
everything we do. STAA has helped us through a special challenge.
During the 2000-2001 school year the oldest in sixth grade developed
a rare illness called Sydenham's Chorea. He had a strep throat
infection where his antibodies to the strep bacteria not only
attacked the bacteria but his nervous system also. He had
uncontrolled movement in this arms, legs, hands , feet and tongue,
making it virtually impossible to do school work and other things
(writing, tying shoes, and eating, etc.). This was an ongoing
condition from Sept to Mar or so with the symptoms roller coastering
(good and bad) days until March. We were told that he would have had
to have been pulled out of "regular school" and were thrilled to
home school through this. STAA helped us adapt to his most special
needs at this time by being available for counseling with
suggestions on how to adapt. For example, we got a tape recorder to
do school on the days he could talk and they had suggestions on
games to play to keep his mind going when he couldn't hold a book
still to read. Overall we have been extremely pleased with how the
curriculum and counselors at St. Thomas Aquinas Academy have been a
great fit for us. These past six years have been a time of much
spiritual growth and all of us are thankful for the huge role STAA
has played in our lives. It has helped me to be able to bounce ideas
off of them when school is challenging or I am feeling overwhelmed
and lack self-confidence. Thank you for everything. We are looking
forward to our seventh year. --Pat from Minnesota |
| We love the programs STAA advises us
to use. They bring excitement to learning, especially for the
subjects which are not are our greatest ones. The advice given is
suitable to our family and our lifestyle; it helps us bond. We
appreciate the advice given for it is individually given for our
children for certain subjects like religion, reading, math, and
group given for unit studies in history, science, math, music, and
geography. This year, my 13th year, I will officially be teaching
five children--kindergarten, fourth grade, seventh grade, tenth
grade, and twelfth grade. Wow! I have been given the confidence I
need. Now I need to pray and teach and let them learn. This past
year the two oldest children had difficulty with their algebra. I
called in mid term to report our difficulties. Right away I was
advised on an easier algebra program to use temporarily. What a
difference that program made. No more tears, anger, and avoidance of
math! What a relief! As our children tend to learn differently, I
appreciate the individualized instructions on how to make learning
more exciting or how to change the pace or what to do to make a
difference. Our dyslexic child, a tenth grader, learns best by
listening. I was always searching for ways, but no longer. I have
been guided to many ways of helping him learn as this child is very
intelligent and gifted. I would not have seen this if I had
continued to do schooling for him in the ways I had been. We have
tried a catholic homeschool school for eight years who instructed us
to use generalized books by the grade level. This way not good for
the dyslexic child or our oldest child. I tried to teach with no
guidance for a couple of years. I knew I needed guidance. We have
been with STAA for four or five years now. It is the way to go. I
knew it in my heart right away. I look forward to our yearly
interview and to the monthly newsletters that encourage and educate
me. Homeschooling is a sacrifice and I want to do what is best for
our children. I want them to love to learn and learn how to find the
answers. I want them to use these skills in the adulthood. I highly
suggest STAA to anyone who homeschools. It is the way to go for us.
Thank you STAA! -- Christine from Minnesota |