When it comes to homeschool curriculum, there are not hundreds but thousands of choices available. But just what should we buy, and from where?
I can’t even count how many times I’ve had to face this dilemma over our 37 years of homeschooling.
I started out just like every body else; spending oodles on boxes of pre-proportioned worktexts and workbooks. I started with Abeka, moved on to Bob Jones, and then drug my children through Rod and Staff. After running out of money, time, and tolerance for drudgery, I branched out to unit studies, Charlotte Mason, and even total unschooling.
Eventually, I ended up in a sweet spot which included both structure and freedom, and this is what I hope to help other mommies discover.
This is why I am offering a bit of help in the form of some things to avoid when looking for homeschool curriculum.
Curriculum formulated specifically for the classroom. Homeschooling is nothing like classroom learning; it is based on the tutoring model and so we can get to the meat of any subject more quickly and efficiently than in a classroom.
Curriculum which is too specific. Suggestions and ideas can be great, unless they are too detailed and make you feel as though you must follow each step to the minor detail. This leads to stress and burnout.
Curriculum that was formulated according to “standards.” In other words, materials which “teach to the test.” This may give a child a slight bump on a test score, but it will also steal from his natural inclination to learn. (Unless your true goal is to raise a state-approved automaton.)
Curriculum which is written from a worldly perspective but adds in some scripture now and then to make it look Christian. Not really worth your time.
Curriculum that offers general information but dresses it up with colorful graphics and lots of workbooks so you feel like you are doing something important.
Curriculum that relies on fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice questions, or questions that only have one correct answer. This takes the focus off of the interesting information and onto whether or not the correct answers are given. It’s more about winning a game than learning something important.
Curriculum which makes you a slave to age-grading. This is particularly important if you have a number of children at different levels of learning. You will be wearing yourself out trying to keep track of a huge stack of books and workbooks aimed at each person’s grade level.
Curriculum that promises to do it all for you. There isn’t any such thing.
Curriculum that is overkill. Focused, concentrated simplicity is better than a plethora of mediocre activities. Curriculum companies know how to major in the minors because teachers and schools need to justify the hours, days, and years which are wasted in compulsory education.
And Here is the golden key:
Homeschooling is not about curriculum, it’s about formation.
If you don’t keep this in mind, you will be vulnerable to the pitches of entities who want to make money off of your lack of knowledge and confidence.
However, if you will arm yourself with information and develop a simple mindset about learning (such as my idea of the Four Pillars of True Learning), even if you only have some simple office supplies, a library card, and a math book or two, you can give your child an education that far outstrips any curriculum out there, no matter how expensive.
This is not new, it’s very, very old. What I am talking about has been done since before the Greeks in Athens and it's even easier to implement in our day of amazing technological advancements.
Since I’ve covered what to avoid, in my next post I hope to cover what to embrace.
Together, this will build a mindset which will keep you from wasting time and money on things that don’t work.
In case you were wondering, I am Sherry Hayes, the mom of 15 who’s been homeschooling for over 37 years. My passion is to encourage other mommies on their journey to glorify their God and love their families.
I hope you have found something valuable and strengthening in this message, and I hope you will subscribe and follow along as we travel this journey together.
You can also find me on my YouTube Mom Delights channel, and you can take advantage of lots of free resources on my website, MomDelights.com.
