I remember that the first summer before we started homeschooling I spent a minimum of 6-8 hours a day (or as long as 14 mo. old Rylan would let me) digging around on the Internet to look at curriculum and figure out how I was going to homeschool a (then) second grade Jordan.
Two regrets:
1. I missed out on several precious weeks of Rylan's sweet babyhood - weeks I should have savored after working a full-time job during her first year of life.
2. Five years later, I haven't learned a damn thing.
I hate the curriculum vortex that happens on the Internet. You could spend hours. Days. Weeks. And still not be any closer to a decision about what you want to use. I have spend MONTHS trying to decide what direction we should take this coming year. And I am still on the fence about a few items. I want things simple, yet effective. I've got three kids to school this year (four, if you count the 1on1 activities that I should be doing with Colin), so I need to make maximum use of my time.
When I sit here at the computer (also the 'school room'), all I have to do is cast my eyes upward and side-to-side as I scan our bookcases to see some of my spectacular (ie. expensive ) curriculum failures. Even though I have spent hours this summer combing through the shelves and purging several boxes worth of stuff I won't use, the shelves are loaded to the max. I don't even have room for the new stuff that will be arriving any day! Most of what I purged were things I didn't purchase anyway. They were relics from my teaching days - and mostly just full of 'busywork'. Kids don't need 'busywork' - they need to get the meaty stuff and then go off and play.
Why so many failures??
1. I am a curriculum crackhead. I love new books. They're shiny.
2. Unfortunately, teachers-in-training do not take a college-level course called "Choosing an Effective Curriculum". When you are a public school teacher, the district's so-called *experts* make the choices and you unpack the boxes that were dumped on your work table, number the books with your trusty Sharpie, and make nice, neat stacks on each student's desk in preparation for the first day of school. And then you take home the teacher's manual and cram the night before you teach the lesson, while you eat Chinese take-out and watch CSI.
3. I love the 'idea' of a comprehensive curriculum that pulls in multiple resources and materials. Case in point: The Story of the World. I love, love, love how in depth the curriculum goes, and all of the different books you use and the numerous projects and mapping exercises that you complete over the year. And every year we fail to get very far. This will be Jordan's FOURTH year learning about Ancient History (and Rylan's first!). I totally suck. Also - what I love does not necessarily translate to what they love.
4. I fail to be realistic. I always over-plan and under-execute.
5. I didn't think about the type of children I had... I read the reviews based on other people's children.
6. I based my opinion on the merit of a workbook by the one stinkin' lousy page that was available under 'preview'. The rest of the pages to preview were, of course, the empty boring pages at the beginning of the book and the table of contents. WHY do they only let you see one or two actual work pages? It doesn't matter if you use Amazon, Rainbow Resource or even the publisher... there are very few companies that let you page through the entire thing. Life of Fred is a very nice exception, as well as Real Science-4-Kids.
7. I used the "We might use this... someday...." excuse. No more. If it's not being used now, or its proven its merit and is sticking around for the other kids, it's going to a new home.
So... what are we using this year? I think I have made some pretty good, solid choices, but a post about it will have to wait for another time - so much to do today, and so little time to do it in!
