Ahh…January. A month of new beginnings. Fresh starts. A chance to re-evaluate and make adjustments. For the homeschool mom, the “new” of January often brings an opportunity to overhaul the chosen curriculum.
It is likely that after four to five months of use, the honeymoon stage of all the books and lesson plan guides purchased last fall is over. The sparkle of excitement for learning that both you and your children shared back in September has probably began to fade. With the realization that the mid-year hump has arrived, you might be regretting the idea of continuing the school year with your curriculum choices, especially if they have, at times, brought tears of frustration or have not lived up to your expectations. Chances are, you might be entertaining notions of pulling out all those curriculum catalogs in hopes of starting fresh. But, before you “jump ship” on your previously purchased program, I encourage you to ask yourself a few basic questions.
Is the lack of motivation a discipline issue?
Am I adhering too rigidly to a prescribe pace?
Am I only utilizing the basics?
If after you’ve thoroughly examined these possibilities, you still feel like a change is due, ask yourself this…
Can I re-purpose some or all of my current curriculum?
Formerly an elementary school teacher, Jamie left the school desk to bring the learning home in 2006. She is the doting wife to “Mr. Right” and blessed momma of five gifts. After some simple trial-and-error, she found herself homeschooling with an eclectic, Charlotte Mason-esque approach. Somewhere between diapers and division flashcards, she finds time to write and speak about parenting, organization, and homeschooling. You can find Jamie enjoying a cup of dark chocolate mocha while blogging at The Unlikely Homeschool, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.
Hi Jamie! Great post, as usual.
I would be one to jump around to many different curriculums if it weren’t for my wonderful, engineering, very steady husband who always encourages us to finish what we start. Thankful for him!
I just recently went through something like this. I wanted to change curriculum because I thought a new one would be a better fit for my family. I was so excited over making the change and thought my family would be too. My children cried and begged to keep their books. I decided to stay the course since my children cried for their current curriculum.
Great insight!!! Um…I’m guilty of a couple of those!
I wholeheartedly agree with you on not doing just the “basics.” That is what happened to us, and we became bored after spending a good chunk of money on brand new curriculum with the add on package.
What a great post. Thanks for the great advice. I have to remind myself that this is not school and I am homeschooling and don’t have to do things exactly as written.
I guess I was lucky from the very beginning. I found a curriculum that I love, that my daughter loves and that really works for her. (Time4Learning). I didn’t have to make major financial commitments up front, and it doesn’t give me a timeline that puts undue pressure on me or my daughter. I can see sticking to a curriculum for financial reasons (some are very expensive) and even sticking because you might think your child just needs an attitude adjustment. But one of the beauties of homeschooling is being able to individualize your child’s education, and if something is not working it is time to try something else. I think it is more important to me that we maintain forward momentum and not get bogged down in something that isn’t working or is making me or my daughter miserable. I guess the biggest question then, is when do you stay the course, and when do you move on. The answer to that is as individual as the families that are homeschooling. Thanks for some great food for thought!