***Today's topic is "If I Had Only Known...". Simply scroll to the bottom of this post to find links to the blogs of other participants or to post your own blog post URL. Tomorrow's topic will be "Curriculum...". Please feel free to join in!
I have learned that when something doesn't work, stop doing it. That perfect curriculum that everyone is talking about, the one that has revolutionized everyone's homeschooling experience, may not work for my children and me.
Curriculum suppliers have noticed tremendous economic potential among homeschoolers and they are capitalizing on it by offering multitudes of lesson plans, text books and unit studies. I will admit that this makes for a great selection when it comes time to purchase items for the school year, but if you don't do a little learning yourself before shopping, you might find yourself buying books based on what everyone else says rather than what you know that you need
It is a wise to learn somethings about children's learning styles and teaching styles (classical, unschooling, unit study, etc.) before attending a homeschool conference or a curriculum sale so that you can make knowledgeable decisions about what to purchase.
When my children were younger (4 kids under 8 years old) I was fully convinced of the value of unit studies. I gathered materials and supplies, I made outlines and schedules, only to find myself completely frustrated and ready to throw up my hands in despair. No one had mentioned that attempting to teach with the unit study method with babies and toddlers underfoot could be quite a challenge. And for me, a teacher who thrives on some semblance of schedule, I needed to try a method that wasn't so completely hands-on all day long.
If something simply isn't working for your family, set is aside or toss it in the trash. Then set out to find what works---for you! Asking fellow homeschoolers f or direction is good, but it is even better when you have educated yourself to know what works best for your own homeschool.
