Questions and Advice

What Curriculum Should I Use? How Do I Choose?

As we continue to struggle through the pandemic, my homeschooling sister-in-law has had many coworkers trying to decide if they should homeschool their children. She is frequently asked for advice about curriculum. I find that many parents try to answer this question by immediately looking at curriculum. That makes sense, right? If I need curriculum, I should look at curriculum! Well, yes, but I suggest that parents first ask themselves this question: “How does my child learn best?” If you never sent your child to a conventional school, the transition into homeschooling is often quite seamless. Your child learned an amazing amount of information before they reached “school age.” How did that happen? How did they learn their alphabet? How did they learn to draw a unicorn? How did they learn that ants have six legs? They learned the answers to many questions without any exposure to formal education. Do you ever stop and think about how much your children learned from you before the age of five? What kind of books do they enjoy looking at? What kind of activities do they enjoy? Parents know their children better than anyone else, and if they stop and think about it for a while, they will start to notice patterns in the types of activities that keep their child engaged. Once you’ve evaluated how your child learns best, then you have developed a sufficient filter for looking at curriculum and trying to find something that fits your particular child. Be warned, however, that there isn’t a perfect curriculum. Let’s just state that again. THERE IS NO PERFECT CURRICULUM. Some curriculums are a better match for certain children than others, but the key is to choose what seems like the best fit and then adapt it to fit your child.

What if your child has been enrolled in a conventional school and you are pulling them out now to homeschool them? Do you know how to “teach” your child anymore? This transition might not be as seamless. Take a deep breath. Experts like to spend a lot of time pointing out that parents lack formal teaching experience and therefore are not qualified to teach their children. This view fails to recognize that homeschooling is fundamentally different than most conventional schools. Much of a teacher’s educational experience is learning how to regulate classrooms, handle large numbers of students, and justify how their lesson plans meet a set of goals established by the government. The role of a homeschooling parent is more a facilitator than a teacher. Do you really think your child doesn’t know HOW to learn? Do you remember how easily they learned their alphabet or the lyrics to their favorite songs? Did you “teach” them the lyrics by writing them on a blackboard, pointing at each word while they verbally regurgitated it, and then tell them to practice and give them a quiz two days later to make sure they did? Or did you facilitate their learning by singing it with them and dancing around while they giggled? Your older child doesn’t necessarily need you to “teach” them everything. They need to be able to ask you questions, they need you to help them find answers when they cannot, they need meaningful discussion with you, and they need materials that are engaging FOR THEM. When choosing curriculum for your older child, start with ASKING THEM for their input. If you have lost sight of what their learning style is, ask them to tell you about what they like to learn and how they like to learn. It’s probably good to ask them what they don’t like, too. Most children are very good at pointing out what they don’t like. Now that we’ve thought more about the needs of each child, we are better suited to start trudging through the endless curriculum materials that are available to parents.

What criteria are we using when we evaluate curriculum? We’ve identified the most important component: “Does this engage my child and are they going to like using it?” What else helps us guide our decision? Do other people like it? How much does it cost? Is it designed for kids to use on their own or will I have to do a lot of instruction? Sometimes, that means we have to use a different program for different kids in the same house. My oldest son just gets math - and I mean, REALLY gets math. He just completed high school geometry at the age of 12 and I chose the most rigorous textbook that was recommended by the creator of my favorite math program (mathmammoth.com). He needed very little help with the program, and my evaluation was that the instructional component of the program was a bit lacking. There really weren’t practice problems to go through together. It didn’t matter for him, though. He loved that the program was very theory driven and didn’t require much instructional time. I’ve already discussed with my husband that this program isn’t going to work for my daughter. With math, she thrives on repetition. She needs more hands-on experience, and she needs more math instruction. In fact, she often needs to sit beside me while she does her math so I can provide assistance along the way. She’s very competent at math when she’s had enough practice, but she does not learn it like my son. My son absorbs math like a sponge. How do I facilitate a child who can teach themselves geometry? The challenge I present to him is making him explain it to ME. I hear you chuckling. It does sound funny, doesn’t it? What a lousy “teacher” I am! (I’m actually quite good at math and was a teaching assistant in statistics as a graduate student.) My point is not that I’m not good at math. What is my point? To show me that he really understands geometry, he needs to be able not just to calculate efficiently and correctly. He needs to be able to explain it to others. That’s the skill he needs to work on. He can calculate phenomenally well in his head, but trying to explain what he is doing is more of a struggle. When he makes an error, he can get overly emotional and argumentative. As his facilitator, I can see that he needs to learn to calmly explain HOW to solve the problem. When he does this, he usually catches the error himself. Sometimes I haven’t even captured where the error is yet until he starts talking through the problem. Then we both catch where he made the error.

I can see you thinking to yourself, “I can’t afford a different program for each child!” Don’t worry - that isn’t always necessary for every subject. Some programs are very well-suited for children of various abilities and learning styles. For example, Susan Wise Bauer’s Story of the World program for history is written in such an engaging manner that I can’t imagine how it cannot be adapted to fit the needs of all of your children under the age of twelve. Some programs are also remarkably affordable (including both I have mentioned). Some of the most expensive programs I have looked at were not nearly as well-written or engaging as some lower-cost options. I’ll let you in on a secret: You don’t need to buy a pre-packaged, expense curriculum that includes every book you need to read for every subject. Chances are pretty good that some of those materials will work for your child, but it’s also quite likely that both you and your child won’t be thrilled with the entire program. Does that mean you shouldn’t buy a pre-packaged curriculum that covers every subject? Some people feel that is the best option for their family, and I understand that. It certainly streamlines picking out curriculum if you narrow it down to pre-packaged curriculums. Now instead of hundreds of choices in different subjects, you may only be choosing from a handful of programs. Even when you pick out a separate program for each subject, you occasionally get a dud. Talk to other homeschooling parents (unless you don’t know any yet), read reviews left by other parents, and look at the programs yourself. If your child is old enough, have them look at the materials. Look at samples online. Read some of it and see if it makes you want to read more. If it doesn’t engage you, chances are pretty good it won’t engage your child either. Most importantly, include your child in the decision-making process. If they are disappointed when the online sample ends, it’s a good sign they will enjoy the materials. If your child needs hands-on-learning and the curriculum package is entirely reading based, it might not be the best fit for your child. Sometimes it can be adapted, though, by adding in the additional materials your child needs to stay engaged. Be sure to consider how this inflates the cost of an already-expensive program. If you still think you might be interested in an all-in-one package, I suggest you start by looking at those reviewed by Cathy Duffy. I’ve read her book and used her website numerous times as a starting point when I’m looking for more information about a program.