A Conversation with Homeschool Experience

Making the decision to use Ace Paces for our backbone of our homeschool program was such a TOUGH decision for me.  I had read so many negative reviews.  I had tried so many other methods!  Each one has their strengths and weaknesses.  Then, I sat down one day with a very intelligent, generous, experienced homeschool teacher and mom.  With a master's degree and teaching credentials, plus over 30 years of experience, she holds a wealth of information.

Deb with Tasha at Tasha's graduation party

Her name is Deb.  She began homeschooling her son and daughter years ago.  In fact, both of her children are now grown.  Deb has helped my family out so immensely over the years.  We first met her when my step-daughter, Jasmine, was in third grade.  Jasmine was struggling in school, had been diagnosed with comprehension difficulties and ADD.  She had already been held back in the first grade, and the public school was threatening to hold her back again.  Deb was hired to tutor Jasmine Monday thru Thursday, nearly year round.

For the first couple of years, I only encountered Deb when I picked up Jasmine from tutoring.  We had some interesting talks about Jasmine's education, but nothing in depth.  It wasn't until I began to homeschool my Laura, then in 3rd grade, that I began to discuss homeschooling with Deb.  I would struggle with various curriculum, researching on my computer the newest and best.  Deb would make suggestions that I would think were outdated.

Then, when I ran into issues with the local public school and had to pull out my high school student, Deb was there with Ace as a curriculum for my bright daughter.  We worked with Deb for two years while my daughter steadily worked through Ace.  My daughter excelled and is doing well to this day in college.

After a couple of years I tried Ace with my younger daughter.  However, I wasn't big on it.  At the time, using a workbook program countered my philosophy of education.  As a book lover, I couldn't see how any sort of workbook program could be successful.  I had lots of online articles and opinions to back me up too!  "Living Books" was the way to go.  Workbooks, worktexts, textbooks... all of those were equated with BORING!  If I wanted my child to love learning, I had to use one of the other methods.  I knew Ace was working for my high school daughter, but I found lots of reasons to not use it with my younger daughter.

I have sat down with Deb numerous times over the years.  I have asked her directly several times why she likes Ace as much as she does.  I mean, it seems to go counter to the rest of her educational philosophy.  She loves the works of Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore and John Talyor Gatto.  She has written her own phonics program for younger readers.  She absolutely LOVES the McGuffey Readers.  But, for the core of her teaching, she sticks with Ace... the program lamblasted by so many.

Her reasoning is simple.  She states that the teaching is very Biblical and very incremental.  The child using Ace is learning in small bits, line upon line, precept upon precept.  The diagnostic test is very thorough, placing the student exactly where his abilities lie.  If a child is placed at too easy a level, they are usually bored with the material and disruptive.  If a student is placed in too tough a level, they get easily frustrated because they can't grasp the concepts.  Ace believes that education should be tailored to fit the student's abilities.

Many of the students she has homeschooled and tutored over the years struggled in the public school for various reasons.  Some had learning challenges.  Others just had social issues or problems with a teacher.  Despite the differing abilities, intelligence levels, and ages of the students, they all learned and learned well using the individual approach.  With Ace as the backbone, Deb was then able to add in things to help the student.  Many times the problem was not with the student, but with the teaching at the schools.  Many of the students Deb has tutored over the years struggle with reading because they were only taught with the sight word method.  They never learned phonics!  Then, around third grade, they crash in their reading ability because they can't memorize any more words.  She puts them through a phonics program, places them at the proper level of Ace after diagnostic testing, adds additional help if needed, and watches them, day by day, begin to flourish.

I asked her once about the claims that Ace is too easy because it is just a bunch of fill-in-the-blank questions.  She explained that those fill-in-the-blank questions are meant to help the student reinforce the reading.  It builds incredible comprehension over time.  The student reads the material, then searches for the main points of the reading by having to scan the material once again to find the answers.  Then, during the check-ups, the material is gone over again to check for comprehension and understanding.  By the time the questions are asked for the test, the material has been gone over a few times.  While some students may find that boring, or cheat by not reading the material, but scanning the information and memorizing the answers, they aren't really learning.

Deb pointed out that if a student is going to cheat, they will find a way.  Curricula should be looked at as a tool in education.  Ace was originally designed to use in Christian schools.  However, using it in a homeschool setting makes it very adaptable.  A child in a homeschool setting works on an individual basis anyway.  It is easy to add other things to give your homeschool the focus you want.  For instance, if you want a literature focus, add literature that corresponds with what is being studied.  If you enjoy unit studies, add them in the afternoons once Ace is finished for the day.  If you like Charlotte Mason, add copywork and living books. 

Deb used Ace with many students, and added in other things as needed.  As a result, she has watched many of her students go on to college and have careers in areas like banking and teaching.

 Deb was recently hired by her denomination to oversee the entire Missionary Kid's Education department.  Basically, when the missionaries want to organize their children's education, or maybe just reach out for help, Deb is there.  She now works with parents that choose all sorts of curricula, from Ace to Sonlight.  Her experience shines through as she gives commonsense answers to parents that might be struggling or may just want to be encouraged.  What she has done for me over the years, she is now able to do for hundreds.