I am in my eighth year of homeschooling. I have educated four students in my homeschool. One has graduated. One graduates this year. One is in tenth grade. One is in third grade.
In these eight years and four students, I have used many different curricula and methods. I have bounced around. I have spent a lot of money on stuff I ended up barely using, or occassionally not using at all. I have read and researched so many different philosophies of education and tried many of them.
I have bounced my children around like balls at times, from one curriculum to another. I have followed one system and then come up with my own thing a few months later.
I have discovered that sometimes what worked for one was an abysmal failure with another... And vice-versa.
I have watched my children learn. Despite my chaotic methods at times, despite trying this or that, despite... And maybe because... I switched around more than I should have, my children learned. They learned academics. They learned the Word of God. They learned how they learn, which many students never realize.
They learned to use many different methods to learn. They learned there is nothing wrong with them if they don't learn a certain way, despite the public school system telling one of them she was LD because she learned differently.
They learned. They continue to learn.
They learn because a Mom and Dad that will try to find what works for them and will get deeply involved in their education is more powerful than any college degree or agency that thinks it knows best. They learn because, no matter how many things were tried and discarded, they consistently were exposed to great books and great ideas and the Word of God. They learn because, while a method might not fit, or may lose effectiveness, the child was NEVER the problem. If it took awhile and a couple different methods to learn a concept or skill, we kept at it. The child wasn't compared to a classroom of other children, where a few may learn the way the teacher teaches, and the rest must adapt. If my child had to adapt, she was given the time to do so. Often all she needed was some time for her brain to mature so she could grasp what she needed.
They learn, despite the insecurities and faults of their homeschooling mama. They learned when I was burned out. They learned when I was over-doing for fear I wasn't doing enough. They learned when I was ill. They learned when life seemed to be changing all around us. They learned with the unit studies. They learned with the workbook programs. They learned with the library books and the homemade curriculum. They learned with the thousand dollar curriculum. They learned with the things we used every year for years. They learned with the subject mom tried to teach five different ways.
These things all make a difference, I am sure. But in the end, this curriculum hopping mom has only a few big confessions. First, curriculum hopping based on different students' learning styles and different seasons in our family's lives allowed us to give a very individualized and effective education to them. Second, God is bigger than our mistakes. Third, children need parents that care about them and their education more than the "perfect" method or curriculum.
Curriculum hopping may not be always the most beneficial, but it hasn't been the end of the world either. Our homeschool is flourishing. And, I know that we will just keep trying and not accept quitting.
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