How ironic that God has taken me back to where I was a year ago. Charlotte Mason's writings are some of my favorite readings. While I may still lean a bit more toward Ruth Beechick principles, I am totally amazed at my own foolishness. I stopped using a very effective curriculum because I didn't understand how effective it truly was.
When I started homeschooling, I knew that I wanted to use lots of books. I wanted my daughters to read. Of course, I held the belief: "We'll try homeschooling for a year". I figured if homeschooling was a bad idea, the public school would still be waiting. Last year, wanting more books as a base for education, I bought Heart of Dakota not having any idea what it really and truly contained. Then, when it turned out to be very different from what I was used to, I totally panicked. I also believe that I chose a level that wasn't a good match for Laura. She was nine, right in the middle of the recommended age, but it was such a different style for her too that she was just confused. I should have started her with Bigger Hearts for His Glory and just added the appropriate grade level Grammar and Math.
I can't change the past. For whatever reason, God let me learn the hard way some vital lessons. I couldn't stumble on what works for me immediately. That would have been too easy. I had to explore all these other options, spend way too much money, use materials that don't work as well, and work through all those fears that have plagued me.
During all my reading of Charlotte Mason, and going back through the Ruth Beechick books and articles I have, I began to think about the future. I began to consider that I need to choose carefully because I still have a child that still has all her years of school to begin. Did I really want to use workbooks only to have to repurchase them in a few years? How was that being a good steward of anything?
My senior this year will graduate from homeschooling having used ACE, and she is very intelligent. However, I don't want to do them forever. I found myself spending an hour or more every evening grading work. I would rather spend my time with my children or with God or any way other than grading. In the later years it may become necessary to assign grades for transcripts, but it isn't necessary right now. My senior grades her own work, and they are recorded for her transcript by a different lady.
This has left me with some decisions. You see, I don't want to buy any more workbooks except maybe what I 'm using for math. I did just purchase a book for Grammar, but it was one book... not twelve workbooks. I can't afford at this time to buy a completely new curriculum either. So, I prayed. We are going to finish out this semester with what we have. Starting next semester we are going to pick up the Heart of Dakota where we left off last year. We will breeze through some US History till Christmas, then go back to what we were working on last year. I've asked myself if this will be too confusing for Laura, but I don't think it will be. First of all, Laura will be starting off with the Birth of Christ. Laura will soon catch up to some of the things we have already covered, the explorers and some US History. She'll just cover it in context of World History.
I already have all the materials except for a couple of books. We've already been working on Finding the Constellations for science, which is part of the program we hadn't gotten to yet last year. We will finish that by Christmas and then replace it with a small unit nature study in the first of the year when Finding the Constellations is scheduled in the curriculum guide. Other than that, we will be right on track. Scary how a year later we are picking up a study. I never thought that would happen.
Laura meets the recommendations for age, but may be behind a bit on levels for grade. I really don't think it will be too easy for her. If it is, Heart of Dakota has extension packages to raise the grade level. Personally, as long as math and grammar are at grade level, the reading levels of most of the books are not below her level. Next year Laura can move right along to Creation to Christ.
One of my concerns was that, whatever path I followed, I wanted there to be lots of reading. I almost chose one curriculum because of the quantity of books. However, I couldn't find peace about following one that didn't completely share my beliefs, both spiritually or educationally. Plus, I wanted to have enough flexibility to add in extra reading that I was led to, not that had already been selected and was required. While I was looking for a bit more mission focus in a curriculum, I decided that more missionary stories were one thing I could add in as we went when and if I wanted. Youth with a Mission (YWAM Publishing) is one of my favorite resources for mission-focused materials.
I thank God that He has helped me with this. He let me learn the hard way. Anyone that has read my blog for awhile must think I am totally incapable of making a decision and sticking with it. However, I have read some of the blogs out there and know that I am not alone in indecisiveness, curriculum hopping, and searching for the best way to teach the children God has entrusted us with.
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