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Navigating Curriculum Options: Smooth Sailing versus Shipwreck By Kathryn Stout
The great advantage of homeschooling is having the opportunity to encourage a life-long love of learning while equipping our children for their individual futures. We know that. But juggling too many responsibilities often leaves us too tired to think. So how do we sift through the abundance of resources to choose next year's curriculum? And, since most of us are pinching pennies, how do we do this economically? I'd like to offer my insight as a teacher, consultant, and former homeschooler to help you navigate through the options.
Let's look at the big picture. Take a realistic look at your child's strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Weaknesses will need to be worked on only to the extent that, if possible, they won't prevent him from pursuing his areas of interest. Too often an attempt to turn weaknesses into strengths leaves little time for anything the child actually enjoys. He becomes tired, loses motivation, and tries to avoid all work. Therefore, it's essential to plan for daily activities in areas of strength or interest. Not only are those the areas where perseverance can best be learned, but our strengths and interests also tend to drive us toward areas of study and training that can, hopefully, allow us to work at a job we enjoy as adults. Now that we've looked at our child as a unique individual, how do we translate this image into curriculum choices?
First, determine which weak areas must be focused on now and which can wait.
Weak areas require more one-on-one attention, so be honest with yourself about the amount of time you have to help your child. You may want to find a tutor or therapist. If not, look for resources that will appeal to the student AND are comfortable for you to use. If a resource requires planning or training that you honestly don't have time for, keep looking. Otherwise, it's likely that the program will sit on a shelf as time hurries by and that weakness will never quite get the attention it needs.
Next, look at strengths. Look at academics, art, music, physical activities, and strengths in personality like being a natural organizer or planner, a leader, a listener, a helper, and so on. Here his efforts will meet with fairly quick progress (unlike those weak areas) leading to the self-confidence that encourages him to persevere. Granted, as soon as something gets a bit difficult, many kids want to quit and need that one-on-one guidance along with a pat on the back to keep them going. But ultimately, kids are able to work independently for longer periods in areas of strength.
For example, I recognized my son's musical ability when as a toddler he beat out rhythms on the pots and pans. Almost every day we did something interesting to build musical skills, until, at age six, we could afford to give him the violin lessons he'd been wanting. Although for years it was necessary for me to help him during daily practice, by age fourteen he was performing with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and practicing on his own for at least two hours every day. From his perspective, music was the outlet he enjoyed. From mine-musical training improved his ability to concentrate (he was always in motion or daydreaming), taught him how to set small goals to achieve bigger ones, and gave him, a perfectionist, the confidence to try when something didn't come as easily as he expected.
Finally, choose resources in each subject area that will appeal to the student's learning style and are appropriate for his level of skill, which may not be the same as his age. This will make frustration or boredom less likely. It should also keep the student mentally engaged instead of passively memorizing information just to pass a test. After all, we want our kids to be able to use what they learn.
My daughter loved to read and check off lists. She gathered piles of library books and asked for workbooks. She could work pretty independently if she had a checklist or an outline to follow when researching a topic. My son was the opposite, preferring to listen as I read out loud, and to make projects or give a presentation to demonstrate his comprehension. My daughter seemed to naturally have the skills necessary for college, so it was no surprise when she graduated with honors from law school. However, I was determined not to force my wiggly young boy to read thick books and fill in blanks because some day he might go to college. Instead, I accommodated his learning style. At age fifteen, he wanted college as an option, so I incorporated practice with textbooks, note taking, test taking, and essay skills throughout his high school years. He graduated from USC with honors as a filmmaker.
Like most homeschoolers, my budget was quite limited. By referring to lists of objectives (available in my Design-A-Study guides), I was able to make use of the library and supplies I had on hand from my days as a teacher for much of the content I wanted to cover. That meant my limited funds could be used for field trips, swimming and gymnastics, occasional art lessons, and those books and games I believed would meet our very specific needs.
Every homeschool is unique. Our priorities, however, should be the same-raising capable, confident children who have something to contribute. By looking at each child's needs as well as our own, we will be better able to determine which resources will have the greatest value for our family.
Take a look at the free teaching help columns available at Kathryn's website: www.designastudy.com