Readers Respond

Dear Gena and everyone at TOS!

Thank you for replying so quickly to my e-mail regarding the Thanksgiving placemats. And what a pleasant surprise to receive the Holidays E-Book for free! You are so generous! We will be sure to utilize it, even here in Canada. It will not be wasted!

I also wanted to formally thank you for the package of "freebies" that you sent us for the Apple Contest that we won in the summer. We received the Terrestria Chronicles (my 8-year-old son immediately asked, "When can we start reading these, Mom?") with the study guide, along with the books Elkan: The Adventure of a Lifetime, the Sleepy Sun book, and Times Tales Deluxe With Division and instruction manual.

What excellent resources! We will be sure to enjoy them in the future (our kids are 8, 5, 3 and 2). I am an avid reader of your magazine, and I am always deeply encouraged by its articles. I also really appreciate your weekly encouragement e-mails, and freebies, etc. Thank you so much for what you do, and for helping make our jobs a little bit easier, and a lot more enjoyable!

May God continue to bless your ministry!
--Bia Warkentin, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

I am thankful for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. You have made my first year of homeschooling (my 3rd grade son and 8th grade daughter) worry free! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!
--Marlene Eskine, Valrico, Florida

I'm so excited to tell you that while I was out yesterday my daughter and husband went onto my blog to follow the sale link and got me my very own subscription -- Yippee!! No more waiting for a turn at the library to read one of my favorite magazines. Thanks for such a great intro sale!
--Deb Rogers, University Place, Washington

As always, you have a great magazine. I also enjoyed the candlewicking and maple syrup articles.
--Sara Sparks, Verbena, Alabama

I love my magazine! This is my second issue--it's fabulous! Many thanks.
--Karilyn Putt, Minot, North Dakota

I would like to see a non-bias article on Intelligent Design. Also, more lesson plans.
--Kimbra Moore, Waynesville, North Carolina

You all are great! I love the magazine!
--Kathy Holmes, Riverview, Florida

(I would like) reviews of standardized tests (cost, how test is administered, reliability).
-- Rhonda Hopper, Dublin, Virginia

Dear Sirs:

The "Me Time" Myth

Hi,

I just wanted to let you know that my favorite article from the Fall 2008 issue was on page 33--"The 'Me Time' Myth." I have fallen into this trap many times before--thinking that I wasn't getting enough "me time." Whenever I start to think selfishly, I just remind myself of how blessed I am to be able to stay home with my girls.

Some times are stressful but I know they are so worth it. And many moms would love to be able to stay home with their children but can't for some reason or another. We are blessed to be able to be home where we belong! Thanks to author Amy Roberts for reminding me of this!
--Jodi Godwin, Bethlehem, Georgia

The Homeschool Minute

In my opinion, "Are We Making Progress" is the best "Homeschool Minute" newsletter I've seen yet. [http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101381905269/archive/1102345745725.html] I've been feeling worry and guilty that we've lost our momentum, but this week's newsletter is very encouraging. As a first-year homeschooler, it's nice to realize that the slump we're in is normal; it's not just us.
--Julia Sandova, Garland, Texas

Hi Nancy,

I wanted to say that after reading your article, "The Sacrifice of Praise," in the Fall issue TOS Mag about some of the (your) struggles, that I appreciated your words of encouragement to trust on. . . . You guys really don't know how much you mean, sometimes when you write . . . who it's going to touch and for what purposes, I am sure, but I will share that I really need all that you said. You reminded me of verses that I need to remember time and time again as I walk this life. . . . Thanks a ton!

I am a Homeschool Minute reader as well and love it! I look forward to getting it each week for that breath of fresh encouragement you all give there as well, and the topic of progress is amazing. . . . How did you know I'd be struggling about now??? LOL!
--Cheryl McDunnell, Wapakoneta , Ohio

HomeschoolBlogger.com

I'd like to say that HSB has been a real blessing to me for a couple of years now. Where we work we are the only missionary family with school-aged kids, and we are for sure the only ones homeschooling around here! So as you can imagine, fellowship with other homeschooling moms is hard to come by! I really appreciate being able to blog and have other moms out there in the world understand and not feel like I am the only one doing this! It's also been fun to find the other missionary moms who homeschool in the world who are blogging and be able to encourage each other as well as get other homeschool families excited about missions by sharing about blogs they can read from different parts of the world.

I also take the opportunity to share about blogging any time I can with other missionary gals in our mission to encourage them to share their experiences with others who'd like to know what life is like for us missionary gals. Besides the fact that there is so much encouragement to be found in getting to know others even via the Internet, who either share in similar experiences or want to encourage and pray for you in this way.
--Libby Rosengren, Huánuco, Peru

Readers Helping Readers

Greetings in the name of our Savior, Jesus,

I hope that this note finds you doing well, and having a blessed day serving Him. I have a question about curriculum styles. I was wondering if someone there can tell me the difference between spiral approach learning and mastery approach learning. I was also wondering if you could tell me which type some of the curriculum I am looking at is? I am looking at using Christian Light Education, AOP Lifepacs, or School of Tomorrow's PACEs. Do you have any insight into these? Thank you so much for your work on this magazine--it is wonderful, in fact I need to renew my subscription.
--Terri Lee

Your Voice

Dear Terri,

The difference between spiral approach to learning and mastery approach as far as I understand is that following a spiral approach you will cover the same topic, but in more advanced terms, each and every year. In the mastery approach you saturate yourself, satisfy your questions or your child's questions on that topic, to the point that you know the subject well and then you move on to a different topic (keeping in mind that no-one ever knows all there is to on any one subject?!). Such a subject could be revisited another year but not because of a gap in learning or understanding but more because of a keen interest.

When I began homeschooling, I approached my search for resources, or curriculum, from the perspective of what was on our heart, what we wanted to achieve in going down the homeschool path more than researching specific learning approaches. Our heart was to be the main influence in our children's lives.   This meant that I needed to find resources that supported family time and character building. I looked for resources along these lines. Initially I followed the advice of other homeschooling mums that I talked to. I have learned, though, to ask crucial questions when talking to other mums because I want to avoid the trap of "because it worked for you it will work for me."

So I ask these questions:

1. What worked for you?
2. Why did it work for you?
3. What did you like?
4. What did you struggle with?
5. What ages were all your children when you used this curriculum? What other family circumstances were affecting your family at this time? (Pregnancy? Husband's work situation? Hubby involvement in the home? etc.)

And secondarily . . .

6. What learning styles do you as a teacher prefer?
7. What learning styles do your children lean towards?

Initially I knew about textbook and workbook approaches (such as you mention). I had this type of education myself and I wanted the freedom to be more creative than this approach tends to support. And yet my husband understood education to be bottoms on seats for x-number of hours a day, so we needed to find something that we both understood would meet our goals.

My search for curriculum led me to:

1. Charlotte Mason --I was introduced to short lessons, living/real books, narrations.

2. Five in a Row --a literature-based unit study, great books, could implement Charlotte Mason techniques, some hands-on activities.

3. KONOS --character-based, unit studies, lots of hands-on activities (all of which are very different from the approaches you are considering at the moment)

This was the beginning of my homeschool journey as far as curriculum and learning approaches go. Since then, as we have become more comfortable with the task at hand, I started to discover more learning approaches such as classical, delight-directed, and discipleship. To be honest, we dabble a little in each approach, always keeping our goal in mind--to be the main influence in our children's lives and to see them grow into morally mature people.

Terri, I hope these thoughts are helpful as you pursue homeschooling for your family. My last thought is to remember that any decision you make now is not set in stone. You need to be flexible and recognize that not only are your children going to grow and change but you too, as a homeschool mum, are going to grow and change as well. What you choose today may not be the best resource for your family next year!
-- Belinda Letchford

Terri,

I am a homeschool mother of 3 boys, ages 9, 7, and 3. I am not familiar with either learning approaches that you mentioned. However, I am familiar with A.C.E. This is the curriculum that we use and have since we started 4 years ago. We chose this curriculum because we felt the Lord leading us to it after much prayer and searching. My husband and I attended our state homeschool conference prior to beginning homeschooling. We looked at all of the curriculum booths and talked with many curriculum reps. This one seemed to "stick" out to us. However, we did not buy at that particular time. We continued to pray and research and ask questions. However, more and more the Lord led us back to A.C.E.

We knew that He knew our children even better than we knew them, including their learning styles. We knew that He knew the future, including our future homeschool makeup. So, we trusted Him and went with A.C.E.

We like the fact that they have a ready-to-read testing system so that we could find out if our children were ready to make that step. Both my boys learned to read with ABC's with Ace and Christi, which uses phonics. I was very nervous about homeschooling that first year. When my first son read his first sentence I shouted, "We can do this! You are reading!" I like the PACE booklets where they work/learn and then I test. First, they have a self-test. This tells me whether or not they are ready to be tested. This gives us an opportunity to see where we might need more practice/learning before the actual test.

I am a concrete thinker in many ways, and I like being able to see along the way if they are learning and are retaining what they are learning. I believe this helps my boys to see what they have learned and what they need to continue to work on as well. A.C.E. offers us structure in what could be a totally chaotic homeschool situation. My boys have goal cards that are filled out for the next day. Once they complete the work that has been set on the goal card, they mark that goal as completed. They know ahead of time what work needs to be done, and this helps them be goal-oriented and prepared for the next day. That is not to say that we are not flexible. As most homeschoolers will tell you, being able to be flexible is one of the benefits of homeschooling.

Also, we have had frustrating days as I am sure most homeschooling families have. I hear, "I don't want to do my schoolwork today" or "I hate math. Do I have to do it?" The more I talk to other homeschool mothers and read about other homeschool mothers and their families, the more I believe this is normal no matter what curriculum you use. I like the fact that they learn and memorize scripture in each PACE.

There are cartoon stories to reinforce the verse/character trait that is being taught in that particular PACE. My fourth-grader is being asked to write a sentence describing a time he exhibited a certain character trait and then draw a picture to show it. There are Bible stories with the kindergarten and ABC's with Ace and Christi that are really well written. Of course, they are taken from the Bible, but A.C.E. does a great job with this.

The only negative that I can think of is that I wish the Bible stories would continue to be incorporated in the core academics. You can buy Bible PACEs in addition to the core curriculum, however. I have never doubted that God led us to A.C.E.; however, recently I got to thinking (a dangerous thing) that maybe I needed to look at other things and maybe even change curriculum. I got this idea from an email that I received. I looked on the web and saw all the attractive advertising. I was almost persuaded, and then I came across a web site that listed several curricula and the percentages of people that used the curricula and were satisfied. A.C.E. had the highest percentage of satisfaction out of all of the curricula listed. So, I stopped to inquire of the Lord, which is what I should have done to begin with, and He brought a peace to my heart that we were on the right track, that He has not led us in a new direction as far as curriculum goes, and that we should continue with A.C.E.

I know this sounds like a commercial for A.C.E., but I wanted to let you know that we use it and like it. Is it perfect? No, but it works for us, and above all, this is where God has led us. I say this to say that the most important thing you can do is pray, pray, pray, and seek the Lord. He knows you and your children even better than you do. He knows your family and home and homeschool even better than you do. As you are praying, continue to research as much as you can, especially those specific curricula that you are looking at, and talk with others, whether it be in a format like this or other homeschooling moms or curriculum fairs/conferences, etc.

I believe God speaks through the practical and above all through His Word. He used a particular scripture that He laid on my heart very heavily to lead us to homeschool (Deut. 6:4-9), and that same verse was displayed in many ways on the A.C.E. info. I know many homeschool resource companies may use that same verse, but A.C.E. was the only one that we noticed at the time that we were praying and looking. Also, their philosophy/belief is to reach every child for Christ. This strongly appealed to us as well.

So far, my boys are learning. Many people comment on how "smart" they are. Many people are impressed with their knowledge as well as their behavior. To all this I say, "To God be the glory for the great things HE has done!" To Him belongs the glory and honor. I thank Him for leading us to the right curriculum for us. He knows us and what we need. I pray that He will clearly lead you in the right direction for you and your family. I know He will. Seek Him with all your heart!
-- Amy

Hi Terri,

For one person to advise you on curriculum is like me coming to you and trying to tell you exactly what to buy at the grocery store. My family probably likes food that yours doesn't and vice-versa. But we can help you narrow it down . . . somewhat. So here are some areas to consider when deciding on curriculum.

First, don't worry about whether you'll like something or not. Do you beat yourself up over that brand of spaghetti your family told you never to buy? Of course curriculum is a "tad" more expensive than spaghetti sauce, but remember that you can buy used [curricula] and then resale if it doesn't work for you and your family.

Second, I would begin with your friends. What are they using? What have they found "works" and "doesn't"? By talking with others you can get a feel for the different learning styles and teaching styles. If you have a friend that's an avid reader, she probably leans toward the literature-based programs. And try to physically "look at" as many books as you can before buying. Some people can take one look at something and know that's not for them.

Third, this is a process. You have to get to know your kids and by that I mean their learning styles. And each child may be different. You also need to think about your style of teaching. Do you love doing crafts? Then a more hands-on approach may appeal to you. There's no right or wrong; the question is "what's right for our family?" When asking questions on forums (i.e. Well-Trained Mind, Sonlight etc.) you may find that for as many people that "totally dislike" a curriculum, there will be that many or more that "completely love it." But you can get some good advice as to "why" they did or didn't like something.

Fourth, and this should really be first . . . pray. And I don't say this lightly. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding . In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." After 8 years of homeschooling, the Lord really showed me that He needs to make these decisions. My job is to trust Him and He'll direct. Ask Him to place the people in your path. When I've made my decisions that were totally based on His leading, I've been at complete peace!
-- Tiffani

Dear Terri,

I have used the AOP Lifepacs in the past (in our first year of homeschooling, to be exact). I was very nervous about beginning to homeschool, and I wanted a curriculum "in a box." Unfortunately, this workbook style was not the kind of curriculum with which my children could excel. My kids need to be able to do some hands-on activities and to discuss what they are learning to really "get" it. We like the Bob Jones curriculum for integration of discussion and hands-on activities in science and history lessons. The BJUP teacher guides are a real blessing, too, as they give plenty of ideas to the teacher as well as containing the complete student pages and the answers to any questions in the student book. I teach both my children together using the same books in science, history, Bible, and Spanish, even though they are two years apart in age. I just choose the grade level between the two of them. If your children are good readers and have good reading comprehension, and they like to work alone, then the workbook type of curriculum is excellent. It allows the child to work at his own pace and to be responsible for his own work. Teacher preparation is a minimum. There are also many schools using the A.C.E. PACEs . . . . You might have more trouble integrating your students with this curriculum, though. Since they work alone, you will need to buy individual sets of workbooks for each student; this probably means that they will be learning about different topics all year long. When they finish a Lifepac or a PACE, you could have them do a presentation for their siblings on what they learned to get your students interacting with one another. The beauty of homeschooling is that no one curriculum is best for all families. Even what works one year may not be the best the next year. You know your children and can choose what you feel to be the most helpful and interesting way for them to learn. If the curriculum you choose doesn't seem like a good fit, then use it as a supplement to library books instead of as the core curriculum. Or, find another family interested in purchasing your "oops" curriculum and buy yourself something different! If you could take your children to a bookstore or a homeschool convention to get to see the books firsthand, you could see which type of curriculum sparks their interest. Most of all, pray about this decision. God will direct you when you allow Him to. (I didn't allow God to direct me in my first year, so I ended up with curriculum that didn't work for our family and made us all cranky!)
-- Roberta

If I remember correctly, in spiral learning, a concept is taught and practiced, and then another concept is presented. Further firming-up of the previous skill is then incorporated through other practice (simply stated, the previous skill may be revisited during another lesson, perhaps on a worksheet).

Mastery learning, on the other hand, presents a concept that is then practiced until some level of mastery is accomplished (usually 80% mastery or higher). Students do not move on to a new concept until the present concept has been "mastered."

Hope this helps. I personally use both types of curricula, choosing either spiraling or mastery learning per subject area.
-- Shannon