Preparing for the following homeschool year always begins around February for me. I have tried a zillion different materials, as I am sure many of you have. This year when I took a step back realizing the flaws of my thinking, I realized I had a flaw in my curriculum choices as well.
Curriculum should be based upon what is easiest for the parent depending upon the lifestyle but more importantly it should be about the child. I realized this a long time ago but when it comes to teaching multiple grades, things can get a bit hairy. Sometimes feeling stress free when it comes to planning curriculum is just so inviting. I have been flawed in my thinking once again.
Curriculum planning can be easy. As an educator, you just have to realize where to simplify. I have been reading about this way to plan or that way to plan, thinking the whole time, well that works but this doesn’t. The planning tools are not flawed just my thinking. Until this year it never occurred to me that I could use a little of this and a little of that. I know it takes me a bit to catch on but the thing is, when feeling inadequate based upon what you remember of your own educational model, my model of what I thought should be happening didn’t match up. I didn’t want to upset the system, therefore rocking the boat, and teetering into uncharted waters.
This year, however, I am chartering into unfamiliar territory, rocking the boat, and making some mighty big waves. I am throwing my thinking, which remember is flawed, to the side. I have decided that since I was getting through this flawed thinking about high school, then I might as well get through this flawed thinking that school has to be prepackaged or at least semi prepackaged. I have embarked upon another journey and that is simplified curriculum for everyone including myself.
I will be using an eclectic collection of materials for homeschooling this year. These choices are based upon my children and then they were based upon my abilities. I feel good about our choices and I feel that they will best suit our family.
So this year for high school we will be using:
- The Least You Should Know about English: Writing Skills; Glazier, Teresa and Wilson, Paige; 2003 Thomson – Wadsworth
- Saxon Math and Dive CD
- Story of the World Volume 1: Ancient Times; Bauer Wise, Susan; 2007 Peace Hills Press
- First Lessons in Physical Science; Avery, Elroy M Ph D and Sinnott, Charles P; 1897 American Book Company
- Knowledge Quest Maps – Ancient Times
- Nature Journals
- Study on Shakespeare
- Julius Caesar
- Romeo and Juliet
- Reading and Analyzing Classic Literature
- The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
- A Wrinkle in Time – Madeline L’Engle
- Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
- Reviewing Curriculum for The Old School House
It doesn’t look like much but I am not going to place my expectations too high for reaching. If we get through this in a short amount of time then it is back to the drawing board. I would rather be at the drawing board than never finishing what we set out to accomplish. I feel like we can meet our goals as individuals and as a family with this arrangement. We will continue reading aloud as a family but the read aloud will be based upon what we are reading in our history curriculum so that we may be able to cover a long list of books.
All in all, I am changing my thinking and changing the curriculum, all the while feeling very good about the changes taking place for the upcoming year.
Amanda can be found over at All American Family living out her version of the American dream alongside her family.
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I find your eclectic approach refreshing. Thanks for the post.
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