How to Avoid “Over-buying” Curricula
by Terri Johnson
Have you ever been so wooed by a product description that you have purchased it
right on the spot? Or so convinced by friends or cyber-buddies that your children’s
education will not be complete unless you use a certain curriculum? Perhaps you
have felt so intimidated about teaching a certain subject that you have purchased
everything available on the topic to be sure that you cover it adequately and not
leave holes in your children’s education.
Whatever the reason, many well-meaning homeschooling parents over-buy when it comes
to curriculum. This is certainly not an unforgivable sin – in fact, I am the
first one to say that we should not skimp when it comes to providing the atmosphere
and resources for our kids’ learning.
But let us discuss some ways we can control the financial outflow and unplanned
spending during this current economic crises.
Here are five ways that you can avoid over-buying and successfully plan for a bountiful
year of learning:
- Make Your Plan – Take some time to map out your upcoming
school year. What subjects would you like to cover? How does each of your children
learn best? How much time will you have to devote to schooling each day? What subjects
will your children need you by their side and which ones can they study independently?
These are big questions. Take one child at a time and map out some goals. Take into
consideration his/her age and preferred learning style. Take stock of his progress
in each subject area. Will you need to emphasize a particular subject more now because
of overlooking it in past years? Are there subjects that he is truly motivated in
and can pursue more independently, thereby freeing up your time as teacher? Make
for yourself a rough plan and schedule for your family and then move onto step #2.
- Take Inventory – Scan your bookshelves and dig through those
cabinets to find your educational resources. Pull out those unused math books, grammar
and spelling workbooks, literature guides, etc. Make three stacks – 1. Will
Never Use, 2. Might Use Someday, and 3. Will Use This Year. Take a look at stack
number 2 again and ask yourself, “When will I use this?”, “Who
would I use this with?”, and “What am I waiting for?” If you truly
feel like you have a good sense that you will actually use the resource sometime
in the near future (year or two) then put it away until next year. If you just cannot
nail yourself down on when you would use it or what the circumstances would be for
you to use it, put this book or curriculum with stack number 1.
- Clear It Out – Take your books and curricula in stack number
1 and get rid of them. The best thing you can do with used educational resources
is put them up for sale. Someone out there is looking for what you already have
and are not using. There are many online places that you can sell your school books
– eBay, VegSource, Homeschool Classifieds, Well-Trained Mind Sale and Swap
board, and many, many more. Place a reasonable price to it, then add another couple
bucks to the price and sell it “postage paid”. This means that you as
the seller will take care of the shipping costs (this just seems simpler to me and
the buyer feels like she is getting a good deal). Media mail is the cheapest way
to send books and other media products – CDs, video’s, curriculum in
binders, etc.
- Buy The Basics First – Now take stock again of what you have
and what you now need. Buy your basic subjects first – math, grammar, spelling,
history, science. You may even find some of what you are looking for on those used
swap boards while you are listing your items to sell. Start this process early so
that you can take advantage of good sale prices. If you are not in a hurry, wait
until these items arrive before purchasing anything more at this point.
- Fill in the Gaps – Once you receive your basic materials, read through
them. Take notes of what else you are going to need to fill out the program. Does
the math program that you chose require that you purchase manipulatives? Does the
grammar book contain writing exercises and does it meet your requirements for a
good writing program, or will you need something more? Does the history curriculum
contain geography lessons? Will you need notebooks, composition books or planners
for each child? Finally, decide how much time and energy you will have to devote
to the extras, such as hands-on projects, foreign language study, logic, music,
art and look for materials that will fit the bill.
Follow these five steps and you will bring spending under control. Educating our
children is not cheap these days and does require some financial outlay, but we
do not have to buy everything out there to ensure that our children receive the
best education possible. Your commitment to raising your children well, training
them to be contributors to the family, and spending time with them – over
the books or playing in the backyard – is what will bring about educational
success. There is no perfect curriculum just waiting to be discovered – it
is you that will make the difference in your children’s lives.
Enjoy those learning moments …
Terri Johnson
Knowledge Quest, Inc.
Biographical Information
Copyright, 2009. All rights reserved by author below. Content provided by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC.
Todd and Terri have been married 20 years, home teaching their children for 12 years
and operating a publishing business-Knowledge Quest, Inc. (www.knowledgequestmaps.com)-that
specializes in history and geography curricula for the homeschool marketplace for
the past 8 years. They are currently teaching an online class –
Homeschooling ABCs (www.homeschoolingabcs.com)
– providing guidance and instruction for new and/or overwhelmed homeschooling
parents. Their high school level course will be available this coming April 2009.
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