Question for TOG users....

[smilesonly]

....If you can stand more!!:D

 

So, I have been trying to figure out what this TOG is all about. I have somewhat of an overall idea, but still have a long ways to go in completely wrapping my brain around it.

 

Question. Three times I have called TOG, and each time I spoke with a young woman w/o children, so no experience with hsing. The first time I called, the young woman wasn't able to help me find some info on the website and had to keep putting me on hold. The next time I called, I was asking what I thought was another simple question. I wanted to know which level to jump into, given the ages of my dc. Again, I was put on hold as she tried to find the answer. After reading more of WTM, and reading these boards, I decided to call again today to see if I got the same reply about where to begin. The woman had no idea and answered that I could start where I wanted due to the interests of our dc.:confused: I must add, I was emphasizing that I wanted our eldest to be at the "right" place for optimal success for college prep tests. So I must ask! Is this typical of the customer service? Would I be better served by joining the forum there to receive answers to my questions?

 

TIA!

 

ETA-I am meaning that each time it was a different woman I was talking to.

[Gooblink]

I've never called their customer service department to ask specific questions about the curriculum, but I have been very pleased with their responsiveness to the few issues I'd had with book/year plan orders.

 

The forums are a great place to find the information you're seeking, I'd think.

 

If you're wondering where to start your children within the LG/UG/D/R levels, I suggest downloading one of their free units and seeing where you think your kids fit per the lesson plans.

 

My kids are only 4th and 6th grade, so I'm not sure I can be of much help to you, but I'd be happy to try to answer any questions you might have.

[TracyP]

I may be no help since my kids are 6 and under but I think those are actually really hard questions.:001_smile: When it comes to R level I have heard that a 12 yo could possibly handle it but other kids may never move out of the D stage. Age is not near as important as ability/desire/motivation when it comes to moving into the next level. As far as how to best prepare for college I have heard some say to finish year 4 as a senior. I have heard others argue that finishing year 4 in 10th grade will better prepare you for the SATs. Anyways, all that to say that the ladies on the TOG forum are experienced and helpful. I would give that a try.

[Cinder]

If you haven't already done so, you might want to cross-post this on the high school forum. There are some experienced users there who could probably answer your questions.

 

 

Cinder

[danybug]

I found the customer service very helpful when I have called TOG. My most recent call was to understand the lapbooks and they kindly helped me and adjusted my order.

 

When I was making my TOG decisions I found their forums helpful for various things. I decided to go with Year 4 this year, because my ds has been really into studying various events from this century so I wanted to flow with his interests. And then I will just restart the cycle. As for placement, I think obviously it is up to where your kids reading level is. You could download the sample and then access with the recommended books, which would be at the level of each of your kids.

[Karenciavo]

Regarding your first comment about talking to a woman w/o children and no homeschooling experience - yes, they do hire people w/o children and no homeschooling experience, many curriculum companies do. Regarding your other two calls - there is no "right place" to start. I think the answer you were given is perfectly acceptable. Figure out what's best for your particular child/family and do it. Most people like to start Year 1 in freshman year, I did not. My oldest began rhetoric level in 8th grade because 1. He could do the work and 2. I wanted his senior year to be open. Some people like starting with American History and begin with Year 2, unit 3.

 

What was the info you were looking for on the web site that couldn't be found?

[johnandtinagilbert]

....If you can stand more!!:D

 

So, I have been trying to figure out what this TOG is all about. I have somewhat of an overall idea, but still have a long ways to go in completely wrapping my brain around it.

 

Question. Three times I have called TOG, and each time I spoke with a young woman w/o children, so no experience with hsing. The first time I called, the young woman wasn't able to help me find some info on the website and had to keep putting me on hold. The next time I called, I was asking what I thought was another simple question. I wanted to know which level to jump into, given the ages of my dc. Again, I was put on hold as she tried to find the answer. After reading more of WTM, and reading these boards, I decided to call again today to see if I got the same reply about where to begin. The woman had no idea and answered that I could start where I wanted due to the interests of our dc.:confused: I must add, I was emphasizing that I wanted our eldest to be at the "right" place for optimal success for college prep tests. So I must ask! Is this typical of the customer service? Would I be better served by joining the forum there to receive answers to my questions?

 

TIA!

 

ETA-I am meaning that each time it was a different woman I was talking to.

Lots of young persons working there, probably home schoolers :) I've had positive experience with their c.s. Also, their website has been a real work in progress over the past few years, so I imagine it can be difficult to navigate after so many changes.

 

Her answer is correct...start wherever you want. If you want your dc to be in Ancients in 9th grade, start there and go backwards (Y4-8th, Y3-7th, etc) until you get to your starting point.

 

If you'd like to see what TOG "is" feel free to look at my blog, scan the right side for TOG or Tapestry of Grace and you can read what TOG is to our family.

 

HTH,

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

So I must ask! Is this typical of the customer service? Would I be better served by joining the forum there to receive answers to my questions?

 

I have found the customer service excellent for all my technical/ purchasing questions.They've gone above and beyond to meet my needs and circumstances. I've found the TO forums -- and yahoo! groups and here -- to be the best places to get questions answered about how to use TOG.

[smilesonly]

Regarding your first comment about talking to a woman w/o children and no homeschooling experience - yes, they do hire people w/o children and no homeschooling experience, many curriculum companies do. Regarding your other two calls - there is no "right place" to start. I think the answer you were given is perfectly acceptable. Figure out what's best for your particular child/family and do it. Most people like to start Year 1 in freshman year, I did not. My oldest began rhetoric level in 8th grade because 1. He could do the work and 2. I wanted his senior year to be open. Some people like starting with American History and begin with Year 2, unit 3.

 

What was the info you were looking for on the web site that couldn't be found?

 

Thanks. I was looking for some sort of statement of faith, and then, overall flavor of the Christian content. For some reason I had it in my brain that TOG was a Catholic curriculum and we're not Catholic.

 

To others who have posted-thanks! I will try to peruse the site some more, and will either post in the high school forum here, or join TOG forums.

 

(I am so used to Rainbow Resources and SL, with each call being answered by an experienced hs mom. Mainly with RR.)

[truebluexf]

If it's any consolation, I just went to their site to see what it was all about it and it was so overwhelming and confusing I kind of gave up. The whole thing was too interwoven and involved, and looked like I would need hours to really figure out what they had to offer. I also would not have been very happy with the answers you received if I were looking for guidance.

[smilesonly]

Lots of young persons working there, probably home schoolers :) I've had positive experience with their c.s. Also, their website has been a real work in progress over the past few years, so I imagine it can be difficult to navigate after so many changes.

 

Her answer is correct...start wherever you want. If you want your dc to be in Ancients in 9th grade, start there and go backwards (Y4-8th, Y3-7th, etc) until you get to your starting point.

 

If you'd like to see what TOG "is" feel free to look at my blog, scan the right side for TOG or Tapestry of Grace and you can read what TOG is to our family.

 

HTH,

 

Thanks! And actually, I have been reading a bit of your blog!:D

 

I have found the customer service excellent for all my technical/ purchasing questions.They've gone above and beyond to meet my needs and circumstances. I've found the TO forums -- and yahoo! groups and here -- to be the best places to get questions answered about how to use TOG.

 

Awesome! I have read so many times about people dropping a certain curriculum due to poor customer service. As high school is just around the corner, I want to be sure that there is great support for my many questions with which ever route we travel.:)

[mrsrevmeg]

Statement of faith can be found in the About Us section. They are Protestant. They do have a section on their forum for Catholic users to help them find substitutions.

I have had nothing but good experience with their customer service. They are one of the friendliest homeschool companies I have personally seen.

[pdalley]

I confess it took me two years to get up my nerve to try TOG. I would look at their website and think there was no way my kids could do that but I wished I had been taught that way. Finally, after reading the blogs by some of the ladies here who are using it and the TOG message boards I took the plunge and downloaded the 3 week sample.

 

I read it and re-read it until I finally figured out what I wanted to do with it.

 

And I fell in love with it. Seriously. As we're actually getting into using it I'm tweaking it to better suit our needs and I'm getting excellent help from the yahoo groups for TOG as well.

 

Hope this helps some. :)

[Pretty in Pink]

Just wanted to chime in and let you know that I've received nothing but excellent customer service from TOG.

 

I usually come here when I have a Tapestry question. I don't know why I've never used the TOG forums. I just like this board a lot! :D

 

And yes, if you want your eldest to cover year one in 9th then just count backward to figure out where to start right now. No biggie.

[Janice in NJ]

Start with the free videos here:

 

http://lampstandpress.com/virtualconference/

 

On the right, you'll see Juli's picture. Click on it and watch the free videos. They will explain the program and offer you guidance about placing your children.

 

Then return to the original link and watch either of the May Teacher Training Conference videos. You can use the coupon code to watch one for free: either Out of the Shrink Wrap or Lesson Planning 101.

 

I suspect that a ton of your questions will be answered. If you still have more, the gals on this board and the TOG board are very helpful. But I would encourage you to start with the videos; they really do handle most of the initial questions folks have about TOG.

 

As far as your customer service experience? I have never received anything other than over-the-top helpfulness when I have contacted them. I have never engaged with anyone who wasn't willing to do all that they could to answer my questions or get me what I needed.

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[ChemMommy]

What age/grade are your children? What curriculum have you used before?

 

I didn't think TOG was all that hard to figure out. I'd used SL and it was laid out week-by-week, and so is TOG.

 

It was harder because you had to go through the weeks and decide which of the options you were going to use and make use you ordered or obtained them in a timely manner. That took lots of time in the summer. But, during the school year, the planning time is minimal. I just mark in the manuals which book I ordered, pull it off the shelf, and assign page numbers.

 

I DO like that there are options for each week. One kid is really interested in church history, so we do ALL of the options there. One kid is working on the D level but reads copiously, so I assign her the optional literature stuff, too.

 

My youngest is working on the UG level in 3rd grade. That's a bit of a stretch because the reading assignments are longer. So, I can pare down her assignments and just give her the fundamental history stuff and use the in-depth history stuff for her 4th grade sister.

 

TOG is very flexible, but I choose to view that in a good way....Takes planning time in the summer, though...:001_smile:

[smilesonly]

 

As far as your customer service experience? I have never received anything other than over-the-top helpfulness when I have contacted them. I have never engaged with anyone who wasn't willing to do all that they could to answer my questions or get me what I needed.

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

Thanks, Janet. I am planning on doing exactly what you adviced before I proceed with further questions.

 

About your comment regarding their customer service-I was thinking this AM, that even though it seemed like they were not meeting my needs, they really *did* do their best to help me. I mean, if I don't know the answer to something my dc ask, I tell them so and then try to find the answer.

 

I was being too impatient.

 

What age/grade are your children? What curriculum have you used before?

 

I didn't think TOG was all that hard to figure out. I'd used SL and it was laid out week-by-week, and so is TOG.

 

It was harder because you had to go through the weeks and decide which of the options you were going to use and make use you ordered or obtained them in a timely manner. That took lots of time in the summer. But, during the school year, the planning time is minimal. I just mark in the manuals which book I ordered, pull it off the shelf, and assign page numbers.

 

I DO like that there are options for each week. One kid is really interested in church history, so we do ALL of the options there. One kid is working on the D level but reads copiously, so I assign her the optional literature stuff, too.

 

My youngest is working on the UG level in 3rd grade. That's a bit of a stretch because the reading assignments are longer. So, I can pare down her assignments and just give her the fundamental history stuff and use the in-depth history stuff for her 4th grade sister.

 

TOG is very flexible, but I choose to view that in a good way....Takes planning time in the summer, though...:001_smile:

 

I have a 13.5 yo currently in 7th grade, and an almost 9yo currently in 2nd grade.

I've used WTM, then burned out on it and am just now revisiting CE. Also, SL and lots of CM approaches. Very eclectic, little flow from one yr to the next.:rolleyes::blushing:

 

~~~~

 

Thanks for the replies and encouragement, I'm not giving up on it yet, as I feel I need to watch the videos and ask many questions.:)

[siloam]

That doesn't match my experience. Sounds like they got a newbie and you keep getting the same person, or some such thing.

 

I called once to ask if they by chance had a long lost classic year 4 Map Aids because I was going nuts trying to find my own. The gal knew right off they could make me a copy, found my account and we were good to go.

 

The rest of my experience has been via e-mail in dealing with the redesigned digital. Ray is the person who deals with that and he has responded more than once to e-mails that were sent out side of official hours. He is tops in my book.

 

I hope it is a fluke.

 

Heather