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Feeling guilty over letting go of expensive MFWcurriculum


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This is gonna sound like mommy in a nut job but here goes:

 

A friend of mine has used MFW for years. She raves about it so much that it sparked my interest, since this is only my 2nd year homeschooling.(We have not tried much curriculum, let alone boxed sets) We tried to focus on just the 3Rs for our 1st year homeschooling and did some light american history.We have not done a "formal" history program yet and only discovered the WTM at the end of last year. I loved the WTM and want to follow it as much as can. (I'm not fearful of rigourous curriculum at all!)

Anyhow, I purchased MFW-ECC in November- the 1st year of the five year cycle. We have only done 12 weeks of it and I personaly can't stand it. I did not know this but I don't like being told what to do for every subject on every day of the week. I'm not crazy about the science in any of the MFW years except for 7 grade and up which we will not be ready for for a few years yet. I know this sounds bad to say but I'm also just not getting into the read alouds and neither are my children. I love missionary stories but something about the style of writing just kind of bugs me. (for lack of a better word) We spent almost $390 for this set and the only thing my kids enjoy is kingdom tales. That's it! I wanted to love it, truly, but now I just feel burned out with 20+ weeks to go. I feel like jumping ship and selling the whole thing. I know I don't have to use all of it but it seems like a waste of money. Should I stick it out and hope it gets better, or should I just sell it?

Edited by MyLittleBears
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Sell it. You don't say anything that makes me think you're likely to come around to loving it, and you also don't say anything that makes it sound like you're a compulsive curriculum-hopper.

 

Sell it and try not to look back at the money you've "lost". It was a learning experience for *you*. You have a better idea now of what type of home school family you are and the types of things that work for you and your kids. That's truly worth something. Use that information to make better choices for your family in the future.

 

And remind yourself that it's okay to be really happy for a friend that she has a program that works for her -- that that doesn't mean *you* have to use it *or* that by not using it you're saying her choices aren't "good enough". Tell her, "That's great!" and mean it when she tells you how much she loves MFW. ... And then make your own choices for your own family. :)

 

I think there are very few long-term home schooling families who haven't made some curriculum purchasing decisions that just didn't work out well. Learn from those mistakes and move on. :)

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Sell it. There is almost nothing worse than dreading to teach the curriculum you have and forcing yourself to teach it. There are plenty of MFW lovers out there who will pay good money for it and enjoy it leaving you to buy something that you can truly enjoy. :001_smile: Besides, if you don't love it your kids most likely won't ever love it either, so best to cut your losses and move on. No guilt! It has happened to ALL of us at some point or other. ;) (And it probably won't be the last time it happens to you either. :D)

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I would sell it...I bought a Waldorf curriculum that cost me $400 last summer, then I started reading WTM and decided to make a switch...I sold it for almost $300, and used that money to buy some of what we are using now...

 

If you sell it, you can use the money to buy something else that you are going to use and enjoy...I don't think you will grow to like this one...You seem to have a few reasons why you don't want to use it...

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In my experience, if you put it aside to see if you will use it later, it will haunt you, taunt you, make you feel guilty...in the night, it will whisper to you, telling you that you should use it because it is there and you spent all that money on it. Get it out of the house...store it at a neighbor's house until you sell it. Childhood is too short to waste on programs we don't love. Move on...find something you love.:tongue_smilie:

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Sell it and move on~ :) ECC has excellent resale value.

 

You can list it on here or on the MFWCurrswap Yahoo group. You will sell it right away on the yahoo group.

 

I did this in the fall with stuff I had purchased, used the money toward new curriculum- which we are loving!

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Sell it and move on.

 

I am doing MFW ECC this year, too. It's my first year with MFW and I am kinda unimpressed, too, even though we've enjoyed parts of it. I pull out my TOG and read through it at night, just waiting to get back. :lol: Maybe I should sell mine, too?

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Something I'm learning (the hard way) is that in homeschooling sometimes we just DON'T KNOW things about ourselves as teachers. Sometimes things look or sound good on paper and in our heads, but when we actually get down to the daily crunch of it, it just doesn't work! We find that something drives us batty and we can't work around it, even though we liked the philosophy.

 

Phonics Road was like this for me. I love, love, love the philosophy, all in oneness, moving on to Latin. All of it. BUT, there's no way I can teach from DVDs alone, NO WAY. I need semi-scripted, or grid-type plans to work from, I don't have time to fast forward/rewind the DVD again and again, trying to remember how to teach the 'w' for the day. Seriously. I never knew this about myself, but now I do!

 

Learn, move on :).

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In my experience, if you put it aside to see if you will use it later, it will haunt you, taunt you, make you feel guilty...in the night, it will whisper to you, telling you that you should use it because it is there and you spent all that money on it. Get it out of the house...store it at a neighbor's house until you sell it. Childhood is too short to waste on programs we don't love. Move on...find something you love.:tongue_smilie:

 

:iagree::lol::lol: and I needed to hear this today.

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:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

You're not the first to have curriculum buyers remorse and you won't be the last.

 

I really hate it when that happens. You have to be so super careful when you're shelling out $ like that. And then, even when you are....you just never know.

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I would sell it. It's not your type of curriculum. You're not a box-checker and it sounds like you prefer to do your own thing. Nothing wrong with it at all. I need something like this. If I had to come up with my own thing, it would never work.

 

So if it's not about content or glitches, sell it. We all have our ways, and this one doesn't seem to be yours. It's okay. Live and learn.:lol: I've done that $$$$$$$ ago. :001_huh:

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In my experience, if you put it aside to see if you will use it later, it will haunt you, taunt you, make you feel guilty...in the night, it will whisper to you, telling you that you should use it because it is there and you spent all that money on it. Get it out of the house...store it at a neighbor's house until you sell it. Childhood is too short to waste on programs we don't love. Move on...find something you love.

:iagree: :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

I had the SAME exact issues and some others with MFW-ECC. It wasn't our first MFW program and all along, I had some issues but didn't want to change...had that guilt too! I tried something else, it didn't fit us any better and was taking WAY too much time, went back to MFW and started ECC and totally didn't get into any of it. Finally sold it after convincing myself it was okay to change yet again in a matter of months:001_huh: Went with Heart of Dakota and have never been happier. Perfect fit! So...sell it! Get something else, and if you can't make it work, sell it! I've changed so many times and I'm all set now...had I not been willing to keep hunting, I'd never have found what really works for us.

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It's too bad I had to figure out that I'm not a box checker the expensive way. You've all convinced me. I'm gonna sell it. I'm starting to feel free already! Yey!

Thank you so much ladies!!!!!!!!!

 

I would sell it. It's not your type of curriculum. You're not a box-checker and it sounds like you prefer to do your own thing. Nothing wrong with it at all. I need something like this. If I had to come up with my own thing, it would never work.

 

So if it's not about content or glitches, sell it. We all have our ways, and this one doesn't seem to be yours. It's okay. Live and learn.:lol: I've done that $$$$$$$ ago. :001_huh:

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Something I'm learning (the hard way) is that in homeschooling sometimes we just DON'T KNOW things about ourselves as teachers. Sometimes things look or sound good on paper and in our heads, but when we actually get down to the daily crunch of it, it just doesn't work! We find that something drives us batty and we can't work around it, even though we liked the philosophy.

 

Phonics Road was like this for me. I love, love, love the philosophy, all in oneness, moving on to Latin. All of it. BUT, there's no way I can teach from DVDs alone, NO WAY. I need semi-scripted, or grid-type plans to work from, I don't have time to fast forward/rewind the DVD again and again, trying to remember how to teach the 'w' for the day. Seriously. I never knew this about myself, but now I do!

 

Learn, move on :).

 

Excellent advice.

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This is so true! I thought I had it all figured out but I guess we're all learning as we go. Who knew homeschooling would not be just about educating the kids, but mom would get an education too!

 

Something I'm learning (the hard way) is that in homeschooling sometimes we just DON'T KNOW things about ourselves as teachers. Sometimes things look or sound good on paper and in our heads, but when we actually get down to the daily crunch of it, it just doesn't work! We find that something drives us batty and we can't work around it, even though we liked the philosophy.

 

Phonics Road was like this for me. I love, love, love the philosophy, all in oneness, moving on to Latin. All of it. BUT, there's no way I can teach from DVDs alone, NO WAY. I need semi-scripted, or grid-type plans to work from, I don't have time to fast forward/rewind the DVD again and again, trying to remember how to teach the 'w' for the day. Seriously. I never knew this about myself, but now I do!

 

Learn, move on :).

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I wanted to like ECC, too. We got through about 12 weeks like you and put it aside. Sell it. Move on. ECC has excellent resale value b/c so many people love it. It is a terrific program. I figure I was just an anomaly in the MFW world, lol. I still happen to love other MFW years and plan to do Adventures next year. Anyway, I digress. :tongue_smilie: No guilt...just sell it and move on. Try something else next year. Sounds like you would do well just piecing together your own program if you don't like being "told" what to do each day.

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Sell it! ...sounds like TOG is your style.

 

We tried MFW CtG last year, it was OK. We stuck with it the whole year and by the end I just kept turning the pages to see how much longer before I am done.

 

This year we have been doing HOD Preparing Hearts for His Glory and we love it! We only have 7 weeks left and I don't want it to be over.

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That's exactly what I keep doing. I just kind of started to dread the day. I thought I would just get used to it and it just never happened. I think the company is great and the philosophy and all that but it just did fit us!

 

I just kept turning the pages to see how much longer before I am done.

 

 

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