mom4him Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I have to get this off of my heart. I have waisted so much time and money, in switching curriculum. Not only the waisted time and money but my two are behind because of it. Now I have to admit that I simply did not find anything that overall I really liked. I have found that I believe in BJU and I am so very glad but I wish I would have started using it back when my two were 5 & 6 and stayed with it. Looking back, if I had one thing to change, well other than starting my ds too soon, it would be find a curriculum that I liked, quit reading all the threads about the great other curriculum and stuck with one. That is all.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 :cheers2: :thumbup: First, bravo for recognizing your situation. I adore BJU myself. Cost prohibits me from doing what I want, but we are still using Bible and the writing portion of english this year. Second, in case you don't already realize, I wouldn't stress about your kids being behind from your bouncing around. Remember they HAVE been learning stuff during the years in the bounce house. Remember they have matured during these years. Because of both of these things, they will catch up in no time and go soaring ahead. I am going on a limb here: you are a Christian (you chose and love BJU - it is a safe bet). Remember God has great plans for you and your kids. Nothing YOU do can change that - I guarantee HE is bigger than the bounce house. ;) And consider for a moment that He allowed you in the bounce house so that you could come to this exact conclusion and give your children academic stability and a solid Christian education from here on out. What if you did the bounce house in high school? What if you were still in the bounce house? Maybe the experience He allowed. Maybe not. Regardless, He will get YOU and your CHILDREN to where He wants and needs you all. Rest in His grace. Give it all back to Him. He's got your back. :D Blessings, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 :cheers2: :thumbup: First, bravo for recognizing your situation. I adore BJU myself. Cost prohibits me from doing what I want, but we are still using Bible and the writing portion of english this year. Second, in case you don't already realize, I wouldn't stress about your kids being behind from your bouncing around. Remember they HAVE been learning stuff during the years in the bounce house. Remember they have matured during these years. Because of both of these things, they will catch up in no time and go soaring ahead. I am going on a limb here: you are a Christian (you chose and love BJU - it is a safe bet). Remember God has great plans for you and your kids. Nothing YOU do can change that - I guarantee HE is bigger than the bounce house. ;) And consider for a moment that He allowed you in the bounce house so that you could come to this exact conclusion and give your children academic stability and a solid Christian education from here on out. What if you did the bounce house in high school? What if you were still in the bounce house? Maybe the experience He allowed. Maybe not. Regardless, He will get YOU and your CHILDREN to where He wants and needs you all. Rest in His grace. Give it all back to Him. He's got your back. :D Blessings, Thank you so much for this. You can't believe how I have been beating myself up over this. Both kids have been in 3 math curr. just this year.:tongue_smilie:Your words are just what I have needed and you are so right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Sandy are you talking to me?? :lol: :lol: :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Thanks so much for posting this. As a newbie, this is something I am going to try and avoid. I am such a curriculum junkie already though! I scare myself a little. I am going to try so hard to stick with things if they are working for our family instead of just switching things up. Thanks for your warning post. Oh, and you are going to be fine. The PP had lots of true things to say. I'm so glad you found what you like and are going to stick with it. And I better not see you on here anymore..... :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 Sandy are you talking to me?? :lol: :lol: :001_huh: :lol: Well, I don't think so unless you are jumping around like I was. :lol: I know I had to find my nitch and what I felt was right for the kids but it seemed like I was always finding something better. I could go on and on and on and..... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 Thanks so much for posting this. As a newbie, this is something I am going to try and avoid. I am such a curriculum junkie already though! I scare myself a little. I am going to try so hard to stick with things if they are working for our family instead of just switching things up. Thanks for your warning post. Oh, and you are going to be fine. The PP had lots of true things to say. I'm so glad you found what you like and are going to stick with it. And I better not see you on here anymore..... :lol::lol::lol: Thanks for your words of encouragement.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 :lol: Well, I don't think so unless you are jumping around like I was. :lol: I know I had to find my nitch and what I felt was right for the kids but it seemed like I was always finding something better. I could go on and on and on and..... :lol: In all fairness you are responsible for some of my jumping ;) (ahem... english, but I LOVE it :D), but I truly love what I have now and I believe I found our "fit". We will see once next year starts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 In all fairness you are responsible for some of my jumping ;) (ahem... english, but I LOVE it :D), but I truly love what I have now and I believe I found our "fit". We will see once next year starts! I AM SO SORRY but very glad you do like it. I didn't.:tongue_smilie: I am also glad that you feel you have found your fit. I feel that way about BJU. It is expensive but not nearly as expensive as jumping around all the time like I have been. I would like to eventually be able to get the videos for them for math and maybe science and history but that is down the road a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I would like to eventually be able to get the videos for them for math and maybe science and history but that is down the road a bit. Have you looked into Khan Academy for math until you get the BJU videos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Ahh. I hear ya. I like BJU math for my oldest. It fit her well until she hit 6th grade. Then I just think hormones kicked in and she just didn't like anything I used. I really didn't know much at the time when I started homeschooling 8 yrs ago about what was available. I really have fallen in love with CLE. I know that I will be using at least their math and LA. I wish they had a Catholic curriculum like CLe's curriculum because its exactly what we need right now in this upcoming season of our life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RecumbentHeart Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Looking back, if I had one thing to change, well other than starting my ds too soon, it would be find a curriculum that I liked, quit reading all the threads about the great other curriculum and stuck with one. The problem on my end is deciding on that curriculum. :glare: ... and then self-control. I'm going to have to have myself blocked from here. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 Have you looked into Khan Academy for math until you get the BJU videos? I have looked at it some. Richard really likes it and uses it some at school. I look at it and get totally overwhelmed.:001_huh: It just isn't something that I have the time to keep up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 Ahh. I hear ya. I like BJU math for my oldest. It fit her well until she hit 6th grade. Then I just think hormones kicked in and she just didn't like anything I used. I really didn't know much at the time when I started homeschooling 8 yrs ago about what was available. I really have fallen in love with CLE. I know that I will be using at least their math and LA. I wish they had a Catholic curriculum like CLe's curriculum because its exactly what we need right now in this upcoming season of our life. I liked CLE math and LA. I have to admit, I don't even remember now why we quit using them. I suppose I heard of something else that was better.:confused: I do like BJU even better though and I am not looking at anything else.:auto::lol::lol::lol: It seems like my two both do best with not so many pages even when there is as much packed into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 The problem on my end is deciding on that curriculum. :glare: ... and then self-control. I'm going to have to have myself blocked from here. :tongue_smilie: I totally understand. My biggest thing is I have to have the curr. in hand to really get a feel of what it is like. 2 or 3 pages on line as examples just doesn't cut it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I totally understand. My biggest thing is I have to have the curr. in hand to really get a feel of what it is like. 2 or 3 pages on line as examples just doesn't cut it for me. :iagree: That's my problem, too. Then I buy said curriculum and don't love it as much as I thought I would. :grouphug: You're not alone. I'm a horrible curriculum junkie. Getting new books in the mail is like Christmas to me. ;) My oldest is a bit behind (especially in math and grammar, two things I always SWORE they'd never be behind in), too, but she's catching up. I wish I knew then what I knew now, but I didn't, so I try not to beat myself up over it. (I do a bad job at not beating myself up, but I do try.) Now, I just look to today, and maybe tomorrow, and realize that when it comes down to it, they're getting a better education than I did at their age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Oh, were you reading my mind when you posted this, OP? I could have written it word for word. So even though I am not the OP, I appreciate the words of comfort and encouragement, too. I hope that is okay to liken the post to myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Oh, were you reading my mind when you posted this, OP? I could have written it word for word. So even though I am not the OP, I appreciate the words of comfort and encouragement, too. I hope that is okay to liken the post to myself. What she said. Learning what works and what doesn't and when to tweak and when to move on -- it's been part of *my* education. It's shaped my thinking and my teaching. I have regrets, but as long as I've learned, it's not been a waste. At least, that's what I believe most of the time. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 Oh, were you reading my mind when you posted this, OP? I could have written it word for word. So even though I am not the OP, I appreciate the words of comfort and encouragement, too. I hope that is okay to liken the post to myself. We're TWINS!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 What she said. Learning what works and what doesn't and when to tweak and when to move on -- it's been part of *my* education. It's shaped my thinking and my teaching. I have regrets, but as long as I've learned, it's not been a waste. At least, that's what I believe most of the time. ;) TRIPLETS!:lol::lol::lol: It is always to know you are not in the boat by yourself.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RecumbentHeart Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I totally understand. My biggest thing is I have to have the curr. in hand to really get a feel of what it is like. 2 or 3 pages on line as examples just doesn't cut it for me. Even worse, some stuff I really just have to do for a while before I have a true idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovelaughs_times_three Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Second, in case you don't already realize, I wouldn't stress about your kids being behind from your bouncing around. Remember they HAVE been learning stuff during the years in the bounce house. Remember they have matured during these years. Because of both of these things, they will catch up in no time and go soaring ahead. I am going on a limb here: you are a Christian (you chose and love BJU - it is a safe bet). Remember God has great plans for you and your kids. Nothing YOU do can change that - I guarantee HE is bigger than the bounce house. ;) And consider for a moment that He allowed you in the bounce house so that you could come to this exact conclusion and give your children academic stability and a solid Christian education from here on out. What if you did the bounce house in high school? What if you were still in the bounce house? Maybe the experience He allowed. Maybe not. Regardless, He will get YOU and your CHILDREN to where He wants and needs you all. Rest in His grace. Give it all back to Him. He's got your back. :D Blessings, :iagree:I love this encouragement. Thanks Sewpeaceful! I needed that too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovelaughs_times_three Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I did this really bad to my son in Math. We started the year with one curr. We did it all the way til Christmas before I realized that it wasn't working for him. Switched to another for a couple of months, still no fit. Finally went back to the program we had started with last year!!! It was working! Why did I switch???? (actually, I switched because I felt like I needed some of my subjects to be more independent of me). So now, my son, who would have been on level (or close to it) by this time, if I had just stayed put, is behind. He is going into 4th grade and will be only ready to start the 3A book. We actually had to double up and triple up lessons in 2B to even get here! I had to talk to him about it, because it was making him feel "stupid" to see the 2 on the math book. He's too aware of where he "should" be. I've finally shown him that he is learning the Math differently than the other 2 programs. That even though he is in the 2nd book, that there are problems he can do in his head that my 6th grader would struggle with. It's just a different approach. Anyway, I've been :smash: myself over the head too. Wishing I had just stayed with what was working! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 We've all been there, my dd is behind in spelling thanks to the, ahem, 5 different programs we used in 1st and 2nd grade. Now we've finally found what works and we are making up ground. No surprise, but the approach is very similar to what we began with in 1st grade. Oh, well, live and learn, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Well the nice thing is, given the amount of review, one year in the BJU and they'll be right back on track! They're at a good age to be jumping in. The 7th grade and up materials are very meaty, very good, and they'll make a good foundation for the little snippets of fun stuff you find on the boards to add in. So when you're doing the BJU 8 Earth Science you could add in Teaching Astronomy Through Art from Visual Manna, that sort of thing. http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=32685&it=1 There's a peace that comes when you shift from looking to doing. I'm glad you've found it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Even worse, some stuff I really just have to do for a while before I have a true idea. This is where I am. 3-4 wks in I realized, UGH, I hate this stuff. I guess that is where I am at with BJU. I haven't had that with any of it. Nicely written, I have figured out how to keep my two together in history and science and it is in general working well for us.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 :iagree:I love this encouragement. Thanks Sewpeaceful! I needed that too! :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 There's a peace that comes when you shift from looking to doing. I'm glad you've found it. :) :iagree: Elizabeth, as usual, very wise words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Oh, well, live and learn, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence :D. YUP! That is a big one!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Well the nice thing is, given the amount of review, one year in the BJU and they'll be right back on track! They're at a good age to be jumping in. The 7th grade and up materials are very meaty, very good, and they'll make a good foundation for the little snippets of fun stuff you find on the boards to add in. So when you're doing the BJU 8 Earth Science you could add in Teaching Astronomy Through Art from Visual Manna, that sort of thing. http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=32685&it=1 There's a peace that comes when you shift from looking to doing. I'm glad you've found it. :) I so :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosaicmind Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I have to get this off of my heart. I have waisted so much time and money, in switching curriculum. Not only the waisted time and money but my two are behind because of it. Now I have to admit that I simply did not find anything that overall I really liked. I have found that I believe in BJU and I am so very glad but I wish I would have started using it back when my two were 5 & 6 and stayed with it. Looking back, if I had one thing to change, well other than starting my ds too soon, it would be find a curriculum that I liked, quit reading all the threads about the great other curriculum and stuck with one. That is all.:D I want to encourage you. I have done and am still doing what you have been. I have 3 kids who are highschool age; 2 of them have graduated with almost a 4.0 gpa and my son got the highest diploma possible. My other son who is finishing up his sophomore year is getting a 3.78 gpa right now. You will not ruin your kids. All of the above children were homeschooled through 8th grade and then entered public high school. I admit I was fearful they would not do well because we did the curriculum hop so much, but I was proven wrong. I will agree that it would have been better if I had stuck to one curriculum through out all their years, but I see that they still learned despite my craziness. Don't beat yourself up. You recognize your error now and can correct it without doing much damage, if any at all. I would guess that if you had them tested they would be right on track or above their public school peers in most subjects. BTW, I never learned my lesson after 14yrs of homeschooling and we are still doing the curriculum merry-go-round. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 I want to encourage you. I have done and am still doing what you have been. I have 3 kids who are highschool age; 2 of them have graduated with almost a 4.0 gpa and my son got the highest diploma possible. My other son who is finishing up his sophomore year is getting a 3.78 gpa right now. You will not ruin your kids. All of the above children were homeschooled through 8th grade and then entered public high school. I admit I was fearful they would not do well because we did the curriculum hop so much, but I was proven wrong. I will agree that it would have been better if I had stuck to one curriculum through out all their years, but I see that they still learned despite my craziness. Don't beat yourself up. You recognize your error now and can correct it without doing much damage, if any at all. I would guess that if you had them tested they would be right on track or above their public school peers in most subjects. BTW, I never learned my lesson after 14yrs of homeschooling and we are still doing the curriculum merry-go-round. :) Thanks for the words of encouragement. I have come to the realization that my ds probably isn't going to do great in anything that deals with using his pencil.:tongue_smilie: I am not going to find a curr. that fits that bill that he doesn't out smart. I had him in TT but he wasn't really doing it, he was working the system. My dd is doing really good in BJU. It is harder than she has had in the past but she is plowing through and DOESN'T want to change anything. She likes it. So plow I will with both of them.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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