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Sonlight has the newest video up....

mom&nana

By mom&nana,
in K-8 Curriculum Board

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Jonibee

Jonibee

Posted
Posted
What were the problems people had with the upper level IGs? And they were corrected last year? The reason I'm asking is because I'm thinking about buying them but don't want to buy IGs that are a pain to use.

 

 

The upper level IG's were for many years very difficult to use. The student questions did not match the questions in the answer key, with some questions here and other questions there, some not answered at all. Flipping back and forth and not finding that you were missing anything until way past that book. etc.

 

Yes, these things have all been fixed, and right now the upper IGs are the most beautiful I have seen in all these years. Totally usable. (Core 530 has always been the masterpiece, IMO.)

 

Cores 100, 200, 300 and 530 have the lit portion either written or rewritten by Amy. Core 400 was totally written by John. The history notes in all 4 upper cores were written by John. Amy has hinted that they are now "embarrassed by John's voluminous notes in the history sections, especially in cores 100 and 400. So if you like what they have now, watch every March for updates and changes, so that you might choose to buy before those changes take place.

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GWOB

GWOB

Posted
Posted
That's not the children's version. This is the young reader's edition, http://www.amazon.com/Light-Glory-Young-Readers-The/dp/0800733738/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332172261&sr=1-4

 

 

  • Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  • Paperback: 186 pages
  • Publisher: Revell; Reprint edition (November 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0800733738
  • ISBN-13: 978-0800733735

So we shall see.

 

:iagree: There seems to be a bit of confusion over the adult and children's versions. The children's version is just a reprint.

 

What would be courageous would be to openly discuss the change of course and let people decide for themselves based on real information whether or not they want to use Sonlight, instead of relying on the reputation they built up under John.

YES!!!!!!!

 

 

EXACTLY!

 

 

 

I am Episcopalian and heading to TOG. I feel like its the strongest option academically and I'll use Sonlight as a book list for historical fiction. I've investigated it a lot and from everying I've seen, the Reformed rhetoric has mostly been edited out in the Redesigned series. They've moved in the opposite direction from Sonlight, trying to appeal to a broader audience of Christians.

 

That is good to know. TOG has always looked appealing, but I absolutely hate planning. That is why Sonlight was such a good fit for me.

 

This is why I left TOG and why I'm so happy to have found Sonlight. I need open and go.

 

Me too! Too many choices makes me crazy.

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razorbackmama

razorbackmama

Posted
Posted
The weekly vs daily schedule and book choices concerned me at first, okay for a while. But then I realized that I often find it annoying to stop at a certain place Szl says each day, but I'm a box checker and I have to do it! I also add in library resources already, so I'm already picking extra books and I like to have the freedom to do so. But I like to have the notes, suggestions and schedule.

I think if I had more time to figure all that out, I'd probably like that. But I don't even have time to go to the library at all LOL. So I like having everything laid out for me so I don't have to think at all about what we're going to do.

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razorbackmama

razorbackmama

Posted
Posted
The upper level IG's were for many years very difficult to use. The student questions did not match the questions in the answer key, with some questions here and other questions there, some not answered at all. Flipping back and forth and not finding that you were missing anything until way past that book. etc.

 

Yes, these things have all been fixed, and right now the upper IGs are the most beautiful I have seen in all these years. Totally usable. (Core 530 has always been the masterpiece, IMO.)

 

Cores 100, 200, 300 and 530 have the lit portion either written or rewritten by Amy. Core 400 was totally written by John. The history notes in all 4 upper cores were written by John. Amy has hinted that they are now "embarrassed by John's voluminous notes in the history sections, especially in cores 100 and 400. So if you like what they have now, watch every March for updates and changes, so that you might choose to buy before those changes take place.

Thank you!!!!! It does sound like I'd want the current upper-level IGs (especially the notes written by John!). That makes total sense to just watch every March - that way I don't have to buy them all this year. I can just concentrate on the couple of lower-level IGs that are changing this year and buy them.:D

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ZooRho

ZooRho

Posted
Posted
I was subscribed to one of those threads, and the posts were landing in my e-mail. It got locked when a poster got on to defend SL and made some rather accusatory comments about the complainers, and there were posts responding to that. It was closed *for the weekend*. It may be a long weekend.

 

I wish people could resist questioning the motives of other posters on threads where SL is actually talking -- it gives them the best excuse to make the thread disappear.

 

That was so true. The one with amy talking was going great by the time I went to bed. Not sure what happened after that. I use to get the emails but now the system has been messed up so I just got off of the email notices.

 

I doubt it will ever open back up

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Annie Laurie

Annie Laurie

Posted
Posted
I am just glad that I am in a position to buy Core D & E guides now. I am not happy with the changes, but it isn't my call. I have always used TWTM and Sonlight together, I will likely just use Sonlight as a Fictional Book List now.

 

I'm in a similar position. I own all the cores, except 2, 5, 400, and 530. I'm trying to decide what IGs I want to buy before they change over. I don't think I ever want to use core 400 and I don't think I'll worry about 530 this far ahead. The IGs for 2 and 5 I might want to buy before the change, but 5 is so full of missionary stories, I'm not sure I'll ever use it. The IG for 2 might be worth it, since I already own 1, but then again, I think next time through I might be better off just using SOTW.

 

See, can't make up my mind.

 

ETA: Before, I would have bought the entire cores through SL just to have, my kids read the books over and over. But now, I will most likely buy the books through Amazon eventually. It's just the IGs I can't decide about, not sure I need those.

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StartingOver

StartingOver

Posted
Posted
I'm in a similar position. I own all the cores, except 2, 5, 400, and 530. I'm trying to decide what IGs I want to buy before they change over. I don't think I ever want to use core 400 and I don't think I'll worry about 530 this far ahead. The IGs for 2 and 5 I might want to buy before the change, but 5 is so full of missionary stories, I'm not sure I'll ever use it. The IG for 2 might be worth it, since I already own 1, but then again, I think next time through I might be better off just using SOTW.

 

See, can't make up my mind.

 

ETA: Before, I would have bought the entire cores through SL just to have, my kids read the books over and over. But now, I will most likely buy the books through Amazon eventually. It's just the IGs I can't decide about, not sure I need those.

 

I will be purchasing the G IG on the 30th ahead of the change. From reading on the Sonlight forums. I think the upper cores will be revised next year, or at least some of them. So I expect to use my income tax refund next year to purchase all of the other IG's. I am not sure I will use them all, but want them in case I do, or at least use parts of them. If, and that is a huge If, Sonlight is not going in the direction I think they are, I can always upgrade. But I need them now ( or before the next big change ), just in case ! I own Cores from P 3/4 to Core C complete, thank goodness for heirloom.

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Leonana

Leonana

Posted
Posted

It really stinks that I may have to leave Sonlight on principle. After reading tons of threads about various kerfuffles, apparently I, as a mainline Protestant, am no longer their target audience. I have no idea where I am supposed to go. The fundie Evangelicals have their homeschooling advocates and curriculum providers (VF, Ken Ham, BF, HOD, HSLDA, etc.). THe Reformed people have TOG and VP. The Catholics have all kinds of cool stuff. Where do I belong? I thought it was Sonlight, but I guess I was wrong.:001_unsure:

 

I can relate. I've been checking out History Odyssey. From reading this thread, it sounds like TOG might be an option.

 

I haven't read this thread that closely, so forgive me if you've posted elsewhere to make the answer obvious, but you do realize that Sarita wasn't hired by the Board to replace John, but that this was a Mom and Pop business Sarita and John started in their garage years ago?

 

Sarita has always been president. John has been the public relations face of the business, in charge of customer service, marketing, and otherwise actively involved, who people saw and felt they knew.

 

If John and Sarita always had different views, it wasn't all that obvious -- and now it doesn't shock me that the customers who loved Mom and Pop from way back would be wondering if it was just Pop who loved them back, and feeling more than a tad betrayed, and a bit hurt that Mom and the kids notice being used as a book list more than appreciating the dollars spent by the loyal customers over the years that could have gone somewhere else?

 

I think Sarita had a change of heart. There was a BEAM article in which she wrote about it. Apparently, she read some book by Schaffer(?) and it changed her beliefs. Perhaps the actions of CHEC excluding SL also contributed to her change of belief.

 

So, my guess is that her and John had a similar POV, or she at least was willing to defer to his. Then he bowed out, she took over, and then had her personal revelation.

 

The upper level IG's were for many years very difficult to use. The student questions did not match the questions in the answer key, with some questions here and other questions there, some not answered at all. Flipping back and forth and not finding that you were missing anything until way past that book. etc.

 

Yes, these things have all been fixed, and right now the upper IGs are the most beautiful I have seen in all these years. Totally usable. (Core 530 has always been the masterpiece, IMO.)

 

Cores 100, 200, 300 and 530 have the lit portion either written or rewritten by Amy. Core 400 was totally written by John. The history notes in all 4 upper cores were written by John. Amy has hinted that they are now "embarrassed by John's voluminous notes in the history sections, especially in cores 100 and 400. So if you like what they have now, watch every March for updates and changes, so that you might choose to buy before those changes take place.

 

People complained for YEARS about the problems in the upper level IG's, with the answers not matching the questions. It always seemed that SL cared about the lower levels, and that is their biggest seller. Most people don't hs for high school. You have to wonder if that's why it took so long to revise the upper level IG's.

 

Boy, how ironic. I guess there will be one or two good years of upper level IG's.

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Mommy22alyns

Mommy22alyns

Posted
Posted
Yes, but the threads that have disappeared (last I looked) regarding Amy and Sarita's "thoughts" on those years, especially 100 and 400 lead one to believe that they are in the crosshairs.

 

 

Is SL deleting threads with opposing views? If so, that bothers me. SWB has graciously allowed even the viewpoints of people who don't like any of her curricula.

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ZooRho

ZooRho

Posted
Posted
Is SL deleting threads with opposing views? If so, that bothers me. SWB has graciously allowed even the viewpoints of people who don't like any of her curricula.

 

There may have been some dissagreements in them, they could have been pulled for other reasons.

 

there are still some threads that are locked but you can still read them on the Suggestion forum there.

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Kathryn

Kathryn

Posted
Posted
There may have been some dissagreements in them, they could have been pulled for other reasons.

 

there are still some threads that are locked but you can still read them on the Suggestion forum there.

 

The two in which Amy posted are locked AND hidden though, and have remained so although it was said they were locked for the weekend.

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kardamom

kardamom

Posted
Posted

I think Sarita had a change of heart. There was a BEAM article in which she wrote about it. Apparently, she read some book by Schaffer(?) and it changed her beliefs. Perhaps the actions of CHEC excluding SL also contributed to her change of belief.

 

So, my guess is that her and John had a similar POV, or she at least was willing to defer to his. Then he bowed out, she took over, and then had her personal revelation.

 

 

 

 

 

I remember something -- was it a year ago? Two? I think after John resigned -- about not limiting your worldview to parts of your life -- I probably shouldn't say more since I don't remember quite how it was said -- in any case, I wasn't familiar with whatever it was she read, so it sounded to me at the time like less of a change in core beliefs and more a commitment to reflect her beliefs in all areas of her life.

 

Maybe that includes a more conscious effort to reflect her worldview in the curriculum?

 

I had the impression John leaned OE and Sarita leaned YE. At the lower cores and science I have, John has notes here and there to give the parent the heads up that material is coming up where parents will need to discuss their own beliefs with their children. I wonder how long John's notes will stay in the IG's.

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Colleen

Colleen

Posted
Posted
It is not a personal attack for people to say that that company was different when John was a vocal spokesperson than it does now...It may have always been this way. Sarita may have always felt this way. But John presented a different "face" to Sonlight, and that interpretation is now gone.

 

I do not think it at all a personal attack or disrepectful to point that out.

 

No, it's not a personal attack, merely an acknowledgement of reality.

 

I think several people have already said that it is looking like the "John years" truly were the aberration and that Sarita has always seen things this way. It is her company, and her ultimate responsibility.

 

I see her decisions as more cowardly than courageous though. Again, personal opinion not attack. But if she always felt this way, why let John and his ideas mislead so many people as to what Sonlight was really about? If Sonlight had always been true to itself, they would not have a large vocal minority feeling betrayed about how they have "changed.". Maybe it was just poor communication or lack of communication from Sarita, but she was there while John was so vocal and never then said otherwise. Her viewpoints only came to the forefront after CHEC and the like decided to challenge their status as a Christian company.

 

If this was always Sonlight, all these people who are so upset would never have bought into the vision to begin with. Sarita has every right to change that vision (or take it back to its roots), but people also have every right to feel upset at the changes. Sonlight has always sold the vision as their brand, and people chose Sonlight based on that vision. You could always use the books without it, but it was the vision that made people become Sonlighters. I think people have every right to question this new vision because that is exactly what is supposed to make Sonlight more than just a booklist.

 

What an astute, well-expressed analysis.

 

I had finally found a home. Sonlight has been everything I expected it would be. My kids are absolutely loving it. They love the books. We are having such wonderful discussions. They are following rabbit trails. They now love school.

 

It really stinks that I may have to leave Sonlight on principle. After reading tons of threads about various kerfuffles, apparently I, as a mainline Protestant, am no longer their target audience. I have no idea where I am supposed to go. The fundie Evangelicals have their homeschooling advocates and curriculum providers (VF, Ken Ham, BF, HOD, HSLDA, etc.). THe Reformed people have TOG and VP. The Catholics have all kinds of cool stuff. Where do I belong? I thought it was Sonlight, but I guess I was wrong.:001_unsure:

 

I hear you, Wendi. Believe me, as a long time (nearly 12 years) Sonlight customer and a person who takes great pains to patronize businesses whose principles I support and respect, I share your frustration. Having said that, SL has always been the backbone of our homeschool and that will continue to be the case. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'll no longer prioritize SL as far as financial support is concerned, but we'll be using (most of) the history and literature just as we have all these years. I do think you need to give the greatest consideration to the fact that in terms of your children's education and enthusiasm, SL is more than meeting your needs. Yes, it's disappointing to discover that in a broader sense, SL isn't the home you'd prefer. But I think it's possible to still glean the essential benefits from the program and maintain the integrity of your values. Best to you.

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Thea

Thea

Posted
Posted
I'm in a similar position. I own all the cores, except 2, 5, 400, and 530. I'm trying to decide what IGs I want to buy before they change over. I don't think I ever want to use core 400 and I don't think I'll worry about 530 this far ahead. The IGs for 2 and 5 I might want to buy before the change, but 5 is so full of missionary stories, I'm not sure I'll ever use it. The IG for 2 might be worth it, since I already own 1, but then again, I think next time through I might be better off just using SOTW.

 

See, can't make up my mind.

 

ETA: Before, I would have bought the entire cores through SL just to have, my kids read the books over and over. But now, I will most likely buy the books through Amazon eventually. It's just the IGs I can't decide about, not sure I need those.

 

Totally OT BUT

 

Oh, don't miss out on Core 5! I've done it twice--without the missionary books and it is my favorite, favorite core with some of my favorite SL books--ever. If you don't do the missionary stories you free up a ton of time for all sorts of fun educational side trips. What's great about 5 is that you study all sorts of countries that a typical Western world history skips--The Golden Age of Islan--China--Japan--Australia--

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Mandy in TN

Mandy in TN

Posted
Posted
I would give it another look. SL is so easy to use secularly, maybe with the exception of Core 5. If there are certain notes that bother you, skip them. WP is secular, so you could look at that, but I don't hear too many rave reviews about it.

 

Lisa

 

I just read backwards through this massive thread, so I apologize for quoting from the beginning, but I wanted to clarify. WinterPromise is in no way secular. It is YE Christian. Sea and Sky contains several YE books and their ancient history core and middle ages core use MOH as the spine.

 

HTH-

Mandy

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melmichigan

melmichigan

Posted
Posted (edited)
Is SL deleting threads with opposing views? If so, that bothers me. SWB has graciously allowed even the viewpoints of people who don't like any of her curricula.

 

SL posted a new forum moderating sticky yesterday in response to their removal of threads. I think you can see it here. There are many threads, including "Sarita's answer" to Light and Glory that have been closed down, so the title remains but not any of the postings. Others are locked where you can see the postings, but not comment. It depends on the post.

Edited by melmichigan
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GWOB

GWOB

Posted
Posted

 

 

 

 

I hear you, Wendi. Believe me, as a long time (nearly 12 years) Sonlight customer and a person who takes great pains to patronize businesses whose principles I support and respect, I share your frustration. Having said that, SL has always been the backbone of our homeschool and that will continue to be the case. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'll no longer prioritize SL as far as financial support is concerned, but we'll be using (most of) the history and literature just as we have all these years. I do think you need to give the greatest consideration to the fact that in terms of your children's education and enthusiasm, SL is more than meeting your needs. Yes, it's disappointing to discover that in a broader sense, SL isn't the home you'd prefer. But I think it's possible to still glean the essential benefits from the program and maintain the integrity of your values. Best to you.

 

 

I hear you. I will likely continue with Sonlight, purchasing a few cores before the change and looking for used IGs. It will not be as nice and simple as ordering a big old box of books, but, well, homeschooling isn't easy. I'm still sad.

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Mom0012

Mom0012

Posted
Posted (edited)
I just read backwards through this massive thread, so I apologize for quoting from the beginning, but I wanted to clarify. WinterPromise is in no way secular. It is YE Christian. Sea and Sky contains several YE books and their ancient history core and middle ages core use MOH as the spine.

 

HTH-

Mandy

 

Thanks for catching my error. I looked at their US History a few years ago and remember thinking it could very easily be used secularly, but maybe I'm wrong. Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing that MOH is used in some of their levels.

 

Lisa

Edited by LisaTheresa
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Kathryn

Kathryn

Posted
Posted
the Thread where Amy responded it back up.

 

Judy said it was HEAVILY edited

 

The other one is not back up yet

 

https://forums.sonlight.com/topic/317706-new-sonlighter-feels-like-i-just-stepped-in-the-twilight-zone/

 

They're both up now with heavy edits and deletions.

 

ETA: here's the other thread for those with access https://forums.sonlight.com/topic/317738-saritas-answer-to-the-light-and-the-glory/page__pid__4232530?do=findComment&comment=4232530

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ZooRho

ZooRho

Posted
Posted
It's interesting to compare the prices of 2011 and 2012.

 

Oh and for those who don't like the word intuitive anymore, don't read the top of page 130 :lol:

 

BWHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA

 

Someone on the SL forums said 24 books were dropped from Core 5/F some added back in but not 24

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awisha.

awisha.

Posted
Posted

Sarita talks about the core F in the back of the catalogue. The 'What's New' section. The price is a lot cheaper this year, because they have taken out a lot of books.

 

She also mentioned in the "What's New" section that John "completely rewrote and updated" the How To Do A Research Paper guide in core D and up.

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