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I am looking through my accumulated curriculum, and wondering...


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how did I get all this stuff? And how on earth am I going to choose one, just one, writing curriculum for each Dc when it seems I have at least 4 for each, plus several options they could share? Uggh!

 

Then I look at stuff I used with Ds that I didn't with Dd and start thinking about ways I can work it in. I mean it all seems so good. Then one book will cover something another book does not and I think about trying to add in just that topic. Really this is ridiculous. I think one curriculum choice per subject per child should be enough!

 

Somebody give me some wise advice, or a kick in the pants!

Edited by shanvan
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I think your logic is flawed and that you need at least 2-4 options per child on the shelf for any one subject. You just never know. :lol::tongue_smilie:

 

Okay, maybe I can get on board with that. But, then the question becomes, which one(s) should go on the shelf and await their turn(s) in the limelight?

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Weed it out and get rid of it.

 

Take a different subject each day, and sit down with them all in front of you- open to the table of Contents or index if your TOC isn't detailed.

 

Clear you mind of any thoughts about how much a particular book/program cost. :D

 

Think really hard: what "style" suits YOU as a teacher? Do you have any books so far out of that style that you hate them- even though they were expensive, used by all the smartest people you know, or have never been used. Unless they are nearly 100% perfectly suited for independent use by a child whose style is 180degrees opposite of you- put these books in your sell/give away box.

 

If you love a particular program/series and bought other books as supplements- keep the series, toss the supplements. Unless you always-every-year finish both your regular program AND the supplements- stress-free and on time.

 

Next, take a look at the TOC/index of the books you're considering keeping. Your children will never learn all there is to know about ANY subject. EVER! Even if they get a doctorate degree in it. People spend entire lifetimes studying a tiny section of history/science/math/languages/etc. and will never possibly know it all. So a tiny "gap" in a subject is insignificant. Pick the best book out of what's left and let the rest GO!

 

If you have children with very very different learning styles/textbook preferences- go ahead and save "their" books for them- but don't make every kid do every book.

 

If you do find a near-perfect book that doesn't cover a subject that you really want to include- make a note - posty note on the TOC?- with a resource to cover it- copied pages or notes from the book you got rid of, web link, etc. Then get rid of the extra book!

 

I have spent years bogged down by stacks and shelves of books reminding me of how much I'm not doing. I am just now- with a SENIOR! learning to let go of what I just can't or won't do. Oddly enough, I find that the less books/curriculum I have, the more we actually get done. It's overwhelming to try to plow through 3-4 different books on each subject! The best curriculum is the world is no good if it just sits on the shelf. A 'good enough" program that gets done is much better, IMO.

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Weed it out and get rid of it.

 

Take a different subject each day, and sit down with them all in front of you- open to the table of Contents or index if your TOC isn't detailed.

 

Clear you mind of any thoughts about how much a particular book/program cost. :D

 

Think really hard: what "style" suits YOU as a teacher? Do you have any books so far out of that style that you hate them- even though they were expensive, used by all the smartest people you know, or have never been used. Unless they are nearly 100% perfectly suited for independent use by a child whose style is 180degrees opposite of you- put these books in your sell/give away box.

 

If you love a particular program/series and bought other books as supplements- keep the series, toss the supplements. Unless you always-every-year finish both your regular program AND the supplements- stress-free and on time.

 

Next, take a look at the TOC/index of the books you're considering keeping. Your children will never learn all there is to know about ANY subject. EVER! Even if they get a doctorate degree in it. People spend entire lifetimes studying a tiny section of history/science/math/languages/etc. and will never possibly know it all. So a tiny "gap" in a subject is insignificant. Pick the best book out of what's left and let the rest GO!

 

If you have children with very very different learning styles/textbook preferences- go ahead and save "their" books for them- but don't make every kid do every book.

 

If you do find a near-perfect book that doesn't cover a subject that you really want to include- make a note - posty note on the TOC?- with a resource to cover it- copied pages or notes from the book you got rid of, web link, etc. Then get rid of the extra book!

 

I have spent years bogged down by stacks and shelves of books reminding me of how much I'm not doing. I am just now- with a SENIOR! learning to let go of what I just can't or won't do. Oddly enough, I find that the less books/curriculum I have, the more we actually get done. It's overwhelming to try to plow through 3-4 different books on each subject! The best curriculum is the world is no good if it just sits on the shelf. A 'good enough" program that gets done is much better, IMO.

 

I love this. I think I'm going to print it out and use it as a reminder as I'm planning out our year. Thank you.

 

Now, can someone come over and give me a boot in the pants so I'll get off the computer? :tongue_smilie:

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Weed it out and get rid of it.

 

Take a different subject each day, and sit down with them all in front of you- open to the table of Contents or index if your TOC isn't detailed.

 

Clear you mind of any thoughts about how much a particular book/program cost. :D

 

Think really hard: what "style" suits YOU as a teacher? Do you have any books so far out of that style that you hate them- even though they were expensive, used by all the smartest people you know, or have never been used. Unless they are nearly 100% perfectly suited for independent use by a child whose style is 180degrees opposite of you- put these books in your sell/give away box.

 

If you love a particular program/series and bought other books as supplements- keep the series, toss the supplements. Unless you always-every-year finish both your regular program AND the supplements- stress-free and on time.

 

Next, take a look at the TOC/index of the books you're considering keeping. Your children will never learn all there is to know about ANY subject. EVER! Even if they get a doctorate degree in it. People spend entire lifetimes studying a tiny section of history/science/math/languages/etc. and will never possibly know it all. So a tiny "gap" in a subject is insignificant. Pick the best book out of what's left and let the rest GO!

 

See, this is what gets me every time. I want to cover everything in intricate detail, and only now--when I have a SENIOR--am I realizing that it really is okay to hit the highlights, and if a kid is really interested in learning more, he'll research it on his own and maybe even major in it in college. Before, I felt so guilty for not trying to get ALL of it in there. But really, how much does one NEED to know about the French Revolution, or the Metaphysical & Cavalier Poets, or solving systems of equations in 3 variables?

 

If you have children with very very different learning styles/textbook preferences- go ahead and save "their" books for them- but don't make every kid do every book.

 

If you do find a near-perfect book that doesn't cover a subject that you really want to include- make a note - posty note on the TOC?- with a resource to cover it- copied pages or notes from the book you got rid of, web link, etc. Then get rid of the extra book!

 

This is exactly what I've been working on. I feel so much less guilty for getting rid of extra stuff that I spent a lot of money on or that came highly recommended but just didn't work for us. I currently have 3 large crates of stuff that either: worked for one kid but not another, covers most but not all of what I wanted to include, or just stuff that I meant to get to but never did.

 

I have spent years bogged down by stacks and shelves of books reminding me of how much I'm not doing. I am just now- with a SENIOR! learning to let go of what I just can't or won't do. Oddly enough, I find that the less books/curriculum I have, the more we actually get done. It's overwhelming to try to plow through 3-4 different books on each subject! The best curriculum is the world is no good if it just sits on the shelf. A 'good enough" program that gets done is much better, IMO.

 

:iagree:

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Weed it out and get rid of it.

 

Take a different subject each day, and sit down with them all in front of you- open to the table of Contents or index if your TOC isn't detailed.

 

Clear you mind of any thoughts about how much a particular book/program cost. :D

 

Think really hard: what "style" suits YOU as a teacher? Do you have any books so far out of that style that you hate them- even though they were expensive, used by all the smartest people you know, or have never been used. Unless they are nearly 100% perfectly suited for independent use by a child whose style is 180degrees opposite of you- put these books in your sell/give away box.

 

If you love a particular program/series and bought other books as supplements- keep the series, toss the supplements. Unless you always-every-year finish both your regular program AND the supplements- stress-free and on time.

 

Next, take a look at the TOC/index of the books you're considering keeping. Your children will never learn all there is to know about ANY subject. EVER! Even if they get a doctorate degree in it. People spend entire lifetimes studying a tiny section of history/science/math/languages/etc. and will never possibly know it all. So a tiny "gap" in a subject is insignificant. Pick the best book out of what's left and let the rest GO!

 

If you have children with very very different learning styles/textbook preferences- go ahead and save "their" books for them- but don't make every kid do every book.

 

If you do find a near-perfect book that doesn't cover a subject that you really want to include- make a note - posty note on the TOC?- with a resource to cover it- copied pages or notes from the book you got rid of, web link, etc. Then get rid of the extra book!

 

I have spent years bogged down by stacks and shelves of books reminding me of how much I'm not doing. I am just now- with a SENIOR! learning to let go of what I just can't or won't do. Oddly enough, I find that the less books/curriculum I have, the more we actually get done. It's overwhelming to try to plow through 3-4 different books on each subject! The best curriculum is the world is no good if it just sits on the shelf. A 'good enough" program that gets done is much better, IMO.

 

Awesome, thank you.

 

I have the collection issue. I pick up things at thrift stores, library sales, books recommended here and there and well...

 

I am finding now that ds is heading into high school, and has kind of developed some real interests and strengths, that I feel more comfortable paring down some books. I donated a box full the other day, I have another box waiting to give to a friend, and I pulled out a few more today. Granted, this whole "purge the books" virus (because it must be an illness :tongue_smilie:) has only taken hold in the last four weeks.

 

I am trying to keep a decent spine text, a few extras for referencing and comparison, and books on subject I want to study one day. My goal is to keep it "the best of..." collection. I also keep a few for areas I want to study, so I can teach better, but won't necessarily have ds use.

 

Writing is one of the harder ones for me to purge. I have my own writing books (someday I WILL be a real author...) and then ds has a very different style of learning than me. Then I have the ones SWB recommends for high school, which I've tried to collect for my own study. I know no one program will work for ds all the way through high school, so I keep some of the possibilities, then there is literature and literature analysis, which is not addressed is some writing books. I have mapped a direction for us to take, a sequence of study with a few options along the way.

 

I do store the books we are currently using and current reference books separately from books we aren't using, so that helps the panicked feeling.

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Awesome, thank you.

 

I have the collection issue. I pick up things at thrift stores, library sales, books recommended here and there and well...

 

Me too!

 

I am finding now that ds is heading into high school, and has kind of developed some real interests and strengths, that I feel more comfortable paring down some books. I donated a box full the other day, I have another box waiting to give to a friend, and I pulled out a few more today. Granted, this whole "purge the books" virus (because it must be an illness :tongue_smilie:) has only taken hold in the last four weeks.

 

That's one virus I'd like to catch!

 

I am trying to keep a decent spine text, a few extras for referencing and comparison, and books on subject I want to study one day. My goal is to keep it "the best of..." collection. I also keep a few for areas I want to study, so I can teach better, but won't necessarily have ds use.

 

Writing is one of the harder ones for me to purge. I have my own writing books (someday I WILL be a real author...) and then ds has a very different style of learning than me. Then I have the ones SWB recommends for high school, which I've tried to collect for my own study. I know no one program will work for ds all the way through high school, so I keep some of the possibilities, then there is literature and literature analysis, which is not addressed is some writing books. I have mapped a direction for us to take, a sequence of study with a few options along the way.

 

Same problem, and you hit the nail on the head, the writing curriculum is the worst. I have no problem setting aside the history and science (okay, I'll be honest, less of a problem), but the writing curriculum has me all over the place. There are times when I'd like to toss it all and just have Dc write, rewrite, write again.

 

I do store the books we are currently using and current reference books separately from books we aren't using, so that helps the panicked feeling.

 

But then, I have to decide which ones are 'reference'. I fnd if I put them on the reference shelf, I tend not to look at them again.:glare:

 

I did purge quite a bit earlier this summer, but I do still have some left that I can't manage to let go of. (Sorry I ended in a prep--see the thread on grammar:lol:) I think maybe I should sit down and list goals for writing and see which one gets closest to fitting them.

 

I'm going to see what Dh has to say too. He'll be so thrilled!

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I love this. I think I'm going to print it out and use it as a reminder as I'm planning out our year. Thank you.

 

Now, can someone come over and give me a boot in the pants so I'll get off the computer? :tongue_smilie:

 

I'll give you a kick if you give me one. The computer helps me pretend the stacks of books aren't there!

 

Anyway, here it is...

 

 

th_kick.gif

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Weed it out and get rid of it.

 

Take a different subject each day, and sit down with them all in front of you- open to the table of Contents or index if your TOC isn't detailed.

 

Clear you mind of any thoughts about how much a particular book/program cost. :D

 

Think really hard: what "style" suits YOU as a teacher? Do you have any books so far out of that style that you hate them- even though they were expensive, used by all the smartest people you know, or have never been used. Unless they are nearly 100% perfectly suited for independent use by a child whose style is 180degrees opposite of you- put these books in your sell/give away box.

 

If you love a particular program/series and bought other books as supplements- keep the series, toss the supplements. Unless you always-every-year finish both your regular program AND the supplements- stress-free and on time.

 

Next, take a look at the TOC/index of the books you're considering keeping. Your children will never learn all there is to know about ANY subject. EVER! Even if they get a doctorate degree in it. People spend entire lifetimes studying a tiny section of history/science/math/languages/etc. and will never possibly know it all. So a tiny "gap" in a subject is insignificant. Pick the best book out of what's left and let the rest GO!

 

If you have children with very very different learning styles/textbook preferences- go ahead and save "their" books for them- but don't make every kid do every book.

 

If you do find a near-perfect book that doesn't cover a subject that you really want to include- make a note - posty note on the TOC?- with a resource to cover it- copied pages or notes from the book you got rid of, web link, etc. Then get rid of the extra book!

 

I have spent years bogged down by stacks and shelves of books reminding me of how much I'm not doing. I am just now- with a SENIOR! learning to let go of what I just can't or won't do. Oddly enough, I find that the less books/curriculum I have, the more we actually get done. It's overwhelming to try to plow through 3-4 different books on each subject! The best curriculum is the world is no good if it just sits on the shelf. A 'good enough" program that gets done is much better, IMO.

 

This is very close to the pep talk I've given myself over and over. Yet, when I sit there with the piles I somehow can't seem to do it. Going to try again this afternoon with your post printed out and in front of me. Your post is encouraging b/c it shows me it can be done!

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My problem in the beginning was I needed everything to be the same with the two.

 

I would buy the same curric for the both, in different grades. I accumulated quite a bit this way, just wanting to look at the same books on the shelf. When I started looking at them as two completely different student with different learning styles I stopped buying so much.

 

I just spent the last week weeding through all of my stuff and giving a lot away.

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I talked to Dh and he helped me make some decisions about the history curriculum I have accumulated. Here's the funny thing---he's attached to it too! He used some of them to teach Ds for a couple of years.

 

He told me to rotate the books to have the book that most closely matches our current study on the shelf in case I want to use some of it and pack the rest away until next year when I can donate them. If I use them fine; if I don't fine. They're older editions so I can't expect to sell them anyway.

 

I'm not sure if he was a help or not. :confused:

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This is very close to the pep talk I've given myself over and over. Yet, when I sit there with the piles I somehow can't seem to do it. Going to try again this afternoon with your post printed out and in front of me. Your post is encouraging b/c it shows me it can be done!

:blushing: Awww thanks! Please know that I was writing this as much for myself as the OP and others here... $1 bag sales at the library are my downfall. That and the FREE bin at homeschool events. :glare:

 

I call my books my "paper babies" and I didn;t even write any of them! :D

 

Math seems to be the easiest thing to get rid of. Well, easiest to decide to get rid of. I have Saxon 1-AlgI that I can't pay people to take off my hands. :glare:

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