scrapbookbuzz Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 This has befuddled me for awhile so I've finally decided to ask. I see many different posts about "Can I use this or that (Bible-based) curriculum without a Bible, or for a secular learning path?" Or something to that effect. If you don't want a Christ-centered curriculum, why even consider one that is and then ask if you can use it without the Bible? Since tone is never conveyed correctly via internet, let me be clear in that I am not trying to be snarky or troll. I sincerely just don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 A lot of the religious based curriculum is simply higher quality than the limited amount of secular curriculum available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snow Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Because the are significantly fewer options and if it doesn't work, you might not have any options for a certain subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Yup. There are limited rigorous secular curricula available. I am not anti-Bible, but I don't see the point in having it jump out at me on every page. It's certainly not necessary for math, for example. I prefer to keep religion separate from my other subjects, but I like the other parts of R&S and Sonlight, for example. That's part of what's good about homeschooling. You can personalize your materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdj2027 Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Most secular texts tend to be flashy and busy with boxed in text, complete sensory overload for my 8th grader. I use Apologia and Notgrass not because of the religious content but because there is nothing comparable available that is completely secular. I have several school books from Germany on order for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Because there are not that many secular choices. For example, I like lit-based curriculums, especially for history. Sonlight, MFW, WP, TOG, HOD, Biblioplan, Beautiful feet, and probably a few more I can't think of at this point, all Christian. I only know of one secular, Guesthollow, which is free and put together by an amazing Mommy, that offers the depth these other programs do. It's the same for many other programs. We eve use CLE for Math, but there's very little religion in tha actual Math work but its a great program. Shame for someone to not look at it simple because its printed by a Christian publisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dm379 Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 It is very, very hard to find good secular curriculum. We use Sonlight even though we are not religious but there simply isn't another option unless I want to design it myself and I just don't have that kind of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Because I don't discount the academic rigor of a program just because it's published by a Christian company. CLE works perfectly for us, so I use it. As long as what I don't agree with doesn't detract from the skill or content being taught, I don't really care what religion publishes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I agree with most everyone. There is a dearth of good secular homeschool programs. I have long dreamed of a secular TOG/Sonlight combination, with Sonlight's wonderful living book choices and open & go schedules and TOG's great support for multi-level teaching, integrated activities, and rigor/teacher support at the upper levels. I would pay big, BIG bucks for this if someone created it. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I use a secular program (CK), but if I needed more structure, I would have been tempted by Sonlight or other religious programs that have appealing book selections. However, I would draw the line at young earth science or at providential history. We do use R&S English -- it is rigorous and, with all the diagramming, a great fit for my visual dd. Bible-based might not describe it, but it does have a lot of Biblical references, which I welcome. We also have R&S Spelling (haven't used it much) -- I chose it because I wanted a program that dealt with explicit spelling rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Thank you, all, for your answers. You've answered my question thoroughly. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 another reason is that often people are taking advice from the first homeschooler they meet, and most homeschoolers are christian, so they have christian curriculum recommended to them and thats just where they start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 another reason is that often people are taking advice from the first homeschooler they meet, and most homeschoolers are christian, so they have christian curriculum recommended to them and thats just where they start. Or they are on a tight budget and what is available used is often from a Protestant publisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Although the demographics of homeschoolers have changed a lot, the reality is that the Protestants were the homeschooling pioneers. They have had a lot more years to streamline and improve their curricula. The secular versions are newer and therefore, rougher, in many instances (though not all). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I agree with the posters above: if you are classically educating, the Christian-created materials are often superior to the secular materials; and conversely, the very best materials often turn out to come from a Christian ideology (I am thinking of IEW writing here -- I had no idea that the designers were Christian in worldview when I started using their materials). This is due to the peculiar goals & nature of a Classical education. If you were looking at a Waldorf, or an unschooling, or a Montessori board, it would not so frequently happen that the best materials would be imbued with a particular religious philosophy. But Classical education has had, since its ancient Greek origins, a concern with the relationship of the child to what is ultimately true and also a concern with self-mastery, discipline, and proper role in the greater society. The rigor of a Classical education & its insistence on mastering a traditional corpus of knowledge & philosophy is just pedantic grandstanding without a centering, stabilizing conception of a human endowed with a spark of the ultimate & entrusted with the care of her fellow humans. These calls to both respect the value of the child's spirit and to entrain in it a strong sense of humility & of duty are core to classicism. In the times of the early Church, Christians in search of an excellent education sent their children to the pagan, Roman schools because that is where the old knowledge as well as the old calls to moral strength and to social responsibility resided. In the centuries since, the Christian cultures have sheltered & cultivated the fiery Classical ideal and naturally imbued it with their own conceptions of what is true & what is ultimate. At any rate, there is little available that meets my criteria for excellent Classical materials and does not have religious origins, and I think this is why. (My own philosophy is very close to Conservative Quakerism in practical terms) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Especially when you're starting out, having something completely planned out is a huge help. There's really no secular Sonlight, so lots of newbie secular hsers end up using Christian materials. I've personally found that I've moved away from them over the years as I've learned what works best for us and more secular materials and classes are available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I agree with most everyone. There is a dearth of good secular homeschool programs. I have long dreamed of a secular TOG/Sonlight combination, with Sonlight's wonderful living book choices and open & go schedules and TOG's great support for multi-level teaching, integrated activities, and rigor/teacher support at the upper levels. I would pay big, BIG bucks for this if someone created it. :( Yes, and then translated into Dutch, please :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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