New curriculum

[tntgoodwin]

The Ron Paul Homeschool curriculum is being launched. Dr. Tom Woods and Dr. Gary North are heavily involved in it. It will be free from K-5, and something like $250 a year after that. Supposedly it will cover everything the students will need to learn (science, math, phonics, etc).

 

More info at www.RonPaulcurriculum.com

 

Obviously this won't appeal to everyone, but I figured I would share the info.

[thewaka]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[Lara in Colo]

I would be interested to hear other opinions. I cannot tell much from the website. It seems too pricey for me (250/child/year and 50/course) so basically 450-500 per year per child with no books to pass on. In K-5 the courses are free, the enrollment is still 250.

[birchbark]

I saw this too. I wonder if you can use just parts of it. I would be interested in something like this for High School Gov't and Economics.

 

ETA: Now I'm thinking not. It looks more like a Gary North curriculum than a Ron Paul curriculum.

[Prairie~Phlox]

No books to pass, but no books to buy either- except one, I thought I read. There is a starter course for $25. I'm going to have my dd take it, but won't be buying anything else.

[SunnyDays]

Thanks for sharing, Tony. I can't tell much from the website either... I'd be interested in looking at it further, though.

[tntgoodwin]

I would be interested to hear other opinions. I cannot tell much from the website. It seems too pricey for me (250/child/year and 50/course) so basically 450-500 per year per child with no books to pass on. In K-5 the courses are free, the enrollment is still 250.

 

II may be wrong, but my impression was that the $250 is a flat rate, no matter how many children use it?

[Lara in Colo]

II may be wrong, but my impression was that the $250 is a flat rate, no matter how many children use it?

 

 

 

I can't tell. He keeps using "your child" (singular) in all the discussions. That would make a difference for me!!

 

I did the summer enrollment to see the getting ready for high school course.

 

I would really like to see the high school courses (what level of sciences, math etc will they cover???)

He claims they will test out of the first two years of college--- what courses?

 

I like idea, I just want to see the meat.

[happymomofboys]

I would be interested to hear other opinions. I cannot tell much from the website. It seems too pricey for me (250/child/year and 50/course) so basically 450-500 per year per child with no books to pass on. In K-5 the courses are free, the enrollment is still 250.

 

From the website:

"The courses from kindergarten through the 5th grade will be free. I want to help homeschool families get started. Parents will not enroll their children. The courses will be available to everyone for free."

and

"If parents want to participate in the K-5 forums for parents, they will have to join the site: $250 (one fee for both parents). But this is not required."

 

It looks like once K-5 is up it will be free to use without paying the enrollment fee. The enrollment fee appears to be a fee to use the forums. I am a big fan of Ron Paul, and I hope that he succeeds in his goals here, but I can't see my family paying $250 + an additional $50 per course every year from 6th-12th when I already own TWTM and there is so much available online for free.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

From the website:

"The courses from kindergarten through the 5th grade will be free. I want to help homeschool families get started. Parents will not enroll their children. The courses will be available to everyone for free."

and

"If parents want to participate in the K-5 forums for parents, they will have to join the site: $250 (one fee for both parents). But this is not required."

 

It looks like once K-5 is up it will be free to use without paying the enrollment fee. The enrollment fee appears to be a fee to use the forums. I am a big fan of Ron Paul, and I hope that he succeeds in his goals here, but I can't see my family paying $250 + an additional $50 per course every year from 6th-12th when I already own TWTM and there is so much available online for free.

 

 

It is a bit more than I would like to spend, but it is actually quite reasonable compared to other online high school program enrollment costs. However, whether it is a good deal also depends on the product, which I haven't seen...

[happymomofboys]

It is a bit more than I would like to spend, but it is actually quite reasonable compared to other online high school program enrollment costs. However, whether it is a good deal also depends on the product, which I haven't seen...

 

 

Yes, the more I think about it, it is comparable in price to other programs, but I think what concerns me about the price is the other programs I'm thinking of are well-established with satisfied customer reviews. If the Ron Paul curriculum offered one of the K-5 courses as their sample offering, rather than asking users to pay $25 for this summer study skills course, I might have a different opinion. Either way, I'm quite excited to see what K-5 will look like once it is released.

[Farrar]

Forgive my ignorance, but... Why? I mean... I promise I'm not trying to be snarky here, but what libertarian element are these guys going to introduce to phonics and early math instruction?

[Lara in Colo]

I get the impression that the COURSES were free for k-5, not the enrollment. For the upper grades, they have to pay $50 per course.

 

I sent an email for clarification of the enrollment issue and an outline of courses for the HS (what ARE the science courses??)

 

I would like to use this as a supplement (to teach civics and good study habits) but I don't yet trust it to teach science and math and grammar.

 

They said they have students writing essays in the 5th grade-- that may well be fine, but I like the MCT version where you learn the perfect sentence, then paragraph, then essay. I already had a child in PS where they just floundered trying "write" a book report without any formal grammar or writing lessons.

[happymomofboys]

I get the impression that the COURSES were free for k-5, not the enrollment. For the upper grades, they have to pay $50 per course.

 

See here:

This curriculum will be free. It will be posted in stages, beginning on September 2.

You will not be asked enroll your child. It will be available to anyone and everyone.

[happymomofboys]

Forgive my ignorance, but... Why? I mean... I promise I'm not trying to be snarky here, but what libertarian element are these guys going to introduce to phonics and early math instruction?

 

This is exactly my question and why I'm excited to see what they're going to produce. How is it going to be different from other K-5 curricula? Guess we'll find out in September.

[Lara in Colo]

Thank you for clearing that up for me.

[happymomofboys]

No books to pass, but no books to buy either- except one, I thought I read. There is a starter course for $25. I'm going to have my dd take it, but won't be buying anything else.

 

I do hope you'll share your experience with us. It disappoints me that the only example of the curriculum on the site requires payment to view. :glare: But, I'm patient. I can wait until September.

[Mergath]

It says this on one page:

 

 

This curriculum will be free. It will be posted in stages, beginning on September 2.

 

You will not be asked enroll your child. It will be available to anyone and everyone.

If you want to participate in the parents' forums, you will pay $250/year. This is voluntary.

This entire site should be finished in late 2015. The courses will be posted in stages.

Check back regularly to see if what you want is here. The price is right.

[Mergath]

I think it's weird. Why would a K-5 curriculum be centered around a very specific political philosophy? What little the website says makes it sound like some strange hybrid of TJEd and the Robinson curriculum. And they both turned out to be such winners. :001_rolleyes:

 

Also, I find it extremely odd that Ron Paul doesn't actually seem to be affiliated. I wonder how he'd feel about having an entire curriculum named after him that he has nothing to do with.

 

It'll certainly be interesting to see what they come out with.

 

ETA: Lol... hopefully this guy won't be teaching the writing:

 

This curriculum teaches people how to write. The main teachers in the social sciences and humanities, Dr. Gary North and Dr. Tom Woods, are both successful writers. They are both successful businessmen. They will teach your children how to write effectively and fast.

[VeritasMama]

I lean libertarian, I think that the reasons libertarians have to create a K-5 curriculum are the same that many parents have for homeschooling, they see academic weaknesses in the public schools they want to correct. My libertarian leanings are why TWTM appeals to me much, it is about empowering parents and teaching children basic skills and critical thinking so they can grow up and think for themselves and express their views effectively. The folks at reason.com make very compelling arguments as to the problems facing public education and the governments inability to fix them. Homeschooling is starting to look like a short term solution to more and more people who never would have considered it 30 years ago.

 

Also, most libertarians I know are not religious. I think that as homeschooling becomes more secular, and it is seen less as a choice for religious fringe elements as it was painted in the past, more secular libertarians will seriously consider homeschooling their children. Perhaps that is what the creators are trying to tap into by using the Ron Paul name. I myself homeschool for academic and religious reasons, and so I am not speaking from personal experience, this is conjecture.

 

Whether or not this new curriculum will live up to any of this remains to be seen, but it is interesting.

 

BTW, Ron and Rand Paul are both physicians, so it should go without saying that they are well educated, high achievers, regardless of whether you agree with their political views. This may be one reason the creators feel the Ron Paul name is a good brand.

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

This must be why Ron Paul was a Final Speaker tonight. I am curious :patriot: and I am grateful he supports home education.

[Mergath]

Also, most libertarians I know are not religious. I think that as homeschooling becomes more secular, and it is seen less as a choice for religious fringe elements as it was painted in the past, more secular libertarians will seriously consider homeschooling their children. Perhaps that is what the creators are trying to tap into by using the Ron Paul name. I myself homeschool for academic and religious reasons, and so I am not speaking from personal experience, this is conjecture.

 

Whether or not this new curriculum will live up to any of this remains to be seen, but it is interesting.

 

BTW, Ron and Rand Paul are both physicians, so it should go without saying that they are well educated, high achievers, regardless of whether you agree with their political views. This may be one reason the creators feel the Ron Paul name is a good brand.

 

I don't know, I still think it's strange. I just think it's weird to name an entire curriculum after a politician. The Abraham Lincoln curriculum or the George Washington curriculum, sure, that makes sense. But a politician? Maybe next year I'll start up the Nancy Pelosi Curriculum... lol.

 

I really doubt Ron Paul is actually affiliated with it, though. I mean, first of all, the website is positively atrocious. And they're going to teach web design? Er... okay. If Ron Paul actually was behind it, wouldn't they have had the cash to hire a pro designer? And the writing isn't much better.

 

Political party aside, it sets off my scam-detector. The courses they're talking about are expensive, it's very strange that there isn't a single sample of anything and yet they'll happily take your money, and they have Ron Paul's name and generic photo splashed all over the site, but no quotes from him, no official endorsement, no quick video of him saying, "Hey, I can't wait for you to try my curriculum!" Smells fishy to me. I'd be careful before I give them any money.

[charcat13]

Ron Paul's Facebook page is announcing the curriculum so it seems he is affiliated.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

I don't know, I still think it's strange. I just think it's weird to name an entire curriculum after a politician. The Abraham Lincoln curriculum or the George Washington curriculum, sure, that makes sense. But a politician? Maybe next year I'll start up the Nancy Pelosi Curriculum... lol.

 

I really doubt Ron Paul is actually affiliated with it, though. I mean, first of all, the website is positively atrocious. And they're going to teach web design? Er... okay. If Ron Paul actually was behind it, wouldn't they have had the cash to hire a pro designer? And the writing isn't much better.

 

Political party aside, it sets off my scam-detector. The courses they're talking about are expensive, it's very strange that there isn't a single sample of anything and yet they'll happily take your money, and they have Ron Paul's name and generic photo splashed all over the site, but no quotes from him, no official endorsement, no quick video of him saying, "Hey, I can't wait for you to try my curriculum!" Smells fishy to me. I'd be careful before I give them any money.

 

 

I don't intend to give them any money. It remains to be seen whether or not this will be a quality curriculum, but I see now reason to be suspicious unless you are suspicious of Ron Paul in general. I don't find the Thomas Jefferson Education curriculum creepy, even if I don't agree with it or choose to use it. I'm not suspicious of people simply because they have different political views than I do.

 

Libertarians are much more outspoken about the problems in our public school system and the need for reform, so it makes sense that they would try to get into the homeschooling game as a way to further their agenda to improve education in our country. Ron Paul has been an outspoken supporter of homeschooling for many years, it is nothing new and it has been totally out in the open, though nothing of what Ron Paul does gets positive media attention. Is part of your negative reaction due to the fact that the media paints Ron Paul as an extremist? I would suggest going to the horses mouth if you actually want to understand Ron Paul's views or libertarianism, it's all out there for anyone who wants to find it.

 

I'm not saying everyone should support Ron Paul or everyone should agree with libertarians, just that we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss those who are different from us without first hearing them out. I think it is sad that people in our culture are suspicious of those who disagree with them or are different from themselves, it is causing a lot of political dysfunction on both sides of the aisle.

 

In other words, judgements of this curriculum should be based on it's contents, not our preconceived notions. Whether it is a quality curriculum is something I can't possibly know right now, it remains to be seen, but I have no reason to think its creators have ill intentions.

[Mergath]

In other words, judgements of this curriculum should be based on it's contents, not our preconceived notions. Whether it is a quality curriculum is something I can't possibly know right now, it remains to be seen, but I have no reason to think its creators have ill intentions.

 

 

Well, that's what I'm judging it on. There is no content. I mean, did you read the website? It reads like it was written by someone who's not a native English speaker. And the website itself is terrible, yet they place so much emphasis on teaching web design.

 

I don't really care either way. There's not a chance I'd ever use it. It does seem... off, though, and people should be careful if they're going to give them money.

[Farrar]

Looking at the website, it seemed opportunistic to me. One of the reasons I homeschool is because I think politicians have far too much influence in public schools today. I'm much more interested in sound educational philosophies and methods for schooling than political viewpoints.

 

This is not to say that there isn't clearly something political in the act of educating - whether homeschooling or not. I get that libertarianism and homeschooling dovetail in some ways. I just don't see the educational piece here. I feels like these folks are just trying to cash in on that connection between the libertarian movement and homeschooling, even though they don't have anything to add.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

Well, that's what I'm judging it on. There is no content. I mean, did you read the website? It reads like it was written by someone who's not a native English speaker. And the website itself is terrible, yet they place so much emphasis on teaching web design.

 

I don't really care either way. There's not a chance I'd ever use it. It does seem... off, though, and people should be careful if they're going to give them money.

 

Saying a website looks unprofessional and the writers sound illiterate is quite different than saying that it is creepy to have a curriculum named after a politician and implying the creators have questionable motives in doing so. The first is objective, the second is subjective. That is my point, and it seems unfair to the curriculum providers to call it creepy in a public forum before you have actually examined the curriculum itself. If you don't have the information with which to form your opinions, you shouldn't say something potentially damaging to another's reputation.

[Lady Florida.]

That is my point, and it seems unfair to the curriculum providers to call it creepy in a public forum before you have actually examined the curriculum itself. If you don't have the information with which to form your opinions, you shouldn't say something potentially damaging to another's reputation.

 

I doubt that one homeschool mom (or even a few) saying it sounds creepy is going to damage anyone's reputation. Plus if they didn't want people to form opinions yet, they shouldn't have announced anything.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

I doubt that one homeschool mom (or even a few) saying it sounds creepy is going to damage anyone's reputation. Plus if they didn't want people to form opinions yet, they shouldn't have announced anything.

 

I didn't say it would damage their reputation, I said that when you are making comments such as this, the potential is there and it is not fair to the people involved. But our society has become more and more uncivil, so I suppose it isn't surprising that some would think I'm overreacting.

 

Also, my overall point is that people shouldn't form opinions so prematurely, on any topic, when they cant possibly have all the information necessary to make an informed decision. They should form their opinions about any curriculum based on the content of the curriculum, not simply on the fact that it exists. That is what I would call stereotyping, and even if your preconceived notions turn out to be true, it is distasteful to make declarative statements based on prejudice and not facts.

 

It's the whole don't judge a book by its cover mentality that I am advocating, as I think this is a good rule of thumb for any situation, not just this particular one, and if more people would stick to this mentality it would create a more peaceful and tolerant society. This may very well turn out to be an awful curriculum, but it's creators deserve to have it publically criticized objectively, as any human being would.

 

I didnt mean to get on a high horse or offend anyone, sorry if that turned out to be case. Don't worry, my rant is over. I won't derail the thread again.

[MrsBasil]

 

It's the whole don't judge a book by its cover mentality that I am advocating, as I think this is a good rule of thumb for any situation, not just this particular one, and if more people would stick to this mentality it would create a more peaceful and tolerant society. This may very well turn out to be an awful curriculum, but it's creators deserve to have it publicly criticized objectively, as any human being would.

 

 

 

But really the only thing this curriculum has is the cover. They aren't releasing detailed course info, they aren't releasing a booklist, they aren't releasing a syllabus or showing a sample portion of anything. To discern whether or not this is worth looking into further and waiting until Sept to finalize a course schedule, some people are going to use the site itself as speaking for itself.

 

They announced the whole thing, but have nothing to show. If some feels there's bad web design, poor writing, or an odd FAQ section, then those things are going to play into their evaluation of what's already there. It's still objective, it's just based on what the seller is allowing the potential customer to see.

 

Though I do judge things by their cover. I feel pretty confident that the National Enquirer has less informative articles then The Economist based solely on the cover...

[Mergath]

I didn't say it would damage their reputation, I said that when you are making comments such as this, the potential is there and it is not fair to the people involved. But our society has become more and more uncivil, so I suppose it isn't surprising that some would think I'm overreacting.

 

Also, my overall point is that people shouldn't form opinions so prematurely, on any topic, when they cant possibly have all the information necessary to make an informed decision. They should form their opinions about any curriculum based on the content of the curriculum, not simply on the fact that it exists. That is what I would call stereotyping, and even if your preconceived notions turn out to be true, it is distasteful to make declarative statements based on prejudice and not facts.

 

It's the whole don't judge a book by its cover mentality that I am advocating, as I think this is a good rule of thumb for any situation, not just this particular one, and if more people would stick to this mentality it would create a more peaceful and tolerant society. This may very well turn out to be an awful curriculum, but it's creators deserve to have it publically criticized objectively, as any human being would.

 

I didnt mean to get on a high horse or offend anyone, sorry if that turned out to be case. Don't worry, my rant is over. I won't derail the thread again.

 

It's nice of you to think that I wield such immense power, but like Kathy said, my opinion isn't going to do a thing to Ron Paul's reputation.

 

And I'm sorry, but I still think naming a curriculum for little children after a politician is weird. I'd think the same thing if someone created "The Barack Obama Curriculum" or "The Ronald Reagan Curriculum" or whatever. It's strange. I suppose maybe that makes me prejudiced against politicians.

 

Also, if the makers of this thing don't want people making snap judgments, they probably shouldn't promote a curriculum with a focus on web design and writing with a website that has piss-poor web design and writing.

[happymomofboys]

 

But really the only thing this curriculum has is the cover. They aren't releasing detailed course info, they aren't releasing a booklist, they aren't releasing a syllabus or showing a sample portion of anything. To discern whether or not this is worth looking into further and waiting until Sept to finalize a course schedule, some people are going to use the site itself as speaking for itself.

 

They announced the whole thing, but have nothing to show. If some feels there's bad web design, poor writing, or an odd FAQ section, then those things are going to play into their evaluation of what's already there. It's still objective, it's just based on what the seller is allowing the potential customer to see.

 

Though I do judge things by their cover. I feel pretty confident that the National Enquirer has less informative articles then The Economist based solely on the cover...

 

Oh wow, I just went and read the FAQ section. I won't be paying for that.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

But really the only thing this curriculum has is the cover. They aren't releasing detailed course info, they aren't releasing a booklist, they aren't releasing a syllabus or showing a sample portion of anything. To discern whether or not this is worth looking into further and waiting until Sept to finalize a course schedule, some people are going to use the site itself as speaking for itself.

 

They announced the whole thing, but have nothing to show. If some feels there's bad web design, poor writing, or an odd FAQ section, then those things are going to play into their evaluation of what's already there. It's still objective, it's just based on what the seller is allowing the potential customer to see.

 

Though I do judge things by their cover. I feel pretty confident that the National Enquirer has less informative articles then The Economist based solely on the cover...

 

Judge the cover all you want, asy previous post said, criticizing the website based on its content is objective. Judging the curriculum solely on the website and not on the content of the curriculum is not objective. Declaritive statements and critical judgements on anything should be reserved until you have all the information, not just a piece of it.

 

This seems very logical and reasonable to me, I'm not really sure why it is being argued.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

It's nice of you to think that I wield such immense power, but like Kathy said, my opinion isn't going to do a thing to Ron Paul's reputation.

 

And I'm sorry, but I still think naming a curriculum for little children after a politician is weird. I'd think the same thing if someone created "The Barack Obama Curriculum" or "The Ronald Reagan Curriculum" or whatever. It's strange. I suppose maybe that makes me prejudiced against politicians.

 

Also, if the makers of this thing don't want people making snap judgments, they probably shouldn't promote a curriculum with a focus on web design and writing with a website that has piss-poor web design and writing.

 

Once again, I didn't say that your comments would harm anyone's reputation, I was pointing out the logical conclusion that the end result of that type of behavior, making public negative statements about someone's work when you haven't had the opportunity to properly examine said work CAN be damaging, and therefore it is disrespectful and the type of behavior people in a civil society should avoid.

 

Plenty of public schools, airports, parks, etc. in this country are named after politicians. Most of the schools and parks in my town are named after local and nationally known politicians. I guess it is too common for me to find it strange, most retired politicians who are well known at all have something named for them, even if it is just a street in their hometown.

[happymomofboys]

Judge the cover all you want, asy previous post said, criticizing the website based on its content is objective. Judging the curriculum solely on the website and not on the content of the curriculum is not objective. Declaritive statements and critical judgements on anything should be reserved until you have all the information, not just a piece of it.

 

This seems very logical and reasonable to me, I'm not really sure why it is being argued.

 

If they wanted us to reserve judgment until we had all of the information, they should have provided more information before opening the website to the public. I'm sorry, but the previous poster is correct that judging the website is appropriate if they claim they will be teaching web design and writing. And based on the FAQ, I don't trust them to have my child's best interest at heart when it comes to teaching math and science.

 

What will I have to do to teach my kids after they go into sixth grade?

Nothing.

What about reading their essays?

That would be nice. Call it "extra credit."

So, I won't have to teach math or science?

Correct.

But what if my child gets stuck?

Other students on the forums will help out.

But what if my child just cannot master a course?

Let him drop the course. Ask for a refund.

But doesn't he have to master the material?

Probably not. If he does, and he can't, is he doomed? Probably not. I don't understand physics. I got by.

Doesn't he have to know advanced math?

Probably not. But it helps.

But will he get into college if he does not know math?

About 15 million high school graduates did who do not know much math. Besides, our math teacher is excellent.

 

The math teacher may indeed be excellent, but if I'm paying for someone to educate my child in my place, I want assurance that their goal is to actually educate my child.

[NASDAQ]

Huh. For people of this bent, Hillsdale College has been offering free courses to the general public. They appear to be of high quality.

 

This appears to be extremely ambitious, to launch an entire curriculum. Am I to understand they are creating all of the content themselves? Most places seem to start small and then expand. It seems it would be logical to start with a Ron Paul-inspired civics course and not worry so much about, say, Algebra 1.

 

The website makes it look unready for prime time.

[happymomofboys]

Huh. For people of this bent, Hillsdale College has been offering free courses to the general public. They appear to be of high quality.

 

This appears to be extremely ambitious, to launch an entire curriculum. Am I to understand they are creating all of the content themselves? Most places seem to start small and then expand. It seems it would be logical to start with a Ron Paul-inspired civics course and not worry so much about, say, Algebra 1.

 

The website makes it look unready for prime time.

 

 

And Hilllsdale Academy offers their curriculum guides free as well.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

If they wanted us to reserve judgment until we had all of the information, they should have provided more information before opening the website to the public. I'm sorry, but the previous poster is correct that judging the website is appropriate if they claim they will be teaching web design and writing. And based on the FAQ, I don't trust them to have my child's best interest at heart when it comes to teaching math and science.

 

 

 

The math teacher may indeed be excellent, but if I'm paying for someone to educate my child in my place, I want assurance that their goal is to actually educate my child.

 

 

I said that judging the website was correct, several times. I also said that judging the entire curriculum as "creepy" without actually examining it is not objective, or reasonable, or necessary, or civil. It is not a rationale and objective critique based on all the facts.

 

I am not defending this curriculum, there is nothing for me to defend since it hasn't been released. I don't plan on using it. I am simply stating that harsh judgements about the curriculum should be based on the actual curriculum and not an FAQ or an initial web announcement, no matter how amateurish they appear, if the curriculum itself is not yet available.

 

This curriculum may be terrible, it may not be, I think it is reasonable to hold off on any judgements of the curriculum until it is actually released. That is a totally different thing than criticizing a poorly written and designed website, which deserves to be criticized since it has actually been made public and can be objectively examined.

 

BTW, I think KISS grammar is an excellent curriculum, but it's website and marketing, or lack there of, leave a lot to be desired. One reason why I prefer to see the content in its whole before dismissing something.

[happymomofboys]

BTW, I think KISS grammar is an excellent curriculum, but it's website and marketing, or lack there of, leave a lot to be desired. One reason why I prefer to see the content in its whole before dismissing something.

 

 

KISS grammar doesn't claim to include instruction in web design and entrepreneurship. And if I recall correctly, isn't KISS free to use? My opinion might be different if I weren't being asked to pay $25 to see the only sample of the curriculum currently available. :glare: As it is, I'm weighing the pros and cons using the only information the authors have made available to me. I readily admit that my opinion is based solely on my first impression, but in business, first impressions are important. I remain excited to see what they'll put out for K-5 in September. My opinion may change, but my first impression won't.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

KISS grammar doesn't claim to include instruction in web design and entrepreneurship. And if I recall correctly, isn't KISS free to use? My opinion might be different if I weren't being asked to pay $25 to see the only sample of the curriculum currently available. :glare: As it is, I'm weighing the pros and cons using the only information the authors have made available to me. I readily admit that my opinion is based solely on my first impression, but in business, first impressions are important. I remain excited to see what they'll put out for K-5 in September. My opinion may change, but my first impression won't.

 

 

I agree, first impressions are important and they seem to have blown it in that regard. Their marketing skills seem to be lacking, I wonder if they don't have much knowledge about the homeschooling market in general? I've come to really appreciate a lot of curriculum that didnt make the best first impression with me or wasn't marketed to my tastes, so I'm going to reserve final judgement for when I see the final product. I'm interested simply because I am a curriculum junkie, so any new products/programs intrigue me, but I would never pay to see a sample of anything.

[LucyStoner]

Suddenly all of the speeches where Ron Paul mentioned homeschooling as a near or total non sequitur make sense.

[LucyStoner]

Huh. For people of this bent, Hillsdale College has been offering free courses to the general public.

 

Somehow we got on the marketing list for Hillsdale college when my husband finished a degree and went on for professional training. They don't offer degrees in my husband's field or even close and are not in our area. But we keep getting the slickest marketing packages from them. They even somehow called our unlisted number. It remains a mystery.

[mamakven]

1. Ron Paul designed this curriculum-

2. the price is $250 for forum access- only needed for grades 6 and up unless you want it for younger and that's per FAMILY not per child. then $50 for each course- 6th grade and up.

 

here's a quote from the site-

 

 

A Curriculum That Students Teach to Each Other

 

Ron Paul

A student who goes through this curriculum, kindergarten through high school, will have a mastery of the foundations of liberty. There is no other curriculum on the Web to match it.

For students who hustle, they will enter college as juniors. They will quiz out of their first two years of college for about $2,500, total (today's money, of course). They will get into the work force as college graduates two years before their peers do.

The man who teaches the public speaking course in grade 9 and the literature courses for grades 6 through 8 graduated from an accredited college on his 18th birthday. He paid for his own college education by working part time in his own home business. It cost him under $15,000. It can be done. I recommend it.

If you are a parent, this should get your attention. I think students should be motivated.

I launched this site three months after my final day in Congress.

Under Congressional rules, I could not operate a business, even an educational one, while I was a member of Congress. So, I am catching up fast.

Full-year courses will begin on September 2, 2013. Not before. (Please don't write and ask for August 29. Or August 15. Or July 4. It's September 2.)

Today, you can enroll your child for $25. This will go to $250 a year on September 2. This is $250 per student, not per family. The $25 gives you and your child full access to this site until September 2. The student will be able to take Dr. Gary North's free course: high school preparation. It will cover study techniques, note-taking, speed reading, typing, leadership, public speaking, website creation, video production, screencast production. Even if you are long out of high school, you can still benefit from this course. He is adding to it daily. The section on Study habits is complete.

I am charging $25 for the whole family, but only until September 2. However, only one family member can be logged in at a time. Trade off.

[happymomofboys]

1. Ron Paul designed this curriculum-

2. the price is $250 for forum access- only needed for grades 6 and up unless you want it for younger and that's per FAMILY not per child. then $50 for each course- 6th grade and up.

 

here's a quote from the site-

 

 

A Curriculum That Students Teach to Each Other

 

Ron Paul

A student who goes through this curriculum, kindergarten through high school, will have a mastery of the foundations of liberty. There is no other curriculum on the Web to match it.

 

For students who hustle, they will enter college as juniors. They will quiz out of their first two years of college for about $2,500, total (today's money, of course). They will get into the work force as college graduates two years before their peers do.

The man who teaches the public speaking course in grade 9 and the literature courses for grades 6 through 8 graduated from an accredited college on his 18th birthday. He paid for his own college education by working part time in his own home business. It cost him under $15,000. It can be done. I recommend it.

If you are a parent, this should get your attention. I think students should be motivated.

I launched this site three months after my final day in Congress.

Under Congressional rules, I could not operate a business, even an educational one, while I was a member of Congress. So, I am catching up fast.

Full-year courses will begin on September 2, 2013. Not before. (Please don't write and ask for August 29. Or August 15. Or July 4. It's September 2.)

Today, you can enroll your child for $25. This will go to $250 a year on September 2. This is $250 per student, not per family. The $25 gives you and your child full access to this site until September 2. The student will be able to take Dr. Gary North's free course: high school preparation. It will cover study techniques, note-taking, speed reading, typing, leadership, public speaking, website creation, video production, screencast production. Even if you are long out of high school, you can still benefit from this course. He is adding to it daily. The section on Study habits is complete.

I am charging $25 for the whole family, but only until September 2. However, only one family member can be logged in at a time. Trade off.

 

The piece you quoted specifically says "This is $250 per student, not per family." See bolded.

[Catherine]

I'm suspicious of anyone who claims to have a cornered the market of the "foundations of liberty." That is libertarian-speak, I realize, but it probably means something different from what *I* think it means.

[MiniBlondes]

Hmmmm, this is really interesting. I'll be following this closely.

[VeritasMama]

The piece you quoted specifically says "This is $250 per student, not per family." See bolded.

 

This is horribly written, but the section above that says it is $250 for access to the forums per family, the forum is optional and not required, it is there for additional support. Further down it says the price of enrollment will be $250 per student after September 2nd. The site also mentions elsewhere that only 6-12 students are required to enroll, K-5 students do not need to enroll and can access the curriculum for free (you can enroll for $25 prior to September 2nd, it is an early bird special so to speak).

 

Therefore, K-5 students will not need to pay anything, unless their parents decide they wish to utilize the forums.

 

This site is confusing and not well written, but one reason I think that Ron Paul hasn't been able to gain more mainstream understanding and support is that he is a smart guy who is not the most articulate person when speaking and doesn't always communicate his ideas effectively. I think that it is a problem with marketing and communicating, not a desire to rip anyone off.

[VeritasMama]

I'm suspicious of anyone who claims to have a cornered the market of the "foundations of liberty." That is libertarian-speak, I realize, but it probably means something different from what *I* think it means.

 

He didn't say they claim to have "conerned the market of the "foundations of liberty."" He said:

 

"A student who goes through this curriculum, kindergarten through high school, will have a mastery of the foundations of liberty. There is no other curriculum on the Web to match it." (emphasis added)

 

In other words, this curriculum will have a heavy focus on civics, government, and probably American History, and they feel that it will be unique from other online curriculum. I haven't seen many online curriuclums that focus on civics in K-5, so it may well be a unique curriculum in that regard, we will have to wait and see.

[Prairie~Phlox]

Now, I'm questioning if the $25 is worth it to even do the course.

[Farrar]

That FAQ is just astounding to me. They want you to pay... And not bother to help teach your kids. They don't think it's necessary to read writing to improve it or evaluate it (obviously no one ever did this for them). And if something is hard they're saying straight up they won't really help and your child should just give up.

 

There are already resources that teach online like Khan Academy and Coursera... That are free. Why pay for this if you're not going to get instructional support and it comes with an attitude like that FAQ exhibited? Not every kid is going to learn higher math or become a great writer, but as parents it's our job to help our kids strive for their best, not excuse them with, "Eh, why bother?" If that's your attitude, why bother homeschooling? Just take the path of least resistance and send them to public school? Or would that not excuse them from doing math?

 

I hope the free market of homeschool buyers sees through this nonsense and leads this enterprise to fail.