seton english vs Rod and Staff

[Mari]

I'm exhausted with trying to put together my own eclectic plans and am now seriously considering enrolling with Seton. I just want to be done, done, DONE! However, I don't my children to suffer academically, KWIM?

 

For those of you Catholic homeschoolers who have tried both programs, can you provide info on which you prefer and why? I know Seton provides more Catholic content but I'm interested in how it measures up to Rod & Staff.

 

Just so you know, dc are rising into 3rd grade and kindergarten.

 

Thanks!

 

--Mari

[anniet]

I have used a number of Seton's materials in the past and since I've discovered Rod & Staff, I'm using most of R&S material. I really tried to like Seton but for us, R&S works best. I think R&S's english is far superior to Seton. I'm getting much better results with R&S. I know many people who use Seton exclusively and love it. R&S was just a better fit for our family.

 

I would like to add, I was never enrolled in Seton but only used their books. If you were enrolled, you would get the teacher guides which adds more to the student's education. I don't think just using their books without the guides is a complete education.

Ann

[fractalgal]

I'm exhausted with trying to put together my own eclectic plans and am now seriously considering enrolling with Seton. I just want to be done, done, DONE! However, I don't my children to suffer academically, KWIM?

 

For those of you Catholic homeschoolers who have tried both programs, can you provide info on which you prefer and why? I know Seton provides more Catholic content but I'm interested in how it measures up to Rod & Staff.

 

Just so you know, dc are rising into 3rd grade and kindergarten.

 

Thanks!

 

--Mari

 

Mari,

 

My children are about the same ages as yours.

 

I, too, have wondered this same thing.

 

I have used Rod & Staff and really like it. I have only looked at Seton online, so I cannot give a true comparison.

 

But to have every detail worked out and not have to constantly be searching for that "perfect curriculum" is one of the positives about Seton. I have heard and spoke with people who are very happy with Seton and claim that the Seton Reading & English are top rate.

 

I've decided to go my own way for now, but I would be interested in what others have to say about this as well.

[Murphy101]

I've never used R&S.

 

I have used Seton English and Reading to various degrees every year though.

It's very thorough, with plenty of practice.

I think you can do without the lesson plans until 3rd grade, maybe 4th grade. Once you hit thoses grade though, the plans are VERY valuable as they have lots of information and lessons not in the text.

 

The main reason Seton works or doesn't work for some students seems to break down to these two things:

 

1. It is not a 15 minute a day program. It can be time consuming compared to many of the other programs out there today. Many people complain about the time factor. For me, if it works it's worth the time and if it doesn't, it's not worth 15 minutes of my time.

 

2. It's not a glitzy fun program. It's "just the facts ma'am" and rather rigorous. However, that does work for many kids. If you just want to have a solid core program, then this can be a great thing. Also, I've met approx a dozen Seton highschool graduates and every one of them said basicly the same thing, Seton is HARD, but if you can do it - college will be a piece of cake. I like that kind of endorsement. Esp when at least twice it's come of the mouth of a kid who once swore up and down they hated doing it.:D

[Mari]

Thank you so much for all your replies!

 

--Mari :)

[love2read]

Mari, I know that exhausted feeling :grouphug: What is it about designing your own that's weighing you down the most?

 

With RS and Seton, the one things to remember is that with both programs the end result is going to be the same. They are both very strong grammar programs. RS seems to be a little easier to ease into if you don't have a grammar background, but if you start Seton grammar in 3rd grade you'll have no trouble even if you currently think a verb is a noun ;)

 

If you do like to plan for history or science, maybe registering for single Seton courses is the way to go with the classes that you dislike planning. Registering for 3 single courses is much cheaper than enrolling in their entire program. After the 4th course it's usually cheaper to fully enroll.

[Zoraida]

To get the full benefit of the Seton English you would need the lesson plans. The Lesson plans are extremely detailed. In my own opinion I think Seton English is harder than Rod and Staff. You don't need to be fully enrolled with Seton to get the lesson plans. You can do a single course enrollment and receive the lesson plans, teacher services and books for only 85.00. Also, the teacher services are great. You will have a someone else grading your students compositions which is wonderful.

Blessings

 

Zoraida