Jump to content

Menu

What do you think is missing?


Recommended Posts

Hello,

I'm a mom who homeschooled for years and I greatly relied on these boards and others to help me through everything.  It's been years since I've really looked at homeschool curriculum,etc and was hoping I could get some feedback regarding the following questions.  I'm looking for a way to give back and possibly make money at the same time.  I appreciate your time and honesty.

What do YOU feel is missing from homeschool curriculum offerings or parent support offerings?  Would you pay for the product/service/training you list?  What would you be willing to pay for it?

If this isn't allowed please delete.

Thank you!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Tina K said:

Hello,

I'm a mom who homeschooled for years and I greatly relied on these boards and others to help me through everything.  It's been years since I've really looked at homeschool curriculum,etc and was hoping I could get some feedback regarding the following questions.  I'm looking for a way to give back and possibly make money at the same time.  I appreciate your time and honesty.

What do YOU feel is missing from homeschool curriculum offerings or parent support offerings?  Would you pay for the product/service/training you list?  What would you be willing to pay for it?

If this isn't allowed please delete.

Thank you!

The parent as teacher. 

No

No

Why?  Bc it really is just time and involvement vs handing and walking away.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Parents as teachers who are actively teaching.  I find materials that teach me how to teach something are more valuable than almost anything else. A guidebook with a strong Just Roll Up Your Sleeves and Do It Your Damn-self vibe to it would be nice to recommend. I find the rampant desire for Independent Subjects for elementary and middle schoolers weird.

I think a solid manual for elementary math education is needed. Too many home educators are clueless about math and they are okay remaining clueless and inept at math.
Personally, I hate edutainment. I find it gimmicky, and ineffective more often that not. Things that cut out the the teacher/parent as the middle man make me uneasy. I can't lie, it comes across as lazy when parents want an app to teach their young kids how to read, compute, and write. I judge when people outsource math at the 3rd-5th grade level because they're bad at math themselves. Get a book and learn along with your kids.

I wish there were more Direct Instruction type products available to homeschoolers, so something with a strong Direct Instruction flavor for math, science and or history at the 4th-8th grade level would be nice.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In direct contrast with Gil (although I generally agree), I specifically want a grammar FLL/ALL style grammar program written to the student. I'm happy to teach and tutor the kids, but I hate scripts and it's more efficient for me and my children to let them get to it if they can without waiting for me. Something really academically solid though. There's plenty of light grammar programs out there. With diagramming. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/17/2020 at 10:46 PM, MeaganS said:

In direct contrast with Gil (although I generally agree), I specifically want a grammar FLL/ALL style grammar program written to the student. I'm happy to teach and tutor the kids, but I hate scripts and it's more efficient for me and my children to let them get to it if they can without waiting for me. Something really academically solid though. There's plenty of light grammar programs out there. With diagramming. 

Oh good lord,  my post reads as though it were written by Scrooge McCurmudgeon. That wasn't my intent.

There is a huge difference between leading your kids to being independent learners and students, then gradually passing them academic responsibility vs just throwing (cheap) books, (free) apps and (random, inexpensive) trinkets at them and hoping to god that they figure it out and teach themselves because you have your Netflix queued up for a 8-year binge session and heaven help you if you have to put it down and do something akin to TEACH your own children. (Can you tell I know people who have this attitude and approach? I'll give you 3-guesses how I feel about this parenting and educational choice)

I made the mistake of getting involved with several local homeschoolers and new homeschools last year and I am annoyed with and appalled by the number of parents coming in to homeschooling asking for ludicrous things like

"What apps do you like for teaching reading and letter tracing for 6yos?"

"I want a 2nd-grade math that's handsoff for me. My 2nd grader is getting into more addition and subtraction stuff--I'm terrible at math, is there anything that she can do on her own?"

"What is a good independent series for science, history, math and English for my dyslexic 7th grader who can't read independently and has never been asked to self-teach? It'll be our first time homeschooling but I don't want to spend a bunch of money, be directly involved or responsible for telling him what to do making him learn anything."

"I need an independent phonics program for my K and 1st graders"

"What app is best for doing flashcards with my 3rd grader?"

"I need a self grading, self-teaching, independent program for K-3, because teaching counting, writing and reading is hard so I don't wanna do it."

"Isn't there a website, video series, game system or app that'll teach my kids all the essential PreK-8 skills so that I don't have to do anything to get them ready for highschool or college?"

When someone asks me what I recommend and I tell them what I honestly recommend, they look at me like I have 3 heads and talk about how they don't have the energy, interest, discipline, time, motivation, skills, certification, etc...
In other words, they want to input MINIMAL TIME AND EFFORT yet have the nerve to express a desire for a HIGH QUALITY output. Or say dumb stuff like "Oh, you must be a genius to do all that." When "all that" is teach a 5-7yo NT kid to read, write and count. *grr*

It'd be great to be able to recommend them a book that preaches getting in the mindset of teaching your kids if you want to educate them at home. Like, if your 4yo needs to learn letters and colors, TEACH them their letters and colors.

If your 2nd grade is beginning to struggle in math, invest YOUR time and energy into understanding 1st the math that they need to be able to do, then invest YOUR time and energy into helping them understand it. etc.

Anyway, I'm ranting at the choir at this point.

 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What are your strengths?  I am bilingual and many struggle with teaching language so I am looking into teaching Japanese again- not through a book but through some kind of online platform.   It would allow me to teach kids directly. 
 

Are you good in math?  Science?  Art?  Writing?  A language other than English?  These tend to be the areas that people ask for help over and over again on this board. 
 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On March 17, 2020 at 7:18 PM, Tina K said:

What do YOU feel is missing from homeschool curriculum offerings or parent support offerings?

You might check the stats with some vendors before you bother. I haven't been to a convention in a few years now (used to go every year), but I think there has been a seed change in how people school. I think the innovative, Mom does a lot and you explore the world together, stuff we did is not what is going on now. I think there's a lot more cyber school, charter school, etc. So I would check the stats in your market before deciding whether it's worth it to bother.

In general, if you are qualified/demonstrably skillful in some way, offering online/live services can work. But even with that, there may be a glut. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/17/2020 at 4:18 PM, Tina K said:

... I'm a mom who homeschooled for years and I greatly relied on these boards and others to help me through everything.  It's been years since I've really looked at homeschool curriculum,etc and was hoping I could get some feedback regarding the following questions.  I'm looking for a way to give back and possibly make money at the same time.  I appreciate your time and honesty...


Welcome back! 😄

Since it's been years since you've looked at what's out there, that would be my first suggestion --- do a thorough survey of the EXPLOSION of materials that are out there now. I think you might be very surprised at much has changed, and just how much is out there now -- a seriously overwhelming amount of material to have to sort through. 😉 

With SO much material (online classes, video instruction downloadables, complete packages, etc) now available to homeschoolers -- including a lot freebies! -- I think it would be very difficult to make money, unless you have some incredibly novel product, or you can find a small niche that does not not yet material written specifically for it. Not saying that to dissuade you -- just suggesting that some "market research" might be a very good idea before you start investing a lot of your time and resources into something that might not end up having buyers.

Also, I'll mention that the general needs/wants/goals of homeschoolers had changed a LOT in the last 10 years or so -- I see far more homeschoolers wanting all online classes/materials, or swinging back towards workbooks and textbooks, so that they don't have to be as actively involved with the actual day-to-day of homeschooling (see Gil's post above). I also see far more people wanting someone else to do it all for them, rather than rolling up their sleeves and learning how to "do" homeschooling themselves.

One thought: Are you open to giving back locally? My city has a lot of homeschoolers, and as a "retired homeschooler" myself, I've been teaching co-op classes (mostly Lit. & Writing at the middle and high school levels). Especially helpful if you are strong in middle/high school level of Writing, Math, Science, or Foreign Language...

If you don't have homeschool co-ops in your area, what about straight up tutoring individual students? Or coming alongside a homeschooling "mom of many"?

Also, rather than "going it solo", you might look at seeing if what you could provide might fit in with the materials offered at Seven Sisters.
 

3/17/2020 at 4:18 PM, Tina K said:

What do YOU feel is missing from homeschool curriculum offerings or parent support offerings?...


Can't think of any obvious "gaps" at the moment...
 

3/17/2020 at 4:18 PM, Tina K said:

... Would you pay for the product/service/training you list?  What would you be willing to pay for it?


No, I would probably not pay -- but then I was a very strong go-getter/DIY-er all through my homeschooling years. And even now as a homeschool co-op class teacher, I create my own materials rather than purchase materials. 😉 


BEST of luck in finding how you can give back in a meaningful way, both for you and for other homeschoolers! Warmest regards, Lori D.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the feedback!  I'm a self-employed public accountant so my specialties would be math and finance.  Although I love reading and my kids are all strong readers.  I was thinking about creating some kind of online program either curriculum or support based.  

I'll take all the advice mentioned here and look into what's already available and maybe how I can give back and help others locally especially now with the virus.

On 3/21/2020 at 7:39 PM, Lori D. said:

No, I would probably not pay -- but then I was a very strong go-getter/DIY-er all through my homeschooling years. And even now as a homeschool co-op class teacher, I create my own materials rather than purchase materials. 😉 

 

I was the same way as I had 4 kids in 5 years so I was always looking for ways to cut costs!  However, I know not everyone is in that position and many can afford to pay for curriculum and training.

On 3/21/2020 at 10:26 AM, Gil said:

It'd be great to be able to recommend them a book that preaches getting in the mindset of teaching your kids if you want to educate them at home. Like, if your 4yo needs to learn letters and colors, TEACH them their letters and colors.

 

I will look into this and see what I can come up with.  Maybe I can create some kind of online course that goes through the various subjects.

Thanks!

Tina

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Foreign language stuff is the big one for me.

Also, I would probably pay for a general use "projects" guide.  Project types that could be done with any subject, any book...with pictures so kids could pick a project type for inspiration then go from there. I don't mean highly specific projects with step by step directions for a particular output, but things like making dioramas, DIY journals/guidebooks, creative notebooks (not pre-formatted fill in the blank or cut and paste type), pop up books, around the house costume/play ideas, mini-fig play boxes, making your own board game, even interactive things like playacting, miming, creative dancing. My kids have thought up a lot of random stuff like that and I bet there's a bunch of things other families have done too. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, in my "dream" curriculum, I'd love something for history that had writing as engaging and encompasing as Story of the World, but color illustrations as beautiful as the best children's books.  I have a visual learner and I've been taking other library books and finding pictures they have that could illustrate Story of the World and laying them out and pointing to them as I read Story of the World, and that's how I got my visual learner through that...but that's a lot of work.  

Most of the books with the beautiful colorful full page illustrations don't have that complete of a history. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...