Am I the only one that goes in circles?

[Tiffani]

I seem to go from using curricula that is "all scheduled out" for me, then I think "Ah-ha, I can do this all on my own". Then the year after that I think "I just want someone to TELL me what to do" so I go back to a SL/WP/TOG type curricula. THEN....after another year I see $$$$ dollar signs and think "I can do this w/o all the expense".

 

Anybody out there??

 

Do you write your own lesson plans? I know many of you "tweak", but it's the $$ that's bothering me. I buy the whole program and don't use 1/3 of the books (which sometimes could amount to $100+)

 

Any thoughts?

[LisaKinVA]

Yes, I do... then my dh brings me back to earth. The extra money is WORTH it to ME, he says -- this way I get to spend more time with you than your white out and lesson plan book! :lol:

[Veritaserum]

Yes, I do... then my dh brings me back to earth. The extra money is WORTH it to ME, he says -- this way I get to spend more time with you than your white out and lesson plan book! :lol:

 

Lol! Yeah, I'm with you, going in circles. We're secular homeschoolers, though, so with Sonlight (which we used for a year and liked) has many selections that simply do not work for us. So I am writing my own schedules, but at the same time I keep wishing that I could find a program that just worked for us right out of the box! :)

[Carol in Cal.]

I circle to 'I should get Sonlight (or TOG)--love the company, great approach, wonderful books.' Then I circle back, (and this is key) BEFORE buying the curriculum, to "I would hate actually doing this. I want to plan my own stuff. I enjoy teaching history far too much to let this curriculum tell me how to do it. I need my SPACE, man! I want to be able to be FLEXIBLE!"

 

Thankfully, I have never broken down and bought an entire package, except for the used, old Sonlight 5 pile that I got from the swap board a few years ago. I have enjoyed salting the books into DD's other studies, and we watched the entire video and started using the Tiner books regularly as history/science supplements, so it has paid off. But I've never used it the way it was written.

[Closeacademy]

I do but it is more of a January--we need to do more. School needs to be more rigorous, take more time, cover more subjects, etc.

 

To around sometime between June and September--Let's just do the three r's and call it covered. They can learn from life, documentaries, experiences and such.

 

My cycle is rigorous then unschool tendancies then rigorous then unschool then rigorous then unschool. And the occasional rigorous includes Sonlight, TOG or something else that might schedule it all out for me but now that I know nove of that will work for me we are more content to just flow and do our own thing.:001_smile:

[tiffany k]

CloseAcademy - I am the same way! It freaked me out the last three years, but this year I am going with it and it's been great! I guess I finally see that a lot of learning is taking place even in the unschool times, like all that rigorous learning gets a chance to soak in and become part of them.

 

I waver every summer over buying TOG or SL or WP and I never do, but this year I am finally going to take the plunge and discover for myself if the grass really is greener on the well-planned side!http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/images/smilies/001_smile.gif

[PeterPan]

Oh absolutely I feel this tug of war, and we're in our 5th year!! It's one of those things that doesn't go away. At least though, as another poster said, you have less subjects where it's an issue. In the early days, you find yourself wanting them to schedule EVERYTHING for you when you hit those exasperated moments/months. But after you find your groove on subjects, you'll find yourself sticking to your guns on those. Then you'll go in smaller circles, till finally you realize you're down to just one or two pesky subjects and can vascillate within those. I think a bit of vascillation keeps life spicy anyway. :)

 

The key is something GVA said a long time ago: if you buy it, use it. That's the only way to save money and keep from flopping around in the wind. Buy it and use it, even if you don't like it or realize mid-process it's not perfect. Granted, sometimes things are so egregiously off that you need to change, but in the main, you can stick with it and finish it if you just will. And as for how I've reconciled some of those subjects, I try to find something middle of the way, something that gives me some of the planning already done but allows me to do more when I feel up to it.

[Donna A.]

I do but it is more of a January--we need to do more. School needs to be more rigorous, take more time, cover more subjects, etc.

 

To around sometime between June and September--Let's just do the three r's and call it covered. They can learn from life, documentaries, experiences and such.

 

My cycle is rigorous then unschool tendancies then rigorous then unschool then rigorous then unschool.

 

Me too. :willy_nilly::001_rolleyes: A little while back I had a duh moment and realized that there's a reason Charlotte Mason planned her terms for only 12 weeks at a time with a 1-2 week break in the middle.... and that schools usually plan their quarters for 9 weeks at a time with days off here and there... and that most homeschool curricula also plan for these breaks.... I think that means that it's *normal* for us to have these down periods in the form of relaxed/unschooling or no schooling at all, doesn't it? And that if we don't plan for them, they're going to happen, anyway? ;)

[Amber in AUS]

I go round in circles with EVERYTHING as we have only just started HSing and everytime i hear of something new i just HAVE to have it! I think i am driving myself and my DH nuts.

 

Finally just when i think i have settled on something DD throws a spanner in the works and pipes up that she isn't enjoying X so i am off looking again :confused:.

 

Praying that the circles get smaller soon before i loose it completely :lol:

[Peela]

Oh yes, that is what I do too. I feel "I can do this", and we do quite well too, but then I just want someone else to tell me what to do! I did that this year for writing- just made it up as i went along- now I have a writing program not because I cant do, but because i dont want to do it any more. Its hard enough supervising it, let alone making it up in the first place!

But i dont mind doing it this way. I dont feel the need to keep things the same. I am happy each year is a bit different and I remain flexible to adapt to my kids, my own whims and interests. I coulndt stand to use the same things every year for every subject.

[Laura Corin]

I write my own history plans and use textbooks (do the next thing) for much of my other work. I've never used a complete curriculum.

 

Laura

[Tiffani]

Hi Everyone! Thank you for all your insight.

 

After further investigation, I realized that I need to stick with what I like (we are really enjoying WP) and I don't have to buy the whole kit-and-kaboodle to enjoy the program.

 

Truth be told, it's a money issue. I spent yesterday putting numbers on paper and I won't save ANY money trying to piece things together myself. And like one poster said, it will save me so much time having it all scheduled for me.

 

Thanks everyone!! Next year we're off on an Adventure in Sea & Sky!!!

[Homemama2]

I'm with ya'. I LOVE the looks of WP, SL, TOG etc, etc. The catalogs just make me drool!:lol:

But before I can buy anything, dh grabs me by the collar and yanks me back to reality! They are all out of our budget. But I think in a year or two I'm going to see how many library books I can get for WP...and just buy the TM....;)

[mommysweird]

But I think in a year or two I'm going to see how many library books I can get for WP...and just buy the TM....;)

 

I do the exact same things all of you have described, too. I was just talking with DH last night about curriculum. I have always drooled over SL. I've checked out SL, WP and TOG (also LBC and have actually done some MFW). I've researched all of them at our library and, for me, I've found TOG to be the most library friendly. Although, there's something to be said for having all the books in your house. But I really don't mind going to the library. But it would be nice to just walk to the book basket. But we really can't afford it. And so on and so on . . . . That's how my mind spins CONSTANTLY!! Sometimes I feel like Susan Powter and want to shout STOP THE INSANITY!!!! :cursing:

 

Thanks for this thread. I feel a little more normal now.

[sagira]

I circle to 'I should get Sonlight (or TOG)--love the company, great approach, wonderful books.' Then I circle back, (and this is key) BEFORE buying the curriculum, to "I would hate actually doing this. I want to plan my own stuff. I enjoy teaching history far too much to let this curriculum tell me how to do it. I need my SPACE, man! I want to be able to be FLEXIBLE!"

 

:lol: I couldn't have articulated this better. Ds is only in K, but sometimes I drive myself a little nuts with this waffling back and forth. Such a relief to know I'm not alone :tongue_smilie:

 

Whatever I do, even if I plan everything I want to have all my designated, important books here. Library books can be a problem, as ILLs come in too late and old copies get lost, late, etc.

[QueenbeeX3]

I definitely waffle between "I can do this myself" and "someone please tell me what to do!". Dh is strongly encouraging me to purchase SL, atleast the IG next year and anything else that makes planning easier. We both agree that I would rather spend my energy teaching and discussing and guiding over planning! Plus as I add a few more things to my own self-education, it just makes more sense.

 

One thing that brought me peace recently was when I realized that just because I buy it and use it this year does not mean I'm married to it for the rest of our homeschooling journey. I get more stressed when I try to look to far in the horizon.

[mcmom4]

I have been thinking the same thing lately as January is upon us and I have been feeling like I need to crack the whip and get things back in order around here. I waver from wanting to do more (classicl/WTM) and doing less (Charlotte Mason). I had been trying Ambleside this year, but it feels like too much sometimes and then I just want to simplify. Some, I am realizing, is also because with the three kids, I get tired of the whining (not everyone everyday, but someone everyday) and it gets wearying to me.

I would really like to do more in less time.....better quality in less the time. I have been experimenting with KISS grammar when I normally use CLE. I have loved CLE, but it was becoming a whine fest around here. Can't we have thorough without spending all day doing it???

[Pretty in Pink]

Yes, yes, yes! I circle around and around between feeling like we are overscheduled/doing too much to doing too little. I mean, my oldest ds is 10 and we *still* haven't started Latin! I say that jokingly...well, half jokingly...there is a lot of pressure on HSing parents!

[Strawberry Queen]

I think that I go in philosophical circles too. Sometimes I'm totally wtm, at other times unit study, waldorf, CM, Moore, etc. I think I rotate through because I want a balanced approach and each philosophy addresses and area of current concern or need. I also like the intellectual stimulation of researching another philosophy and seeing how I would implement it. In November I needed to relax and do other things and went into a unit study/waldorfy phase. Now I need to do more academic work and so I've swung back to wtm. The only blessing in this is that my $$ have generally stayed in my pocket when I'm in a new phase.;) My fads generally last a few weeks and then they're done until I need them again.:D