This post is for all you homeschooling moms, soon to be homeschooling moms, confused homeschooling moms, want to be homeschooling moms and don't want to be but will probably have to be homeschooling moms. I fall, or have fallen, into all of those catagories. Homeschooling is not for wimps much like parenting is not for wimps. It takes a lot of time and effort to homeschool. Unfortunately, I haven't always taken as much time or put in as much effort as I should. Homeschooling is also a process of learning for not only the child but the parent as well. It is a process sometimes of trial and error. So, I say all that, to say that I have found a wonderful book to help us all in this journey to educate our children in the way we want them to be educated; with values that are ours and not "the system's". To teach them what is important for success in life that you can't always get from the basic public school system. The book is titled, "Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum". My SIL introduced this book to me a few weeks ago. I decided I wanted my own and was able to get it at a great price through Half.com.
Cathy Duffy talks not only about what she recommends as a "good" book but also about learning what kind of teacher you are and what kind of learner your student/child is going to be by examining personality. Maybe that sounds kind of like maybe you should be lying on a couch with a psychiatrist asking you all kinds of questions to determine who and what you and your kids are. Well, it really isn't like that at all. I found it very helpful to think about myself and my kids and how we operate. Not all homeschool curriculums are created equal. Some have more writing than others, some take more teacher participation, some take more sitting down time, some are more creative, etc., etc. Not only are curriculums not created equal but children (and parents for that matter) are not either. Some children are "Wiggly Willie's" or "Perfect Paula's" or "Competent Carl's" or "Social Sue's". These are her classifications. As Mrs. Duffy brings out, some personality types or learning types just don't do well with this curriculum but might do great with that one. I have been homeschooling now for about 7 years. I have two children; a boy and a girl. Their personalities are very different. However, they are close enough in age that I have put them in the same grade in some subjects. For the most part this works out well. However, they don't "learn" the same. After reading Cathy Duffy's book, I have discovered that I might have to do a few things differently this year. I believe I can still find curriculums that will fit both of their personalities and still be able to school them together. That is the beauty of this book. She has a lot of the research figured out so I don't have to do it myself. I really wish I had had this book when I first started homeschooling. Every year I keep thinking, "Next year I'm going to do something different." Well, I'm still saying that but I'm hoping this will be the last year as I am going to try out some of Cathy Duffy's recommendations and hope that I get it "Figured Out" this year.
I hope everyone has had a successful school year but if you feel like you need to make some changes, get a hold of "Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum" and see if you don't agree with me that it is a helpful resource.
*I was not contacted to write this review or am not receiving any compensation for writing this review. These are my thoughts and opinions only.
The other resource that I want to briefly mention is actually a catalog company for homeschool. It is called Rainbow Resource Center. They have both a catalog that can be mailed to you or you can shop online. They have a huge inventory of all kinds of homeschool books, games, teacher helps, etc. They also have great prices, excellent customer service and fast shipping. In their catalog, they also do some reviews so it is nice to get a "second" opinion and compare to what Cathy Duffy has to say. And as mentioned above, I wasn't asked to "put in a good word", as it were, for Rainbow Resources. I just happen to think they are a great company to purchase from and do so every year.
So after all of that, have a great summer and hopefully a wonderful new school year. So until next time...
Have a blessed day,
maggie jane
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