Christian Homeschooling and Curriculum Choices

Christian Homeschooling and Curriculum ChoicesBy Kerry Jones

When Christian families make the decision to homeschool, they often assume they have only a few choices as far as curriculum to use. Many of them have heard of publishers like Abeka, Bob Jones, or Alpha Omega, so they often request the company's most current catalog and call in their order. Or maybe they haven't heard of any of the popular Christian homeschooling companies, and they decide to peruse one of the many curriculum-listing sites where the hundreds of types and styles of materials soon have them feeling overwhelmed.

Neither choice is a great place to start when choosing curriculum for your homeschooled child. The first place to look is directly into the eyes of your child. No one knows your son or daughter better than yourself, so answer some of the following questions before you make that first mouse-click or open the first page of that homeschooling catalog:

· What types of learning do they most enjoy? When your child is truly engaged in learning something new, what is it that brings them fulfillment? Is it the satisfaction of completion (might do fine with workbook-style learning), the excitement of delving deeply into a specific subject (may lean toward unit studies), the fascination with how things work together (hands-on or multimedia curriculum could work best), or the rush of sharing what they are learning with someone else (co-op classes or cooperative distance education courses may help)?

· What style of learner are they? Auditory - learns by hearing or discussing material (check out video or satellite curriculums), Visual - learns by watching or interacting visually (multimedia curriculums and education software are great for these learners), Kinesthetic learners - learn by doing (do well with interactive unit studies, engaging multimedia programs, or hands-on curriculum)

· Do they have any special learning needs? Students that perform below or above average in specific subjects or areas may benefit from a more eclectic range of curricula. The material that works for them in math may bore them silly in literature, and the publisher of the science curricula they breezed through may have a math course that is far too challenging for them. Remember that one of the wonderful advantages of homeschooling is being able to individualize their education right down to their curriculum for each subject.

· What are the specific reasons you have chosen to homeschool your child? If you are making the decision to homeschool your child because of specific Christian values you want to instill, you may feel that you need to limit your curriculum choices to specific Christian publishers. If you are a Christian, but aren't homeschooling for specifically religious reasons, your homeschool choices could be significantly broader, and you would open up your homeschool to a variety of options that might allow you to individualize your child's education more adequately.

Once you have sufficiently answered these questions, you will have a guideline for beginning your homeschool curriculum search. I personally have had many struggles with choosing homeschool materials - - mostly because my children learn so differently from one another, and from the "average" student.

So many things in life seem designed with the "average" person in mind, don't they? Airplane passenger seats are designed for an average size person, standardized tests are designed for the average student, and medicine doses are prescribed with the average person in mind. I'll never forget the feeling of empathy I felt when I saw someone being asked to move along because they wouldn't fit into a ride at a theme park. Or the first time I saw children on a park playground laughing at my son because he couldn't control the jerking tics caused by his Tourette Syndrome. Our society caters to the average person . . . the average family . . . the average way of life. Unfortunately, I just can't squeeze myself into that mold.

Fortunately, Christian families don't have to be "average" to find effective homeschool materials. Whether you are homeschooling preschool or high school or anywhere in between, an array of wonderful curriculum choices is available for you. Don't be afraid to explore the offerings of secular publishers and companies for some of your homeschooling subjects, especially if your child needs more than the simple workbook-style curriculum. Companies such as Time4Learning for elementary and middle-schoolers and 3DLearn for high-schoolers are wonderful companies offering multimedia education you can take by the course or use as your core curriculum.

Your child has been created carefully and uniquely, and homeschooling is one of the ways where his or her individuality shines. What works for one child, could be a completely wrong fit for another. Just as you wouldn't pick just any shoe from a store shelf and assume it will work for your child, your choice of homeschool curriculum needs to be based on careful research and deliberation. Choosing to teach your child at home is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, so take your time and explore the wide, wide world of Christian homeschooling!