How Do I Teach My Child What I Don't Know? Using a Curriculum Provider
By B. Burns
One of the two facts I remember about my high school physics course is you cannot get suction out of a 32-foot straw. (The other fact I'll leave for another time.) Like most people, much of what I learned in high school has settled into the dark recesses of my mind, only peeking out now and then.
It's no wonder that parents, separated by years from their own K-12 experience, have many questions and sometimes even fears when faced with the challenge of homeschooling their children. I might not know much about the laws of thermodynamics, but I do know that it doesn't take an Albert Einstein to educate children at home. But you do need love, time, patience, and good resources.
Parents have three basic choices in setting up a homeschool: (1) use curriculum that you personally gather from hither and yon, (2) use a curriculum provider, (3) use a combination of hither and yon and a curriculum provider.
Just like most public and private schools, homeschool curriculum providers begin with the core curriculum (the basic, essential knowledge and skills) -- language arts (English), reading, math, social studies, and science. For the elementary grades, handwriting and spelling are also considered essential parts of the curriculum. But many also create daily lesson plans, which divide a textbook into tiny (daily) morsels, which is also known as a parent's guide or study guide. These plans tend to soothe parents because much of the teaching is provided in these plans. The teaching parent only has to give instruction to the child . . . no frantically putting materials together at the last minute.
Homeschooling parents are often worried about how to teach their children, especially how to read; this concern is well-founded because reading is such an essential life skill. For those parents unsure of their abilities to teach the basic skills, curriculum providers offer complete programs that are usually built upon two components -- a textbook and an instructional guide. Typically, the textbook is produced by a group of teachers and editors working under contract with a publishing house. The curriculum provider may have already chosen one for students and parents to use or may furnish parents with a short list of possible textbooks for them to choose from.
However, a textbook is only part of an educational package. What do you do with the textbook? Here again, you turn to the instructional guide/parent guide/study guide. The guide, usually developed by the curriculum provider, is really the heart of any course and the parent's best friend. By following its lead, parents can rest assured that they have fulfilled the requirements for that course. The best instructional guides also allow for parents to adapt and supplement to meet individual needs.
Homeschooling in high school may present more serious problems for many parents because of the demands that high school subjects such as chemistry, geometry, European history, and Spanish, may put on parents. After all, when was the last time you used the Pythagorean theorem? Many curriculum providers, including those that also offer online services, can assist greatly in this department. Many high school courses are taught by a teacher or tutor, with the parent assisting minimally.
At the high school level, students need a curriculum that will help prepare them for college. The increased emphasis on math and science makes it harder for parents to meet their students' needs in all areas. After all, even homeschooling students need to worry about SAT or ACT scores. Curriculum providers that offer a high school curriculum provide all of the necessary courses in business, secretarial, English, fine arts, health and home economics, history, foreign languages, mathematics, religion, and science.
Remember that curriculum providers are service organizations. They exist to help you. Some tell parents to pick and choose from: Courses only, textbooks only, workbooks, parent's guides, or a complete pre-planned grade. A curriculum provider can help parents fill in the instructional gaps for their children. For instance, if you have a strong math background, let your child have the benefit of your expertise, but don't feel badly if you have to look to a curriculum provider for English or history.
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