The Search for the Perfect Homeschool Curriculum

Hello and welcome to the Super Simple Homeschool podcast where we help you homeschool with purpose while keeping it super simple.

I’m your host Jenny Hedrick, and today we are going to talk about curriculum. Is there a perfect curriculum? How do you know which curriculum to use? Let’s dive in…

When I first started homeschooling 8 years ago, I was the queen of curriculum. I LOVED researching and finding curriculum, BUYING curriculum, planning out my curriculum... you get the idea.

But, after a few years that turned into selling the curriculum and storing the curriculum.

I kept trying new curricula thinking, "I just haven't found the one that works for us yet!"

For many families, curriculum works great. It provides a structure and security that homeschooling moms appreciate.

For me, it was a box that my kids just weren't fitting into. I didn't realize until my 4th year of homeschooling that I was dealing with dyslexia. I first recognized it in my oldest son when he was 8.

When I discovered this, I thought "That's why THESE curriculums aren't working! I need NEW curriculum for dyslexia!"

Wrong again.

It took me another year to realize that for my kids the perfect curriculum wasn’t actually a curriculum at all.

You see, my search for the perfect curriculum wasn’t actually about curriculum. My search was really about finding an answer to the question: am I equipped to homeschool my kids? Am I good enough, smart enough, organized enough?

The problem was, I was looking to curriculum to find the answers to the questions deep inside my soul. That’s a tall order for a box of books and manipulatives.

For me, curriculum assured me that I was teaching the right things, in the right order and at the right time. The problem came when those curriculums weren’t meeting the needs of my kids.

How was I to know if I was doing enough? If I was enough?

Well, the truth is, I’m not enough. I was never meant to be enough.

God called me to homeschool my kids. And if you are homeschooling, he called you too. Maybe you don’t remember getting that calling, and maybe you do. Either way, you’ve been called to homeschool your kids.

I don’t actually remember deciding to homeschool. I just remember feeling like that’s what I really wanted to do. My husband was on board, so that’s what we did.

I had been working full time, my kids with their dad or in daycare, and somewhere along the line I decided that I didn’t want that life. I wanted to be home with my kids, I wanted to spend my days with my kids. I don’t remember asking God, “Should I homeschool?”. I just remember an overwhelming desire to quit my job and take care of my kids full-time.

I knew some people who were homeschooling, and I knew that’s the life I wanted for our family. So, I quit my job and started.

There’s obviously a whole lot more to that story, but the point is, that God was calling me to homeschool, even without my realizing it was Him.

So what? Why am I telling you this story? What does this have to do with curriculum?

Because when I learned to lean on Him, to entrust my kids to Him, to stay faithful to His call on my life… everything changed.

Now, when I find myself wondering if I am doing enough, I no longer look to curriculum to answer that question. I prayerfully consider the following questions:

1. Am I teaching my kids to love and follow Jesus? Are they learning how all of Scripture points to the story of salvation?

2. Am I teaching my kids to think critically and evaluate ideas, measuring them up to the Word of God?

3. Am I teaching my kids how to learn and to love learning?

4. Am I teaching my kids to explore creation with wonder and curiosity?

These questions define the purpose of our homeschool. Our mission. Everything else is secondary.

Let me repeat that: Everything else is secondary.

So, instead of asking, “Which curriculum should I use?”, ask the question “What is the PURPOSE of your homeschool?”

Knowing your purpose also helps with the question “Am I doing enough?”

After all, one day your kids will leave your home. They will go out into the world with all that you’ve taught them and be on their own. Never to learn another thing again. Your job is over. Their learning is over. Hopefully, you got it all in.

Obviously, that is ridiculous. But so many of us are living as if we have 18 years to teach our children everything they need to know for the rest of their lives. But they have their whole lives to learn!

Want to prepare them for college? Trade school? A job? That’s great! But it doesn’t mean that you have to follow all of the prescribed timelines and outlines and schedules to stay “on-track”.

In 2010, NPR published the story of Kerry Anderson who was homeschooled in the back of her mother’s big-rig truck while traveling across the country as her mom made deliveries. Kerry was eventually recruited out of community college by Harvard to attend the university. Jamie Martin, author of Give Your Child the World, speaks of this story on her blog stating

“Increasingly high profile universities are actively recruiting homeschooling graduates because they recognize traits they believe will make successful students- highly motivated, self-starters, determined and with a strong, supportive family backing.”

Notice what is missing from this: any mention of aptitude in any subject. Even universities recognize what we moms often forget: it’s not the content of the learning that is most important, but the life and learning skills bestowed on your children while engaging in the learning.

This is why I believe that the most important question you should ask is “What is the purpose of our homeschool?”

Once you know the purpose of your homeschool, you will realize that there is no perfect curriculum. It’s okay to find what you like and what works for your kids, even if that means you don’t use any curriculum at all.

In her book Teaching from Rest, Sarah McKenzie states

“If we started thinking about “school” in terms of encountering certain ideas and mastering certain skills rather than finishing a particular book or “covering” material, we would free ourselves to learn far more than we can by binding ourselves to a set of published resources. Of course, we will use such resources to reach our goals, but the resource will be our servant, not our master.” p. 22

All too often I get caught up in “getting it done”, which actually works against my homeschool’s purpose. I frequently talk to moms who struggle with “we need to get through this by such-and-such date.”

Your curriculum is not the boss of your homeschool- YOU ARE.

YOU get to decide the pace, what you use and what you skip, and how much you get through each day, each month, each year. Any curriculum can be adapted to the needs of your family, your child, and your homeschool.

And when you know your purpose, you can be free from the confines and schedules that printed resources provide. Instead of asking, “Did we get it all done today”, you can ask “Did we do what was needed today?”

Because what is needed often doesn’t line up with curriculum schedules.

So, if you are asking, “What curriculum should I use?” Take a step back to define your homeschool’s purpose. Then you can look for resources (curriculum or otherwise) to help you achieve that purpose.

You can ask more specific questions of others like, “What is a good nature-based science curriculum?” or “What resources are there for helping my kids answer their biggest questions about God?”

Remember, you are not in this alone. God did not call you to figure it all out on your own. He does not ask you to take on the job of parenting and schooling by yourself. He just asks you to be faithful. To show up. To partner with Him. Because you are not enough.

He is.

Thank you for listening to this first episode of the Super Simple Homeschool Podcast. If you want to hear more about homeschooling with purpose and keeping things super simple, please consider subscribing to this podcast so you never miss a future episode.

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