Does anyone else feel immense pressure to find and use only the BEST curriculum? I think a lot of mothering is that way, and homeschool choices have proven to be no different. We want to feed our kids the best food, give them the best education, make the best choices regarding vaccines and countless other issues. Like many other areas, these desires to do our best are good but can easily slip into fear and a desire to over-control every aspect of our kids lives. Ultimately, the fear I feel is because I'm trusting my parenting methods over God's sovereignty.
I really struggled with what to do for phonics this year. We loved "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and then the "American Language Series K" books. I wish the American Language Series books continued, but they do not. So I needed to figure out what to do next for my rising first grader who is reading on approximately a second grade level. I pretty quickly narrowed it down to two choices, All About Reading and the Pathway Readers. Two completely different choices, I know! I was originally content to just use the Pathway Readers, but the more I learned about AAR the more convinced I became that it would continue our phonics progress at a steady rate and keep Elliot at an above normal reading level. I love how methodical and comprehensive it is! But it is expensive, and seems to require a good bit more teacher prep and organization, something that will be difficult for me this year with a new baby. I felt the easier and more doable curriculum for this year would be the Pathway Readers, but out of fear and guilt I was leaning toward AAR, which I believed to be the better choice academically. I had about convinced both myself and my husband that we should go with AAR, but I wasn't at peace with it and inwardly dreaded the extra time and work it would require. It finally occurred to me that maybe I should pray about it, and ask God for wisdom. (I should have done this FIRST, I know!) After doing so, I had the idea to make a pros & cons list for each choice. It is amazing how something so simple can bring so much clarity. It became apparent to me that my academic fears about choosing Pathway Readers were complete over-reactions. I remembered my purpose for homeschooling is not primarily academic (although I do think I can do a better job than public schools), but rather spiritual. I immediately felt peace about choosing Pathway. I presented the list of pros and cons to my husband without telling him which way I was now leaning, and asked for his feedback. He read through them and without hesitation said he thinks we should use Pathway. We both felt that the less teacher prep and the stories supporting biblical character were more important than having the very best academic program. The lower cost was an added bonus :) The decision was made, and I am completely at peace about it. No more fear and guilt over not choosing the "best".
