If it's Broken.....

One of my favourite sayings when helping people evaluate their curriculum choices is, “If it's not broken then don’t fix it”.  In other words if things are going well don’t feel you need to make a change just because someone else said they think the program they use is better.  If you and your children are happy with a program and your children are learning well, then stay the course.

Christmas has come and gone and you now find yourselves in the thick of home education once again.  This can be a great time of year to do a quick evaluation of how the year is progressing.  Today we want to think about the things that may not be working out as you planned.  In spite of the best laid plans sometimes things just don’t work!  The reasons can be as varied as the students and programs themselves.  To add to the frustration and confusion whatever it is that is causing the difficulty may be something that has worked for you and your other children in years gone by.  However, for whatever reason you find yourself looking at a program that is not meeting your educational expectations and needs.  What to do?  The year is half over.  Is this the time to switch? Often I hear people say we will do something different next year but we will finish the year with this.  If the problems are small then perhaps this can be a workable solution.  With a few minor modifications to teaching method or workload you may be able to finish the year and be reasonably satisfied with the result.  

However, if the problems are large and the program is causing you and your student stress, tears, and many unhappy moments, it might be time for a change. There are still at least four good months of school left.  This is plenty of time to get a new start and try a new approach. Many of us are reluctant to quit. We are determined to see it through no matter what. While this is admirable in theory, if it really is broken, maybe we should fix it now.  

Here are some signs that may mean it is time to make a complete change for any given subject

• Your student cannot seem to understand the work and the way it is presented. 
• Your student cannot keep up with the pace of the program even though you may have modified  it and given extra explanations and time to complete tasks.  
• You find that the program does not give you enough support to help you teach your struggling learner. 
•  You are both just plain tired of this thing and have come to the conclusion that there is no way this is going to work. 

Once you have made the decision that is time to try something new, what to do becomes the next quandary. First and foremost try and think very realistically about how this child learns best.  Look for programs that are geared for students who may be struggling in a certain area.  Two of my favourite programs for struggling readers and spellers are from All About Learning Press. All About Reading and All About Spelling have been a blessing to so many families. Many struggling readers respond well to this hands-on, multi-sensory approach. In addition, the emphasis on mastery learning helps students build a solid foundation in these subject areas. Your subject of challenge may be math or even science.  Whatever it is, try and find something that has a new and very different approach to what you have been doing.  Don’t worry about whether it is the most advanced program or one that your friends use. Look at programs in light of  what your student needs and what will help them the most.  This is probably the best way to fix what is broken.

Feel free to share your comments and questions and programs you have found helpful.  

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builder labor in vain...."  Psalms 127:1