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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: July 25 2006 at 7:45am | IP Logged
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This is making me crazy! For instance, this morning, Stephen and I sat down to do a reading lesson. Before folding the little book, I noticed that all photocopying is strictly prohibited. Hmmm...I'm not intersted in copying the little book, but on the back is a sheet of fill-in-the-blanks. Stephen has visual processing difficulties and those blanks are far too small for him; he's also likely to make mistakes and to get frustrated. He doesn't like erasures on colored paper. So, I've routinely been enlarging the page on my copier and letting him practice writing in the bigger blanks, frequently doing the same page more than once. No tears, much success. This is illegal?? If I can't do this, I can't use the product. Which is better for the company? The child?
Because we haven't written on the books at all, I can easily use them again for Nicholas, for Katie, for our friend Gracie (who is here all day) and for our new baby...sounds like good stewardship, but apparently, it's against the law.Don't want to do that. Is it back to 100 Easy Lessons or Alphaphonics for me?
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Christine Forum All-Star
Joined: March 23 2006 Location: Washington
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Posted: July 25 2006 at 8:13am | IP Logged
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Elizabeth,
If I am thinking of the correct product, this used to be sold for approximately $25 for use by all children in a family (the reasoning at the time was that they were making learning to read affordable for families). I may be wrong, but I believe that they are requesting that you don't copy the entire little book. I believe copying the fill-in-the-blanks to make them useable for your child would be perfectly acceptable (as educators, we need to be able to make materials user friendly for our children). Since the copyright is different on this product from when I purchased it, I believe future copying of the fill-in-the-blanks pages may not be ethical. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think you could ethically make your own fill-in-the-blanks to go along with the book. All this being said, I know nothing about copyright law.
__________________ Christine
Mommy to 4 girls, 5 boys, & 2 in God's care
Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother
Pretty Lilla Rose
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Christine Forum All-Star
Joined: March 23 2006 Location: Washington
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Posted: July 25 2006 at 8:20am | IP Logged
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I only used a few of these little books 5 or 6 years ago, but I wanted to share what I had done with them for those who purchased this product before the new copyright was put in place. I did not fold the books. I made them into color-coded little books, using construction paper covers. On the back of each book, I rubber-cemented the fill-in-the-blank page and then I laminated the covers. My first daughter used a thin dry-erase marker to fill in the little blanks (the spaces were very small). When she was finished, she wiped it clean. She really enjoyed watching me make each book and then eventually reading it.
__________________ Christine
Mommy to 4 girls, 5 boys, & 2 in God's care
Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother
Pretty Lilla Rose
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Maddie Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 27 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: July 25 2006 at 8:22am | IP Logged
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Aren't there some "American" laws you just have to roll your eyes at? Like getting a lousy permit to change the facet in your sink? Am I above the law because I do it anyway? Most of us know where the line is within our own family and we don't cross it. I would go nuts and broke if I looked up every copyright everytime I walked over to my copier.
__________________ ~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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Louise Forum Pro
Joined: March 29 2005 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: July 25 2006 at 9:29am | IP Logged
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Elizabeth,
I use magnetic letters or an alphabet puzzle (you could use the Montessori movable alphabet) instead of having my child write in the booklets. You could also write the word endings on a blackboard or whiteboard. Or you could fill it in yourself and use it as extra reading practice of word families (like Alphaphonics). One of my children kept a lesson book (a la Waldorf) with word families copied in various colors. He even used block crayons to fill in the background in a rainbow pattern. It looked very nice!
I do think the Catholic stories in LSFLF are well worth it. I use Montessori Fishbowl Word activities for the extra practice my boys need.
__________________ Louise, mom of 11
http://timetokeep.blogspot.com/
http://ecolebuissonniere.blogspirit.com/
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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: July 25 2006 at 2:46pm | IP Logged
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What does all this mean regarding re-sale? If you have bought a product (lesson plans etc) and never copied them and never written in them, can you resell them?
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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alicegunther Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 7:57am | IP Logged
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Elizabeth wrote:
This is making me crazy! For instance, this morning, Stephen and I sat down to do a reading lesson. Before folding the little book, I noticed that all photocopying is strictly prohibited. Hmmm...I'm not intersted in copying the little book, but on the back is a sheet of fill-in-the-blanks. Stephen has visual processing difficulties and those blanks are far too small for him; he's also likely to make mistakes and to get frustrated. He doesn't like erasures on colored paper. So, I've routinely been enlarging the page on my copier and letting him practice writing in the bigger blanks, frequently doing the same page more than once. No tears, much success. This is illegal?? If I can't do this, I can't use the product. Which is better for the company? The child?
Because we haven't written on the books at all, I can easily use them again for Nicholas, for Katie, for our friend Gracie (who is here all day) and for our new baby...sounds like good stewardship, but apparently, it's against the law.Don't want to do that. Is it back to 100 Easy Lessons or Alphaphonics for me? |
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Elizabeth, my understanding is that copying a page for the purpose you mention is a fair use, and I would go right ahead and do it. It's perfectly reasonable and not a theft from the publisher. After all, you have paid for the book and should be able to use it for the education of your family. Problems arise when people provide copies for non-family members or reproduce entire works to share with friends. Needless to say, this amounts to theft because it cuts down on the company's sales.
__________________ Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 8:00am | IP Logged
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Louise wrote:
Elizabeth,
I use magnetic letters or an alphabet puzzle (you could use the Montessori movable alphabet) instead of having my child write in the booklets. You could also write the word endings on a blackboard or whiteboard. Or you could fill it in yourself and use it as extra reading practice of word families (like Alphaphonics). One of my children kept a lesson book (a la Waldorf) with word families copied in various colors. He even used block crayons to fill in the background in a rainbow pattern. It looked very nice!
I do think the Catholic stories in LSFLF are well worth it. I use Montessori Fishbowl Word activities for the extra practice my boys need.
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Louise,
I love to use write on/wipe off cards with word families to practice and something like this(mine is not magnetic) for word family practice that doesn't require writing.We also have touchphonics, which was very helpful for Christian.
But Stephen wants to do things as they are and he's becoming increasingly distraught over his inability to do so.Every workbook page must be done just so--even though the CHC workbooks for his "grade level" are just plain too hard for him and he's completed the ones beneath it. There's more to a special needs track than just ordering a grade level or two down. And so he wanted to do the "Name games" that went with the story. And I wanted to keep the little stories (they are sweet) to use again. But they are clearly consumable, though no one can quibble legally with adapting something for a child's disabilities.
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 8:04am | IP Logged
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Since we posted the return policy on the other thread, I'll post the copyright policy from the website here:
A generous copyright was previously extended to families for the spellers, grammar, phonics, science worktexts, and lesson plans. However, it was frightfully abused by many who copied indiscriminately, often not only for themselves but for friends and even entire homeschool groups! When the one book sold by CHC becomes three or four or six books through photocopying, customers do save a small amount of money. However, their savings, because of the cost of printing and development for CHC, comes at the price of loss for CHC and, ultimately, for the customers. If no photocopying took place, and all those who use CHC materials actually purchased them from CHC, we would be able to print in larger quantity. Printing in larger quantity would lower our costs; this savings would benefit not only CHC, but allow us to keep our prices lower for the customer as well.
As of Fall 2002, all newly-published materials fall under standard copyright law, which doesn't allow copying of the material. A Year with God and CHC Lesson Plan Guide for the Middle School Years are the exceptions as they are fully reproducible for your family's use. CHC strives to aid large Catholic families by keeping costs waaay low, but the Catholic homeschooling market is still quite small and when folks "share," or pay for one copy but transform it through photocopying to more than one, it suddenly becomes very small indeed. We want to be here in the future serving your family - please help us make this possible by helping all to honor copyright law. In a sense, one might envision all who are connected with CHC - writers, artists, and Catholic families - as an united force cooperating for the good of all our families and ultimately, Church and society.
*******
We often receive questions regarding CHC's copyright on the lesson plans. The copyright on lesson plans, in the current editions, is a standard copyright, which allows unlimited use of the material as long as copies are not made of the work. If families were to photocopy the plans for more than one child - for all the children in the family - then the price of the plans would have to be much higher. The price is extremely low for all that is included: besides lesson plans, each is packed with enrichment projects and supplemental courses. The additional bonus to using one lesson plan per child is twofold: You will enjoy writing in the plans and having a permanent record to look back on, and we are constantly updating and adding new materials and ideas when we reprint each lesson plan. We both win when the copyright law is honored; CHC and its authors and artists receive payment they have earned, which in turn enables CHC to continue to publish more materials for your growing family!
******
When book users write to publishers or authors for permission to copy, those requests customarily are to copy a passage or page, generally for use as a quotation in an article or a book. It would be extraordinarily unusual, for example, for someone to ask Ignatius Press' permission to make copies of two or three of their books specifically because they didn't want to purchase a copy, and even more unusual for Ignatius Press to grant permission.
Imagine someone stepping into Walden Books and asking permission to copy one of their novels instead of buying it. If permission were granted, not only would the bookstore go out of business, but so would their publishers and authors. In essence, asking permission to copy an entire book is the same as asking a business to give away free copies.
Again, permissions to copy are generally granted for brief passages used as quotations in articles, or in other books.
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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momwats8 Forum All-Star
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 9:44am | IP Logged
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Well this is certainly interesting! I usually do not even think about this stuff. Probably because when I do copy it is only a few here and there. I never copy whole books or even large sections of books. One thing that I must say as I have been reading all of this and seeing that some are worried is to remeber how Jesus exhorts us to not be like the Pharisees - overly concerned about the letter of the law. The spirit of the law is to not abuse the situation and to buy things as needed. Do not copy whole books or copy them for your own gain. It is fair to say though that when my kids are doing an activity that more than one would like to do I will make copies for threm. I do not feel like this is wrong and I do not do it all the time. I think that the Holy Spirit will guide the well formed conscience and lead us in what is right. Good discussion ladies
In Christ -Mary
Wife to Mike and Mother to Austin(92), Mikey(95), R.J.(97), Ben(98), Kolbe(00), Nate(02), Christian(03), and Maggie(05)
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ALmom Forum All-Star
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 12:09pm | IP Logged
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One thing that I have done is to call the publisher when I felt uncertain. Elizabeth, in your situation where you need to potentially blow up pages in a workbook for your ds use (I've had to do this before dealing with vision problems - we even had to put stuff on an overhead projector once to get distance reading as close up was impossible for the child). I suspect that permission would be granted to do what you needed for this particular child as long as you then didn't turn around and re-use the workbook for someone else in the family or sell it. Ie it is a one use product. Those holding the copyright can extend permissions on an individual basis and may be willing to do so if you ask.
I really have no problem with what CHC has indicated above. What they are saying is very, very true. We have seen the same type of thing as we struggle to put together things as a co-op. If families are not willing to sacrifice some, then none of us are able to provide anything. However, it is very difficult to purchase a $50 book over and over again. I really don't need the lesson plans as I don't use them anyways. I like it for the ready prepared supplements - but I cannot pay $50 for it. I will say that CHC is not the only one doing this - Saxon is as well. I cannot nor would I copy the workbook. But in my old Saxon, timed drills could be copied and some other materials as well. Now nothing can. What if I have a child who needs practice drill beyond what is planned in the text. Suddenly I am no longer able to copy this for them. I go back to my old Saxon - but what if I did not have this. I'd be stuck buying multiple copies at $50 just to get the drill (well, I wouldn't because I couldn't afford it and now I'm dealing with tons of extra work that I really don't need.)
Here is my complaint - I am happy to pay for repeated use of material. I would happily order and re-order a $25 lesson plan for the convenient materials set out for me even if I didn't use the plan. I am happy to re-order or order a thousand copies of $10 workbook so that each of my dc can write in the book. This is especially true for a Catholic vendor as part of the expense is considered supporting Catholic families at large. I cannot pay $50 every time for every child. Also there are times that I would like to do a project for all the members of my family. So for instance - my plan was to do the Rosary Project with all my dc (only one of them is at that grade level and I don't need anything else in the plans). /We basically wanted to do some of the projects together as a liturgical year. I need to start small (ie the notebooks I see on this board are beautiful but beyond our capabilities right now) and CHC materials are a perfect first start at it. But I cannot do any of this because I cannot copy the materials. I understand that they wouldn't want me to copy the materials for (even this segment) for use with multiple dc - but where could I purchase these at a reasonable price. I suppose I could pay group prices and use with anyone but those are group prices for co-op situations. In that situation the permission is quite generous - but it is beyond my family's means. I really want to support the Catholic vendors and I must say that CHC service has been better than any other supplier I have ever used (Catholic or otherwise). They have never made a mistake on my orders (despite long phone orders), they have answered my questions patiently, my orders have always arrived in a few days without damage and they have attempted to give me as much description as possible prior to my order. I can always trust their material to be without questionable content. These are huge factors with me. I have not experienced this with any other supplier.
I do make it a habit to overlook some difficulties with the small, Catholic vendors. Mis-packed orders, lengthy waits, etc. I try to understand the getting started and give benefit of the doubt and do what I can.
I guess with this copyright thing, I know CHC is doing what they feel they must in order not to go out of business. I do like their products. I find them useful for my family most of the time.
Copyright does not demand that you never re-use a consumable item - only that you do not copy it. So I juggle around and find ways to make it work - and CHC has given me suggestions on how to do it, so they really are not trying to block or out-price families. They simply don't have the volume to do anything different. I will try to re-order those books and workbooks that are priced where I can afford it. Others, I may use tracing paper over a few pages to allow my dc to answer questions (not tracing content - but simply allowing him to act like he is writing in the book while he is not) or using light pencil and erasing. I have many materials where the copyright was more generous and if they are inexpensive, I will still re-order.
In special circumstances, I will contact CHC or whoever the publisher is and ask for the permissions I need. I have children with vision problems and so sometimes I do have to modify what I am using. In art products my dc are easily frustrated and it helps them to know that if they mess up, I will provide them with another copy. I would not ask CHC to provide me with the permission to copy the artpac for all my dc but I would ask for permission to copy each task before handing it to dc so that they had this and then offer to destroy the copy if it was not used. Perhaps the permission would be granted - perhaps not, but it never hurts to ask. I have found CHC to be generous and reasonable when I do ask.
Janet
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Louise Forum Pro
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 2:03pm | IP Logged
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I really think it would be good to communicate these thoughts with Theresa at CHC. I am sure she would be glad to clarify some of these issues.
Some years ago they had to go out of business. I would imagine that they are just trying to avoid this to happen again. But if their copyright policy is actually keeping customer away, they probably would like to know!
I remember Lissa saying that she never buys used copies of books still in print. She knows first hand how hard it is for writers to survive.
I personally have learned that first I can’t do it all. Second that Catholic filled material are essential to the education of Catholic children in this immoral secular world, even when you do live your faith. This is what St Therese, the little flower, breathed in her home and at the school she attended run by nuns. And third it is worth sacrificing for a faith filled living environment.
I know many of you are able to provide all of this without the help of a curriculum provider like CHC. This is wonderful! And even more wonderful is the spirit in which you share your gift of creativity with everyone. But others like me at this time of my life really benefit from the services offered by CHC. They give me the base I need right now to stay on target with my priorities.
If someone would come visit they would be astonish at the unusual way we live. Our house is small, unfinished, scarcely furnished and I could go on. But we have books in abundance. We made countless sacrifices to provide them for our children. But now if I had to do it again with the older ones, I would buy Catholic material over the majority of books we own. You can always find the equivalent of a secular science or history book or great classics in a library, but not so for saint stories or a faith a filled curriculum. Yes, I do like to have an extensive library in my home but now my focus has shift to more spiritual material. That said, you can now understand why for me buying the lesson plans every year is a sacrifice well worth it. If I honestly take a look at all the little unnecessary expenses I make during the course of a year I can easily see that they add up to a lot more then what I spend yearly with CHC. Children can play with stick and dirt and not be deprived but their soul is priceless, and I want to provide the best environment for its growth. Again I know many of you do provide this kind of environment without the help of CHC. But for me right now, I just find it easier to build upon their beautiful material to provide my children with an education for eternity.
Again I urge anyone dissatisfied with their copyright policy to write to them and let them know how it is affecting your decision to use their material.
__________________ Louise, mom of 11
http://timetokeep.blogspot.com/
http://ecolebuissonniere.blogspirit.com/
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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 3:01pm | IP Logged
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Janet,I've already received private emails letting me know that CHc is reading these threads. And we already know that someone is passing the message along.
Louise, I've said repeatedly how much I love CHC workbooks (which I've never, ever considered copying, btw. I don't even think it's cost-effective, given the cost of ink). And I'm sure CHC could look at the hundreds of dollars I've spent since discovering them less than a year ago and know that I've certainly invested in a genuine Cahtolic education a la CHC.
But my style of education is "family style." I could never do the lesson plans as written; I'll have a preschooler, a first grader (who is prepping for first communion), a slow second grader (who a has already received his first communion), a fourth grader, a sixth grader, a very learing disabled eight grader (already confirmed and old enough to be in highschool), a highschool senior and a new baby arriving approximately three weeks into the school year. Oh, and a neighbor's two-year-ld will be here too. Just reading those few details about my children, you know those daily plans won't work for me and I didn't buy them intending to use them the way they were written. I don't think that's wrong.
For instance, my plan is to study the human body this year. We'll all study the human body. At least four of my children will be in the right age range to do some or all of the activities (which will absolutely not be limited to those inthe CHC plans). It never ocurred to me that I could only use the human body resource in the fourth grade appendix for my fourth grader.And it is absurd to think that I'd buy four copies of fourth grade plans this year. Similarly, I am going to use ideas from both Tour the Countries and Tour the Continents with at least four of my children this year, precisely to add the Catholic element to literature-based family unit studies. I was going to do habit-training and character education using ideas from the first grade plans with three children. Again, buy three or four copies of each?? Before reading the policies, I naturally would have used the ideas there that suited everybody for everybody they suited. The same with art appreciation: we do picture study as a family. But the fourth grade art appreciation plans are under the copyright policies for single use. In hindsight, I should have read all the content on the webpages, understood that each set of plans was intended only for use by one child and then prayed about whether I should buy group copyright plans for personal use in my own home for the first, second, third and fourth grades all at the same time. But I don't think I'd have done that (even if I had the available cash--and I don't), sight unseen, knowing that nothing shrink-wrapped can be returned. That's an awful lot of money to put out based on someone else's product review. I've spent the last month selling used materials to raise the money to buy the CHC things I bought.
I never read the FAQs and I was surprised to learn that CHC wants you to buy the lesson plans each year for each child. I'm a re-user. I buy everything with an eye to re-using, because i have a lot of years of this ahead of me and our financial situation is never stable. But I also tend to use materials in ways other than they are intended: lots of verbal exercises that were intended to be written, lots of family activities that were intended to be individual, lots of notebook on different paper and in different sizes than the reproducibles provided.
I received a reviewer's copy of CHC's highschool book, without even asking for one. I was so thrilled. I was also sick as a dog. I had severe hyperemesis at the time and my dh was out of town for three weeks. I felt so strongly that I get the word out about the program that I wrote it with my head on the computer desk and then I contacted Mary G. who also had a copy and Bookswithtea who got hers right away and asked them to please keep a close eye on the thread and to help me tell people what a great thing CHC did.
I've written again and again about how much I like CHC. Certainly, I'm not trying now to disparage the company.And I have four posts in the draft folder of my blog showing how I plan to use CHC plans for everybody. But now, I see that it might not be wise to do that or to publish those. I didn't know that the plans were not intended to be used however the parent educator deemed best for her family and I am expressing my surprise. I'm just wondering aloud if my style of CATHOLIC family education is being prohibited by the copyright guidelines.
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM Forum Moderator
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 3:08pm | IP Logged
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I thought about Elizabeth's comments about the catalog vs. the web site. I'm a catalog reader.
I want to put in the nudge for these smaller Catholic curriculum companies to continue their catalog, make sure everything matches the website. If they can't afford to print it, put it in a .PDF file so I can print. That way you can be sure everyone is on the same page. I need to hold and read and write and earmark the pages before I buy. I can't turn down webpages, nor can I scribble on my monitor. My house is a testament to needing that physical written word -- it applies in ordering things, too.
The way I shop for clothes, books, whatever is to go over the catalog very carefully, make my choices, refine my choices...and then go to the website and order.
Just to put in my idea or request since others might be reading.
__________________ Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Natalia Forum All-Star
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 3:25pm | IP Logged
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Susan Wise Bauer sell student pages for her Activity books. If you are going to use the activities with more than one child, you don't need to buy one activity book for each child. instead you buy the book and as many student pages as you need, Maybe CHC should consider doing something like this.
Natalia
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Bookswithtea Forum All-Star
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Posted: July 26 2006 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
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Elizabeth wrote:
Janet,I've already received private emails letting me know that CHc is reading these threads. And we already know that someone is passing the message along. |
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If this is the case, then I think the right thing to do would be for someone from CHC to please post and clarify the many questions that have come up here.
Elizabeth wrote:
But my style of education is "family style." Just reading those few details about my children, you know those daily plans won't work for me and I didn't buy them intending to use them the way they were written. I don't think that's wrong. |
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I don't think that's wrong, either. I buy all kinds of books and curriculum and then use them differently than intended. Its not uncommon for me to sit down with 3 different history texts and manuals from 2-3 different providers and then type up my own plans adding in my own ideas from the pieces I've purchased. I don't entirely understand "fair use" clauses (legal jargon is enough to completely confuse me)...but I do think that I have a right to use the item I purchased as it works best for me (and I don't mean extensive copying).
Like Elizabeth, I have wanted to use the CHC ideas in the LP's with several children rather than just one, and it makes no sense for me to purchase more than one LP for each grade level. I find it hard to believe that we are the only ones who are frustrated...so many Catholic hsing families are larger than average. Daily/Weekly lesson plans *for each child* just don't make sense in many subjects.
We've hobbled along in order to abide by CHC's rules. I read the ideas and then come up with something else that is similar and does not require me to photocopy. I do this because I'm trying to do the right thing. But I don't like the feeling that the customer is presumed to be the "bad guy".
Elizabeth wrote:
And it is absurd to think that I'd buy four copies of fourth grade plans this year... I was going to do habit-training and character education using ideas from the first grade plans with three children. Again, buy three or four copies of each??. |
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I agree. Its ridiculous.
Elizabeth wrote:
In hindsight, I should have read all the content on the webpages, understood that each set of plans was intended only for use by one child and then prayed about whether I should buy group copyright plans for personal use in my own home for the first, second, third and fourth grades all at the same time. . |
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My catalogue is dog-eared, too. I don't like using web based catalogues. The web site has been very clear for at least 2 years about its copyright policies. The catalogue is *not* clear about this at all. I personally find that frustrating. I understand that posting the copyright rules in the catalogue might decrease sales. But if they aren't going to make their policies *very clear* then its an undue burden on the purchaser, imho, to expect them to be informed from the web site.
Elizabeth wrote:
I've written again and again about how much I like CHC. Certainly, I'm not trying now to disparage the company. |
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I hope I'm not being perceived as disparaging CHC, either. I don't want to do that. OTOH, as several people have said here, there needs to be some freedom to speak up about things we are not happy with. I had my own "once bitten/twice shy" experience with CHC's copyright and refunding rules a year ago. I never mentioned it on any of the three major boards I was participating on because I was afraid I would be squashing a small business that is trying to do a good thing. I'm not so sure that was the right thing to do, in hindsight.
Elizabeth wrote:
And I have four posts in the draft folder of my blog showing how I plan to use CHC plans for everybody. But now, I see that it might not be wise to do that or to publish those. |
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This same thing happened to me a year ago. I wrote up some plans that included my own elements, some from CHC and some from SL. I wanted to share them with the SL Catholic and the CHC yahoo communities, but ended up not doing it because I know that information flies fast in the hs world, and I didn't want to abuse their copyright policy and perhaps find myself involved in a lawsuit.
Natalia wrote:
Susan Wise Bauer sell student pages for her Activity books. If you are going to use the activities with more than one child, you don't need to buy one activity book for each child. instead you buy the book and as many student pages as you need, Maybe CHC should consider doing something like this. |
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I asked CHC about this a year ago via private email. I was told it was not cost effective for them. They weren't interested in considering it.
I will likely continue to make small purchases from CHC when I am sure I can use the item as I need to use it without violating their rules, and when I am sure that I want the item (so that refunding does not become an issue). I will probably continue to recommend them. But I do think I will make a point of suggesting to others that they try to see the item before purchasing it. Sometimes online reviews are just not clear enough. And I guess its only right to make sure that when I do recommend, I let the person know about CHC's copyright rules.
__________________ Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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cvbmom Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 15 2005 Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline Posts: 930
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Posted: July 28 2006 at 10:00am | IP Logged
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Not to rehash an sore subject, but I am interested in CHC's answer to the question about combining subjects. We have children very close in age and I like CHC materials. It is tough to purchase workbooks for each child, but I will do that because it makes sense. On the other hand, if I combine children to do science or social studies, (like Elizabeth mentioned) I cannot afford to purchase separate lesson plans for each child. Four sets of 3rd grade and 4 sets of 1st, please? What a waste of money, paper, and shelf space. I don't even use the lesson plans as written. I am not that kind of homeschooler, fortunately or not. Like Books, I read the suggestions and then tailor it. Now the tailoring must include ideas so I don't have to copy anything. It just doesn't make sense to me. I am a CHC supporter like the rest of you (just ask my homeschool group). I show their items to friends so they can see things hands on before ordering. I just don't get it.
Also, some have mentioned Seton's copyright rules. I can't seem to find them on their page. I am wondering where to find them. For example, can I copy some of the coloring pages from Am. Hist. 1 FYC so everyone can have a page to color or not?
Thanks for the help!
Christine
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lapazfarm Forum All-Star
Joined: July 21 2005 Location: Alaska
Online Status: Offline Posts: 6082
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Posted: July 28 2006 at 11:40am | IP Logged
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So I guess after you use your 50 dollar lesson plans for the first child, you are just supposed to throw them away because you can't use them for your next child and you cant re-sell them?
What a waste of resources!
Lesson plans are non-consumable and should be re-usable. The consumable supplements should be made available for purchase seperately for those who already own the lesson plans. It should be easy enough to maintain a list of those who have already purchased the plans if they want to sell additional supplements only to them, rather than making them openly available. By not doing so they are practically inviting photocopying.
I, for one, will be using Alphaphonics.Again .
__________________ Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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