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Dawnie
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I was wondering how many of you have made the decision to homeschool through high school, as opposed to making the decision on a year-by-year basis. I realize that any decision I make doesn't have to be set in stone, but I'm thinking that those high-$$ purchases that I'm thinking of making would be easier to justify if I *knew* that I was going to continue homeschooling through high school.
If any of you make the homeschooing decision on a year-by-year (and child-by-child) basis, does that make it harder to spend money on more expensive reference materials, like encyclopedia sets?
Basically, I'm just wondering how/if your long-term commitment (or lack of it) to homeschooling affects your spending decisions.
Dawn
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KellyJ
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Hi Dawn,
We've decided to homeschool through high school; but, we are remain open to whatever God desires. We've tried to prayerfully plan for the future; but, as you know, sometimes God wants something else of us that we didn't expect. So, while we have plans, we try to be flexible.
Seeing as we're planning for long-term homeschooling, we tend to buy certain books (i.e., historical novels) we anticipate re-using with multiple children rather than borrowing through a library or friend. We would probably rely more on the library and others to borrow these things if we were taking it year-by-year.
As for encyclopedia sets, we don't have one as of yet and haven't needed them thus far. However, we have various outlets to get them free or quite inexpensively.
I think a big lesson I learned this year is that it can be worth it to trek to a homeschool convention to look at the vendor tables (I didn't hear a single talk). I realized that there can be a huge benefit to previewing materials, that I can really tell from the materials themselves whether they stand a chance of being useful. Previously, I relied on reviews from trusted, like-minded individuals, and now I have a lot of things I don't need, and should pass on, but wonder whether I should hold onto them for the younger ones.
I think previewing books and other materials would be helpful to families, regardless of whether they are planning for the long haul or whether they are playing it by ear each year. It can save a lot of $, time, space, and "guilt" to keep items off of your shelves that you know just won't work for your family.
KellyJ
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Meredith
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We take it year by year, but I KNOW in my heart that I'm in it for the long haul and truly desire to hs through the highschool years, despite any outside pressure and dissent from family members or other people in our sphere of life.
Like KellyJ, we have a plan, but is it also God's plan we need to follow, so far I can only go with my heart, and I'm shooting for high school and beyond. For us too, the big picture remains to be our goal of heaven for our family and it seems hsing is the best path for us to follow Our Lord and His Blessed Mother to the eternal gates. Here's hoping we're doing it right 
I do question myself every year as I'm planning and doing my checks and balances and I am certain for now we are on the right path. I hope you area able to discern this for yourself as well and not get too caught up in the nitty gritty's of the material aspects as there is SO much to choose from.
God Bless!!
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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lapazfarm
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Good question! I intend to homeschool through high school. I've never really thought about how that might affect my purchases, but I don't think it does right now. My attitude towards educational supplies is if we truly need it, and it will do the job the best, then we buy it. That doesn't mean we splurge on wildly expensive items-we are on a very tight budget- but we feel every dollar wisely spent on educational materials is well spent and we try to get the best we can. Sometimes this does mean spending a bit more than a cheaper alternative (and then we will have to tighten the budget elsewhere), but then again better quality items can always be resold if we don't re-use them later. Sometimes it Doesn't mean spending more-if a cheaper or free alternative will do the job just as well. I guess it's about functionality, really.
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Angel
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We're in it for the long haul. I guess knowing that we won't be sending the kids to school next year does affect the way we spend our money to some extent. For instance, we decided to spring for some real (discounted) Montessori materials last year when my husband's bonus was more than we expected because a)I didn't have time to make them and b)we knew that with 5 kids age 9 and under (and 3 age 3 and under) some of the materials we wanted needed to be really sturdy.
I think maybe what influences us more than taking things year-to-year or long term is our decision to homeschool all of our children. If we were making decisions year-to-year, child to child, I don't think we would have as many books or manipulatives. On the other hand, we really like books around here, and so maybe we would have just as many if the kids were home one year and at school the next. Who knows.
I have two minds about buying more expensive items for our homeschool. On the one hand, I have at times overbought because I was convinced I would need something for the long haul only to find out that we didn't really need it. And on the other hand, sometimes I have talked myself into buying cheap materials only to have them fall apart or be completely useless based on our decision to homeschool for the long haul. I am now trying to buy fewer manipulatives, kits, gizmos, and books, making sure first that they are of a high quality and will be useful for many children for many years.
--Angela
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SuzanneT
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Hi Dawn,
When we started our homeschooling journey, our goal was to take our young 'uns through middle school and let them decide about high school. Our oldest, ds, will be a junior at a local public high school and is doing very well. Middle dd will be a freshman and has decided to remain at home. In both decisions, sports was factor. Our youngest, dd, 11, has said she will stay with us forever  So, it has varied from child to child. As far as curriculum purchases, its hard to say...there is SO much available now and I love getting packages In general, once I've found something that we like, Math, Spelling, Language Arts, we try to stick with it. The only big purchases we've made over the years has been in books for history and literature. By the way, a friend just purchased a set of encylopedias at a thrift store .50/volume, $12 for the set. They are older, but as my friend said, the Civil War is still the same
Suzanne
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marihalojen
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I definitely take it year-by-year. I know what I want to do if homeschooling for the next 5 years though! But things change and if we find ourselves overseas I can see Marianna attending classes with the main learning objective being the foriegn language and native culture.
As far as purchases go, I try to buy nothing. Last year my total purchases came to $25 for supplies plus the Prairie Primer. This year we'll have supplies again but I won't have my old math book to reuse so am in the market for Saxon 8/7. And I keep looking at the Year One Plans of Tapestry of Grace on e-bay - gosh! $100 and I won't have to think this year! I'm resisting though...Plenty of info on their web-site, I don't need the book too and I'll stay more on top of Marianna's needs and desires if I don't have a checklist to get caught up in.
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The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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teachingmom
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We are in it for the long haul. Dh and I pretty much made the decision to homeschool before we were married. I don't know how my purchases would differ if we weren't planning on sticking with it throughout all of our children's educational years. I think it makes me do a bit more long term planning, in that my oldest is now about to begin 7th grade, but I am making curriculum decisions with an eye on her high school years already.
I do think, however, that it gives me a lot of peace and helps with my attitude. I don't experience the angst over whether we are doing the right thing, or whether we should just give it all up and send them to school that I read that other homeschooling moms go through periodically. (I'm not talking about moms who have serious reasons such as illness, etc. for send their children to school or who really feel that God is no longer calling them to homeschool. I am thinking of the many moms I know or have heard of who start to feel overwhelmed with teaching multiple children at multiple grade levels or who simply miss time to themselves during the day.) I just work through the challenging times and things always get better. Maybe the attitude of those of us who know we are planning on homeschooling forever is a bit analogous to a Catholic married couple who just KNOW that divorce is not an option, so they approach marital difficulties with a more positive and hopeful attitude than other couples might. Does that make any sense?
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Dawnie
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teachingmom wrote:
| Maybe the attitude of those of us who know we are planning on homeschooling forever is a bit analogous to a Catholic married couple who just KNOW that divorce is not an option, so they approach marital difficulties with a more positive and hopeful attitude than other couples might. Does that make any sense? |
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Wow, Irene, that makes perfect sense! We have been making this decision on a year-by-year basis, and I thought recently that I would have more peace if I just went ahead and made the commitment to homeschool through high school, unless God makes it known that He has something else in mind for us.
Thanks for the anaology!
Dawn
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ALmom
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We made the committment to homeschool through high school at the very beginning - But we did not announce that to anyone else!  Guess I was a bit chicken about getting flack and since our dd was not legally bound to go to school when we started, we just kind of quietly stayed under the radar (didn't hide it, didn't announce it).
I will second Irene's comment about the committment helping us stay the course and weather the storms, even when we felt we weren't doing the best of jobs. We made a greater effort to find out how to improve what we were doing, as we didn't have an option. It's a good thing we had that early understanding because, I am an emotional type and did greet my poor, dh from time to time with the announcement that he needed to fire his teacher, I was done and where was the nearest school. But because we both had made the committment, we both knew this was me mouthing off and not really serious. He'd let me blow off steam and then defuse me with a question or encouragement and, he was sorry to tell me but I wasn't off the hook quite that easily. I was not fired. 
Now in terms of finances and spending - I think it had more to do with the number of dc that would be coming behind (since we were going to homeschool all the dc - however many God gave us)we'd get tons of use out of whatever it was (so I thought)- and also my elusive, naive search for the perfect labor saving way to perfectly educate our dc - if I had the perfect tools, I'd suddenly become the perfect teacher. This had more impact than the committment to keep going in high school. I always justified the new, expensive program that seemed so appealing because all the dc would use it. In my naivetee, I thought once I found the "perfect" curriculum, things would flow smoothly and each child would respond the same way to whatever it was. A lot of money was spent looking for the elusive "perfect" teaching tool. Well surprise, surprise - it doesn't exist, each child is so unique and I've found myself using something different with different dc (a lot) and what works when you are teaching 2, is a disaster when you are teaching 6  . Now I have tons of different things - and am afraid to let go of any of it because the stuff that didn't work at all with dc 1(and that we hated) , turns out to be the perfect ticket for dc 4 and who knows what dc 6 will use. I already miss a few things we actually gave away because we didn't use it with the first 3, and I figured we'd probably never use it.
I will say seeing things first hand is a real help - and would have saved us from some questionable investments in the "things aren't working, this sounds neat panic". I also think accepting the reality that everyone uses less than perfect materials, are less than perfect teachers at least in some areas right from the start would have helped me - less pressure on myself and more acceptance that we just have to make the best of it. That is one piece of advice I always give new homeschooling parents - you can talk to a thousand homeschoolers and get 1000 favorites - just ask to look at the favorites. Homeschooling at our house sounds wonderful when you talk to me on a good day - it sounds like everything is always smooth sailing and our children are motivated all the time and ... - you just don't see us on our bad days - we don't generally publicize that - it doesn't make good copy, but remember when you have a bad day - it is normal whether you homeschool or not!.
We have a lot of the stuff in our home library and invite people to browse and borrow and use it (if we are not at the moment) to see how it works for them. Nothing is likely to be perfect - and no matter what you do it is plenty of work - but you find what is easiest for you to work with, and go with it and do the best you can - asking God to help guide all those decisions. I wish I'd borrowed more curriculum early on till I really new what I needed - as I think curriculum helps have a lot more to do with mom/teacher than with dc.
Oh, that was the other panic - when I first started, there really weren't any Catholic providers or publishers like there are now - so if I found a resource, it was generally out of print or going out of print and if it looked good, and we didn't get it right then, it might not be there next week. Gee, I wonder if Panic has more to do with how much we spend! Of course, within a year of buying all these out of print books, someone came along and reprinted them .
Janet
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Erin
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teachingmom wrote:
| We are in it for the long haul. Dh and I pretty much made the decision to homeschool before we were married. |
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Hey Irene
We also made this decision back then
Another factor besides the longer haul decision is multiple children. I have a friend who is far more strict with herself as what to buy as she is buying for only one child, so therefore has to really justify a purchase. Whereas I can spread my cost over a number of children.
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Karen E.
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Dawn,
Although I always tell people that we're taking this one year at a time, I always add that as long as God keeps providing, we'll keep doing it. I'm committed to doing it through high school as long as we can keep meeting the needs of our children. I'm confident that God *will* keep providing, as He's done such a beautiful job so far.
I guess that knowing I *want* to homeschool all the way through helps when it comes to making a purchase, though we operate on a fairly tight budget no matter what. But, I think having that commitment in your heart helps you to make good decisions.
And, "frugal" doesn't always mean "cheap" -- it can also mean a good investment. Something like reference books will be used no matter where your children go to school.
One other thing: I always check my favorite sources for used stuff before buying new. I like CathSwap and Half.com, Get Cheap Books and of course, E-bay.
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God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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Bookswithtea
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We planned from the beginning to be in it for the long haul. Once we revisited that decision butit was only briefly because we feel that this is how God wants our children to be educated. It is very much like the "no divorce option."
I overbuy curriculum.  I'm addicted. This summer I have decided that I am going to try to sell some of the overflow! That said, I buy what I need for the next year, and I buy used when I can for things I am seriously considering using in the next 2-3 years. I especially like to buy ahead when its something I feel I need to preread. I like to have plenty of time to get to it. I don't usually feel even remotely guilty about living book purchases. Its the textbooks (and math curriculum) that I plan to use and then end up not using that shout at me in my nightmares "wasted money...wasted money..." 
Dh is very sweet about it, though. He says its all a learning experience, and since hsing is new and the options are myriad, there are going to be some mistakes along the way. Gosh I love him.
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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saintanneshs
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Dawn,
We are planning to hs through high school but that seems so far down the road right now! I love what Irene wrote about Catholic marriage (and commitment) requiring a different, more positive outlook when problem arise. Kudos for that analogy, Irene!  I hadn't thought about it that way before. When I do think of it, though, I keep remembering what Elizabeth said in a post a while ago, about how h'sing in high school leaves room for passion...that really stuck with me.
As far as purchases go, my chicks are so close in age that when I do spend it's mostly on living books and manipulatives and art supplies, all usuable by everyone at one point or another (until the paints dry up or run out, that is!) So usually, I'm not making purchases with the high school years in mind. My past attempts at over-planning the future have left me so frustrated that I thought I was planning the right thing and when we actually got there things weren't quite what I imagined. So I try not to get ahead of myself anymore. I do like to look at upper level curriculum and peek at some of the posts on the high school board, wondering if I'll even remember half of what I've saved from other moms' posts! I do think about it though. Last year I did purchase the Home School in the Woods timeline figures with the intent that the dc will be using them all the way through hs, even if we don't start now.
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Kristine
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TracyQ
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We made the decision to homeschool for as long as the Lord called us to, but really felt strongly that He was calling us to it for the long haul from the beginning.
Once we decided, we homeschooled without re-evaluating through 8th grade, then went through the process of praying about high school, and asking for clear discernment, just in case the Lord had other plans.
It was clear that He wanted us to continue. Jake will be going into his 11th grade year, and Zach into his 9th, so we're in it for the long haul it would seem!
You know the feeling you get when you first decide to homeschool? You know, those butterfly feelings because you're scared? You get them ALL over again when you decide to homeschool through high school, only mulitiplied by a gazillion!
And they STAY there this time!!!!
It's a constant placing my trust at the feet of Jesus every single day when it comes to homeschooling through high school, knowing my primary goal is not to prepare them for college, but to prepare them for heaven. I can see that more and more as these tenuous years in their life come to fruition. 
But God is good, and knows MUCH better than I, so I'm so glad I listened to Him!
As far as purchases go, I go year by year with those, but keep in mind sometimes that much of what I buy can go through three kids, making it much easier to spend the money for. Curriculum for high school is so much more expensive!  A bad curriculum purchase for high school is much more *costly* to me now, so I am much more careful when purchasing.
I hope this helps with what you're asking.
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Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Martha
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I agree with Irene!
Knowing we are in this for the long haul does affect some decisions.
For example, I know I want them to be able to take dual enrollment at the local colleges, so I don't want to buy a house to far from those.
Also, if I know I want to be at xyz place in their education at a certain point, I can tailor their education along the way to get to that point. That can be hard to do year by year sometimes.
I'm becomming very strict about my spending on materials. I've found I can get by with less than I thought years ago. Also, something may be great for 1 or more of them now, but not a kid down the line. Or I may just be gosh awful sick of doing that same thing year after year and need to try something different for my sake. Curriculum is always an evolving thing in my house. But knowing we're committed to this has kept me committed to some materials/methods so we stay on track to meet our goals.
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Willa
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I guess that for us, once we realized the Church's understanding of the parents' responsibility and right to provide for their kids' Catholic education -- that made it simple. Basically, we would be "homeschoolers" even if one of our kids went to school for some reason. Their education would still be our ultimate responsibility even if we delegated some of it to someone else. That's just a Catholic thing, not a homeschool thing.
That probably seems obvious but wasn't at ALL to me when I first started having kids, before I converted. I had it almost backwards and basically thought my job was to just keep them alive and healthy until their school years when I'd hand them over and do my best to make their home life conducive to success "out there".
Most of the things I would add to our family collection, like Catholic catechism or literary classics or saints bios I would add even if the kids were going to school. Since my oldest and second son DID homeschool throughout high school, I do now have various textbooks I wouldn't have bought otherwise.
We did those year by year, NOT because we weren't sure whether to keep homeschooling year by year, but because no matter how the kids are educated I think it's important to keep a discerning spirit and approach the curriculum decisions as we go along. Kids start differing so much as they reach that age. The oldest got into classical languages, which the second one didn't. But the second one devours living science and history books, and the third has developed strong interests in music which means we are adding to our musical center as we can afford it.
I couldn't have foreseen this in the early years so I guess back then we just focused our budget on general "family culture" -- a bit of everything around the house, and more of what someone in the family had developed a closer relationship with.
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Willa
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Elizabeth
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teachingmom wrote:
I do think, however, that it gives me a lot of peace and helps with my attitude. I don't experience the angst over whether we are doing the right thing, or whether we should just give it all up and send them to school that I read that other homeschooling moms go through periodically. (I'm not talking about moms who have serious reasons such as illness, etc. for send their children to school or who really feel that God is no longer calling them to homeschool. I am thinking of the many moms I know or have heard of who start to feel overwhelmed with teaching multiple children at multiple grade levels or who simply miss time to themselves during the day.) I just work through the challenging times and things always get better. Maybe the attitude of those of us who know we are planning on homeschooling forever is a bit analogous to a Catholic married couple who just KNOW that divorce is not an option, so they approach marital difficulties with a more positive and hopeful attitude than other couples might. Does that make any sense? |
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That makes perfect sense to me, Irene. Thanks for articulating it so well !
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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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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Long-Term Homeschooling Decisions
