It’s time for another homeschool convention, and I am looking forward to it. My favorite part of a convention is the one-on-one time I spend with parents and students.
Each child is a unique work of art crafted by God, who gave that child specific gifts designed to accomplish a Divine mission. As a parent, you have the awesome responsibility of giving your child the resources he or she needs to develop those gifts to their fullest. I find that I am most effective in helping parents with their responsibilities in these one-on-one conversations.
How Do I Choose the Best Curriculum for My Child?
Inevitably, those conversations revolve around curriculum. One of the greatest things about modern homeschooling is the amazing number of choices you have for curriculum in most subjects. But of course, this plethora of choices immediately leads to the question, “Which one is best for this particular child?”
While this question is important, I would point out two things that make it less important than most parents think.
You Can Always Make a Change
The first one is pretty obvious: If whatever you end up choosing doesn’t work, you can always change. Some parents worry that their children will be “behind” if they quit using the curriculum they started with and are forced to start over with a new curriculum. That’s just not true!
Your goal is not to “get through the book” by the end of the year. Your goal is for your child to learn as much as possible. If your child spends all year struggling with a curriculum that doesn’t work, he or she will almost certainly learn less than if you start all over with a new curriculum, even if you must do so more than once!
You Don’t Have to Cover Everything (and You Won’t!)
This brings me to my second point, which is much more important. It is best illustrated by a homeschool graduate named Nathan. I had the pleasure of speaking with Nathan shortly after he had earned a degree in Electrical Engineering and had secured a job managing a university’s computer network.
In our discussion, he mentioned that when he first got to university, he found that he was behind his peers in math. This surprised him, because he always thought he was good at math. However, his professors expected their students to know certain mathematical topics that Nathan had never studied. I mentioned that you can’t get a degree in Electrical Engineering without being successful in math, so I asked him what happened. His answer was simple yet profound:
“Because homeschooling taught me how to learn independently, I quickly caught up to them.”
That quote encapsulates your mission as a homeschooling parent. It is impossible for a parent, a homeschool co-op, or even a school to cover every academic topic a student needs in order to be successful after graduation. Fortunately, however, you don’t have to. Instead, give your children the ability to learn independently, and even if they find themselves behind, they will quickly catch up!
Don’t Miss the Forest Because of the Trees
Now, don’t get me wrong. Choosing curriculum is important, and you should put a significant amount of time, effort, and money into finding the one that works best for each of your children. But, the focus of your curriculum search (and your decision to switch curriculum midstream if necessary) is not to cover all the necessary topics. It is to give your children the resources they need to develop the most important academic skill of all: independent learning. If you can do that, your children will have all the tools they need to fully develop their God-given gifts.
Dr. Jay L. Wile is a respected author, speaker, and educator with a passion for integrating science and faith. Holding a Ph.D. in Nuclear Chemistry, Dr. Wile has spent over three decades teaching and creating educational materials that communicate scientific principles through a Biblical lens. Known for his work with Berean Builders Homeschool Science, he has developed comprehensive science curricula that help students engage with both the natural world and their Christian beliefs. His dedication to making science accessible and faith-friendly has made him a trusted voice in the homeschooling community.