How do you deal with Perfect Curriculum Panic?

 

Do you struggle with trying to find the perfect curriculum for your homeschool? Has the following ever happened in your house?

It’s Friday.

You are set to begin school on Monday.

You read on the forum, or on your favorite blog, about such and such curriculum and you begin to sweat. Your heart rate and breathing increase.

Panic sets in.

All the while the question races through your mind, “Is that the perfect curriculum?”

I have been there, friends! As homeschooling moms, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to pick the perfect curriculum for our students.

We have to teach everything, even our weaker subjects. We choose good programs to shore up those spots, but then this shiny new curriculum that we didn’t know about comes to our attention.

It has the potential to set us into a tailspin of doubt.

We start thinking:

Did I make a mistake? 

If it works this good for everyone else, shouldn’t I use it?

It looks like the elusive perfect curriculum and the panic begins to set in...

5 Steps for dealing with Perfect Curriculum Panic

First take a deep breath and then start walking through these 5 steps.

Step 1 - Take into account your process.

Most of us don’t choose curriculum on a whim. Our curriculum choices are well thought out, researched to death, and carefully chosen. Trust in the work you put into selecting that particular program.

Step 2 - Reassure yourself of your qualifications. 

You know your children the best. By working with them every day, you know how your students learn and how you prefer to teach. Trust that this knowledge qualifies you for selecting the curriculum that will work best for your situation.

Step 3 - Understand that no "one-size" fits all.

Let’s face it, not even the one-size fits all t-shirts fit everyone. Why should curriculum be any different? As homeschoolers, we are in a unique position to tailor a program of study that enhances our student’s strengths and builds up his or her weaknesses. This means that no one curriculum will fit every homeschooler’s particular situation. Trust in the understanding that you can mold the curriculum you have chosen to work in your home.

Step 4 - Stop thinking that there is a "perfect" curriculum out there. 

This is my 11th year of homeschooling and I have learned that there is no perfect curriculum that will fit everyone in every situation. Instead, the best curriculum is one that fits your goals and gives you to the tools you need to teach your students. It is one that you use each and every day to educate your children. Trust in your skills as a teacher to use your curriculum tools.

Step 5 - Try what you have selected for a while.

It is possible to make a mistake in a curriculum choice.  But, the only way you will ever know if a curriculum won’t work is to use it. I usually give myself a full semester with a program before discarding it. Trust in investing some time to really see how effective a curriculum is.

Wrapping it Up

So every year as we set out to begin school, I remind myself to have confidence in my choices. I selected them for a very good reason and I am not going to give into Perfect Curriculum Panic.

It is going to be a great year! And I know that yours will be too!