We’ve been homeschooling for about 9 years now, and every year I tend to overthink my homeschool curriculum choices. This year has been worse than usual. For one, my oldest is starting high school (hear me hyperventilating?) and, with all the COVID limitations, I’ve had far more time to think and rethink and rethink again.
Don’t get me wrong, researching the right curriculum takes time; that’s perfectly normal. There is a normal part of gathering facts, reading reviews, and previewing samples that comes with wise shopping. But when I begin to rethink and second guess the items in my cart, not because of facts, but because of my own fears and insecurities, I’m overthinking.
So if you just can’t bring yourself to click that “purchase” button, or you’ve replanned your homeschool year for the hundredth time, how do you stop overthinking your homeschool curriculum choices and move on? Here are a few reminders that help me.
Tips for NOT Overthinking your Homeschool Curriculum Choices
Don’t give your curriculum too much credit (for success or for failure). Homeschool curriculum is a tool. While a good tool helps to produce a good result, there’s more to it than that. Having the right tools definitely helps, no doubt about it. But I can still make a decent dinner with less than stellar kitchen equipment. And you can still have a successful homeschool year, no matter what you’ve chosen to purchase. Curriculum is our starting point, but it doesn’t determine the outcome of the whole year.
Don’t assume there’s no way out (or around or through). When my cursor is hovering over that purchase button and I’m terrified about choosing the “wrong” books, it helps me to remember that nothing is final. Every curriculum I’ve ever bought I end up adjusting to fit my vision for the year and my objectives for my kids. Some curriculum we’ve had to quit after a few weeks or set aside or modify. But there hasn’t been a single year when we couldn’t homeschool because I made a purchase that didn’t work out. There’s always a way to work with what you have.
Don’t make your purchases an ultimatum for yourself or your student. Yes, curriculum can be expensive. But please don’t tell yourself (or your child) that you have to finish every single page no matter what. Give yourself freedom to learn from failures, to experiment, to make adjustments, and to try again. No experience is wasted if you learn from it. Maybe you’ll need to supplement your purchases with some free resources from Pinterest. Maybe your friend will have something that didn’t work for her and will be willing to make a trade. Even if, in the worst-case scenario, your curriculum purchase is not what you hope it will be, it might be exactly the right choice for you to discover what you need to know about yourself, your child, or your goals.
Don’t assume “today” will be every day. It happens more often than I’d like, that first week of high hopes and perfect curriculum plans that crashes into a dismal smoldering mess. And my temptation is to head to my Amazon cart. Yet, I have to remind myself that today is just today. If that first attempt is not all that I hope it will be, that doesn’t mean the whole year is destined for failure. It just means we had a rough day. What teacher out there hasn’t had a rough day? No matter who you are or where you teach, it happens. You learn from it and you move on. And our kids learn valuable lessons by watching how we handle those less than perfect days—because they face them, too.
Don’t assume you are alone or doing this in your own strength. Pray for God’s wisdom and strength. Pursue community and friendship with others on this journey. But never assume you are the only one having trouble with this. Finding the support you need for your journey has never been easier with the internet and social media. (Not sure where to look? Message me through my website and I’ll help you get connected.) God never intended for us to do this alone, without Him or without others.
Choosing your homeschool curriculum is a big decision, whether it’s your first year or your twentieth. Those fears and insecurities can be paralyzing if we don’t face them with truth and grace.
Still need some more encouragement about choosing homeschool curriculum? Read 5 more ways to conquer your fears about buying curriculum.
