Homeschool Curriculum Packages: Traditional Education

The traditional method of homeschooling provides text- and workbook-based education similar to what we probably first think of when we think of school. This is because as children we were taught using the traditional method.

A good traditional homeschool curriculum package will take you step by step through each day. Textbooks will be used to provide instructional material. Students will use workbooks and other assignment to obtain and demonstrate mastery of the subject. In most cases, the teacher is able to evaluate the work using a teacher's guide for the material.

Before continuing, it is important to face head on a common and (in our opinion) invalid criticism of traditional curriculum that is commonly heard in the homeschool community. This is that schools use traditional curriculum (particularly workbooks) as nothing more than busy work. It is claimed that teachers use the lessons to keep children occupied while they work on administrative tasks or devote more time to children who need extra help. This is then put forward as an argument against using traditional curriculum at home. While no one disputes this may occur in a formal classroom, this criticism has little relevance in the homeschool setting. Few homeschool classrooms spend significant portions of their day merely killing time. Furthermore homeschool parents do not ignore their children's education to devote more time to other kids.

Advantages >>