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CM Organizer…is it worth the price?
- This topic has 25 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 3 months ago by
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Hello,
I’m Julie and new here. Was wondering if some of you using this could give me the pros and cons. Don’t really want another monthly expense, BUT if it truly could help me get organized than I would do it.
Thanks.
I have been using the CM Organizer for the past two months, and I must say that it is an outstanding service. It has certainly made our record keeping a much easier task, especially if you use the books that have already been entered into the CM Organizer. If you add your own resources, it can take a bit of time. Like last night I entered all the lessons from “Exploring Creation with Zoology 3 – Land Animals of the Sixth Day”. It got to be a bit much after entering countless lessons with titles like, “Order Notoryctemorphia” and “Order Didelphimorphia”! Made me greatly appreciate all the time and effort that has gone into the CM Organizer and all the lessons they have already added to it!
Is it worth the $100.00 I paid to use it this year? At the moment I would say, “Yes”. Will it be worth it for me to pay $100.00 every year to continue using it? Well,considering my youngest is in first grade, that means by the time it’s all said and done I will have spent $1200.00 for the program. It’s something I’m going to have to consider. At the moment, I’m not sure I would continue with it. I wish SCM would consider offering a substantial discount for repeat customers, for it is truly an amazing resource! It has blessed me tremendously!
For me, it is more than worth the cost. I have saved many hours per week from what I had been doing, to schedule and record keep for three students. Even then I was always forgetting or losing something. Planning for the next week took me an average of two to four hours–time I now can spend on something else. Two hours a week, times perhaps 36 weeks–that’s 72 hours I’m saved per year. $100 for that, seems a paltry sum. 🙂 I make $10 an hour at my dh’s business when I go in to help; at that rate, I can make $720 for the $100 the Organizer costs me. LOL
Also, I set up my whole year’s work this year, my second using the Organizer, in just two days. Last year it took me longer. The longer I use the Organizer, the quicker I get and the more ways I can see to save my time and still have nice records at the end of the year. I made a transcript for my oldest son using last year’s records and it was a breeze!
It’s definitely worth it for me. Not to mention it is so intuitive and easy to use. All thumbs up here. 🙂
This organizer is well worth the cost. My dh, who is the most frugal man I have ever met, jumped at the chance for us to subscribe to this service. I am the unorganized sort. I get things done, but by the end of the year, I couldn’t tell you what we did. Also, I would buy a paper planner and get everything set for the year and then one student would fall behind while one jumped ahead. I flipped through that dumb paper planner and couldn’t make heads or tails of where my four kiddos were or where they were headed.
Now, I print off a sheet each morning that is tailored to each individual child. This has been a HUGE blessing in our family and reduced much stress. Also, a side benefit that I didn’t anticipate, my kiddos are learning to take ownership of their work. They have a sheet in front of them with check marks and they decide what to do next… we still have standard family time for certain subjects. However, I woke up the other morning and my seven year old proudly held her day-old sheet up and told me that she completed all her chores and her new handwriting and math (by 7:30 in the morning)! For someone who is not naturally organized this has truly been a gift from God. I now feel confident that I could produce documentation to the state, if it was required and even better, I can get to the end of the year and see all that we’ve done.
God bless whoever thought of all this to help people like me…
Jen
I have only been using this a little while, but I can say that it has had added benefits that I did not count on. I am a CM/unschooler and I add EVERYTHING I have in my house to the planner–games, books, DVD’s,memory work, etc. My daily log is enormous! It did take many hours to go through and add things in, but now I only add a few things in a week. Now I can go in once or twice a week and check off whatever each kid has been spending the most time on. Then every month I print off a log of what each child did. I evaluate what may be lacking and “encourage” them to work on those areas with a resource of their choosing.
I used to be a very typical school-at-home with CM flavor, but since I started using this site to log what my kids actually do I have found they do far MORE on their own than I ever made do before without my having to be the organizer extraordenaire (ok I have no clue how to spell that LOL).
Caroline
This is my first year using the organizer and it’s working great for us! I used a different organizer last year and it was alot more work. For instance, if our scheduled changed for the day and we did something a little different, it was alot of work to go in and change all the dates. You don’t have to do that with the CM organizer. You just check off the date you did a lesson and the next lesson pops up. No changing dates!!! It’s great and a time saver!
Blessings,
Susan
Thanks all for the responses…coming back a little late here. I am needing some organization so I think I’m gonna try this!
This is my second year using the Organizer and I love it more than ever. I also listed myself as a student so I organize my activities here too. I don’t know how we survived with out it for so long. $10/month to be organized, most people probably waste more than that on soda or coffee a month.
I am combining 4 Sonlight Cores and everything is going smoothly thanks to the Organizer.
To quote Sue in MN: “I also listed myself as a student so I organize my activities here too.”
What a brilliant idea! Thanks.
This is a very old thread. Are any of the original posters still using the CMO? I’m curious as to the long range picture and if it just keeps on getting better and better. ;0) It sounds like a dream.
Becca<><
I’m not an old poster…. and only started using the organizer last March (but entered in most of what we did that schoolyear… so in a way we have used it kind-of for a year and a half….) And I’m still loving it! And it does keep getting better as they add improvements!
This is only my second week using the organizer. Honestly, my kids are getting more done, with less work on my part, than before. I had been filling out weekly grids for them, and it was really time consuming. I’d also forget to add somethings, and was just usually frustrated. The organizer has been really helpful! I’m only using the free trial right now, but I anticipate spending the money to continue. I had thought I might also look into another online planner, but I really like the way this “flexes” with life. If we miss something I know it will come back around the next time it’s scheduled without me having to remember it. I do wish there were an priceing option for those who think they will use it long-term, but it’s still worth it for me right now.
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