Help! MOH, TQ, SCM??? I'm confused.

I have had similar issues deciding and I came across some great scripture.  A friend (Jen) and I started a little study on Jeremiah 6:16 in regards to homeschooling.  I pasted it below.

Jeremiah 6:16   Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls.”  But they said, “We will not walk in it.”

1. Stand
1 Samuel 12:16
Now then, Stand still and see this Great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes.

As we stand by the ways, God will show us His great things.  Instead of running forward we need to wait on Him.

2. Look (seek)
Matthew 6:33
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

As we stand before God we must remember to seek Him first and then these things shall come to us.

3.Ask
James 1:5
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Once we wait upon God and seek Him, then we must ask Him which way to go.  I often forget to seek him for the little things, these are most important though.

4. Walk
1 Peter 2:21
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps

Jeremiah 3:21
Setup for yourself roadmarks, Place for yourself guideposts; Direct your mind to the High way, the way by which you went.  Return, O virgin Israel, return to these cities.

Jesus Christ has shown us the way to walk, we must follow his example.  “Fix our eyes on Jesus”  to guide us and mark the paths.

5. Rest
Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls.

Psalm 46:10
Be still and Know that I am God

So, we must learn from Jesus before we can find Peace or rest.  Jesus took the time everyday to pray and to be still with God.  Spend some time with God where you are still and quiet and listening for His Word.

I have asked that question about what to use so many times and everyone has a different answer.  I get persuaded that this “way” is best and then another person comes along and tells me why “that way” is better.  I end up buying way too much curriculum and not using the majority of it when it doesn’t work out.  So, I think the best advice I could give is for you to ask God.  If you have prayed and feel CM is best for you than go with it.

I use TQ; if your family is now used to learning primarily from good books, narrations with hands-on things added in at your own leisure and preference (if at all), breaking for field trips, etc; then I’d say TQ is for you. Do you know anyone who owns one that you could look thourhg or dso you have a homeschool store nearby so you could browse through it before purchasing? One really good thing is one TQ GUide covers 2-3 years, so financially it’s better and very little “teacher stuff” to do, as you had described above w/MOH. TQ allows for your own pace; which is good if you like that freedom, not good if you need the structure of someting like MOH. I would go nuts having someone else’s curriculum telling me what to do every week, adding more pressure. I like that I can use her guidance on the pages and thbe book recommendations, pick my own spine and pick other books instead of the ones she recommends; but still I have a guide. That’s all I want. The good books will do the teaching, I just want a guide to keep me moving in a specific direction.

Your post wasn’t clear on WHY you are turned off by MOH now versus your motivation to purchase it in the first place. Does that make sense? Are you holding on to the structure or the stuff you’ve put into it? Knowing why you lean towards something tells you alot about your teaching preference style and lifestyle and will help you make the better decisions regarding purchases. For example, I get a nice feeling when I read how ladies I know get a new Unit Study and what they’re are accomplishing through it and I look at their post where they bought it, reading all about it; and for a moment, I consider it…then I remember that I despise unit studies and I click off the page. If you’re holding on to the structure, be encouraged that you still have structure w/CM and the TQ guide; to me the difference is you plan the structure and pace of it as opposed to someone else doing it; add a spine and the numerous books, those read aloud and read independantly by your children, will provide what you need. Throw in a good wall map, some atlases, a BOC, a history hands-on kit, like Hearts and HAnds or Time Travelors, maybe some bios/documentaries about people in history (what kind dependant on ages) and you’re pretty much set, IMO. I must also give a plug for the historical Your Story Hour Series for world and American stories, Living Principles of America for awesome American History, and Diane Waring’s CD’s What in the World’s Going on Here? All excellenmtly priced at Library Educaitonal Resources. I’m a history freak so I like our family to be immersed in it; they request these resources.

As for what you’ve already put into it; perhaps you could sell it as a used kit and someone would be happy to buy it from you who won’t have to put in that time since you did! You definitely won’t need flashcards for TQ, but may want the maps for the BOC.

Hope I have helped and not said too much,

Rachel

I use them together.  My kids like to read….A LOT….so I enjoy having the bountiful book choices that TQ offers.  I always mark all of the SCM books in my TQ guides with a highlighter, so I know I am covering all the necessary topics.  Everything else is gravy.   I also really like Michelle Miller’s commentary; it just pulls it all together for me. 

On a side note, I have to say that I enjoy reading the MOH books.  I use them as an intro read and then we really dive in.

Heather