Who doesn’t love the word FREE!!??!! Admittedly FreeCycle is my best friend and I have a piano I got for free to prove it! I’m always thrilled to get hand-me-down clothes for my kids and finding a BOGO sale just makes my day! But when it comes to curriculum, I would think twice before breaking out in my find-a-bargain happy dance. Here is why:
When using free curriculum, you follow the plan prescribed by the company. For example, if I wanted to use one curriculum for math and something different for English, that wouldn’t be an option for many free learning programs. Free curriculum could cost me the ability to pick and choose and build a unique experience for my student.
Of course, someone has paid to produce this curriculum and when you follow their curriculum you are ascribing to their academic standards and values. I would take a good look and ask myself – Is this Common Core? Am I OK with that? Are the academic standards high enough or too rigorous? To what beliefs and values would my child be exposed? Because if I blindly accept any curriculum without delving into these questions, then my free curriculum could cost me control over important aspects of my child’s education.
Many times free programs utilize teachers which can be an excellent resource. However, at times these teachers are assigned so many students that it is difficult for them to keep up. Students might have to wait for teacher response before moving on in their coursework or the teacher may not be available when the student needs him/her. I would look closely into teacher-student ratio before signing on with a free curriculum. Too many students per teacher could mean that this free curriculum could cost my student’s steady progress.
On the flip-side, take a look, for example, at Global Student Network (www.globalstudentnetwork.com). Yes, you will pay for this curriculum, but look what your money will get you:
- The pick of any of the 6 of the best curriculum
- The choice between whether or not your child will work with a certified teacher
- The convenience of online learning
- The benefits of research-based, highly effective education
The ability to have more say in your child’s education is why you left traditional school in the first place. Why give that up? If that is the cost of free curriculum, is it really worth it?
“Free” is great for some things, like used furniture; but other things are worth the investment, namely a child’s education and thus their future.
Copyright © 2014 J. Hoffman / Global Student Network
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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com