When Curriculum Fails

What do you do when an expensive curriculum program just isn't working? You hate to just toss it after spending half your school budget on it, but your children are complaining of being tortured by said program, and quite frankly they aren't learning a thing.

My advice? Get rid of it. Sometimes it is best to take the loss. Better to chalk it up to a lesson learned, than force something that is not working.

The good news is that you can get back some of your money by selling it. Just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean that it won't work for another family. Many local homeschool support groups and homeschooling conferences these days have used book sales where you may sell your curricula on consignment. Or you can try the many swap boards on the Internet. (see the sidebar for links)

The first year that I homeschooled someone gave me their phonics program Sing, Spell, Read, and Write - a very expensive program with audio tapes, games, and books. It was a dismal failure for my son. Even though I had obtained it free, it was hard for me to give it up as I knew how much money it cost. However, I finally let go and gave it to a friend who was able to implement it successfully in her homeschool.

And my son did learn to read, using a different, and cheaper, program.