While at the homeschool book store this afternoon, I had a mom ask me, "So there's this math curriculum and that math curriculum and that other one over there. Which one is the best?" We talked for a little while, and I tried to explain that the various features of different curriculums appeal to different people for different reasons. But there is no BEST curriculum! Because the best for one person isn't necessarily the best for another. I think we homeschool moms get so caught up in finding the BEST book or program or method, hoping that if we find it we are guaranteed success in educating our children, that we lose sight of the fact that all these things are TOOLS which we use to accomplish our goals.

We should be asking, "Is this TOOL something that I would enjoy using? Does it include the things that are important in mastering this subject? Can I use this TOOL in the way that is most effective for my helping my child learn? Or will we struggle with this style or presentation or content? If so, then it doesn't matter how many other people like using this TOOL. It isn't the right one for us."

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