As families choose to educate their children at home, “free” online learning opportunities seem so appealing. Many school districts now provide all-inclusive online programs at no cost to families. However, there are considerations when using “free” curriculum.
3 Hidden Costs of FREE Homeschool Curriculum
When using free homeschool curriculum, you follow the plan prescribed by the company or school district. 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 homeschool curriculum could cost you 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. Take a good look and ask yourself – 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? If blindly accepted without delving into these questions, then your free homeschool curriculum could cost you control over important aspects of your 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. Look closely into teacher-student ratio before signing on with a free curriculum. Too many students per teacher could mean that this free homeschool curriculum could cost your student’s steady progress.
GSN – An Excellent Alternative
Now consider Global Student Network. 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 online homeschool 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 homeschool curriculum, is it really worth it?
Some things are worth the investment – namely a child’s education and thus their future. Enroll with GSN today!