It has been a little over a month since my son, and I have started this journey. And it’s been a learning experience for the both of us. It has been an eye-opening time learning from what I thought would work, and discovering what actually does. We are currently using an online curriculum called Monarch. So far we’ve experienced some clear pros and cons.
Pros
- Student pace– Based on how often you’ve chosen to schedule each subject throughout the week, your child sets the pace. It’s a bonus for us because my son excels in a number of areas. We don’t have to remain in any one area of study long then is necessary. And if there is any area of struggle we can slow down and focus on it. And his overall school calendar will adjust accordingly.
- Grading– Another great bonus I receive from using this program is from the automatic grading. There are a reasonable number of assignments covered each day. And instead of being stuck reading through and grading paper after paper it does majority of it. There are the occasion essays that have to be manually graded, but it’s a manageable amount. This program also keeps records at your fingertips. And you can choose between looking at individual assignments grade, or subjects as a whole.
- Learning Materials– Another factor that my son enjoys about this program is that it’s not a traditional textbook teaching. Of course, there is material for him to read. But that’s in addition to visual aids like pictures, videos, and interactive games. This provides him a few different ways to learn the material while making it fun.
- Homeschool Anywhere– When researching which curriculum to use, I’ll say that this ‘pro’ helped put it over the top. I love the idea of being able to go on vacation without taking a break from schooling. I plan to homeschool year round, and wanted materials/lessons that would allow us to do so (especially because not all of our children are homeschool). Carrying a laptop and charge will clearly be easier than lugging books and binders from place to place.
Clearly, there have been some real pros to this type of homeschooling, but we’ve also run into a few cons as well.
- Hands off for parents– For some of you this may actually go in the pro column. But I’ve come to realize that I want to be more hands on then this program permits. My goal is for my child to be an independent learner, but I do enjoy participating. From general guidance to lectures on each subject. So it was a little disappointing to find out I would be more of a facilitator.
- Glued to the screen– Your child will be at a desk and on their computer for all if its curriculum. I’ve chosen to have my son, for example, do math exercise on the white board. And occasional we have discussions, which is just us stretched out like cats on the sofa talking about his lesson. But that isn’t much movement either. My son doesn’t mine it, so it appears to be a con only to me.
- No Crafts– 60% of assignment are multiple choice, 15% writing essays. And 5% researching/studying, and to remainder are quizzes and test. Which can be a little dry, especially if your child doesn’t enjoy writing. I’m not a big crafty/Pinterest mom. And I don’t miss the hours spent on my kid’s science project, but I believe it’s important that a child has a well-rounded experience. So I again found myself trying to tie in field trips, projects, and other crafts into our weekly schedule. I’m simply the type of mom who would like this kind of stuff scheduled and planned for me.
I know everyone says it takes about a year to get things down (homeschool wise), so I’m sure between now and then I’ll be running hot and cold about this curriculum. So if you’re looking for material that fits your family needs, I wish you good luck. What works for one family, or even one child, may not for another. So my overall verdict about Monarch. If you have children who are comfortable using a computer and navigating the web then this maybe the curriculum for you.