It's true. My three year love affair with Sonlight is over. The clarity of my misguided affections hit me last night like a bolt from Zeus.
For three years I have drooled over Sonlight's beautiful catalog, dreamed of seeing MY children eagerly opening the Big Box. I actually lobbied Zorak our first year of homeschooling to let me order from Sonlight. He, in his sage manner ("WHAT?!?! You've got to be kidding me! No.") felt we ought to peruse other options.
So, I deferred to his wisdom and went about our business, pining in secret for all those beautiful books. I also continued to cough up the five dollars for a catalog each ensuing year. Meanwhile, though, schooling continued. Language Arts, Mathematics, History, Science, Music, Foreign Language filled our days (and many harried evenings as I figured out what I was doing!) I love what we're doing. The boys love what we're doing. Zorak loves what we're doing. We've got a good thing going! Still, though, when someone would mention "Sonlight", I'd emit an audible sigh. I still really, really wanted to buy it.
Well, last night I was reading Tammy's review blog and saw her reminder that the Sonlight deadline for a quick delivery is fast approaching. I don't know what clicked or why, but there was no sigh. There was no winsome image bobbing about in my head. No more Sonlight envy!
Why? Because I wouldn't give up Math-U-See for their math. You couldn't pay me to stop using The Writing Road to Reading. I love, love, love The Story of the World. Charlotte Mason's approach to science for young ones is gentle, exploratory, efficient and enjoyable- not letting go of that one, either! Prima Latina is a fine, wonderful fit for us. What does that leave for Sonlight to offer us? It's a good curriculum for some, but it doesn't really offer us anything. Nothing but...
BOOKS! (This is the a-ha moment of clarity, folks.) I don't want the Sonlight curriculum at all! I just want to purchase $400 worth of BOOKS every year for the next fifteen years! Ha-ha! There you have it- the superego has been unveiled. All this time spent pining for something that wasn't the solution at all. How silly.
NOW, how to convince Zorak that this is a good idea...
3 comments:
Gasp! I'm not alone! I crave the books. But I also crave the promise of planned out success. No more scrabbling to think up what we're doing next week. Sonlight, with its slick catalogue full of assurances and quotes from oh-so-happy parents, offers the promise of a perfect, planned day where the kids beg to work and I smile with patience all day long...
That was me. Sarah.
I've gone back and forth over Sonlight as well to come to the realization that is is also the books I crave. I was thankful I was not drinking coffee when I read this:
"BOOKS! (This is the a-ha moment of clarity, folks.) I don't want the Sonlight curriculum at all! I just want to purchase $400 worth of BOOKS every year for the next fifteen years! Ha-ha! There you have it- the superego has been unveiled"
Otherwise I would be paying big money for a new computer screen if I could not clean all the coffee off. We are so in sync here. Books are my downfall - we finally moved to a home that has enough space for our home library and I've already filled all the shelves. I love www.alibris.com and our library often has used books for sale and as everyone is tripping over themselves to get to the newest clifford books they somehow overlook the classics that Sonlight and FIAR would recommend and the nice living books of CM. WE also have coffeeshops that have book exchanges and can often find some treasures there as well.
Good luck convincing him to spend more money on books and happy finding them.
Peace,
Tenn
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