It’s worth it. Do with less if you have to and raise your own children. Make it a priority. It makes a difference! If not, someone else’s values and beliefs will be your child’s values and beliefs - plus kids need you. They really don’t want paid strangers who really don’t care about them pretending they care about them. No one is a effective as YOU, as their Mom. Off the soap box! ;)
One last comment ... the other day my daughter told me about a dilemma ... ;) and she told me, “Mom, I heard you in my head saying NOT to do .... and I didn’t ... then went on to say I make her nuts!!!!! :)
“How do you feel about Shurley English? This is my second year using it. Its great they are learning how to diagram sentences, but I’m not sure it is helping their writing.”
It’s okay ... dry but effective. I’d like to see her not doing labeling above the word, and a “pattern” thingie but rather the visual diagramming that looks like a horizontal branch with words hanging off of it - that’s how I learned diagramming. They won't be changing that ... I don't like the other books I've seen on grammar ... too many games and the "must be fun mentality" doesn't work for me. Sometimes learning is WORK and they might as well realize that.
It won’t help them with penmanship. They use Zaner Blosser for printing and cursive. They have books for each. Starting this month they must use cursive all the time rather than the option of printing or cursive.
That sounds like a great school. I agree, I learned diagraming the way you did. I had to take an essay I wrote and diagram it. I then realized how badly even I wrote! When you can’t figure out how to diagram one of your sentences, its a bad deal.
Yah, this year I have cut back on Shurley, and going back to six trait writing. I still have taught the jingles and up to object of the preposition but thats it. The principal is okay with this, I am just suppose to still teach the jingles because the 8th grade teacher is only using the jingles.
“I don’t like the other books I’ve seen on grammar ... too many games and the “must be fun mentality” doesn’t work for me. Sometimes learning is WORK and they might as well realize that.”
Agreed!!! Stop the laziness!!