MY RESPONSE: 👉 It appears as if this video offended people, that was never my intent. The entire purpose of this video was to show that even I, a Seasoned Homeschool Mom, Former Teacher, Homeschool Evaluator, Influencer, even after all these "titles", I can succumb to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and second guess myself as a parent and my understanding of what works for our home. I am only an imperfect human, who honestly purchased the curriculum for the wrong reasons. This video was originally meant to be a video on how excited I was to try out this curriculum, because I hear so many good things. But as I examined it, it only confirmed that I did know what was best for my kids. There are two things I do want stress after reading through the comments: 1) I do not hate people who attend The Church of Latter-Day Saints. I just simply disagree with their faith. Even though that was not my main reason wanting to not use TGATB, viewers still took offense. 2) I do not hate The Good and The Beautiful Curriculum. It just wasn't right for me and my family. It's a solid curriculum and many families of all faiths homeschool successfully with it. It was just not right with me. I've even evaluated many homeschool families who use it and I see amazing results (one way I got FOMO). Now those two points mentioned above, this was NOT what my video was about. Also, as you may notice, I love the fact that we all get to choose what is best for our kids. Whether it be IEW, The Good and The Beautiful, Gather Round, ABEKA, or Masterbooks. Every family is unique and demand different needs. Just because I didn't think it would work for us, that doesn't mean it won't work for you.
I think you were totally fair with your review. I really appreciate hearing the opinion from those who have actually worked in the school system. Do you have a review video on IEW? I keep seeing their name and am really curious about their program.
You’re very diplomatic and it’s obvious to me you go out of your way to speak the truth in love. Some people seem to look for ways to be offended. You provide so much to your community, the least we can do is give you the benefit of any doubt. Thank you much!
I haven't been around long but I don't see this kind of outrage at ANY other curriculum. How come people can say they don't like/use Life of Fred or Apologia or > insert curriculum here < and it's no big deal but people grab their torches and pitchforks when it's TGTB?? It's truly bizarre.
I've tried other curriculums and nothing has worked for us like TGTB. I am Pentecostal and find nothing Mormon in any of the materials. I use TGTB for all subjects and am so completely satisfied with it. I appreciate how "God" centered this curriculum is and how much it has helped my kids when nothing else was working. I sincerely appreciate Mrs. Jenny Phillips and her team for all their hard work for bringing to us all material that focuses on God and that is truly pure and beautiful. ❤
I could have have wrote this comment myself. I’ve spent soooo much money on pretty much every curriculum. Tgtb is the only thing that works for us. Also I really enjoy teaching it. I love everything about it.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I want to emphasize that we really want Jesus Christ to stay in our name. We believe in Jesus and only He can save us. I apologize if this has already been said. I haven’t read through all the comments. And for the curriculum, it focuses on God and is non-denominational in nature. It may not have been that way in the early stages years ago, but that’s because she originally made the curriculum just for her family. Thanks for putting together a video to go over the materials. I think we all just want to inform and help each other. ❤️
It is so sad that so many people are rejecting her curriculum due to her faith that isn't present in her curriculum, but I am happy for you that you realized you are doing enough without it.
It is sad. I'm so tired of seeing religion divide people. In my eyes, as long as all roads lead back to God who cares what religion you follow? Religions were created by man, Not God. In our household we are Spiritual but not religious and I cannot wait to start this curriculum next year with my daughter!
I bet if home school parents really knew the beliefs and practices of various curriculum writers, they'd not know what to choose. I've used TGTB pre-K, K, levels 1 and 3, and there is not one thing that conflicts with my Christian faith. I've home-schooled two in the late 90's and early 2000's using Abeka and LLATL, and now I help my daughters choose curriculum and assist with tutoring when they have to work. We all love TGTB!
We use the good and the beautiful and we love it. We are not Mormon. We are Christian. I haven’t found anything in it, so far, that anyone could call controversial. That being said I appreciate your honest opinion. You had many great points! There is not a one size fits all curriculum out there. What works beautifully for one will not work for another.
We have been so blessed by the quality and affordability of The Good and the Beautiful. I have never found anything outside of Christian theology in it. God bless!
I’m a conservative Christian, Pentecostal. I’ve done level 2 and 3 and have loved every bit of math and language arts. This curriculum is a basic Christian beliefs. We switched from abeka and have loved this curriculum
I absolutely love the good and the beautiful. There is nothing Mormon in it. I’ve looked everywhere and it’s literally perfect. So easy to teach and fun. My kids and I adore it.
@@tahirasbs it was created by a white woman, so yes, naturally it may feel “white washed”. That being said, they are taking active steps to diversify their products. They are constantly changing and updating their curriculum (currently History is being rewritten) and are working with a team to make sure every family feels included. They are literally the only curriculum company I’ve heard of that listens to their customers, take their concerns seriously, and adapts to be better.
I think one of the big concerns Christians have with this curriculum is that just by being Mormon-based, they are required by the church to tithe 10%, so that money from the profits goes to the Mormon church. But that said, anything we use that isn't overtly Christian might have objectionable donations from profits (i.e., we use Reading Eggs, Dreambox, Easy Grammar, etc.). I'm really torn on this issue. In the last reworking of the curriculum, there was yoga mixed into the lower levels with the spelling, and this is a huge issue for me. I don't see it in the new edition of level 5, but I don't know if it's still in the lower levels.
Thank you for your honesty and your informative presentation. I appreciate that you stand firm in your beliefs. Your video shows that you are willing to take risks and make the appropriate adjustments that will best serve your children. Your family is blessed to have you!
Honestly haven’t heard anything that should’ve caused offence!!! People are too quick to get offended 🤷🏽♀️ people are allowed their opinions especially when expressed in a respectful way, I like your reviews 😀
Thank you so much for making this video and sharing transparently! I have followed you for about a year. I too have friends who use and love the good and the beautiful and have also seen plenty of internet "influence" about how amazing it is. I've over and over wondered if I'm really missing out, looked at the scope and sequence multiple times etc and academically it seems pretty sound. However, for the same reasons you shared I have simply had the same gut feeling as a Christian. I know for the most part there doesn't seem to be much that is blatantly Mormon, but I simply haven't felt good about it and that really is a good enough reason not to use it. I think those gut feelings are often God given. I also appreciate that you left in your thoughts on it academically but transparently shared your feelings. This has really helped me see that it's okay to be okay with how we're currently doing things and I'm not missing out. I wasn't sure if I "needed" to just try it or not. I am going to skip it. Thank you, thank you!
I loved this video! And yes, it can be easy to get into the FOMO because of social media. Sometimes we really just have to separate from the noise in order to make the best decision for your kids. We started with alllll things TGTB and have now transitioned to only using their handwriting (at least for this year).
I did the same thing as you a few years ago and it just didn't sit right. We did maybe 2 lessons and I sold it. Thank you for your honest opinion. It is greatly appreciated. God bless ❤
There is a lot of hype around this curriculum, and I find the TGTB camp can be overly defensive when people speak on their own PERSONAL reasons for not using it. We tried it for Kindergarten, and it did not work for us. My daughter would burst into tears every time the books came out. We switched to something completely different, and she is much happier. It's 100% ok if your religious convictions keep you from using the curriculum. That's one of the main reasons people homeschool. Freedom to choose whatever materials fit our beliefs and needs. The fact that TGTB followers practically bully people for following their convictions is baffling.
I completely agree with your comment I would also add the recent videos I saw from My Busy Bee and Me yt channel and other videos regarding tgtb with some of the African American hs moms were quite interesting on why they’re not using the curriculum and can’t support curriculum that isn’t inclusive or diverse with people and families of color! I can’t support the good and the beautiful.
@@jessie19painter Unfortunately, people have jumped to conclusions before the course in question was even released. I haven't seen that particular course, but most of the outrage came from the wording of one promo video. No one had actually seen the curriculum before they jumped online and lambasted them. People can make what they want of that, but I personally do not level accusations of racism, discrimination, or any other serious allegation without actual evidence of such.
Having used TGTB for all ages up to 7th grade so far, I definitely believe that TGTB is too intense for K. Way too intense! Upper levels are fantastic but not K (in my opinion) There’s a lot of defensiveness in TGTB camp, Masterbooks camp, and Gather Round Camp. It’s all a little crazy 🤪
I have seen nothing at all objectionable in TGATB Science units. I’m looking into other subjects. I am a Believer in Jesus. I completely disagree with what the Mormons believe. But I’ve found nothing Mormon in any of the 5 or 6 units I have . The units are so beautiful and extremely well written. I probably won’t do LA because I use IEW also and I use Spelling Power and a easy Grammar. These are working for me. I watched the constitution review video by Ashley and the lady who wrote it. I. Really didn’t even understand what people were objecting to. What was the controversy actually about? I was really confused by the objections. And what Mormonism did you see?
There were a couple of buzz words. For example she revered to Constitution as being “divinely” inspired. I get really complicated . See if you can search it. I didn’t see Mormonism in it, however I didn’t read every single word in the curriculum. Either way it’s still made me feel uncomfortable regardless if there was anything Mormon in it or not. I hope that helps.
@@LivingWithEve Thank you for your reply. I do feel totally comfortable with this curriculum in spite of the writer being Mormon. But I did research it first. I greatly respect opinions of others also. I am glad you have the strength of character and conviction to say "i am still not completely comfortable with this" even if others disagree. I so respect people who stick to their convictions!
This is our second year using tgtb language arts and my kiddos and I love it!! It feels a it disingenuous to imply that it’s due to hype that it’s so popular. Hype helps sure to encourage people to check it out but they are very transparent with all their material and their religious views. There is zero material related to LDS theology. We all choose what works best for our kids and families. Their language arts is really solid and beautiful and while it feels like it has a lot it is manageable for the way it’s spread out in the spiral format. For some kids tha doesn’t work. But I would definitely encourage anyone and everyone to just go watch their videos and browse through their samples or download the free course work to check it out for themselves.
I thank you for your personal review. I do enjoy getting other peoples perspectives. Last year my 5 yr old used the K program. This year we are using the 1st grade. My daughter loves it, which makes teaching her enjoyable because she likes what she’s doing. We love the different science units. I enjoy it because it’s very reasonable cost wise. I was brought up Catholic and my husband is Lutheran. I haven’t seen anything that leads to a specific religion nor ethnic race/background. My child loves the books in the library.
I love your videos and appreciate your reviews especially because you are an educator. I'm glad you took a look and were honest with us about your feelings and FOMO. I feel that way about IEW. It looks great and so many people rave about it but I don't think it will work for my son. He is finishing level TGTB 4 this year. It has worked really well for us. I personally like that it has so much included. We do the art and cooking activities together as a family (including dad)which has been fun. I think the biggest take away is to each his own. Just because one family doesn't like it doesn't mean it's a bad curriculum. And if what you are doing is working then why change?
YES!!! YES!! You totally get it! Not everyone is the same and not everyone will love the same thing. I love that you shared that TGATB works for you and IEW doesn't. I think it's gold when you can put aside pressure, social media, and go with what you know works best for your kid and then find it! Thank you so much for sharing!
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or as some call people of my faith, "Mormons." We prefer to be called Christians because we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. He is who we follow and put our faith in. The nickname, "Mormons" was been given to us by those outside of our faith who categorize us because we use the Book of Mormon as another book of scripture, along with the Bible. In your video, you said you agree with Christians, and therefore, were hesitant to use a curriculum that is overseen by a "Mormon." I understand the hesitancy of trusting someone of another faith to teach your child. That is completely valid. I just want you to know, we are Christians. Mormonism is not our religion or what we call ourselves. We are Christians. I believe in Jesus Christ. I pray and put my trust in Him. We have a lot more in common than you may think. I am happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about what we believe. Feel free to reach out any time. God Bless!
Thank you for being so respectful with your comment. Honestly you have been one of the only respectful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to comment on this video (many other comments I had to delete or you tube deleted them because AI pick up certain words). And you did it in such a respectful and very beautifully worded way. I have to be honest, after making this video, I have lost a lot of faith in the goodness of people from your church. I never said I hated people or the faith, I was accused of many things I never said or felt. It was only confirming my hesitancy. Despite the fact that I may disagree with you on some of what you said, I can honestly say that I can respect your views. I thank you for speaking out in love instead of anger and hate. Giving facts about what you believe as oppose to rattling off insults. I understand you believe in following His ways, and I think you showed this here. Thank you.
@@LivingWithEve I am sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, we aren't perfect. I apologize in behalf of those who spoke unkindly to you. I know it can be hard when you share your views over media because people can share some harsh things. Thank you for being willing to be vulnerable to help share your experiences and opinions about homeschooling. I hope people will treat you kinder moving forward. Take care.
@@heatherscruggs2269 thank you so much for clearing this up. I have really been wanting to try TGATB and came across this video. As someone who has recently been saved, I am in the baby steps of my faith as is my husband and my children. We are all learning as we go. I have heard negative things about the mormon faith (which I know are not true about everyone in the faith) I want to give my kids the beat faith based education possible. Your comment reassured me that this may be the route to take! So happy I read the comments on this video. God bless!
I have found that the good and the beautiful is wonderful for my child who has really struggled with his language arts. I have been through prek, k supplement, and level k. They have all been amazing. I also like that level 4 has so much together because we are coming from me piecing everything together. I wish that you had not labeled the video as you did, giving the impression that it was a horrible curriculum in and of itself, versus just not being right for you. I understand your thoughts and appreciate them. But one thing I LOVE about your channel is your educational experience when it comes to the curriculums. I want to know how a curriculum will stand up to other options out there. I eventually got that from you, and still feel okay with my choices (I spent so much time praying about it all) but I just wish that the thumbnail didn't leave the impression that you hated the curriculum for its content instead of it just not being a good fit for you.
Thank you for your feedback. I think when I get a changeI might change the photo of the thumbnail. It was a screenshot and my face doesn’t really tell the story. I do think it’s great that it works for you. It works for a lot of people. And I totally support that! When you find a curriculum that is gold, it’s awesome!
I love how you got excited for the diagraming. So many parents ask in the TGTB Facebook group why so much diagramming? I know I never learned that in school either, so now I’m kind of excited for my child to learn that.
Love your honesty! I did the SAME thing with TATB. I bought it, but I just couldn’t do it. It’s just a personal conviction-which is one of the wonderful perks of homeschooling; you can do you. 😊
I love that you are honest and talk about how you were cautious in purchasing this curriculum. I am a secular homeschooler, as you know, and I am cautious about anything we get for curriculum. Also I’m so glad you bring up all the points that made you hesitate because first and foremost we should be having discussions! When we stop having discussions and we just do what others are doing because it’s popular, then there’s problems! 💜💜💜
I appreciate your perspective and love that you were able to discern that it's a solid curriculum while also realizing it doesn't work for you/your kids. My older kids use it and it's been working for them for 2 years now, but I HATED it for pre-k/K for my younger so I switched off. I am curious what you do use for LA. My son will be in HS next year and I'm considering making a switch, but am struggling to find something well rounded (as opposed to just a writing curriculum, then separate grammar, etc) that's also budget friendly.
We’re on our 4th year of Abeka. We love Abeka, well, I love Abeka. Kids are really bored and starting to become unmotivated. TGATB is one I am looking at. I’m glad that it is non denominational, but the LA does not seem to be as good as Abeka.
My family is one of the odd balls that love TGTB history. Their math is very solid, but was ultimately too much for my daughter. That was my fault though as she needed more time to soak in the material before moving on. We now are going to Math on the Level and have so far found it the perfect math curriculum. I’m curious about TGTB’s LA for elementary and middle school, as my eldest has loved their high-school (she also does Notgrass and their Literature and Loves MB’s Jenson’s Grammar curriculum options). So, I truly appreciate your review! I was planning on using Grammar Castle and the Kingdom of Writing for my elementary and Middle School child, as it looks so fun, but TGTB has elements I like too! Maybe I will do a combination of both as THTB is free and I won’t feel so guilty picking/choosing what to use from it. We tried Gather ‘Round and while we love it for many reasons, their LA just isn’t one of those reasons. I wish I could afford TGTB science though! 5-7 units recommend a year is well over $300 a year. But I can use their free videos (for both math and science) for lessons if I can include them somehow. What we are doing for science is still up in the air. I’m trying to use what I have as much as possible to stay within budget and all the shiny new curriculums certainly are tempting, which makes that hard (unless they are free like TGTB for the younger grades). Thanks again for your video!
We absolutely love this curriculum. It has been the only curriculum that has been able to be a solid curriculum in our home. I have ended up selling all the other curriculum I've bought because of FOMO. My kids absolutely love this curriculum. Every time I've ever introduced anything else, they always want to go back to TGTB. I find that the so called controversial issues are not present in the curriculum. I don't find TGTB to be whitewashed at all, as mentionedin the comments section. In fact, I find it to be incredibly diverse. We have been using TGTB for 3 years of our 6 year homeschool journey. At this point, I see us taking it all the way through high-school in specifically Language Arts. I hope you find something that becomes solid for your family. I know it has really relieved the stress for us to discontinue curriculum hopping and just focus on our homeschool journey.
I’ve used TGATB, MB, & Abeka for LA. My boys love TGATB. MB didn’t have enough explanation or review. Abeka was toooooo much in the older grades even though it’s a very solid program. I don’t love TGATB spelling & feel like there could be more explanation for writing, but I do love the grammar review with a little geography and art mixed in so every day is a bit different. As a Christian, I have seen no LDS agenda in the many levels I’ve used. I will say I feel like their level K is a bit too advanced and not methodical enough for your “average” kid in K. So we do Abeka until grade 2-3 for learning to read then switch to TGATB. And I don’t feel like I’m a trendy homeschool mom so I don’t feel like influencers have impacted my decision to use TGATB. Edited to add: we tried IEW for a half a year before I returned it. My boys HATED the videos, they were so long!! And I felt like the IEW method took creativity out of their writing.
My children from elementary through high school level do not like the iew program. I too felt that it did not actually teach them to write. Which will not help them in college or life when given a topic or assignment they will not know how to truly research, or organize what they are trying to write. We use tg&tb , I do not feel pressure from others to use or not to use as I have seen how it has helped my children in all aspects. I have not seen anything mormon in it and have used levels k,1,3 and highschool 1. I do however not like the highschool level. I do not think it has good instruction on grammar and writing. With that being said if you start with younger ones and work through the program by the time they get to highschool they should be fine. Each child learns differently so when I c that they need taught a different way in a different area I do supplement. I do phonetic based spelling and also go through the spelling rules in the good and the beautiful.
Thank you for this. I’ve seen so many recommendations for IEW, and really felt like we needed it, but I’ve hesitated because I don’t think my son would do well with the very long videos.
I love love love your perspective, Leilani! And your honesty. Good to know you know it’s not going to be a good fit for you! You really are doing all that already ☺️☺️ FOMO is real, and it’s awful 😆😆😝
I feel exactly the same way about The Good and the Beautiful LA. I keep wanting to use it, but when I look through it, I know I can’t. Even with my highly capable child. I’m not sure what it is, but I just can’t. I love their handwriting, we enjoy the occasional science, and we did their math and my boys enjoyed it… but LA? Can’t do it.
Not every curriculum works for every family or every student. That's why there are sssoooo many choices out there. I'm grateful for it! I like GATB BUT there are definitely students that I have had in the past that this curriculum wouldn't have worked for. Like you said,"if you are already doing something why by a curriculum for it". Great review!
We tried TGATB in fourth grade (for LA) and I really wasn't impressed with it. I really wanted to like it, but my son regressed so much. TGATB really didn't have any comprehension practice and the reading level was very low. I really don't get the hype about it being "advanced" because we had the opposite experience. I wouldn't recommend.
Absolutely LOVE their Language Arts curriculum, and as a Christian I have found nothing that pushes Mormonism or ANY specific religion in any way. It's a God centered curriculum, although not in your face, it's beautiful, it's engaging. I can't say enough good things about it. I love it so much, I'm actually doing the High School levels myself. It seems like the enemy is just trying to use parents (not staying you specifically) to attack Jenny and her curriculum so that children don't hear about God, the beauty He has created on this earth and all things Good & Beautiful.
Although I have not seen Mormon stuff in TGTB I do think you did a wonderful job in not being offensive in any way. Thank you for being transparent. As a Pentecostal I love TGTB Science and I plan to do TGTB Level 1 language next year with my 1st grader struggling this year with reading because of ADHD. I feel she is ready for a change from ABeka.
I used TGATB for my son , levels 4-5. It was fine, but seemed a little all over the place at times. We would leave out certain parts and then I was like why are we using it if we aren't going to do it all? There is no perfect curriculum, when you find what works for your child and YOU stick with it because that is the perfect curriculum.
I’m ok with people not liking TGATB, we tried it for a while and didn’t like it either. But to assume that a curriculum is LDS because people involved in it are LDS is wrong. I am not LDS but this curriculum is not LDS. People need to quit sharing misinformation. Which is what it is when people assume the curriculum is based on LDS principles it is not. I’m sorry people that say it’s Mormon are grossly misinformed. This is a good option for families on a budget considering it can be printed for free sometimes and low cost on other things. It didn’t work for us because my daughter likes a more traditional approach (Abeka and BJU). And btw I have friends that are Mormon and I don’t get what the hate is. They’re devout CHRISTians. Nothing like Christian’s to tear each other apart. But that’s another discussion.
Im an atheist and I used Tgatb grade 4 and under. I just change it when I read it. Example if it said "Look at all the beautiful flowers God has blessed us with." Id change it to something like "Look at all the beautiful flowers planet Earth provides for us" I did share the bible verses and sometimes swapped them with verses from the Quran and other religious text. Religion has had a large impact on history and wars so we read all of it. I dont understand why people attacks if a person says they dont like tgtb. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You expressed yours in a nice way. Thanks for your content. I love it.
Thanks for sharing. Do you think it's academically solid? Disregarding the religious concerns and that it's not a mastery approach, do you think it's academically sound for those of us who like spiraled curriculum?
I have been going back and forth about getting it for my daughter for next year yet as a Christian I have been very reluctant to get it for the same reasons you mentioned. I do believe God gives us a spirit of discernment and when you just feel unsettled about a decision it probably means it is not the best choice for you or your family. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter. I also have FOMO and although I am very happy with our homeschooling curriculum choices, I am so scared that if I don't get the "latest and greatest" somehow I am doomed to fail my children. 🇿🇦
I think that if is not working for you it’s good that you decided to not use it and be you. In my home we use it just during the summer and it has work perfectly that way, didn’t spend money since they offer free the language art curriculum, which I am appreciative as a single mom to find something on my budget. Our main program is AAR which we love, but we have enjoy TG& TB as our summer program. We have use some of their science units as well. I think every parent mom or dad should be able to choose and try programs without having to feel bad about it because of what other person will think or say. And is always good to try ; you did and it didn’t work and is ok now you know and have extra experience on what you want or not for the future when it comes to programs. As well gives you idea to look for another with similar characteristics that will go well with your family. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for a great video. We used TG&TB LA L1 when it was newly out and slogged our way through. Later tried the updated L3 but quickly realized it wasn't for us (beautiful poetry book though). Recently we did a 30 lesson trial of L5 math. The video lessons are fantastic but when we looked at the pros and cons of it, CLE and MLFLE, my daughter quickly chose MLFLE. I am happy with that choice. I do like the art lessons in TG&TB LA though. A question regarding IEW - does your son get bored with doing it every year, even though the theme may change? We used PAL Writing, then later did All Things Fun and Fascinating. My daughter certainly learnt a lot and I can see her using those skills (although they did come naturally to her), but she finds too much of the formulated approach boring. My thoughts were to do another IEW course in high school, but I am second guessing myself and wonder if we should do more. Do you use IEW all the time? I would really appreciate your insight.
My middle school son has really taken to IEW, and he loves the videos. He also love to write and he's used it as a springboard into some beautiful stories. I think the videos make him not get board. I do think I will change it up in HS though. I personally think IEW is good for the younger years, but there does come a point where it's time to break out and take all that you learned and apply it HS and even college writing. I've seen students who go through this process and when they hit HS / College, they are at the top of their class. So I guess it really depend on where they are. I also honestly don't think you should supplement IEW. However, you should include writing assignments in their other subjects. For example: my boys write essays for science and history topics. Hope this helps.
I honestly do use TGTB but the Lang arts I only use parts of it. I print it out as needed. I like the spiral approach to just complete more on a loop type schedule so I doubt we will finish the level in a year. I did it more exclusively last year and it was very beneficial to my then 1st grader. He is on level 2 and I mostly use it for word ladders /spelling rules / spiral grammar. I combine my kids as much as possible so I just loop TGTB Lang arts in to make sure at level nothing is missing.
Thank you so much for this video. I'm seriously contemplating changing language curriculum for next year so I'm starting a deep dive into looking at what is available. I really appreciate your completeness and honesty in this video. BTW - I absolutely agree with you on diagramming. It has multiple benefits that I see.
I am just stumbling upon this video. I don't think you said anything offensive and I was surprised in the comments to see that some people took it that way. What I got from it was that you completely intended to actually use the curriculum, but then felt it was redundant and covered things that you did separately. I can see that some people take it personally if you don't choose what they choose, but don't sweat it. It's not you... (it's them)
I so appreciate you being open and honest - We all get FOMO!!! I tried out (and still am kind of using) the K Primer LA from TGTB. It is just ok, imo. I felt it hopped around a lot and didn't teach things in logical order. It is working for my intended purposes, which is to review and bridge my 5yo between levels of AAR. I have also purchased a few of the grade-level fiction books from TGTB. Those were a hit! However, all of these purchases were made before the recent controversy around nationalism and representation. That controversy sealed my decision to no longer support the company. I have to say, it is pretty obvious in their art selection alone that the curriculum is a little whitewashed. I prefer a multicultural, inclusive approach above all else. I am a secular homeschooler who also has deep religious convictions. My beliefs differ so much from mainstream Christianity, that it doesn't make sense for me to use faith-centered curricula. I teach the history of religion and theology to my kids separately.
Yeah, and the more I start to look at the constitution and the way some portray it. It blows my mind, honestly. I had no idea. I’m teaching a constitution class at the coop and it’s crazy how books portray things.
I feel like TG&TB is the trendy curriculum right now and honestly I don't see why all the hype! I've looked at the free samples (many times!) and every time I do, I go away thinking the same: it's just too much. I don't want geography & art in my LA. I just want my kids to get a solid grammar/writing/spelling/reading lesson in and be done with LA so we can move on to the fun stuff (content subjects - where they do end up practicing many LA skills). But everyone raves about this curriculum and I just don't get it! I was using Masterbooks LA with my oldest (level 3 & 4) and when she started level 5 this year, it just wasn't a fit anymore. So we switched to Essentials in Writing. It's okay, but neither of us are absolutely loving it. So I need to figure LA out for her (she's 6th grade/special needs)....but I know TG&TB isn't it! My younger uses Masterbooks LA level 2 and it is perfect for an intro to all things grammar. I am not sure if we will do level 3 next year or not. I do like level 2 & 3 of Masterbooks, and I guess level 4 was okay. I need the all in one LA book like Masterbooks provides (and TG&TB), but I may have to go back to separate writing/grammar/spelling curriculums next year. Boo. Do you have any videos on LA curriculums that are solid, short lessons, easy for a child to complete independently??
6:01 Masterbooks is the trendy thing for a lot of people in my circles. I knew from your other videos that it wasn't right for us for math, but I thought I might use them for Social Studies since my first grader complains about our current BJU Press Heritage Studies book. However, when I checked out the sample pages of Masterbooks' social studies book, it seemed so random and scattered that I wasn't sure how kids learn anything of substance at all! So we're sticking with BJU Press for now and just supplementing with more living books and living stories prior to reading each chapter.
I honestly don’t understand the hype with TGTB LA. I like their handwriting for my 7-yr-old and I downloaded their free Simply Beautiful Math which I use as a supplement for the same child. She is very art-oriented, so these programs speak to her. I do like many of their science units ( despite the fact that we are secular homeschoolers). I have a B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry and 28 graduate credits in wildlife biology and the science in TGTB science units is solid, plus it has the gorgeous pictures and picture study that suck in my 7-yr-old so that she actually enjoys the science. We use the All About Learning Press materials for reading and spelling and First Language Lessons for grammar, that is full of sentence diagramming at level 3 (my 4th p-grader is using that book- but the program is very teacher intensive). In addition, we do Writing With Ease from The Well-trained Mind (also incredibly teacher intensive- but I only have two kids and this is our first year of official homeschooling- I noticed both kids had significant gaps in their language arts, what on earth was public school even teaching them?) Once my 4th-grader blows through AAR level 4, we will study literature and review grammar with Lightning Literature level 3.
I agree. Unit study. Have to soak it in…fully saturated. I have TGTB Lang arts and feel like it doesn’t really go into depth enough. First year homeschooler lol.
I am looking for materials this year and keep coming close to getting tgtb… but something feels wrong…. So your video was on point. I am very inexperienced with homeschooling even though we keep falling back to it.. would you have any recommendations of curriculum to look at for a 10 year old, 5th grader who reads at a 2nd grade level and could be done primarily by the kid themselves. I work full time out of the home and don’t have as much time to work directly with him as I wish I could.. and the time I do have I focus on reading mostly so the other subjects kind of get pushed to the side. We used Miaacademy last year but I don’t think he really learned much…
For a 5th grader who read around 2nd grade level, I would look at Learning Language Arts Through Literature, however you may need to work with him a bit. And you will need to do as placement test. It was written a little bit below grade level so have to play with it, in regard to placement. Teaching Textbooks for math is super hands off for the parent. For history, Mystery of History is good. My sister-in-law got the CDs and listened to them with her kids in the car. Same is true with Apologia, you can get them on audio.
I bought IEW and ended up returning it, because I couldn’t figure it out 🥴😆 we have used Abeka since 4th grade and are now finishing up 8th grade. I appreciate your review for this! I actually purchased TGATB for high school 1, but I ended up going with Notgrass history with their literature. I really was drawn to the literature coinciding with the history. In looking at TGATB high school 1, it will be way too much between the two curriculums. So, I am going to supplement Notgrass curriculum with Easy Grammar, my own writing assignments that Notgrass does not have, and use TGATB geography and the Greek vocab. I hope that makes sense. I love your videos and personality!!!
Thanks for sharing!! I have never been on The Good and the Beautiful "train" 😊😊 But because it's so pretty, I have bought some odds and ends... like readers, and the flower game/book. ( btw... my son does IEW writing with a tutor!... because I struggle teaching that😊)
I sold our level 4 also. When I first started hs 3 yrs ago, I bought into the hype, & we completed level 3, but my son lost interest & I honestly felt like it was all over the place. It was almost TOO much included in one curriculum. My son did actually enjoy the diagramming in l3, so I thought about getting just a diagramming workbook or something. I don't know yet. For now, we are happy with IEW. He does love TGTB handwriting, but it's not something we do everyday. 😀
It's a lot of work to learn how to use the G & B curriculum. It's different. I wrote a review of High School 2 above. To be fair, I also had a hard time learning the IEW structure. I think a lot of these curriculums that aren't typical text book style with the answers in the back are harder to work with but I do feel they are worth it if you have time to put in the effort. I think both are trying to mimic what a good teacher can do naturally but there is no natural way to flow from geography to art in print without making it a unit study. This is not a unit study but it's also not completely disjointed. Hard to explain. They are not a unit study but rather a formula with some aspects of unity study. So far it seems the formula is working with both curriculums but it's not the formula I grew up with or one that I might chose naturally. I am finding it helpful due to my own need to learn with my child. That said they could be better about how they give the assignments. It will say do poetry and have five check boxes and do geography till mastered but as you move on you forget about it. You have a secondary schedule that you write yourself and you need to adjust it as real life happens and things need to change. It is a few subjects for a single curriculum and not something that is easy to pick and choose from like a unit study style would be. The rhythm of both curriculums are not too hard to learn but both are something that needs to be learned.
We did almost 2 whole years with TGTB, & I would say we "put in the effort", but we just didn't care for it. We are much more charlotte mason inspired & I found TGTB, to be more traditional. Nothing wrong with that, just not our style.
I've learned to not watch curriculum videos! 🤣😂🤣 (Even though I just watched this one🤦🏾♀️) It keeps me focused on what we're doing and not what I'm "missing out on".
I never tried it just based on opinions and just generally some people making it seem like just a no-go so never entertained it. Tried the masterbooks, abeka, sonlight which all my friends rave about that works so good-just wasnt a good fit. I wanted to love masterbooks so much, just was not it lol We have 3 kids. We eventually tried tgatb and really fell in love. Part of the reason is I guess it just hits the nail with how my kids learn and work. It's always a home run when you're not constantly fighting the process and something we feel is cohesive. More good days than bad. Im not afraid to change as the childs needs do, but I think for a lot of it, everyones lifestyle, learning style and routine are so different and as long as that stays the center- that's the most important. I never saw the reason to get upset over anyone choices. I love these videos though because even if it's a negative, that could be someone's positive and visa versa.
Great video. I’m also a Bible believing Christian so I was very nervous about using a faith based curriculum that may have Mormon influence, I agree completely that I have no ill will towards people of other faiths, I simply do not want to teach my son anything that disagrees with our faith as followers of Jesus and we know that Mormons believe very different things than we do. I went online and read thru the entire curriculum and didn’t find anything in the LA curriculum that teaches Mormon beliefs so we’ve been using it. That said, my son is NOT liking it and his reading level is prob at least 4th or 5th grade (he’s 7 so in level 2) but his spelling is still at a 2nd grade level and so the curriculum doesn’t really fit well. Something’s are boring him and some are advanced and he gets frustrated. So I literally just decided to find something new this morning LOL I’m sure it works well for many but it’s not fitting for him and that’s who I’m focused on so off we go to find something different.. I’m looking into BJU but we are on a tight budget so I’m still looking to see what else is out there. Thank you for your videos, they’ve been very helpful in giving insight into the different curricula
We did IEW for years and I loved the student DVDs that they no longer sell. This is my first year with G & B and I have a High School Student in level 2. I feel it's very hands on when it comes to the time needed to help make sure your student is doing all of it, getting all of it, and not getting lost and forgetting all the many check boxes on past pages. Let me explain what I mean by missing check boxes. They will have 5 check boxes on say page 3 but you are do do that topic 5 different days. The kid turns to page 4 and you ctan't really blame them for forgetting to go back and do the same thing four more days like it told you to. I find it takes more time than they say to do it well, but that isn't a bad thing. I do like it and the cost is fair. I like that they have videos in the upper age when it comes to "some" of the assignments. The fact that the dictation link can be texted to my son so I don't have to read him the sentences is great. They don't have that type of help for all the assignments and I have a feeling the videos won't stay free forever. Just a feeling. I also find it hard to get my teen to find the right videos, seriously, this has been a time consuming issue. I get that he should be able to do all this on his own but my point is most teens if left to just do it on their own...well... they won't. I am type B and I typically would rather pick the books I want to pick and learn in a more simple way but for High School I kind of like that this is as structured as it is because it forces my son to have a "boss" of a curriculum with multi-step instructions he needs to learn to handle. I feel it's great prep for collage but I would not want to do this with my younger kids. We use G & B in a group so the art is done together and writing is made to be presented. The book questions are also asked in group. This helps with accountability. They don't have many questions on the books, that's a bit strange to me but I am fine with it. The questions are deep and not just a test to see if you read it. I love that. The content does seem strong but it replaces so much so you need to really want it and give up on other things you might be doing or not do so much of what your paying for. Our group does not ask for anything beyond the Art, writing, book, and book questions to be done that way if any parents still use other programs for grammar, dictation, and so on. There is so much too G & B. For high school it's also geography, poetry, a few Greek roots, history, and so on. I don't know how I would be motivated to do it if I wasn't doing it with a group. I think it's a good option but not the only option. I think the hype is actually fair because other curriculums cost way more and help support you way less. Your getting a lot for the price. The mom is still the teacher here and you get to learn with your kid if your education was not the best. I think it's a fantastic option for someone that did not have a strong education themselves and they want to learn with their kid. This could be started as a goal in 7th. It would not be good for someone that has trouble staying motivated or doesn't have time for LOTS of inflexible work that should be done to do it right. I am enjoying this because I am doing it with a group, without that I would return it too. I would give it 9.4 out of 10 stars if your kid is doing it with a friend or two and 5.7 out of 10 stars if your doing it just as a family and trying to stay as motivated. I haven't really seen anything Christian about it and we are on the 3rd unit of 10. I think they show faith in a creator but I haven't found it very religious. One little part said to really think and write about the "Love is..." verse. If your feeling called to more Biblical history and readings this could be too weak or even turn into distraction form time for that. However, your the teacher and the curriculum is not. Some parts could easily be taken out so other things could be added in. : ) One thing that could be done is listening to the audio books of these books in the car so you have time for other readings. Instead of poetry memory you could turn to scripture.
I got my hands on a used level 4 TGTB set and I couldn't get behind it either. I felt like it went too fast and didn't go deep enough. I also hated the reader - HATED it. I couldn't make it through one story... definitely nothing objectionable in it, I just thought the stories were sooo boring. My son would have hated it. That said, since your review came out, they totally redid the entire program. I downloaded the level 5 just out of curiosity. Good grief I'm in love with it and trying to resist the urge to buy it. I might just print it (will cost me probably half) and try it ONLY because it would simplify my life a lot in the LA department. They are using novels now, not readers... they are actually teaching rather than cramming concepts, and it still seems thorough. Spelling is the only part I'm not sold on... I had wanted to use Arrow guides with novels for LA next year but I don't think they are enough and the thought of using all the LA we currently use (which IS working very nicely, I might add) is overwhelming. I hope this isn't FOMO!!!!
I get it! Things are so expensive. My heart goes out for real. I'm sure patience and teaching yourself how to teach is a possibility but oh so time consuming. If you live in Florida, there is a scholarship for homeschoolers. That can cover the cost. You may alos want to search for used curriculum or scholarships in your state. But it's really hard.
@@LivingWithEve I'm in Iowa and I'm on my own for curriculum. My biggest struggle with paying the price is I don't know if it's going to work for my child. It's either going to be wonderful or throwing money out the window.
It takes guts to share something that goes against the grain. TGTB users are very passionate! I guess I get it. I am passionate about my choices too! But we all need to be open to differing opinions and be respectful of choices that are different than the ones we make. I am sorry you've gotten so much negative feedback here!
Sorry this is unrelated to the video, but just wanted to share. I just watched a video by the channel Jubilee. It was titled: "Do All People With Down Syndrome Think The Same?" It's a pretty cool series they do on their channel (do all 'blank' think the same) Just reminded me of y'all & Naomi. Was nice thinking how Naomi would react to this when older. I can already tell she's gonna be a fierce lady ☺️ she's got that strong personality! 🔥 Let me know what you think if you watch. 💗
I just don't get why people don't like the G & B. We love it! And we're not even religious! We use the Math, the LA, the Handwriting and the Creative Writing. I did get the History but I'm selling that because it's all about Bible History not real History, ditto for the Science. But seriously, even if you're not a Christian or Mormon, it's great. Everything is organized, and cool looking and takes all the guesswork out of me having to figure out what to teach. Plus my kids like it. I haven't seen very much religious stuff at all, when we do come across it I just explain to the kids that this is how Christians believe and that Christianity is only one religion of many. Problem solved. You really can just skip over any God stuff because it's not the main focus of these two subjects at all. Now, that being said, I did tear out and rip to shreds the first page of the creative writing book which was full religious BS about writing, which, as a writer myself I totally disagreed with. But again, take what you want from it and leave the rest. It's still a good program and we will continue to use it unless someone out there creates an AFFORDABLE Secular equivalent. I can't afford to pay $700-$1.000 and up for something secular.
@@LivingWithEve it is moreso the misrepresentation of HISTORY, not the black community. Several pages were passed around social media showing the outright rewriting of history as it pertains to the enslavement of AAs, the purpose of the constitution, etc. Many who are not from the African diaspora are uncomfortable speaking about slavery (purpose, harshness, treatment after slavery, etc) and therefore "whitewash" it to make it more palatable for non-african americans. We are expected to "get over it, stop talking about it" yet still learn and talk about the other parts of American History. There is no American History without us. The "everyone else did it, so it was okay" or "they didn't know they were doing anything wrong" is throughout the very brief teachings on African Americans in the curriculum. The teaching of how this enslavement period varied vastly from any other era is totally omitted. And to say the Christians led the charge to abolish slavery is B.S. Speak SPECIFICALLY about who and what led to the abolishment of slavery. By omission, it is not a history curriculum that I would recommend or use for my children. However, many non-African Americans love omission-based history, so... 🤷🏾♀️
I have tried to use it over the past several years(because it was free and everything was in 1 book) and every time I start, I get that feeling that I should not be using it, so I toss it. A common comment I see is that there isn’t anything Mormon in it. I don’t most people would notice anything unless they came out of Mormonism or have done a lot of research, it is very subtle. The only open Mormon stuff in it is the quotes from their history which TGATB provides on their site. I don’t feel comfortable as a Bible believing Christian using something that has been created by a lot of other religions. When they mention God, I don’t know if they’re talking about their version of who God is or if it is the God of the Bible. It would be nice if they would put out a list of these people representing these other religions/denominations so I could do some research on them. Anyways, here’s a good documentary on Mormonism for anyone who is interested. ua-cam.com/video/SyhD4b1ZuTo/v-deo.html
So we are using Learning Without Tears for PK and I’m just going to stick with them and follow her lead. They are very extensive and they have a ton of resources.
I loved this. I keep looking at their new math because it's so pretty but feel the same reservations. Offering resources for free definitely feels like a "ministry" and a way to further themselves in the church. Something I don't wish to support.
Thank you!!! I did a trial of the free one last year. I had the same conviction last year about the Mormonism and my son wouldn’t do it either because he heard my conversation with my husband. Glad we stayed away from it.
Hi Even, thanks for your reviews. Actually The Good and The Beautiful do insert mother God as one of their story in Language Arts. It is really strange. I read it to my child and I have to explain to them where this book is from and about Mormon. But I just feel like the way they give away free and no offense but I heard a lot of sexual child abuse allegations against this religion. It makes me can't help but think of the way Disney slide in some content to preprogrammed our mind.
I definitely recommend actually using the curriculum first, to get a really good in-depth look with how it works. TGTB is well done and very thorough. With that said, I can completely relate to buying curriculum and regretting it immediately 🙈 If you want to piece everything together, that’s wonderful! I did the same when we first started homeschooling. As far as the religious aspect, the controversy stems from a few years back between Rebecca Spooner and Jenny Philips. I actually respect Rebecca’s stance on why she cut ties, since she was influencing thousands upon thousands of people with this curriculum. However, I think it’s such an individual decision. I’ve used levels pre-k to level 7 with my kids so far, and there hasn’t been anything off or concerning to me. I don’t know the religious stance behind the person creating my math curriculum. If that was the case I’d probably also ditch our “Story of the World” books. The beauty with home education is we can skip over things we don’t agree with, or have a discussion about it as a family. I will never judge a mom for either viewpoint they have on TGTB. Just some food for thought❤️
Gotcha, no worries. Thanks for sharing. It seems that there are a lot of strong opinions on this curriculum. I knew that people had opinions, but the claws have been coming out with this video from some viewer comments (not you of course). It's kind of crazy to think people aren't okay with one person having an opposite opinion about something they like. I do think TGATB is a solid curriculum but it just wasn't going to work for us. And as a homeschool evaluator I have no issues with people ever using it, in fact, when they have it I know that they're fine without needing to see a whole lot. I love what you said about choice. We can skip over things we don't agree with, or have a discussion about it as a family. I also love that as homeschoolers we can choice what to teach our kids and how to. That's what I love about homeschooling in America. Not everyone has our luxuries. I thought it was funny, I still piece things together... lol and I've been homeschooling for 7 years. It's probably the teacher in me just trying to figure out how to make it fit each child. lol
@@LivingWithEve oh absolutely!! We’ve been at this for 7 years as well. I still piece other subjects together-but I’m a bit of a curriculum junkie, so think that’s why! 😬😂🤦🏻♀️ Yes this curriculum is seriously controversial and with knowing Rebecca personally, I know her heart is in the right place, I just think it got blown out of proportion from all sides of the debate😬 and clearly from all these comments it still hasn’t calmed down. Freedom of choice always!!! Thanks for your videos! Always appreciate them and your honesty! God bless you mama❤️
We are in our second year of using their LA curriculum. We are a pagan family, we just skip the very few religious parts that are in it. There is nothing specifically Mormon in this curriculum at all. The whole thing with the constitution curriculum is ridiculous. People are so concerned with being woke, they lack the ability to discern between culture and societal status at the time of the history and today. Looking at 1776 through the eyes of 2021 will never produce a clear outlook or understanding of 1776. Lastly this video seemed like you purchased curriculum that you knew you wouldn’t like simply to complain about it for UA-cam views. That isn’t following your stated Christ like views.
Honestly, I bought the curriculum with full expectation to use it. I had no thought that I would ever not want to use it. In fact, I purposefully chose not to download and print out the PDFs for free because I was so sure I would use it and I wanted the full thing. To buy a curriculum only to dislike it on purpose... that is kind of silly. It's a waste of money. I did this video to show that I make mistakes too. I caved into peer pressure and had to work through why I did that. I honestly thought TGATB was going to solve all my problems. But I realized I second guessed myself and my ability to understand what my kids needed. I took in what other people thought was best. It has a much deeper purpose behind it. Now there are about 3 days between the first section and the last where me and my husband went back and forth discussing what to do. That I did not share. So it may have come across as a quick turn around because you did not see that. In the end I believe in the freedom to do what is best for your child. To not be pressured into thinking you are using the wrong curriculum or that you are not doing enough. Now do I think it a good curriculum. I think it's solid, but it's not for me. I thought I made that point. Sorry if it didn't come across that way. Hope this makes sense.
@@LivingWithEve ok thanks! I found it, I think. So the controversy is more drama caused by people not being perfectly happy & causing a scene. I was hoping it wasn't something serious. I looked through the download. I think the content of the curriculum looks amazing, although tgtb is not at all my teaching style. I'd love to see these same lessons styled for people who can't make it through the tgtb style.
@@mamaAimEC I know they also changed it some and they may have gotten rid of the original video. There was something in the preview that really struck a nerve with some. It was removed.
It's so complicated. It has to do with the misrepresentation of the Black Community and the views on the divine nature of the constitution and the men who wrote it. I would suggest you look it up on UA-cam and watch some videos it your really interested.
It seems like your biggest hang up on the curriculum is the creator being Mormon. That seemed to be a reoccurring theme about your unease with the curriculum. Which is a shame because it doesn’t talk about Mormonism and I love TGATB! But hopefully you were able to find what you were looking for.
It’s the Constitution Curriculum that came out about a month ago. Before they did some revisions, the black community felt misrepresented along with some other concerns. Since then, I think they did some revisions. It pretty complicated and messy. But when it was first introduced there was an uproar. I actually recorded this video back on August, I just wanted things to blow over a bit.
@@LivingWithEve thank you for responding. I hadn't heard about that. We don't use TGTB because I don't feel combining everything into one is enough, but that's just my opinion. The unit studies look ok and I actually just downloaded the Constitution study. The great thing about homeschooling is that anything can be added to or deleted from the curriculum as the teacher feels necessary. 🙂
MY RESPONSE: 👉 It appears as if this video offended people, that was never my intent.
The entire purpose of this video was to show that even I, a Seasoned Homeschool Mom, Former Teacher, Homeschool Evaluator, Influencer, even after all these "titles", I can succumb to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and second guess myself as a parent and my understanding of what works for our home. I am only an imperfect human, who honestly purchased the curriculum for the wrong reasons. This video was originally meant to be a video on how excited I was to try out this curriculum, because I hear so many good things. But as I examined it, it only confirmed that I did know what was best for my kids.
There are two things I do want stress after reading through the comments:
1) I do not hate people who attend The Church of Latter-Day Saints. I just simply disagree with their faith. Even though that was not my main reason wanting to not use TGATB, viewers still took offense.
2) I do not hate The Good and The Beautiful Curriculum. It just wasn't right for me and my family. It's a solid curriculum and many families of all faiths homeschool successfully with it. It was just not right with me. I've even evaluated many homeschool families who use it and I see amazing results (one way I got FOMO).
Now those two points mentioned above, this was NOT what my video was about.
Also, as you may notice, I love the fact that we all get to choose what is best for our kids. Whether it be IEW, The Good and The Beautiful, Gather Round, ABEKA, or Masterbooks. Every family is unique and demand different needs. Just because I didn't think it would work for us, that doesn't mean it won't work for you.
I think you were totally fair with your review. I really appreciate hearing the opinion from those who have actually worked in the school system. Do you have a review video on IEW? I keep seeing their name and am really curious about their program.
You’re very diplomatic and it’s obvious to me you go out of your way to speak the truth in love. Some people seem to look for ways to be offended. You provide so much to your community, the least we can do is give you the benefit of any doubt. Thank you much!
I haven't been around long but I don't see this kind of outrage at ANY other curriculum. How come people can say they don't like/use Life of Fred or Apologia or > insert curriculum here < and it's no big deal but people grab their torches and pitchforks when it's TGTB?? It's truly bizarre.
I've tried other curriculums and nothing has worked for us like TGTB. I am Pentecostal and find nothing Mormon in any of the materials. I use TGTB for all subjects and am so completely satisfied with it. I appreciate how "God" centered this curriculum is and how much it has helped my kids when nothing else was working. I sincerely appreciate Mrs. Jenny Phillips and her team for all their hard work for bringing to us all material that focuses on God and that is truly pure and beautiful. ❤
I could have have wrote this comment myself. I’ve spent soooo much money on pretty much every curriculum. Tgtb is the only thing that works for us. Also I really enjoy teaching it. I love everything about it.
@@stephaniedurham2543 Same here ☺
@@stephaniedurham2543 and I do think that awesome! When you find a curriculum that works for you, it’s like gold. And I support that 100%.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I want to emphasize that we really want Jesus Christ to stay in our name. We believe in Jesus and only He can save us. I apologize if this has already been said. I haven’t read through all the comments.
And for the curriculum, it focuses on God and is non-denominational in nature. It may not have been that way in the early stages years ago, but that’s because she originally made the curriculum just for her family.
Thanks for putting together a video to go over the materials. I think we all just want to inform and help each other. ❤️
Thank you for this comment! We are also Pentecostal :) we just bought Language K and Language 3 :)
It is so sad that so many people are rejecting her curriculum due to her faith that isn't present in her curriculum, but I am happy for you that you realized you are doing enough without it.
It is sad. I'm so tired of seeing religion divide people. In my eyes, as long as all roads lead back to God who cares what religion you follow? Religions were created by man, Not God. In our household we are Spiritual but not religious and I cannot wait to start this curriculum next year with my daughter!
I bet if home school parents really knew the beliefs and practices of various curriculum writers, they'd not know what to choose. I've used TGTB pre-K, K, levels 1 and 3, and there is not one thing that conflicts with my Christian faith. I've home-schooled two in the late 90's and early 2000's using Abeka and LLATL, and now I help my daughters choose curriculum and assist with tutoring when they have to work. We all love TGTB!
We use the good and the beautiful and we love it. We are not Mormon. We are Christian. I haven’t found anything in it, so far, that anyone could call controversial. That being said I appreciate your honest opinion. You had many great points! There is not a one size fits all curriculum out there. What works beautifully for one will not work for another.
We have been so blessed by the quality and affordability of The Good and the Beautiful. I have never found anything outside of Christian theology in it. God bless!
I did find they slipped in The Mother heart of God story in it. It is weird. It is like Disney cartoon slowly slipped it into our minds.
I’m a conservative Christian, Pentecostal. I’ve done level 2 and 3 and have loved every bit of math and language arts.
This curriculum is a basic Christian beliefs.
We switched from abeka and have loved this curriculum
I absolutely love the good and the beautiful. There is nothing Mormon in it. I’ve looked everywhere and it’s literally perfect. So easy to teach and fun. My kids and I adore it.
You do you but just FYI TGTB is VERY whitwashed
@@tahirasbs it was created by a white woman, so yes, naturally it may feel “white washed”. That being said, they are taking active steps to diversify their products. They are constantly changing and updating their curriculum (currently History is being rewritten) and are working with a team to make sure every family feels included. They are literally the only curriculum company I’ve heard of that listens to their customers, take their concerns seriously, and adapts to be better.
I think one of the big concerns Christians have with this curriculum is that just by being Mormon-based, they are required by the church to tithe 10%, so that money from the profits goes to the Mormon church. But that said, anything we use that isn't overtly Christian might have objectionable donations from profits (i.e., we use Reading Eggs, Dreambox, Easy Grammar, etc.). I'm really torn on this issue.
In the last reworking of the curriculum, there was yoga mixed into the lower levels with the spelling, and this is a huge issue for me. I don't see it in the new edition of level 5, but I don't know if it's still in the lower levels.
Thank you for your honesty and your informative presentation. I appreciate that you stand firm in your beliefs. Your video shows that you are willing to take risks and make the appropriate adjustments that will best serve your children. Your family is blessed to have you!
Honestly haven’t heard anything that should’ve caused offence!!! People are too quick to get offended 🤷🏽♀️ people are allowed their opinions especially when expressed in a respectful way, I like your reviews 😀
Thank you so much for making this video and sharing transparently! I have followed you for about a year. I too have friends who use and love the good and the beautiful and have also seen plenty of internet "influence" about how amazing it is. I've over and over wondered if I'm really missing out, looked at the scope and sequence multiple times etc and academically it seems pretty sound. However, for the same reasons you shared I have simply had the same gut feeling as a Christian. I know for the most part there doesn't seem to be much that is blatantly Mormon, but I simply haven't felt good about it and that really is a good enough reason not to use it. I think those gut feelings are often God given. I also appreciate that you left in your thoughts on it academically but transparently shared your feelings. This has really helped me see that it's okay to be okay with how we're currently doing things and I'm not missing out. I wasn't sure if I "needed" to just try it or not. I am going to skip it. Thank you, thank you!
Thank you!
I loved this video! And yes, it can be easy to get into the FOMO because of social media. Sometimes we really just have to separate from the noise in order to make the best decision for your kids. We started with alllll things TGTB and have now transitioned to only using their handwriting (at least for this year).
I did the same thing as you a few years ago and it just didn't sit right. We did maybe 2 lessons and I sold it. Thank you for your honest opinion. It is greatly appreciated. God bless ❤
There is a lot of hype around this curriculum, and I find the TGTB camp can be overly defensive when people speak on their own PERSONAL reasons for not using it. We tried it for Kindergarten, and it did not work for us. My daughter would burst into tears every time the books came out. We switched to something completely different, and she is much happier. It's 100% ok if your religious convictions keep you from using the curriculum. That's one of the main reasons people homeschool. Freedom to choose whatever materials fit our beliefs and needs. The fact that TGTB followers practically bully people for following their convictions is baffling.
I completely agree with your comment I would also add the recent videos I saw from My Busy Bee and Me yt channel and other videos regarding tgtb with some of the African American hs moms were quite interesting on why they’re not using the curriculum and can’t support curriculum that isn’t inclusive or diverse with people and families of color! I can’t support the good and the beautiful.
@@jessie19painter Unfortunately, people have jumped to conclusions before the course in question was even released. I haven't seen that particular course, but most of the outrage came from the wording of one promo video. No one had actually seen the curriculum before they jumped online and lambasted them. People can make what they want of that, but I personally do not level accusations of racism, discrimination, or any other serious allegation without actual evidence of such.
I love this response. Yes, I totally agree! "freedom to choose whatever material fits our beliefs and needs"
@@larissaalcorn3406 I understand! Thank you!
Having used TGTB for all ages up to 7th grade so far, I definitely believe that TGTB is too intense for K. Way too intense! Upper levels are fantastic but not K (in my opinion)
There’s a lot of defensiveness in TGTB camp, Masterbooks camp, and Gather Round Camp. It’s all a little crazy 🤪
I have seen nothing at all objectionable in TGATB Science units. I’m looking into other subjects. I am a Believer in Jesus. I completely disagree with what the Mormons believe. But I’ve found nothing Mormon in any of the 5 or 6 units I have . The units are so beautiful and extremely well written. I probably won’t do LA because I use IEW also and I use Spelling Power and a easy Grammar. These are working for me. I watched the constitution review video by Ashley and the lady who wrote it. I. Really didn’t even understand what people were objecting to. What was the controversy actually about? I was really confused by the objections. And what Mormonism did you see?
There were a couple of buzz words. For example she revered to Constitution as being “divinely” inspired. I get really complicated . See if you can search it.
I didn’t see Mormonism in it, however I didn’t read every single word in the curriculum. Either way it’s still made me feel uncomfortable regardless if there was anything Mormon in it or not. I hope that helps.
@@LivingWithEve Thank you for your reply. I do feel totally comfortable with this curriculum in spite of the writer being Mormon. But I did research it first. I greatly respect opinions of others also. I am glad you have the strength of character and conviction to say "i am still not completely comfortable with this" even if others disagree. I so respect people who stick to their convictions!
@@janicecrowell1537 that’s great then! It is a solid curriculum. When you find the perfect curriculum, it’s such a blessing!
This is our second year using tgtb language arts and my kiddos and I love it!! It feels a it disingenuous to imply that it’s due to hype that it’s so popular. Hype helps sure to encourage people to check it out but they are very transparent with all their material and their religious views. There is zero material related to LDS theology. We all choose what works best for our kids and families. Their language arts is really solid and beautiful and while it feels like it has a lot it is manageable for the way it’s spread out in the spiral format. For some kids tha doesn’t work. But I would definitely encourage anyone and everyone to just go watch their videos and browse through their samples or download the free course work to check it out for themselves.
I thank you for your personal review. I do enjoy getting other peoples perspectives. Last year my 5 yr old used the K program. This year we are using the 1st grade. My daughter loves it, which makes teaching her enjoyable because she likes what she’s doing. We love the different science units. I enjoy it because it’s very reasonable cost wise. I was brought up Catholic and my husband is Lutheran. I haven’t seen anything that leads to a specific religion nor ethnic race/background. My child loves the books in the library.
Thank you so very much for sharing. I do think it is awesome that it has worked well for you.
FOMO is so powerful!!! Thanks for this honest video. ❤️
I love your videos and appreciate your reviews especially because you are an educator. I'm glad you took a look and were honest with us about your feelings and FOMO. I feel that way about IEW. It looks great and so many people rave about it but I don't think it will work for my son.
He is finishing level TGTB 4 this year. It has worked really well for us. I personally like that it has so much included. We do the art and cooking activities together as a family (including dad)which has been fun. I think the biggest take away is to each his own. Just because one family doesn't like it doesn't mean it's a bad curriculum. And if what you are doing is working then why change?
YES!!! YES!! You totally get it! Not everyone is the same and not everyone will love the same thing. I love that you shared that TGATB works for you and IEW doesn't. I think it's gold when you can put aside pressure, social media, and go with what you know works best for your kid and then find it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Yes! And I love to watch in depth reviews because it helps me decide if a curriculum may work or not work for us!
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or as some call people of my faith, "Mormons." We prefer to be called Christians because we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. He is who we follow and put our faith in. The nickname, "Mormons" was been given to us by those outside of our faith who categorize us because we use the Book of Mormon as another book of scripture, along with the Bible. In your video, you said you agree with Christians, and therefore, were hesitant to use a curriculum that is overseen by a "Mormon." I understand the hesitancy of trusting someone of another faith to teach your child. That is completely valid. I just want you to know, we are Christians. Mormonism is not our religion or what we call ourselves. We are Christians. I believe in Jesus Christ. I pray and put my trust in Him. We have a lot more in common than you may think. I am happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about what we believe. Feel free to reach out any time. God Bless!
Thank you for being so respectful with your comment. Honestly you have been one of the only respectful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to comment on this video (many other comments I had to delete or you tube deleted them because AI pick up certain words). And you did it in such a respectful and very beautifully worded way. I have to be honest, after making this video, I have lost a lot of faith in the goodness of people from your church. I never said I hated people or the faith, I was accused of many things I never said or felt. It was only confirming my hesitancy.
Despite the fact that I may disagree with you on some of what you said, I can honestly say that I can respect your views. I thank you for speaking out in love instead of anger and hate. Giving facts about what you believe as oppose to rattling off insults.
I understand you believe in following His ways, and I think you showed this here. Thank you.
@@LivingWithEve I am sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, we aren't perfect. I apologize in behalf of those who spoke unkindly to you. I know it can be hard when you share your views over media because people can share some harsh things. Thank you for being willing to be vulnerable to help share your experiences and opinions about homeschooling. I hope people will treat you kinder moving forward. Take care.
@@heatherscruggs2269 thank you so much for clearing this up. I have really been wanting to try TGATB and came across this video. As someone who has recently been saved, I am in the baby steps of my faith as is my husband and my children. We are all learning as we go. I have heard negative things about the mormon faith (which I know are not true about everyone in the faith) I want to give my kids the beat faith based education possible. Your comment reassured me that this may be the route to take! So happy I read the comments on this video. God bless!
Thank you so much for sharing! As always I appreciate your honesty and sharing your heart. ❤️
I have found that the good and the beautiful is wonderful for my child who has really struggled with his language arts. I have been through prek, k supplement, and level k. They have all been amazing. I also like that level 4 has so much together because we are coming from me piecing everything together. I wish that you had not labeled the video as you did, giving the impression that it was a horrible curriculum in and of itself, versus just not being right for you. I understand your thoughts and appreciate them. But one thing I LOVE about your channel is your educational experience when it comes to the curriculums. I want to know how a curriculum will stand up to other options out there. I eventually got that from you, and still feel okay with my choices (I spent so much time praying about it all) but I just wish that the thumbnail didn't leave the impression that you hated the curriculum for its content instead of it just not being a good fit for you.
Thank you for your feedback. I think when I get a changeI might change the photo of the thumbnail. It was a screenshot and my face doesn’t really tell the story.
I do think it’s great that it works for you. It works for a lot of people. And I totally support that! When you find a curriculum that is gold, it’s awesome!
I love how you got excited for the diagraming. So many parents ask in the TGTB Facebook group why so much diagramming? I know I never learned that in school either, so now I’m kind of excited for my child to learn that.
We added the good & the beautiful for geography, spelling & art. It's great. It's a half hour & it's different every day.
Love your honesty! I did the SAME thing with TATB. I bought it, but I just couldn’t do it. It’s just a personal conviction-which is one of the wonderful perks of homeschooling; you can do you. 😊
I love that you are honest and talk about how you were cautious in purchasing this curriculum. I am a secular homeschooler, as you know, and I am cautious about anything we get for curriculum.
Also I’m so glad you bring up all the points that made you hesitate because first and foremost we should be having discussions! When we stop having discussions and we just do what others are doing because it’s popular, then there’s problems!
💜💜💜
I appreciate your perspective and love that you were able to discern that it's a solid curriculum while also realizing it doesn't work for you/your kids. My older kids use it and it's been working for them for 2 years now, but I HATED it for pre-k/K for my younger so I switched off. I am curious what you do use for LA. My son will be in HS next year and I'm considering making a switch, but am struggling to find something well rounded (as opposed to just a writing curriculum, then separate grammar, etc) that's also budget friendly.
We’re on our 4th year of Abeka. We love Abeka, well, I love Abeka. Kids are really bored and starting to become unmotivated. TGATB is one I am looking at. I’m glad that it is non denominational, but the LA does not seem to be as good as Abeka.
LOVE TGATB! To each his own though! There is nothing Mormon about this curriculum! My STEM student hates LA, but does very well with this curriculum!!
My family is one of the odd balls that love TGTB history. Their math is very solid, but was ultimately too much for my daughter. That was my fault though as she needed more time to soak in the material before moving on. We now are going to Math on the Level and have so far found it the perfect math curriculum. I’m curious about TGTB’s LA for elementary and middle school, as my eldest has loved their high-school (she also does Notgrass and their Literature and Loves MB’s Jenson’s Grammar curriculum options). So, I truly appreciate your review! I was planning on using Grammar Castle and the Kingdom of Writing for my elementary and Middle School child, as it looks so fun, but TGTB has elements I like too! Maybe I will do a combination of both as THTB is free and I won’t feel so guilty picking/choosing what to use from it. We tried Gather ‘Round and while we love it for many reasons, their LA just isn’t one of those reasons. I wish I could afford TGTB science though! 5-7 units recommend a year is well over $300 a year. But I can use their free videos (for both math and science) for lessons if I can include them somehow. What we are doing for science is still up in the air. I’m trying to use what I have as much as possible to stay within budget and all the shiny new curriculums certainly are tempting, which makes that hard (unless they are free like TGTB for the younger grades). Thanks again for your video!
The Good and the Beautiful is a great curriculum and I love it. I don’t see what you see.
We absolutely love this curriculum. It has been the only curriculum that has been able to be a solid curriculum in our home. I have ended up selling all the other curriculum I've bought because of FOMO. My kids absolutely love this curriculum. Every time I've ever introduced anything else, they always want to go back to TGTB. I find that the so called controversial issues are not present in the curriculum. I don't find TGTB to be whitewashed at all, as mentionedin the comments section. In fact, I find it to be incredibly diverse. We have been using TGTB for 3 years of our 6 year homeschool journey. At this point, I see us taking it all the way through high-school in specifically Language Arts. I hope you find something that becomes solid for your family. I know it has really relieved the stress for us to discontinue curriculum hopping and just focus on our homeschool journey.
Is it super teacher intensive? I’m having a difficult time deciphering
@@kaylabillings785 not at all. Totally open and go!
I’ve used TGATB, MB, & Abeka for LA. My boys love TGATB. MB didn’t have enough explanation or review. Abeka was toooooo much in the older grades even though it’s a very solid program. I don’t love TGATB spelling & feel like there could be more explanation for writing, but I do love the grammar review with a little geography and art mixed in so every day is a bit different. As a Christian, I have seen no LDS agenda in the many levels I’ve used. I will say I feel like their level K is a bit too advanced and not methodical enough for your “average” kid in K. So we do Abeka until grade 2-3 for learning to read then switch to TGATB. And I don’t feel like I’m a trendy homeschool mom so I don’t feel like influencers have impacted my decision to use TGATB.
Edited to add: we tried IEW for a half a year before I returned it. My boys HATED the videos, they were so long!! And I felt like the IEW method took creativity out of their writing.
My children from elementary through high school level do not like the iew program. I too felt that it did not actually teach them to write. Which will not help them in college or life when given a topic or assignment they will not know how to truly research, or organize what they are trying to write. We use tg&tb , I do not feel pressure from others to use or not to use as I have seen how it has helped my children in all aspects. I have not seen anything mormon in it and have used levels k,1,3 and highschool 1. I do however not like the highschool level. I do not think it has good instruction on grammar and writing. With that being said if you start with younger ones and work through the program by the time they get to highschool they should be fine. Each child learns differently so when I c that they need taught a different way in a different area I do supplement. I do phonetic based spelling and also go through the spelling rules in the good and the beautiful.
Thank you two for sharing. it just really shows that each kid needs what works best for them. I love that you guys found something that worked.
Thanks for your posting your impressions of IEW as well. I'm currently considering it (maybe supplementing with it) and appreciate the input.
👏🏻 , we found that too with IEW, way too structured and mechanical,
Thank you for this. I’ve seen so many recommendations for IEW, and really felt like we needed it, but I’ve hesitated because I don’t think my son would do well with the very long videos.
Love your honesty! That is why I keep coming back to see your opinion on things.
I appreciate that!
I love love love your perspective, Leilani! And your honesty. Good to know you know it’s not going to be a good fit for you! You really are doing all that already ☺️☺️ FOMO is real, and it’s awful 😆😆😝
I feel exactly the same way about The Good and the Beautiful LA. I keep wanting to use it, but when I look through it, I know I can’t. Even with my highly capable child. I’m not sure what it is, but I just can’t. I love their handwriting, we enjoy the occasional science, and we did their math and my boys enjoyed it… but LA? Can’t do it.
Not every curriculum works for every family or every student. That's why there are sssoooo many choices out there. I'm grateful for it! I like GATB BUT there are definitely students that I have had in the past that this curriculum wouldn't have worked for. Like you said,"if you are already doing something why by a curriculum for it". Great review!
We tried TGATB in fourth grade (for LA) and I really wasn't impressed with it. I really wanted to like it, but my son regressed so much. TGATB really didn't have any comprehension practice and the reading level was very low. I really don't get the hype about it being "advanced" because we had the opposite experience. I wouldn't recommend.
I don’t see why you don’t like it but I use it and my kids have been doing really well with it ❤
Absolutely LOVE their Language Arts curriculum, and as a Christian I have found nothing that pushes Mormonism or ANY specific religion in any way. It's a God centered curriculum, although not in your face, it's beautiful, it's engaging. I can't say enough good things about it. I love it so much, I'm actually doing the High School levels myself. It seems like the enemy is just trying to use parents (not staying you specifically) to attack Jenny and her curriculum so that children don't hear about God, the beauty He has created on this earth and all things Good & Beautiful.
Although I have not seen Mormon stuff in TGTB I do think you did a wonderful job in not being offensive in any way. Thank you for being transparent. As a Pentecostal I love TGTB Science and I plan to do TGTB Level 1 language next year with my 1st grader struggling this year with reading because of ADHD. I feel she is ready for a change from ABeka.
Thank you!!!!
I used TGATB for my son , levels 4-5. It was fine, but seemed a little all over the place at times. We would leave out certain parts and then I was like why are we using it if we aren't going to do it all? There is no perfect curriculum, when you find what works for your child and YOU stick with it because that is the perfect curriculum.
Thank you for this video! You spoke my exact thoughts after trying it and shelving it!
I’m ok with people not liking TGATB, we tried it for a while and didn’t like it either. But to assume that a curriculum is LDS because people involved in it are LDS is wrong. I am not LDS but this curriculum is not LDS. People need to quit sharing misinformation. Which is what it is when people assume the curriculum is based on LDS principles it is not. I’m sorry people that say it’s Mormon are grossly misinformed. This is a good option for families on a budget considering it can be printed for free sometimes and low cost on other things. It didn’t work for us because my daughter likes a more traditional approach (Abeka and BJU).
And btw I have friends that are Mormon and I don’t get what the hate is. They’re devout CHRISTians. Nothing like Christian’s to tear each other apart. But that’s another discussion.
Im an atheist and I used Tgatb grade 4 and under. I just change it when I read it. Example if it said "Look at all the beautiful flowers God has blessed us with." Id change it to something like "Look at all the beautiful flowers planet Earth provides for us"
I did share the bible verses and sometimes swapped them with verses from the Quran and other religious text. Religion has had a large impact on history and wars so we read all of it.
I dont understand why people attacks if a person says they dont like tgtb. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You expressed yours in a nice way. Thanks for your content. I love it.
Thanks for sharing. Do you think it's academically solid? Disregarding the religious concerns and that it's not a mastery approach, do you think it's academically sound for those of us who like spiraled curriculum?
I guess, just from the looks of it, it covered everything in a pretty consistent way.
I have been going back and forth about getting it for my daughter for next year yet as a Christian I have been very reluctant to get it for the same reasons you mentioned.
I do believe God gives us a spirit of discernment and when you just feel unsettled about a decision it probably means it is not the best choice for you or your family.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter. I also have FOMO and although I am very happy with our homeschooling curriculum choices, I am so scared that if I don't get the "latest and greatest" somehow I am doomed to fail my children.
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YES! Right there with you!
I think that if is not working for you it’s good that you decided to not use it and be you. In my home we use it just during the summer and it has work perfectly that way, didn’t spend money since they offer free the language art curriculum, which I am appreciative as a single mom to find something on my budget. Our main program is AAR which we love, but we have enjoy TG& TB as our summer program. We have use some of their science units as well. I think every parent mom or dad should be able to choose and try programs without having to feel bad about it because of what other person will think or say. And is always good to try ; you did and it didn’t work and is ok now you know and have extra experience on what you want or not for the future when it comes to programs. As well gives you idea to look for another with similar characteristics that will go well with your family. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, precisely. It’s a solid curriculum, it just wasn’t a good fit.
Thanks for a great video. We used TG&TB LA L1 when it was newly out and slogged our way through. Later tried the updated L3 but quickly realized it wasn't for us (beautiful poetry book though). Recently we did a 30 lesson trial of L5 math. The video lessons are fantastic but when we looked at the pros and cons of it, CLE and MLFLE, my daughter quickly chose MLFLE. I am happy with that choice. I do like the art lessons in TG&TB LA though. A question regarding IEW - does your son get bored with doing it every year, even though the theme may change? We used PAL Writing, then later did All Things Fun and Fascinating. My daughter certainly learnt a lot and I can see her using those skills (although they did come naturally to her), but she finds too much of the formulated approach boring. My thoughts were to do another IEW course in high school, but I am second guessing myself and wonder if we should do more. Do you use IEW all the time? I would really appreciate your insight.
My middle school son has really taken to IEW, and he loves the videos. He also love to write and he's used it as a springboard into some beautiful stories. I think the videos make him not get board. I do think I will change it up in HS though. I personally think IEW is good for the younger years, but there does come a point where it's time to break out and take all that you learned and apply it HS and even college writing. I've seen students who go through this process and when they hit HS / College, they are at the top of their class. So I guess it really depend on where they are.
I also honestly don't think you should supplement IEW. However, you should include writing assignments in their other subjects. For example: my boys write essays for science and history topics.
Hope this helps.
Yes, their refund policy is very strict. I barely got 1/4 of my money back.
I just fell in love with you ! God bless you for your honesty! How we get sucked into buying and buying !
Thank you.❤️
I honestly do use TGTB but the Lang arts I only use parts of it. I print it out as needed. I like the spiral approach to just complete more on a loop type schedule so I doubt we will finish the level in a year. I did it more exclusively last year and it was very beneficial to my then 1st grader. He is on level 2 and I mostly use it for word ladders /spelling rules / spiral grammar. I combine my kids as much as possible so I just loop TGTB Lang arts in to make sure at level nothing is missing.
Thank you so much for this video. I'm seriously contemplating changing language curriculum for next year so I'm starting a deep dive into looking at what is available. I really appreciate your completeness and honesty in this video. BTW - I absolutely agree with you on diagramming. It has multiple benefits that I see.
I am just stumbling upon this video. I don't think you said anything offensive and I was surprised in the comments to see that some people took it that way. What I got from it was that you completely intended to actually use the curriculum, but then felt it was redundant and covered things that you did separately. I can see that some people take it personally if you don't choose what they choose, but don't sweat it. It's not you... (it's them)
Thanks Amanda.❤
I so appreciate you being open and honest - We all get FOMO!!! I tried out (and still am kind of using) the K Primer LA from TGTB. It is just ok, imo. I felt it hopped around a lot and didn't teach things in logical order. It is working for my intended purposes, which is to review and bridge my 5yo between levels of AAR. I have also purchased a few of the grade-level fiction books from TGTB. Those were a hit! However, all of these purchases were made before the recent controversy around nationalism and representation. That controversy sealed my decision to no longer support the company. I have to say, it is pretty obvious in their art selection alone that the curriculum is a little whitewashed. I prefer a multicultural, inclusive approach above all else. I am a secular homeschooler who also has deep religious convictions. My beliefs differ so much from mainstream Christianity, that it doesn't make sense for me to use faith-centered curricula. I teach the history of religion and theology to my kids separately.
Yeah, and the more I start to look at the constitution and the way some portray it. It blows my mind, honestly. I had no idea. I’m teaching a constitution class at the coop and it’s crazy how books portray things.
I feel like TG&TB is the trendy curriculum right now and honestly I don't see why all the hype! I've looked at the free samples (many times!) and every time I do, I go away thinking the same: it's just too much. I don't want geography & art in my LA. I just want my kids to get a solid grammar/writing/spelling/reading lesson in and be done with LA so we can move on to the fun stuff (content subjects - where they do end up practicing many LA skills). But everyone raves about this curriculum and I just don't get it! I was using Masterbooks LA with my oldest (level 3 & 4) and when she started level 5 this year, it just wasn't a fit anymore. So we switched to Essentials in Writing. It's okay, but neither of us are absolutely loving it. So I need to figure LA out for her (she's 6th grade/special needs)....but I know TG&TB isn't it! My younger uses Masterbooks LA level 2 and it is perfect for an intro to all things grammar. I am not sure if we will do level 3 next year or not. I do like level 2 & 3 of Masterbooks, and I guess level 4 was okay. I need the all in one LA book like Masterbooks provides (and TG&TB), but I may have to go back to separate writing/grammar/spelling curriculums next year. Boo. Do you have any videos on LA curriculums that are solid, short lessons, easy for a child to complete independently??
You might like Sonlight language arts. :)
I don't have any videos, but my youngest is doing Horizons.
We use Memoria Press for grammar, composition & literature. It's very straight forward.
I appreciate all of these recommendations and I’m looking in to them all! Thank you!
@@mamakids6163 what about spelling? I hadn’t thought of memoria press so I’m excited to check that out!
This video makes me so glad I am homeschooling my children.
6:01 Masterbooks is the trendy thing for a lot of people in my circles. I knew from your other videos that it wasn't right for us for math, but I thought I might use them for Social Studies since my first grader complains about our current BJU Press Heritage Studies book. However, when I checked out the sample pages of Masterbooks' social studies book, it seemed so random and scattered that I wasn't sure how kids learn anything of substance at all! So we're sticking with BJU Press for now and just supplementing with more living books and living stories prior to reading each chapter.
I think those who like solid curriculum like Abeka, BJU, Rod and Staff etc feel like TGTB and MB are too light and too scattered. I know I did!
I honestly don’t understand the hype with TGTB LA. I like their handwriting for my 7-yr-old and I downloaded their free Simply Beautiful Math which I use as a supplement for the same child. She is very art-oriented, so these programs speak to her. I do like many of their science units ( despite the fact that we are secular homeschoolers). I have a B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry and 28 graduate credits in wildlife biology and the science in TGTB science units is solid, plus it has the gorgeous pictures and picture study that suck in my 7-yr-old so that she actually enjoys the science. We use the All About Learning Press materials for reading and spelling and First Language Lessons for grammar, that is full of sentence diagramming at level 3 (my 4th p-grader is using that book- but the program is very teacher intensive). In addition, we do Writing With Ease from The Well-trained Mind (also incredibly teacher intensive- but I only have two kids and this is our first year of official homeschooling- I noticed both kids had significant gaps in their language arts, what on earth was public school even teaching them?) Once my 4th-grader blows through AAR level 4, we will study literature and review grammar with Lightning Literature level 3.
I really appreciate this video. Thank you!! ❤
You are so welcome!
I agree. Unit study. Have to soak it in…fully saturated. I have TGTB Lang arts and feel like it doesn’t really go into depth enough. First year homeschooler lol.
I am looking for materials this year and keep coming close to getting tgtb… but something feels wrong…. So your video was on point. I am very inexperienced with homeschooling even though we keep falling back to it.. would you have any recommendations of curriculum to look at for a 10 year old, 5th grader who reads at a 2nd grade level and could be done primarily by the kid themselves. I work full time out of the home and don’t have as much time to work directly with him as I wish I could.. and the time I do have I focus on reading mostly so the other subjects kind of get pushed to the side. We used Miaacademy last year but I don’t think he really learned much…
For a 5th grader who read around 2nd grade level, I would look at Learning Language Arts Through Literature, however you may need to work with him a bit. And you will need to do as placement test. It was written a little bit below grade level so have to play with it, in regard to placement. Teaching Textbooks for math is super hands off for the parent. For history, Mystery of History is good. My sister-in-law got the CDs and listened to them with her kids in the car. Same is true with Apologia, you can get them on audio.
This is really helpful! Thank you for the reminders about not getting sucked into the FOMO. Btw I also thought you were very honest but also gracious.
Thank you❤️
Have you done/reviewed their math? Interested in your perspective academically there.
I bought IEW and ended up returning it, because I couldn’t figure it out 🥴😆 we have used Abeka since 4th grade and are now finishing up 8th grade.
I appreciate your review for this! I actually purchased TGATB for high school 1, but I ended up going with Notgrass history with their literature. I really was drawn to the literature coinciding with the history. In looking at TGATB high school 1, it will be way too much between the two curriculums. So, I am going to supplement Notgrass curriculum with Easy Grammar, my own writing assignments that Notgrass does not have, and use TGATB geography and the Greek vocab. I hope that makes sense. I love your videos and personality!!!
Thanks for sharing!! I have never been on The Good and the Beautiful "train" 😊😊 But because it's so pretty, I have bought some odds and ends... like readers, and the flower game/book. ( btw... my son does IEW writing with a tutor!... because I struggle teaching that😊)
I sold our level 4 also. When I first started hs 3 yrs ago, I bought into the hype, & we completed level 3, but my son lost interest & I honestly felt like it was all over the place. It was almost TOO much included in one curriculum. My son did actually enjoy the diagramming in l3, so I thought about getting just a diagramming workbook or something. I don't know yet. For now, we are happy with IEW. He does love TGTB handwriting, but it's not something we do everyday. 😀
Yes! IEW, why do I doubt myself sometime. IEW for real has it all, it’s just not typical / traditional.
Agree! & honestly, I think it was in the biographies book for l4, something about a Mormon missionary. Just sat funny with me.
It's a lot of work to learn how to use the G & B curriculum. It's different. I wrote a review of High School 2 above. To be fair, I also had a hard time learning the IEW structure. I think a lot of these curriculums that aren't typical text book style with the answers in the back are harder to work with but I do feel they are worth it if you have time to put in the effort. I think both are trying to mimic what a good teacher can do naturally but there is no natural way to flow from geography to art in print without making it a unit study. This is not a unit study but it's also not completely disjointed. Hard to explain. They are not a unit study but rather a formula with some aspects of unity study. So far it seems the formula is working with both curriculums but it's not the formula I grew up with or one that I might chose naturally. I am finding it helpful due to my own need to learn with my child. That said they could be better about how they give the assignments. It will say do poetry and have five check boxes and do geography till mastered but as you move on you forget about it. You have a secondary schedule that you write yourself and you need to adjust it as real life happens and things need to change. It is a few subjects for a single curriculum and not something that is easy to pick and choose from like a unit study style would be. The rhythm of both curriculums are not too hard to learn but both are something that needs to be learned.
We did almost 2 whole years with TGTB, & I would say we "put in the effort", but we just didn't care for it. We are much more charlotte mason inspired & I found TGTB, to be more traditional. Nothing wrong with that, just not our style.
I've learned to not watch curriculum videos! 🤣😂🤣 (Even though I just watched this one🤦🏾♀️)
It keeps me focused on what we're doing and not what I'm "missing out on".
I love this honesty.
I never tried it just based on opinions and just generally some people making it seem like just a no-go so never entertained it. Tried the masterbooks, abeka, sonlight which all my friends rave about that works so good-just wasnt a good fit. I wanted to love masterbooks so much, just was not it lol We have 3 kids. We eventually tried tgatb and really fell in love. Part of the reason is I guess it just hits the nail with how my kids learn and work. It's always a home run when you're not constantly fighting the process and something we feel is cohesive. More good days than bad. Im not afraid to change as the childs needs do, but I think for a lot of it, everyones lifestyle, learning style and routine are so different and as long as that stays the center- that's the most important. I never saw the reason to get upset over anyone choices. I love these videos though because even if it's a negative, that could be someone's positive and visa versa.
Yup, Thank you for sharing!
I like the idea of it, but wonder how much actual grammar they focus on? I don’t know what i want to use yet. Still have young readers
Great video. I’m also a Bible believing Christian so I was very nervous about using a faith based curriculum that may have Mormon influence, I agree completely that I have no ill will towards people of other faiths, I simply do not want to teach my son anything that disagrees with our faith as followers of Jesus and we know that Mormons believe very different things than we do. I went online and read thru the entire curriculum and didn’t find anything in the LA curriculum that teaches Mormon beliefs so we’ve been using it.
That said, my son is NOT liking it and his reading level is prob at least 4th or 5th grade (he’s 7 so in level 2) but his spelling is still at a 2nd grade level and so the curriculum doesn’t really fit well. Something’s are boring him and some are advanced and he gets frustrated. So I literally just decided to find something new this morning LOL I’m sure it works well for many but it’s not fitting for him and that’s who I’m focused on so off we go to find something different.. I’m looking into BJU but we are on a tight budget so I’m still looking to see what else is out there.
Thank you for your videos, they’ve been very helpful in giving insight into the different curricula
Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️
We did IEW for years and I loved the student DVDs that they no longer sell.
This is my first year with G & B and I have a High School Student in level 2. I feel it's very hands on when it comes to the time needed to help make sure your student is doing all of it, getting all of it, and not getting lost and forgetting all the many check boxes on past pages. Let me explain what I mean by missing check boxes. They will have 5 check boxes on say page 3 but you are do do that topic 5 different days. The kid turns to page 4 and you ctan't really blame them for forgetting to go back and do the same thing four more days like it told you to. I find it takes more time than they say to do it well, but that isn't a bad thing. I do like it and the cost is fair. I like that they have videos in the upper age when it comes to "some" of the assignments. The fact that the dictation link can be texted to my son so I don't have to read him the sentences is great. They don't have that type of help for all the assignments and I have a feeling the videos won't stay free forever. Just a feeling. I also find it hard to get my teen to find the right videos, seriously, this has been a time consuming issue. I get that he should be able to do all this on his own but my point is most teens if left to just do it on their own...well... they won't.
I am type B and I typically would rather pick the books I want to pick and learn in a more simple way but for High School I kind of like that this is as structured as it is because it forces my son to have a "boss" of a curriculum with multi-step instructions he needs to learn to handle. I feel it's great prep for collage but I would not want to do this with my younger kids.
We use G & B in a group so the art is done together and writing is made to be presented. The book questions are also asked in group. This helps with accountability. They don't have many questions on the books, that's a bit strange to me but I am fine with it. The questions are deep and not just a test to see if you read it. I love that. The content does seem strong but it replaces so much so you need to really want it and give up on other things you might be doing or not do so much of what your paying for. Our group does not ask for anything beyond the Art, writing, book, and book questions to be done that way if any parents still use other programs for grammar, dictation, and so on.
There is so much too G & B. For high school it's also geography, poetry, a few Greek roots, history, and so on. I don't know how I would be motivated to do it if I wasn't doing it with a group. I think it's a good option but not the only option. I think the hype is actually fair because other curriculums cost way more and help support you way less. Your getting a lot for the price.
The mom is still the teacher here and you get to learn with your kid if your education was not the best. I think it's a fantastic option for someone that did not have a strong education themselves and they want to learn with their kid. This could be started as a goal in 7th. It would not be good for someone that has trouble staying motivated or doesn't have time for LOTS of inflexible work that should be done to do it right. I am enjoying this because I am doing it with a group, without that I would return it too. I would give it 9.4 out of 10 stars if your kid is doing it with a friend or two and 5.7 out of 10 stars if your doing it just as a family and trying to stay as motivated. I haven't really seen anything Christian about it and we are on the 3rd unit of 10. I think they show faith in a creator but I haven't found it very religious. One little part said to really think and write about the "Love is..." verse. If your feeling called to more Biblical history and readings this could be too weak or even turn into distraction form time for that. However, your the teacher and the curriculum is not. Some parts could easily be taken out so other things could be added in. : ) One thing that could be done is listening to the audio books of these books in the car so you have time for other readings. Instead of poetry memory you could turn to scripture.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Fantastic video! Perfect. Balanced. Good approach. Wisdom.
Thank you. ❤️
I got my hands on a used level 4 TGTB set and I couldn't get behind it either. I felt like it went too fast and didn't go deep enough. I also hated the reader - HATED it. I couldn't make it through one story... definitely nothing objectionable in it, I just thought the stories were sooo boring. My son would have hated it.
That said, since your review came out, they totally redid the entire program. I downloaded the level 5 just out of curiosity. Good grief I'm in love with it and trying to resist the urge to buy it. I might just print it (will cost me probably half) and try it ONLY because it would simplify my life a lot in the LA department. They are using novels now, not readers... they are actually teaching rather than cramming concepts, and it still seems thorough. Spelling is the only part I'm not sold on... I had wanted to use Arrow guides with novels for LA next year but I don't think they are enough and the thought of using all the LA we currently use (which IS working very nicely, I might add) is overwhelming.
I hope this isn't FOMO!!!!
Question... can you teach a dyslexic child how to read without spending $150 on curriculum for just one level?
I get it! Things are so expensive. My heart goes out for real. I'm sure patience and teaching yourself how to teach is a possibility but oh so time consuming. If you live in Florida, there is a scholarship for homeschoolers. That can cover the cost. You may alos want to search for used curriculum or scholarships in your state. But it's really hard.
@@LivingWithEve I'm in Iowa and I'm on my own for curriculum. My biggest struggle with paying the price is I don't know if it's going to work for my child. It's either going to be wonderful or throwing money out the window.
You can download their curriculums for free also. You get a pdf instead of hard copies but its so helpful budget wise!
@@ReiverGrad14Make sure you look into return policies of every company you buy from. Some have RIDICULOUSLY short return windows.
It takes guts to share something that goes against the grain. TGTB users are very passionate! I guess I get it. I am passionate about my choices too! But we all need to be open to differing opinions and be respectful of choices that are different than the ones we make. I am sorry you've gotten so much negative feedback here!
Thanks. It’s been interesting to read through. I’ve learned a lot.
Sorry this is unrelated to the video, but just wanted to share. I just watched a video by the channel Jubilee. It was titled: "Do All People With Down Syndrome Think The Same?" It's a pretty cool series they do on their channel (do all 'blank' think the same) Just reminded me of y'all & Naomi.
Was nice thinking how Naomi would react to this when older.
I can already tell she's gonna be a fierce lady ☺️ she's got that strong personality! 🔥
Let me know what you think if you watch. 💗
Sure thing!
I like the good and the Beautiful science units Best.
I’d love to hear what you think about their new math though!
Me too. I’d love her take on it.
I just don't get why people don't like the G & B. We love it! And we're not even religious! We use the Math, the LA, the Handwriting and the Creative Writing. I did get the History but I'm selling that because it's all about Bible History not real History, ditto for the Science. But seriously, even if you're not a Christian or Mormon, it's great. Everything is organized, and cool looking and takes all the guesswork out of me having to figure out what to teach. Plus my kids like it. I haven't seen very much religious stuff at all, when we do come across it I just explain to the kids that this is how Christians believe and that Christianity is only one religion of many. Problem solved. You really can just skip over any God stuff because it's not the main focus of these two subjects at all. Now, that being said, I did tear out and rip to shreds the first page of the creative writing book which was full religious BS about writing, which, as a writer myself I totally disagreed with. But again, take what you want from it and leave the rest. It's still a good program and we will continue to use it unless someone out there creates an AFFORDABLE Secular equivalent. I can't afford to pay $700-$1.000 and up for something secular.
“It’s not the Good and the Beautiful for nothing…” 😂
What was wrong with the constitution unit? I downloaded the free version.
i don't know what it looks like now, but there was some concerns with misrepresentation of the black community. This happened when it first came out.
@@LivingWithEve it is moreso the misrepresentation of HISTORY, not the black community. Several pages were passed around social media showing the outright rewriting of history as it pertains to the enslavement of AAs, the purpose of the constitution, etc. Many who are not from the African diaspora are uncomfortable speaking about slavery (purpose, harshness, treatment after slavery, etc) and therefore "whitewash" it to make it more palatable for non-african americans. We are expected to "get over it, stop talking about it" yet still learn and talk about the other parts of American History. There is no American History without us. The "everyone else did it, so it was okay" or "they didn't know they were doing anything wrong" is throughout the very brief teachings on African Americans in the curriculum. The teaching of how this enslavement period varied vastly from any other era is totally omitted. And to say the Christians led the charge to abolish slavery is B.S. Speak SPECIFICALLY about who and what led to the abolishment of slavery. By omission, it is not a history curriculum that I would recommend or use for my children. However, many non-African Americans love omission-based history, so... 🤷🏾♀️
what do you recommend for a poor speller? 6th grade
All About Spelling or Spell U See
I have tried to use it over the past several years(because it was free and everything was in 1 book) and every time I start, I get that feeling that I should not be using it, so I toss it. A common comment I see is that there isn’t anything Mormon in it. I don’t most people would notice anything unless they came out of Mormonism or have done a lot of research, it is very subtle. The only open Mormon stuff in it is the quotes from their history which TGATB provides on their site. I don’t feel comfortable as a Bible believing Christian using something that has been created by a lot of other religions. When they mention God, I don’t know if they’re talking about their version of who God is or if it is the God of the Bible. It would be nice if they would put out a list of these people representing these other religions/denominations so I could do some research on them. Anyways, here’s a good documentary on Mormonism for anyone who is interested. ua-cam.com/video/SyhD4b1ZuTo/v-deo.html
Thank you!
The writing is really strong in their writing workshop work book
What is the issue with the constitution course? I really know nothing about this.
It has to do with representation of the black community. Look it up.
@@LivingWithEve I see where this is going. Thanks
Thank u for ur guidance
What was the controversy about the constitution?
Read through the comments. That will give you an overview. It gets pretty complicated.
What curriculum do you think you'll use with naomi for kindergarten?
So we are using Learning Without Tears for PK and I’m just going to stick with them and follow her lead. They are very extensive and they have a ton of resources.
I loved this. I keep looking at their new math because it's so pretty but feel the same reservations. Offering resources for free definitely feels like a "ministry" and a way to further themselves in the church. Something I don't wish to support.
We tried their the good and the Beautiful English curriculums and we didn't care for that
Thank you!!! I did a trial of the free one last year. I had the same conviction last year about the Mormonism and my son wouldn’t do it either because he heard my conversation with my husband. Glad we stayed away from it.
Hugs! Sometimes curriculum is so sparkly! Lol. It's okay to need to look at the shiny! Lol
Hi Even, thanks for your reviews. Actually The Good and The Beautiful do insert mother God as one of their story in Language Arts. It is really strange. I read it to my child and I have to explain to them where this book is from and about Mormon. But I just feel like the way they give away free and no offense but I heard a lot of sexual child abuse allegations against this religion. It makes me can't help but think of the way Disney slide in some content to preprogrammed our mind.
Thank you for sharing. If you don't mind me asking, which level was that?
I definitely recommend actually using the curriculum first, to get a really good in-depth look with how it works. TGTB is well done and very thorough. With that said, I can completely relate to buying curriculum and regretting it immediately 🙈 If you want to piece everything together, that’s wonderful! I did the same when we first started homeschooling.
As far as the religious aspect, the controversy stems from a few years back between Rebecca Spooner and Jenny Philips. I actually respect Rebecca’s stance on why she cut ties, since she was influencing thousands upon thousands of people with this curriculum. However, I think it’s such an individual decision. I’ve used levels pre-k to level 7 with my kids so far, and there hasn’t been anything off or concerning to me. I don’t know the religious stance behind the person creating my math curriculum. If that was the case I’d probably also ditch our “Story of the World” books. The beauty with home education is we can skip over things we don’t agree with, or have a discussion about it as a family.
I will never judge a mom for either viewpoint they have on TGTB. Just some food for thought❤️
***** I should clarify...I’m not saying YOU are judging other moms for using it. I hope what I wrote made sense🙈
Gotcha, no worries. Thanks for sharing. It seems that there are a lot of strong opinions on this curriculum. I knew that people had opinions, but the claws have been coming out with this video from some viewer comments (not you of course). It's kind of crazy to think people aren't okay with one person having an opposite opinion about something they like. I do think TGATB is a solid curriculum but it just wasn't going to work for us. And as a homeschool evaluator I have no issues with people ever using it, in fact, when they have it I know that they're fine without needing to see a whole lot.
I love what you said about choice. We can skip over things we don't agree with, or have a discussion about it as a family. I also love that as homeschoolers we can choice what to teach our kids and how to. That's what I love about homeschooling in America. Not everyone has our luxuries.
I thought it was funny, I still piece things together... lol and I've been homeschooling for 7 years. It's probably the teacher in me just trying to figure out how to make it fit each child. lol
@@LivingWithEve oh absolutely!! We’ve been at this for 7 years as well. I still piece other subjects together-but I’m a bit of a curriculum junkie, so think that’s why! 😬😂🤦🏻♀️
Yes this curriculum is seriously controversial and with knowing Rebecca personally, I know her heart is in the right place, I just think it got blown out of proportion from all sides of the debate😬 and clearly from all these comments it still hasn’t calmed down. Freedom of choice always!!! Thanks for your videos! Always appreciate them and your honesty! God bless you mama❤️
We are in our second year of using their LA curriculum. We are a pagan family, we just skip the very few religious parts that are in it. There is nothing specifically Mormon in this curriculum at all. The whole thing with the constitution curriculum is ridiculous. People are so concerned with being woke, they lack the ability to discern between culture and societal status at the time of the history and today. Looking at 1776 through the eyes of 2021 will never produce a clear outlook or understanding of 1776. Lastly this video seemed like you purchased curriculum that you knew you wouldn’t like simply to complain about it for UA-cam views. That isn’t following your stated Christ like views.
Honestly, I bought the curriculum with full expectation to use it. I had no thought that I would ever not want to use it. In fact, I purposefully chose not to download and print out the PDFs for free because I was so sure I would use it and I wanted the full thing. To buy a curriculum only to dislike it on purpose... that is kind of silly. It's a waste of money. I did this video to show that I make mistakes too. I caved into peer pressure and had to work through why I did that. I honestly thought TGATB was going to solve all my problems. But I realized I second guessed myself and my ability to understand what my kids needed. I took in what other people thought was best. It has a much deeper purpose behind it. Now there are about 3 days between the first section and the last where me and my husband went back and forth discussing what to do. That I did not share. So it may have come across as a quick turn around because you did not see that.
In the end I believe in the freedom to do what is best for your child. To not be pressured into thinking you are using the wrong curriculum or that you are not doing enough.
Now do I think it a good curriculum. I think it's solid, but it's not for me. I thought I made that point. Sorry if it didn't come across that way. Hope this makes sense.
What is the constitution controversy?
You have to search it. It’s pretty complicated, but it has to do with the representation of the black community.
@@LivingWithEve ok thanks! I found it, I think. So the controversy is more drama caused by people not being perfectly happy & causing a scene. I was hoping it wasn't something serious. I looked through the download. I think the content of the curriculum looks amazing, although tgtb is not at all my teaching style. I'd love to see these same lessons styled for people who can't make it through the tgtb style.
@@mamaAimEC I know they also changed it some and they may have gotten rid of the original video. There was something in the preview that really struck a nerve with some. It was removed.
What is the controversy over the Constitution?
It's so complicated. It has to do with the misrepresentation of the Black Community and the views on the divine nature of the constitution and the men who wrote it. I would suggest you look it up on UA-cam and watch some videos it your really interested.
It seems like your biggest hang up on the curriculum is the creator being Mormon. That seemed to be a reoccurring theme about your unease with the curriculum. Which is a shame because it doesn’t talk about Mormonism and I love TGATB! But hopefully you were able to find what you were looking for.
You didn’t really watch the video, did you?
Totally get the FOMO 😅
What controversy about the Constitution?
It’s the Constitution Curriculum that came out about a month ago. Before they did some revisions, the black community felt misrepresented along with some other concerns. Since then, I think they did some revisions. It pretty complicated and messy. But when it was first introduced there was an uproar. I actually recorded this video back on August, I just wanted things to blow over a bit.
@@LivingWithEve thank you for responding. I hadn't heard about that. We don't use TGTB because I don't feel combining everything into one is enough, but that's just my opinion. The unit studies look ok and I actually just downloaded the Constitution study. The great thing about homeschooling is that anything can be added to or deleted from the curriculum as the teacher feels necessary. 🙂