Looking for a Free Lunch?

I wonder how that title will come up in search engines. But I don’t write for search engines, I write my thoughts – to provoke you to think. This post is on how someone else provoked me to think. And how I am in the process of eating my words – at least to some degree.

In corresponding on a home school elist, I stated that I didn’t know that how I plan our studies could be done “free”, that we use specific books and that I am very careful about the books we use, and that in general we look for books written from a biblical (or at least not ANTI-biblical) viewpoint.

I admit, before going on, that I have something others may not have – a love for great books. If you don’t have one, you should begin to cultivate one. It’s truly necessary, espeically for an educator and parent. I have been collecting good books all my life, since I was a child. I truly agree with Erasmus that, “When I get a little money, I buy books. If there is any left over I buy food and clothes.” Obviously this is hyperbole, but building a great library is a love of mine, inherited from my dad. I own thousands of books and am constantly weeding out things that don’t fit the highest of standards to make room for more truly great books. (I don’t buy or keep twaddle. If there is a “just ok” or “twaddley” book we want to read, we’ll borrow it from the public library.) I will also say I am a major bargain shopper and my library has cost FAR less than it is worth. Never pay full price for anything if you can in anyway get it legitimately for less!

On the other side, and the reason that prompted my reply to the elist, I see many home educators “now-a-days” that are just looking for how to home school for FREE. The quality doesn’t matter, the content doesn’t matter, all that matters is that it is FREE – and for some, another qualification is a “heap o’ fun”! Although I thoroughly believe learning should be one of the greatest joys of life, “fun” and “free” aren’t my qualifying prerogatives in providing my children an excellent education. I have nothing against either, they just aren’t my goals. A good education is worth sacrificing for, not a free add-on; and education requires labor, not just fun and games.

Back to my “lunch” story. We use some great newer books, some/many are not ones you find at home school curriculum fairs or on swap lists. We also use some great old books, again not always the popular reprints. It obviously takes (has taken) time to come up with the curriculum I write for our children and the book lists I put together. I have to admit I was thinking in terms of my already stretched to the limit time constraints. Is that really “free”?

But she did get me to thinking, could what we do be done by those who truly had no ability to build a library?

To be continued … here.