Continued from the past two days, when we talked about Before and At the Convention Shopping Tips.
Today we’ll look at After the Convention.
AFTER the CONVENTION:
1. If you’ve held off your purchases and not bought at the convention, pray (and research more if needed) until you feel sure, then order. If you were unable to see something at the convention, but you still feel it may be best, order it. Don’t choose what you feel is going to be second best just because you haven’t seen what you really wanted to try. Most companies have return policies, on curriculum type things anyhow, and it is better to look and pay a return fee if it isn’t going to work, than to keep trying other things, and always wondering if this other would have been better.
One great advantage we have now over when these posts were originally written 7 years ago, is online discussion groups have really grown in the area of home education. You can talk to a lot of different users and get their opinions and reviews of products. If you belong to groups that have the same philosophy of (beliefs about) education as you do, they can be a great source of product reviews that may work for your family.
2. Realize that mistakes will be made! It is part of learning and growing – and learning and growing involve costs. Don’t throw out an apparent mistake at the first sign of difficulty. Pray about how (if) it can be adapted to fit your goals/methods, or if it is indeed what God wants but is going to require you to stretch and grow. Give it some time, and really try to utilize it, especially if it fits into your “guidelines”.
3. If you truly make a mistake, repent, spend more time – prayer and research – finding the replacement. Don’t beat yourself up. Go back to #2 – Realize that mistakes will be made! Sell the old one on a curriculum swap e-list or local used book fair. Chalk it up to experience. But be careful not to get in the rut of always jumping from one thing to another, and never truly implementing anything, always jumping to the newer, better resource, in looking for the answer. If this is happening, go back to the beginning and spend more time Renewing Your Mind and getting God’s direction.
4. Also realize that as you grow, the “Perfect Resource” that is perfect this year, may not be “perfect” next year or 5 years from now. You will be growing and continually renewing and adapting. Start where you’re at and grow from there. Sell, give or throw away, whatever no longer fits into your philosophy and goals and move on. But try to purchase things you won’t “outgrow”, like the Real Resources/ Living Books things the guidelines in tomorrow’s post suggest.
Check back tomorrow for tips in avoiding curriculum shopping mistakes.
