I Switched To Shurley Grammar And I Am SOOO Happy I Did!

In January I changed our English curriculum. I know it may seem kind of strange to some to change in the middle of our first year but I am so glad I did. The English program we had been using, Rod and Staff 's Preparing To Build English 2, served us well but I was not happy with it. Mainly because it was extremely boring and I was really disappointed by the teaching style and teacher instructions. Some of the instructions, though easy grammar for the teacher, were poorly written. Just by way of example, one sentence was written, "Ask the class if they remember what question nouns which name people can answer." My first response was HUH?!? I had to read it a few times before I understood what they were asking. This bothered me and it wasn't the first time I had issues with the teacher instructions. In all fairness to R&S, you might make better sense of the sentence above, if you were familiar with the instruction up to this point. However, their style of explaining basic English grammar seemed very awkward to me. It made teaching unenjoyable and so it wasn't long before I made THE SWITCH.

I love Rod and Staff Publishers so please don't think I am bashing them. I am not. I think it can be a valuable program to the teacher who can get passed the teaching style. I could not. For me that WAS the hurdle I didn't want to jump anymore. And along with that, it just wasn't my initial desire for an English curriculum. I really wanted to use Shurley English.


I first heard of Shurley English years ago through a friend when I asked her if I could visit while she homeschooled. She obliged and so it was at her home when she, and her six year old, introduced me to the Shurley English Method of teaching grammar. It was an informative and impressionable time for this green homeschooler. That afternoon her daughter diagramed a sentence, finding the subject, noun, verb, adverb, adjective and article adjective. I was shocked to say the least. I was nearly convinced even then, that I wanted to use this English program. Ever since, I have been nothing-less than impressed by Shurley English's methods and style of teaching. The jingles and activities keep the student engaged and learning. I love it and so do our students. Our oldest insists that it is her favorite subject and that is a big plus. :-) Did I also mention that the Shurley English takes less time than R&S? So not only is it less time out of our day, but she is learning more in a less amount of time and having fun doing it. You can't get any better than that, eh?


So if you are looking for an English program please have a look at this one. I hope it will be as perfect a match for your family as it was for ours!


On a side note, if you're wondering why I didn't start with Shurley Grammar, I can explain in a couple of words. I'm CHEAP! Yes, this last summer when I went perusing homeschool-curriculum-fair-aisles, I could not find the Shurley English anywhere. So when I couldn't find the Shurley English for the price I was willing to pay, and because I insisted that I was going to get my curriculum for a sweet deal, I opted for the R& S because it was really cheap and it had never been used. OH and how happy I was to get a sweet deal. Little did I know how I would 'PAY' in the long run.


Lesson Learned: Don't be stingy or really cheap when it comes to your child's education.



In the end I got a sweet deal on an unused S.E. set for only $45. It retails for $75.