Homeschooling With The Victorians: Abeka Curriculum Review

On today’s episode of “Homeschooling with the Victorians” we will be reviewing our experience with Abeka Academy.

Let's start with answering the question: "What is Abeka"?

Abeka is a Christian based curriculum founded by Dr. Arlin Horton and his wife, Beka, owners of Pensacola Christian Academy. This curriculum was birthed with the hope of resolving the issue of the decreasing number of Biblically based educational textbooks and curriculums in schools. With it's availability to Christian schools and homeschool families, Abeka helps provide excellent education to students from a Christian perspective.

Abeka's Mission:

Their mission is to support and equip students, teachers, and parents by providing academic resources based upon Biblical values for Pre-K through Grade 12.

Abeka's Philosophy:

Abeka's parent-led, character-building philosophy comes from a biblical foundation.

Train up a child in the way he should go.—Prov. 22:6a

Because you’re in the driver’s seat, not your children, it means your kids aren’t running you. You’re leading them.

There’s structure and organization because that helps children know what to expect—and what’s expected of them—but also because 1 Corinthians 14:40 says, “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

In history, you see God’s hand. In science, you see His design. In grammar, you see His order.

Every subject is approached from a Christian perspective, and you’ll find Scripture and biblical principles used to emphasize or illustrate concepts.

The 4 Core Principles

• Biblical Worldview

• Research & Development

• Proven Philosophy

• Critical Thinking

Learn more about Abeka on https://abeka.com .

Why Did You Choose Abeka?

This decision was originally made based on my personal experience working at a Christian Preschool that uses Abeka as their Biblically educational based curriculum.

After reviewing details of their curriculum as well as their core values, I believed that Abeka was fitting for our lifestyle and aligns with our Christian beliefs. Abeka believes that your investment into homeschool education means that your kids get more time and individualized attention with you that is not possible in school. As a homeschool parent, you are the one shaping your child's values instead of a teacher. You may be the one who puts in the work, but you’re also the one who sees the reward. Honestly, I have to agree! Nothing could ever replace that.

What did you like the most?

I am greatly impressed by the structure and consistency of the entire program. The Spiral Learning method is a key part of the learning process. My daughter has been able to grasp the concept of what is being taught due to the repetition and the gradual build of the lesson material.

Did it meet your goals?

Yes! My ultimate goal was to complete the curriculum successfully within a year.

Did it meet your expectations?

No! Let me explain. As a first time homeschool mom, I did not know what to expect when the school year began. Because I am a stay-at-home mom of multiple age groups, I was open to a more flexible way of learning. We enrolled my daughter in Abeka Academy, which is an online accredited program via Abeka that allows her to stream pre-recorded lessons virtually while completing assignments along with a virtual class. As the year progressed I began to form my opinion of our experience with Abeka Academy. I realized that it was not what I originally had in mind.

Since my daughter successfully completed her Kindergarten year via Virtual School, it was my assumption that the Abeka Academy program would be similar to the online platform that she used prior. Instead, it was the complete opposite.

The amount of time my child spent streaming classroom videos was equivalent to time that she would spend in a traditional classroom setting. This defeated the purpose of me choosing the homeschool route. There was not much flexibility with the Abeka Academy. There was also no option to work at your own pace. Although my daughter was able to complete most lessons on her own, there was no way for her to move forward with out watching the required video lessons. The reason for this is because Abeka Academy is an accredited program taught via video by a certified teacher. In order for students to receive credit for their courses, every second of every video must be watched.

What is your overall experience?

While Abeka is not a one size fits all curriculum, I enjoy that they offer multiple options that are fitting for most homeschool families. Although the Abeka Academy did not work fully for us and our overall vision for homeschooling, I very much appreciated their Biblically based educational philosophy as well as the thorough research that they put into creating a curriculum that works. I would recommend Abeka for Christian families who are interested in homeschooling their children from a Biblical perspective. But, just like anything else, I suggest that you do some research before hand.

As we close out this school year and enter into the next, we will be making some changes to the way that we homeschool. Although we will do away with Abeka Academy online, it is still my goal to use the Abeka's parent-led curriculum for our core subjects Math, Language Arts and Reading. I will begin to incorporate another method for Bible, History and Science.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "Homeschooling with the Victorians".