Please read: Content of the board
Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 10:55 am
Ladies,
Due to the recent tone on parts of our board, I felt the need to address a little more fully the reasoning behind my responses and our board's purpose.
I realize the benefit of asking questions and also the benefit of having questions answered. I am a questioner by nature myself.
However, calling into question the accuracy of our guides or the appropriateness of the spines chosen are not discussion-type questions. They are pointedly calling into question the overall integrity of our program. If we disagree on the program's integrity, there is no discussion that can solve that. If the program is in fact inaccurate or the spines (that every activity on the left side of the plans for each day match) are not good spines, then how will a discussion solve that?
The best scenario for questions of accuracy is to personally contact the author to respectfully give them a chance to answer. Even Cathy Duffy and Mary Pride give the author first chance to respond to any review written by them in case they are inaccurate.
When the program's integrity is in question on our own board, I am most certainly going to address it in a direct manner. This is because I have watched many boards downward spiral so quickly into becoming a place to complain and vent, which leaves no one feeling good about anything they're doing. In homeschooling there are many places and people that are more than willing to tell us that what we're doing is not good enough, we do not want this board to be one of them!
I have been answering questions about HOD for over 7 years (both personally with 1000's of moms at book fairs and individually by telephone and by email). I am more than happy to answer questions and am well aware that one curriculum will not fit everyone's needs. Many moms tweak HOD guides to fit their individual family's needs, and I am well-known for working hard to help moms do just that.
Our goal for this board remains the same as it has always been, and so I will include an important excerpt here from our original welcome to close:
The boards I have most enjoyed through the years are those that have worked hard to keep the tone encouraging and the questions helpful and that was one of our goals when starting the HOD Board. We continue to desire for this board to be a place to help uplift and encourage those who are using HOD.
Blessings,
Carrie
Due to the recent tone on parts of our board, I felt the need to address a little more fully the reasoning behind my responses and our board's purpose.
I realize the benefit of asking questions and also the benefit of having questions answered. I am a questioner by nature myself.
However, calling into question the accuracy of our guides or the appropriateness of the spines chosen are not discussion-type questions. They are pointedly calling into question the overall integrity of our program. If we disagree on the program's integrity, there is no discussion that can solve that. If the program is in fact inaccurate or the spines (that every activity on the left side of the plans for each day match) are not good spines, then how will a discussion solve that?
The best scenario for questions of accuracy is to personally contact the author to respectfully give them a chance to answer. Even Cathy Duffy and Mary Pride give the author first chance to respond to any review written by them in case they are inaccurate.
When the program's integrity is in question on our own board, I am most certainly going to address it in a direct manner. This is because I have watched many boards downward spiral so quickly into becoming a place to complain and vent, which leaves no one feeling good about anything they're doing. In homeschooling there are many places and people that are more than willing to tell us that what we're doing is not good enough, we do not want this board to be one of them!
I have been answering questions about HOD for over 7 years (both personally with 1000's of moms at book fairs and individually by telephone and by email). I am more than happy to answer questions and am well aware that one curriculum will not fit everyone's needs. Many moms tweak HOD guides to fit their individual family's needs, and I am well-known for working hard to help moms do just that.
Our goal for this board remains the same as it has always been, and so I will include an important excerpt here from our original welcome to close:
Our prayer for this board is that its content may glorify our Father in heaven and may also encourage other families on their homeschool journey. With that in mind, we will be monitoring the board for helpful content as well as for a positive, encouraging tone. Posts that we feel do not reflect the philosophy of Heart of Dakota Publishing may be removed.
The boards I have most enjoyed through the years are those that have worked hard to keep the tone encouraging and the questions helpful and that was one of our goals when starting the HOD Board. We continue to desire for this board to be a place to help uplift and encourage those who are using HOD.
Blessings,
Carrie
I have only experienced wonderful support here. Truly there is no other author out there who invests herself more fully in the success of her customers. 
I should have immediately e-mailed you and asked you to remove it, and I realize now that I should not have placed it on the hsr board. I should have simply bought the program and answered the questions myself or contacted you directly with my questions. I am very excited to use HOD next year and I hope to be involved on this board.