If you have seen any of our marketing materials, spent time exploring our homeschool curriculum or reading about Threads of Discovery, you most likely have come across the words secular, affirming, and inclusive.
Families often ask what these terms really mean in the context of our homeschool curriculum. At Threads of Discovery, we choose our language carefully, and we believe transparency matters when families are deciding what educational resources to bring into their homes.
What Does Secular Mean in a Homeschool Curriculum?
If you are homeschooling, you may have heard the term secular curriculum, but what does that actually mean?
A secular homeschool curriculum contains no religious instruction or religious worldview. It focuses on core academic subjects such as science, reading, history, and social studies, and presents information in a neutral, fact-based way.
Secular homeschooling is about providing a strong academic foundation while allowing parents to guide their family's values, beliefs, and worldviews outside the curriculum.
What Does Affirming Mean at Threads of Discovery?
At Threads of Discovery, being affirming means intentionally creating a curriculum where
all students and families who choose to use it feel respected, represented, and valued.
Affirming goes beyond simply being welcoming. It means appreciating and respecting diverse identities and family structures, and making sure that each learner uis treated with dignity and given equal opportunities to participate and belong.
Within a secular homeschool curriculum, this means teaching accurate, evidence-based content without bias or exclusion, while also fostering kindness, empathy, understanding, and respect for differences.
Our homeschool curriculum uses inclusive language, highlights scientific and historical contributions from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds, and supports thoughtful, open-minded learning for families of many perspectives.
What Does Inclusive Mean in a Secular Homeschool Curriculum?
At Threads of Discovery, we believe inclusivity is important in education.
Inclusivity in this context means creating a curriculum in which children and families from all backgrounds, identitys, and abilities feel welcome, respected, and valued for who they are. of background, identity, or ability.
In practice, this means using neutral and respectful language, presenting different perspectives throughout our lessons, and encouraging kindness, curiosity, empathy, and open-mindedness.
An inclusive homeschool curriculum helps to create a safe, empowering learning environment where children can learn, explore, and grow while knowing they belong.
Being a secular, affirming, and inclusive homeschool curriculum is not about pushing an agenda. It is about creating space for learning, questioning, and discovery, so families can build an education that truly fits them.