I’d like to take a moment today to say THANK YOU!
Thank you to all of my faithful subscribers and readers. And a special thank you to those of you who have chosen to use my curriculum in your homeschools. My family has been greatly blessed by your generosity and encouragement. I whole heartedly pray that my printables have blessed your family and your homeschooling endeavor.
Thank you!
To those of you who have gotten caught up in the popular groups that condone illegal file sharing, today my prayers go out to you.
Unfortunately there are groups of homeschoolers who are choosing to come together and “share” files they are not permitted to share. It greatly saddens my heart to think that homeschoolers would do something like this. Maybe you simply aren’t aware, but hosting and sharing files (paid or free) that were not made by you is illegal without the express written consent of the author. Downloading these files is also illegal. What you are doing is called “stealing” in the online world.
You may have even justified your actions due to your budgetary constraints, or simply out of the desire to “get a good deal.” I wonder how many of you would be able to walk up to your child and say “Honey, I really wanted this curriculum, but wanted to save money, so mommy stole it.” Conversely what would you say if your child did something similar? I hope you can understand there are no excuses for this type of behavior.
Homeschooling isn’t just about academics, but instead it is our way of imparting our character, values, morals, ethics, spiritual beliefs, and life skills onto our children. Today my prayer is that you would be encouraged to check your ways and think twice before participating in these “sharing” groups. What you are doing is not only illegal and unethical, but you are also taking advantage of all of the bloggers and homeschooling companies that have put their valuable time and energy into creating products to help your homeschooling be more successful.
My pastor has always said that “compromise always leads to more compromise.” I pray diligently that you do not allow this small compromise to creep into other areas of your life. And most importantly I pray you are not passing down these values to your children.
Instead I encourage you to trust God to provide for you as He has lead you into this homeschooling journey. He will provide for your needs and make your paths straight. ~ Proverbs 3:6
Now may the God of peace…make you complete in every good work to do His will. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
Thank you for addressing this, and in such a great way. You couldn’t have said it better. Many years ago, I downloaded some songs for free from an internet site. God really convicted me, and I erased them and repurchased them legally. Sometimes satan can trick us into thinking something isn’t really that bad, that there is a justification, or that no one is really getting hurt. Praying for all those who are believing such lies. Small things lead to big things; this is how all sin works. I can’t imagine the amount of work that goes into running a blog and making printables. Your work deserves the utmost respect. I thank you.
Thank you, Erica. You were able to sound an alarm in a fashion that was full of grace. I pray hearts are turned because of it.
I just wanted to express my gratitude to you. I sat at home late at night trying to decide if I could homeschool my kids. I came across your blog with the wonderful ideas and creative printables and was overwhelmed by your generosity to help moms like me. So thank you!
Thank you so much Erica for all you do, and I’m sorry you are dealing with this. I have bought a few things from you and think they are all worth much more than what I paid. You do wonderful work and I wish people realized the time and effort that goes into what you produce. Although I’ve never shared one of your files, I have certainly recommended your websites and products to many friends!
I belong to a FB group and just recently saw a post about Dropbox and sharing files…I just posted: are these files that were purchased because I don’t want to be involved in an unethical group. I have a bad feeling about it and ill wait to hear the replies, but I am going to delete myself from the group. I want my kids to learn about being honest and it starts with learning from me!!
Erica, I have purchased everything of yours and will continue to do so. Thank you for all that you do.
Yes…..beautifully said. It is because of you and the curriculum that you make available that I am not as overwhelmed to begin homeschooling my twin 4th graders and 1st grader. This is a new adventure we feel called to do. Your tips and advice help calm my nerves and make me think “I might be able to pull this off”
I hope people wake up and see what their actions are doing.
Thank you so much for everything!!!!!!
Erica,
I have been following your blog for at least a year now and have been homeschooling for almost 2 years. I just want to thank you for all that you do to make our family’s homeschooling experience a great one! We have been using your curriculum for a several months and love it! It saddens me to know that people are illegally obtaining your materials. I hope this will not discourage you from continuing to make them available at such affordable prices. Praying that God would continue to bless your family through this ministry.
Thanks for all you do!
I love the products we have purchased from you! It is just wrong that people would think it is okay to use your stuff illegally!
No one would respond to my questions about the files they share being ethical so…I deleted myself from the group. Just makes me sad to know that homeschoolers are being dishonest. I guess I just have higher expectations. 🙁
Thank you Erica for all you do! You offer the most adoarble curricululm that is wonderful! I purchased the LOTW and when you had your sale, I purchased all of the big ticket items! Your prices are so reasonable, it is sad to think others would steal. Thank you again! You’ve changed the way we look at homeschool education~!