Secular Homeschool Curriculum

Beyond the Page is a secular homeschool curriculum. We are not affiliated with any religious group, and we don't teach religious doctrine. Our goal is to offer a curriculum that meets the needs of hands-on, creative, and gifted learners. Any additional religous training, if desired, would be up to you.

We Are an Inclusive Curriculum

We know through experience that our curriculum is welcome in both secular and religious homes — anywhere there are gifted, creative, or hands-on learners. For some religious families, the word "secular" can have a bad connotation, but you don't need to worry about Beyond the Page. Religious and non-religious families will find our curriculum to be open and welcoming to all.

Even though Beyond the Page does not teach from a religious perspective, students in our program will be introduced to different religions at various times during the study of history, social studies, and literature. Religion has often played a significant role in history, and there are frequent allusions to religious themes in literature. When we discuss these elements of religious belief in both history and literature, we will not judge anybody's religious views nor encourage religious belief.

We are very proud of the character education that students receive within Beyond the Page. Throughout our curriculum we encourage character development, respect for others, good citizenship, and care for the environment.

Also, because our curriculum is secular, families that homeschool through a Distance Learning School may be eligible to use their funds for Beyond the Page curriculum. Distance Learning Schools are all different. Sometimes they are called charter schools, online schools, or distance education academies. If you have questions about whether you are allowed to use Beyond the Page through your Distance Learning School, please do feel free to contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do you teach evolution?
   Yes. Beyond the Page is committed to teaching science, and evolution is an important part of the biological sciences. In the Age 12-14 level, we offer a science unit called A Dynamic Planet that fully addresses the topic of evolution. This is in keeping with the standards of most states that introduce evolution explicitly in middle school. Evolution is a complicated process to understand. In the elementary levels, while we don't teach evolution explicitly, we do lay the groundwork by teaching about habitats, interdependence, animal adaptations, geology, history, and change through time.
2. What do you teach about the age of the earth?
   All of our science books relate the age of the Earth as it is understood by science — about 4.5 billion years old.
3. What is your stance on political issues?
   Our curriculum is not a platform for current political topics.
4. Why would a secular curriculum teach the literary device of the "Christ Figure?"
   Western literature is replete with symbols and references from Christianity and other religions. Any secular curriculum worth using will teach your children to analyze literature and understand the literary devices that are being used. As a secular curriculum, it is important that we avoid teaching religious doctrine or dogma, but it is also important that we teach children the how to interpret and use literary symbols. These types of situations are rare in our curriculum, but they will show up a handful of times during your child's academic career with Beyond the Page. This teaching of literary symbols is by no means an endorsement of any religion or an affirmation about the veracity of their truth claims.

If you have any additional questions about our homeschool curriculum and how we address various secular or religious topics, please contact us.