This is a guest post by my sweet friend, Hayley, for her Curriculum Corner here on my blog. Check out all of her posts HERE.

Homeschooling high school was always something that I looked ahead to with both excitement and fear. When my children were in elementary grades, I felt confident teaching according to a classical model, but as they grew into the middle and high school years, I felt intimidated by the challenging literature and history—and by my own lack of knowledge in these areas.

I was excited to learn alongside my kids, but also afraid that I would not be qualified to teach upper-level courses. I knew I would need a curriculum that could guide me as I redeemed my own education.

A dear friend had been telling me for a few years how much her family loved Tapestry of Grace, and I could see the results in her son. He was able to carry on deep discussions about topics in history, literature, philosophy, and government with such thoughtfulness and a depth of understanding that I wanted for my children and myself. I had looked at so many other classical courses for high school, but I kept feeling called back to Tapestry of Grace.

I was hesitant to commit to such a costly curriculum without being certain it would be the right fit for my family. But through a series of events that can only be credited to God’s provision, I was able to use a full year of Tapestry of Grace for no cost. We are now in our second year using this program, and it has been such a blessing to my family!

The Cons of Tapestry of Grace

I really can’t say enough good things about Tapestry of Grace, but no curriculum is perfect, so let’s go ahead and get the cons out of the way first.

Too many book choices. ToG is meant to be a sort of “buffet of choices.” There are more book suggestions than you can possibly read in a year. Being a completionist, I couldn’t stand the thought of missing out on a book. When I looked at all the books in the rhetoric program, it seemed impossible.
The layout takes time to learn. The guide is actually well organized considering how much content is included, but because there is so much information in each week’s plan, it took me time to familiarize myself with the layout and gain confidence in using it efficiently.
The price. This curriculum is not cheap! I drooled over ToG for three years before I finally got a chance to use it. Just the guides cost $309, not to mention all the required books. I could not justify spending so much money without knowing for sure that we would love it. It was only after borrowing the guides from a friend for a year that I finally got a chance to see that it is worth every penny.
Storage space. Because the guides are packed with so much content, they take up a lot of shelf space. For the dialectic and rhetoric stages, there are around 20+ books for the year. If you plan to purchase all of them, you’ll need plenty of bookshelf space as well.
Elementary levels may not be worth it. I think the content for rhetoric and dialectic is the best curriculum I’ve ever seen, but for the lower and upper grammar stages, it’s similar to less expensive programs. If you only have elementary-aged children, I would not recommend spending so much on ToG. However, if you plan to use it with middle and high schoolers, it’s wonderful to let younger siblings tag along.
Teacher time commitment. ToG is not a hands-off curriculum. I spend about 1–2 hours a week pre-reading all the summaries for the coming week. I also have daily discussions with my children about their readings, which sometimes go on for an hour or more. With younger kids in the home, this can be tough to balance. The positive side is that I’m learning so much alongside them, and my teens are spending quality time with me daily. Can’t beat that!

The Pros of Tapestry of Grace

Now let’s talk about why I love this program so much.

Simple layout once you dive in. When I first stalked the ToG website, I was overwhelmed. But once I got the physical copy in hand, I realized the layout is simple and easy to follow. With some familiarity, I can now breeze through weekly planning. The abundance of book options also makes it easy to pick titles that fit my budget or library availability.
Teacher’s pages are a lifesaver. For each week, the teacher’s guide provides summaries of everything your student reads. This means that even if I haven’t pre-read, I can still have rich discussions. The detailed answers to student questions are incredibly helpful for guiding conversations.
It’s expensive—but worth it. This year, between the printed edition and all the books for my two older children, I spent about $700 (in 2018). That’s a lot for our family, but my high schooler is earning credits in six subjects: history, literature, government, church history, art history, and philosophy. When I look at it that way—and factor in that I’ll reuse it with younger children—it’s a worthy investment.
Flexibility with book choices. For my daughter in the dialectic stage, I found nearly all her books at the library. Now that I’m more experienced with ToG, I know which books to buy, which to borrow, and which to skip. (Stay tuned for an organizational post on that!)
Ideas connect beautifully. One of the best parts of ToG is how it spreads a “feast of ideas” before students. They don’t just read about a time period—they read literature written during it, alongside studying history, philosophy, art, and church documents. This creates incredible connections.

Just recently, while reading about the deism of our founding fathers, my son said:

“I never realized it until reading this, but I think that a lot of people today call themselves Christians, but are more like deists. They believe in God, but they don’t think He’s a personal God they should worship.”

That led to a deep conversation about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus—exactly the kind of discussion I had hoped for when choosing this curriculum.

Final Thoughts

Tapestry of Grace is not cheap, quick, or light—but it is rich, rewarding, and transformational. If you want a curriculum that gives your kids a thorough classical education, sparks deep conversations, and grows you as a teacher alongside them, Tapestry of Grace is worth every penny and every minute.

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