This book was so amazing I am lending it out to people who aren't even thinking of homeschooling... it was just so wonderful to read! I was about to start homeschooling my oldest and didn't have any idea where to start. Lisa Dobson addressed each of my fears and questions... and I don't even know her! This book is so down to earth that it will put anyone at ease, and the advice she and the many many other homeschoolers give is so practical. I started using the information immediately. There are two wonderful features I would like to detail for you: first of all, she takes nine different styles of homeschooling, explains them thoroughly, and then takes you through "A week in the life" with a family using each. As a new homeschooler, this helped me immensely by helping me eliminate those philosophies which I know would not work for our family, but find some philosophies that I will research further. The second feature are the abundance of "What I Wish I had Known the First Year" highlights throughout the book. You will not regret this purchase! The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child: Your Complete Guide to Getting Off to the Right Start
As a mom who is looking to homeschool, I am in the process of researching the subject. This book is very well and logically laid out and is objective in its approach, using both religious and secular families in its examples. The "What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me..." excerpts throughout the book were great, as I had some of those same preconceived ideas in mind -- what a relief to know I won't have to go overboard on expensive curriculum and extremely structured "class" time!Ms. Dobson lays out the different homeschool approaches as well as goes through one week examples of each, most of which were interesting (although I must admit that after reading this part I found a couple of the approaches a little questionable ... it seems like class time is squeezed in between extracurricular activities (discussing topics in the car en route to/from karate or piano lessons)). Overall, I was pleased with the different approaches that are available (including online!), which has gotten me thinking about how I might want to do things, as well as eased some of my anxiety.The only thing I did find missing from the book was that several people said they came up with non-confrontational answers to people who question their homeschool decision, but no actual answer examples were given. I plan on going to several of the websites and user groups she has listed in the resource section.I plan on re-reading this book several times!!!
I stepped into homeschooling in 2001 as scared mom of a burned-out child. This book was not in print at the time that we began our homeschooling adventure, but I came across it several months later. What great gift it was to read! I learned that I was doing okay, that my decision to "deschool" was on-target and most of all, this book gave me priceless peace of mind that homeschooling does not have to replicate school in order to be a viable means of educating my child. I found particular comfort in the chapter on Homeschool Myths, especially the myth that all homeschool children are National Spelling Bee champions, science fair winners, etc. While it may seem contraindicated to have lowered expectations of one's children, this advice nugget helped me understand that my children don't have to confrom to society's expectations of success in order to be successful. I don't need to push them to achieve based on some artificial, media-biased standard. I can let them be -- and share the joy of learning as a family. *That* is the greatest gift of homeschooling which this wonderful book taught me to see. Thank you, Linda Dobson!
I bought this book a week or so ago and in a few days have learned a whole lot about how to homeschool, what not to fret about, and the different types of homeschooling, learning types, etc. It's given me the lift I needed to relax and ponder the thought of doing the educating of my children myself. Very encouraging in a practical and realistic way. Highly recommend!
This is probably the best book on the subject. It covers learning styles, homeschooling myths, deschooling, learning readiness and more. A unique feature is the chapter that presents "a week in the life" profiles of families using various homeschooling methods. Scattered throughout are highlighted tips on the topic "What I wish someone had told me during my first year of homeschooling." The book includes learning resources, the "weirdest homeschooling laws" segment, and state by state legal information. Very informative.
Elementary education is changing in this country. Public schools are raising bars on curriculum and more standard tests are introduced. So I hope to see a new edition of this book to have the trend covered. Meanwhile, I let my child use Beestar (a nice web site for weekly practice, www.beestar.org). So I can see how my child is doing compared to those formal school kids.
This is an excellent resource! When I first began homeschooling, it was very hard to get this kind of support, because homeschoolers at park days and other get-togethers are so often distracted by thing going on in the moment. This book is full of heartfelt sharing and support that cuts through to the really important and vital parts of homeschooling. Finding resource materials for learning academic subjects is the easy part--but the deep insight provided in this book, from many people's actual experiences, is the kind of thing the beginning homeschooler is really most concerned about. I also love her newest book, The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas, in which ideas for specific educational activities are contributed by so many people. Linda Dobson's format of having so many contributors from all over the country come together with their ideas makes these books all the more valuable--they're not just one person's opinion, and I think new homeschoolers do want to hear from lots of other ordinary homeschoolers who are going through the same everyday challenges that they will be going through. - Homeschool Schedules - Home Schooling - Home Education - James Dobson'
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