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When we read "The Ultimate Guide to . . . " anything, the skeptics among us tend to say, "Oh, really?" Shattering any preconceived notions, The Ultimate Guide Homeschooling is certainly the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and refreshingly honest approach I've read in over 15 years of home education research.
The author, Debra Bell, was adamantly opposed to the whole homeschooling concept. "Oh, please, please, Lord, don't let this be a trend! Let this be another silly, short-lived fad Christians get suckered into, like prayer plants!"
Fourteen years later she has four homeschooled children, owns and directs a resource and learning center, and shares her expertise across America. She believes that home education "is a proactive stand against a disintegrating culture that splinters families apart and exalts absorbed individualism." It is this blend of self-deprecating humor and intellectually sound common sense that renders this book such a joy to read.
Bell systematically discusses the opportunities inherent in this lifestyle (transferring family values; character education; raising independent learners and social leaders of academic excellence), as well as underlines potential pitfalls and dangers (unrealistic expectations, comparison traps, and burnout).
Yet, Bell is careful to caution families that homeschooling is no cure-all; it is "an educational choice, not a biblical solution for fractures in our family life." She emphasizes strong accountability and sacrificial time dedicated to deciding whether to homeschool and even includes an exit interview to help readers with the decision of whether or not to homeschool. Responsibility is a recurring theme: both the parents' responsibility to be a lifelong self-educator and the childrens' responsibility for their learning.
Fact-and-fun-filled chapters give details for determining your child's learning style, evaluating and choosing curricula, homeschooling teens, computers in the homeschool, college admissions, and a wonderfully complete listing of state organizations, suppliers, and competitions.
The evaluations of upper high school curricula were based on other families' experiences since the author's oldest children (twins) are 14. Also, the science section for high school was inadequate, but she lists additional sources in the bibliography. The excellent bibliography at the end of each section is worth the price of the book alone!
Bell's ultimate encouragement to those terrified of the challenge of homeschooling: "Any child you've potty-trained, you can certainly teach to read. And any child you've taught to read, you can certainly teach to learn on his own." Yes, really!
Karen Costello is president of a regional homeschooling association in Franklin, TN.
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