This One Book

Summer is just around the corner (notice how I keep saying that?  Somebody’s, uh, ready).  If you’ve been thinking “educational thoughts” lately or have had questions about schooling options for your kids, summer is a good time to read relevant books, ask questions, do a little research, etc.  If your mind is made up about the fall and you’re comfortable with the path your kids are on, cheers!  That is a good place to be.  But, let’s say you’re not quite at ease with the way things are going at your kids’ brick-and-mortar school and you’ve creaked the door of your mind open to the possibility of teaching your kids at home.  In that case, I have a book recommendation for you.  I tell everyone who’s in your shoes to read it.  In fact, I read it myself when I need to be reminded of why I landed on this side of the educational fence.  There are other important books you might read on this topic, of course, along with poorly written and weakly argued ones.  There are Christian worldview books about home education (a worldview I share), secular tomes, how-to’s, manifestos…All of them have their place, I’m sure.  But this book is the one to start with, in my humble opinion.  It’s the first step down the rabbit hole of Doing Things Differently.  You could even read it with sand between your toes, if you’re lucky enough to have sand between your toes this summer.  In any case, if you’re asking questions about why the trend of teaching children at home is exploding across the nation and abroad this book will shed some light on the subject.  Who knows?  Maybe you’ll discover that homeschooling is right for your family, too.