want to read books about homeschooling--recs?

[HappiLeigh]

I'm still deciding what to do about educating my DD, 3.5, and unborn DS. I want to read books about homeschooling philosophies so I can help wrap my mind around this issue and help me clarify what I want/think. I'm putting together a wishlist of books for Christmas that I can read while I'm nursing my new baby this winter. What are some books that will help me think more about this? I'm looking for books that would help answer questions like a) why should I homeschool, b) how should I homeschool, c) and what questions about homeschooling do I not even know to ask yet?

I looked in the resources sticky, but I'm not ready for those links or curricula yet--I just need to do more thinking about what it means to homeschool, and what types of homeschooling people do.

Suggestions?
Thanks!

[Lillian J]

Here's something I posted in an older thread on the subject:
Some of my favorite books - you can "look inside" and even "search inside" most of these by finding them in Amazon.com - you'll see the "look inside" or "search inside" link right near the pictures of their covers:

All those by John Holt.

The Book of Learning and Forgetting, by Frank Smith. Eloquently contrasts the "official theory" that learning is work with a view that learning is a social process that can occur naturally and continually through collaborative activities. Not a homeschooling book.

All those by David Albert - keep in mind that his own daughters do happen to be "gifted" in various ways, but his point is that all children have their own unique gifts that can be nurtured.

All those by Linda Dobson - and all but one have input from many other seasoned homeschoolers.

All those by Mary Griffith. Here first was The Homeschooling Handbook,and the next narrowed down to elaborate on unschooling- The Unschooling Handbook. And her latest is really interesting too: Viral Learning - Reflections on the Homeschooling Life. They all have input from many other homeschoolers.

All those by Rebecca Rupp - but please note that in her book on writing a curriculum for each age, she absolutely did not mean that there are certain things that "should" be covered at certain ages - no, no, no - she just wrote that book for people who do need to answer to authorities in various ways, so that they can include those things in more creative and pleasurable ways.

Learning At Home, A Mother's Guide to Homeschooling, by Marty Layne - a very nice one for someone just getting oriented.

More in this post in a thread on the best books about homeschooling.

And you can usually get some of those through a library. Lillian

[Momma Aimee]

i love John Holt

I like The Wells Trained Mind

other than that --

subbing

Aimee

ps thanks for the link to the other thread

[Reebekah]

i agree with all the authors listed above. i have read several of them, and i got some really good info. that helped me decide to homeschool. in addition, you may want to read The Well Trained Mind and The Well Adjusted Child.

My kids are almost 4, just turned 2, and 2 months.....at this point, I'm just researching my state laws, tracking down homeschoolers in my area, reading books from the library and amazon.com, subbing to online homeschooling forums, browsing curriculum options, etc.

[karemore]

I would start with the library. If you are going to HS, the library is going to be your new best friend. Check out a whole stack of books and browse through them. Some you will know right away aren't for you.

The other place you can browse is at a bookstore like Barnes & Noble.

Once the decision is made you don't really need to own any of these books.

I like Linda Dobson's books. Right now I have "The first year of homeschooling your child" from the library, and I have her " homeschooling the early years" on it's way from interlibrary loan.

I also have the Rupp book " Home learning year by year" from the library.

What helped me was to just embrace the label eclectic from the start and not worry about all the "methods".

Have fun, this is an exciting journey!

[mapleleaf]

I am new to homeschooling and am still reading about the subject. I just finished one that wa pretty good, Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense by David Guterson. He was a bit...chatty, but there was good content in it aswell.

I have read some John Holt too and liked them.

I read one of Charlotte Masons and liked it too, for the time it was written.

I agree with the poster, check your library. Find some homeschooling books, read through them and see which ones you like. Then you can buy the ones your library doesn't have, or they ones you really like.

I also really like Ken Robinson, though I've only seen videos of him, never read any of his books.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

[HappiLeigh]

Thanks for the recs so far! I really appreciate the titles and your comments about them. And thanks, Lillian, for the link to the older thread--I searched first but didn't find it.


Aside: I know I'll have to make up with my library if I homeschool, but right now I basically hate my cumbersome and disorganized local library system and avoid at all costs (long story)--it's less trouble for me to buy books used online and re-sell when I'm done, unless I decide to keep them.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by karemore

What helped me was to just embrace the label eclectic from the start and not worry about all the "methods".

That would make it so much easier! That's pretty much what everyone was doing when I began, except that they didn't even call it anything. There were also plenty of "unschoolers," but they didn't bother with labels either. - Lillian

[Lillian J]

Actually, that link was just to my own list in the thread on books to read - but here's a link to the main thread - best books about homeschooling (both practical and theoretical). And here's a link to a great annotated list of books put together by a California state homeschooling association, HSC - books about homeschooling and learning - all organized by general category.

Lillian

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by karemore

I would start with the library. If you are going to HS, the library is going to be your new best friend. Check out a whole stack of books and browse through them. Some you will know right away aren't for you.

The other place you can browse is at a bookstore like Barnes & Noble.

Once the decision is made you don't really need to own any of these books.

I like Linda Dobson's books. Right now I have "The first year of homeschooling your child" from the library, and I have her " homeschooling the early years" on it's way from interlibrary loan.

I also have the Rupp book " Home learning year by year" from the library.

What helped me was to just embrace the label eclectic from the start and not worry about all the "methods".

Have fun, this is an exciting journey!

I respectfully disagree.

We "made the decision" a while ago -- and are working a easy slow pre-K program.

I have read WTM, re-read it and now fell i need to read parts of it again. the same with a couple of John Holt books.

a lot of the Classical Education talks about a child learning more if they have hooks to hang it on -- thus the repeating of materal each 4 years -- well i clearly see that in my life. The first time i read WTM or some of the other books it was so new i was amazed and loved some of it, but the details didn't sink in. I think there is much to be learned by re-reading the books that are "good fits". And you may encounter a sitation a year in, or 4 year in, that you kinda remember being addressed int eh books but it didn't "sink in" because att eh time you didn't see it as relvant to your life (addressing SN of a child, for example). You can go back and read it again and again.

I am by no means suggesting you buy them all -- as much as i would love too -- but i check them all out ILL and the ones i feel relvant and soild i do buy.

some are encourageing and give you ideas .. but may not contain anything you feel you need to look back at or have as a future resource.

but i don't agree with a blanket statment that you don't need to own any of these books once you choose to HS.

HappiLeigh -- is the isse with teh whole lib system? or one lib? or one person?

for example: we are rural -- 45 minutes outside Des Moines. for "our local lib" I could apply that title to any of 4 SMALL libs that are all 15 to 20 minutes from here. Des Moines also has a Lib "system" (6 libs i think in Des Moines). the 4 here in teh little twons are "independant" and the 6 in DM are a "system". I call the one "home" that i do because we love teh Lib, she is a family friend and most of our freinds go there too. I can't get anything there locally -- everything has to be ILL which she is great about for us. I know that if we tried to use the lib system in DM -- while a ton of books are tehre and we'd rarely need ILL -- it is too big, no one knows you and frankly when you are there no one wants to help you. BTDT too many times with just one child in tow, have no intrest in trying it now (i do have a DM card and can get stuff there if i want).

so I guess my point is -- what is the issue -- and how can you work around it? I avoid the DM big impersonal system (wich a ton better selection) that is a 45 minutes drive by going to the little one room Lib that is 20 minutes from us and where we have become personal freinds with the director, and we jsut use ILL all tha time.

Aimee

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

Actually, that link was just to my own list in the thread on books to read - but here's a link to the main thread - best books about homeschooling (both practical and theoretical). And here's a link to a great annotated list of books put together by a California state homeschooling association, HSC - books about homeschooling and learning - all organized by general category.

Lillian

you're my hero














OT and personal Q -- disregard if you want -- how long have you been homeschooling???

[theretohere]

I really like the Well Trained Mind, and John Gatto Taylor. I personally avoid John Holt as the parent dealing with special needs- his views on that and derogatory comments ruined anything else he could possibly have imparted in my opinion.

ETA here's a thread where this was discussed. http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1038618

[HappiLeigh]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee

HappiLeigh -- is the isse with teh whole lib system? or one lib? or one person?

It's mostly the branch down the street from my house. I live in mid-sized city (Louisville, KY) and I know some people living across town in a more affluent area have better luck with their branches, but I always have bad experiences with mine. We'll move within the next couple years, so maybe that will help, or I'll just have to habitually drive across town to a different branch, but that's a pain. I've put my name on lists for books with waiting lists and NEVER been called, I've returned books then gotten harassing phone calls because my book is overdue (nope), the books I want are never at the branch near me and because of their other issues I have no confidence that requesting them would actually get me the book, and they've been rude to me pretty much every time I've gone in there, I guess just because the people that work at my branch are sour or something. (My favorite incident: power was out in most of the neighborhood, I walked to the library with my family to check e-mail, but we forgot our library cards and were thus refused computer access. Fair enough, if that's the policy, but the librarian said it was because "she couldn't be sure I was over 16" without my ID. For crying out loud--I'm 33 and look it, was with my 3-year-old DD and my 39-year-old DH!!!)

Anyway, I just bought several books off this list used for under $2 each online, and put three other moderately-priced ones on my Christmas wishlist. I have much better experiences doing it this way--the right book arrives in the mail in a timely manner, I have no time limit, and when I want to sell it back I can easily.

Thanks again mamas for the recs! Lillian, I'd figured out how to get to the whole thread from your first link.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by HappiLeigh

Lillian, I'd figured out how to get to the whole thread from your first link.

Great - I know it can be done easily enough, but sometimes people are in such a hurry that they don't notice all the details. Lillian

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by theretohere

I really like the Well Trained Mind, and John Gatto Taylor. I personally avoid John Holt as the parent dealing with special needs- his views on that and derogatory comments ruined anything else he could possibly have imparted in my opinion.

ETA here's a thread where this was discussed. http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1038618

thanks for the link.

I have a SN child too.

I have not encountered anything neg in the Holt reading i have done -- i will have to go read all about it.

HappiLeigh -- i think i would jsut get into the habit of driving to a differnt bracnh. ahhhhhhhhhhhh to be able to WALK to a lib, sounds GRAET, but we are out the door right now to drive 20 minutes one way to pick up a ILL on caves waiting for my 4 yo. if you have a good relationship with a Lib life is sooooooooooo good.