Better Than School: One Family's Declaration of Independence [Hardcover]

Nancy Wallace (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Larson Pubn (November 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943914051
• ISBN-13: 978-0943914053
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great intro to "why" we homeschool!, September 14, 2004

By 

N. C. Derham "MacBeth Derham" (Floral Park, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Better Than School: One Family's Declaration of Independence (Hardcover)

Nancy Wallace and her family were unschooing before unschooling became a buzz-word. There are delightful moments in this, the first book on homeschooling I ever read. I especially enjoyed Wallace's discussions of music in her home. Her children's example led me to Suzuki music. Music now fills my home in a very special way, just as it filled the Wallace home.

Her dealings with school districts, expectations and general schooling issues are so interesting, as are her stories of visits from unschooing proponent John Holt.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars touching and informative, not QUITE current, January 22, 2000

By 

allison l. poirot (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better Than School (Hardcover)

This book is a sort of dictation of the way the Wallaces spent their days (and ultimately, their lives) with their children, Ishmael and Vita. It tells of the reasons behind their homeschooling, the struggles with legislation and school boards they had to face, and the day-to-day activities of the children. As a portrayal of homeschooling it is of course very accurate in that it is real: however you cannot expect to draw many generalisations from it as all homeschooling families are quite different. Nancy Wallace really explores *music* and learning music more in depth than some other fields, yet her comments and observations are often very helpful to a new homeschooling parent or to anyone intersted in the parent's role. This book is quite 'old', seeing as it was written when John Holt was alive. I am currently looking for Ishmael Wallace; if anyone has any information regarding how to get in touch with him please let me know.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and Insightful, March 3, 2006

By 

JCB - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better Than School: One Family's Declaration of Independence (Hardcover)

I absolutely loved this book! It gave me so much to think about and made me realize that my children were still learning even if it didn't look like it compared to usual standards. I realized that I too need to deschool and quit thinking "school" in order to help my children more.

This book is witty, intelligent, thoughtful, and written by a woman who obviously loves her family very much. I also appreciated that it was secular and I didn't have to skip over any religious parts.