(A)n excellent resource for those starting out and the rest of us that need some good old-fashioned encouragement and empowerment. --
Homeschoolbuzz.com, April 2008Ever wish you could sit down over a cup of coffee with a seasoned homeschooler, pick her brain for a few hours, and take notes on all the great advice she would pass on to you? Well, The Imperfect Homeschooler's Guide to Homeschooling, written by Christian mom and veteran home educator Barbara Frank, is just about the next best thing! This book is a goldmine of helpful information, encouragement, and practical tips on so many aspects of homeschooling--from essential tools that make learning (and teaching) more enjoyable, to dealing with various types of challenges, to preventing (or managing) burnout.
Chapters include:
Confessions of an Imperfect Homeschooler
Homeschooling 101
Teaching Specific Subjects
Teaching Techniques and Ideas
Covering All the Bases
Overcoming Obstacles to Homeschooling
Coping with Changes and Challenges
On the Home Front
In the chapter "Covering All the Bases," Frank covers state standards and how to use a scope and sequence as an aid in customizing your own....She writes on page 92, "You know your children better than any so-called expert. You raised them, you know their strengths and their weaknesses, and you can tell when they're interested in something and when they're merely going through the motions. They can't pull the wool over your eyes. This knowledge equips you to be their best teacher, and should empower you and give you confidence. No so-called expert, no high-falutin' education professional and no bureaucrat can tell you how to educate your children. You need to take your knowledge of your children and consider it your Ph.D. in education. Be willing to make the decisions about what they should learn through homeschooling. Be ready to listen and act on their expressed desires of what they want to learn. You can't pour knowledge into their heads, but you can facilitate their ability to learn."
In the chapter "Overcoming Obstacles to Homeschooling," Frank discusses what she terms "personality driven obstacles," such as perfectionism, low confidence, and disorganization, and ways to minimize or overcome them. She deals with temptations, such as television watching, Internet chatting, and time on the telephone, and how those can easily and quickly become time wasters. She's very careful to avoid sounding condemning, but she doesn't shy away from speaking truth and giving sound instruction in time management. What homeschool mom doesn't need that?
This is a book you can grab off the bookshelf over and over again, to re-read cover to cover or just to glean from a particular topic of interest. Frank clearly has a heart for homeschool moms, and the book often reads like a letter from a friend--one who has "been there" and knows the struggles and special challenges most of us face as we seek to faithfully teach and train up our children. For all these reasons, The Imperfect Homeschooler's Guide to Homeschooling is a great resource to encourage and aid home educators!
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Dawn Peterson The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLCIt's neither dryly theoretical nor boastfully self-congratulating. It's practical, encouraging, and unintimidating, without underestimating all that homeschooling involves. --
Otherways Magazine, May 2008
