The Organized Homeschooler [Paperback]

Vicki Caruana (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

A veteran educator has compiled her most-requested homeschooling workshop material so that families can become more proficient in educating their kids. Covering issues like time management, space usage and materials, Vicki Caruana addresses a variety of organizational needs to help families structure not only their work areas, but also their thinking, their paperwork--and each other! By the book's end, she inspires readers to re-evaluate, reorganize, and form new habits, leaving behind the stress and inefficiency of a cluttered life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Crossway (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581343051
• ISBN-13: 978-1581343052
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Formerly a public school educator, Vicki Caruana is currently an assistant professor of education at Regis University in Colorado. She writes to educate and encourage teachers and parents to seek excellence in education.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars An ounce of organizing; a pound of preaching April 19, 2007

By Don C. Peterson

Format:Paperback

I was hoping this book would give specific ways to organized your homeschool. Sadly, that was not the case. Only about a quarter of the book discusses organizing methods. The remainder is a sermon, and not a very good one.

Vicki begins her book: "People marvel at how organized our home is. They even peek into our cupboards just hoping a mess is inside. They're usually disappointed". That statement sets the tone for the entire book.

The book is chock full of scriptural references for prayer, discussion and pondering. Too bad I didn't buy this book with that in mind.

Vicki exhorts the reader to pray for guidance regarding how to organize themselves. I have, and I thought I was going to get that information from this book. I was wrong. It's not there.

She believes that organization begins in the heart; one can only be organized if their heart is right with God. Conversely, if one is DISORGANIZED it is surely because one's heart is NOT right with God, and organization is not truly desired by that person. Pity the poor souls who are struggling in their sprirituality as well as their lack of organization. Her sweeping, judgemental statements may just move them to quit trying altogether.

Heaven forbid you are already discouraged with your lack of organization. While you can certainly be spiritually led to change your attitudes and actions, at some point you need the TOOLS and INFORMATION to bring about change. You can pray forever that your bathroom will be fixed, but unless you get a good book on how to fix bathrooms, or pick up the phone and call a repairman, your bathroom will not be fixed. Likewise, you can ponder the scriptures and pray without ceasing, but you may never be a well organized person because you do not have the TOOLS and INFORMATION you need to get it done.

Bottom line: this book does a poor job of giving those TOOLS and INFORMATION to help you get the job done. If you want some suggestions for personal devotion time, read this book. If you want organizational help, look somewhere else.

(By the way Vicki, by your logic there are no organized atheists in the world. . . )

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterfully Organized! January 5, 2006

By heather

Format:Paperback

Probably the number one comment I get as a homeschool mother is, "Oh, you homeschool?! How do you ever do it?! I am not that organized." I have had many a friend tells me that they would consider homeschooling if they thought they could be organized enough to actually do it some justice. I think that not only with homeschoolers, all of us seek ways to improve our ability to manage the tasks we are faced with each day. Vicki Caruana, a former public school teacher and veteran homeschooler who speaks at conventions across the country, has done well in her book, "The Organized Home Schooler", to explain the desire we have for order in our homeschooling. She gets down to the root of the matter - the God who created us put inside us a need for orderliness! Using scripture, Vicki helps you see that the matter is not merely a matter of the mind, but of the HEART.

Vicki adds wonderful bible verses and checklists at the end of each chapter for the reader to follow along. This book is not only a helpful tool to teach you new ways to get your school, home, and life more organized; it is a bible study for your soul!

The book takes you through so many wonderful topics that most people overlook when trying to start a new time management system. Vicki starts first with, "Why Organize?" and follows with "Organize Your Thoughts". She continues with "Organize your Time" and "Organize Your Space". Some homeschoolers are given to remain shut in and others are so busy coming and going that they meet themselves along the way. Some homeschoolers are hands-on learners and others learn mainly from books and movies. Some homeschoolers use a boxed curriculum or a computer program and others are eccentric and own a little of everything on the market. We all have a responsibility to have an aim or goal in mind when educating, though. I loved her comment,

"Everything we do within our homeschools should lead us to the goals we have set with our children. It is so easy to get distracted and get off track. You might receive a homeschool support group newsletter outlining all the field trips they have planned for the year, and you sign up for many of them. There's nothing wrong with going on field trips or engaging in activities on the spur of the moment. But I caution you to not make a habit of it. The more time we spend away from home, the less time we have to work on the business at hand. I strongly recommend that all, or as many as possible, activities relate to attaining the goals you have set forth."

Vicki can be called none other than the Master of Organization! She gives a three step process she uses to stay focused on her homeschooling goals which can be used for her other topics as well. While discussing the organization of time, she gives a checklist test for you to find out if you are disorganized with your daily activities. I found this activity very helpful and insightful (even if I've flunked it almost every time I've taken it). She has many diagrams, checklists, and sketches throughout the book to help the visual learner. Her ideas are wonderful, and I always enjoy reading through them for a refresher. I highly suggest this book for the first time homeschooler, the organizationally challenged, and those trying to recover from post-holiday blahs. Even the seasoned veteran could take notes and gather ideas for record keeping and file systems.

Other topics included in the book are:

"Organize Your Supplies and Materials"

"Organize Your Paperwork"

"Organize your Family"

"The Task of Reorganizing"

"Habit Forming" (I can hear you sigh - just like I did, as you read this one!)

"The Nuts and Bolts of an Organized Homeschool"

"A Homeschool File System"

"The List of Lists for Homeschooling" (BOY, is she right!)

Also included in the book are references and lists of other books that Vicki herself has found helpful in her quest for creating an orderly home and homeschool. I give her book five stars out of five! This one is a keeper. I consider it a reference book for my school and home, and read it at least once a school year! I hope you enjoy "The Organized Homeschooler" as much as I have.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars More time and an organized home October 14, 2005

By Meg Grooms - [e-mail]

Format:Paperback

Ask experienced homeschooling parents what they see as the aspect in need of the most improvement, and chances are you will hear "organization" and "time management" more than any other response. More time and an organized home, the two things homeschoolers crave but rarely seem to find. "The children are home all day" is a common excuse among homeschoolers, a defense to their concerns over the state of their homes. The Organized Homeschooler, written by Vicki Caruana, attempts to get to the heart of the matters of organization and time management.

The simplistic style of this book makes it easily readable to new and tenured homeschooling families alike. Mrs. Caruana offers thought-provoking commentary on what it means to homeschool your children while maintaining an organized home and life.

The Organized Homeschooler offers tips for all families, but is geared toward devout Christians who lean toward the traditional school-at-home or highly structured end of the spectrum. At times the author's view of more relaxed methods of school may stir up feelings of defensiveness in the reader. In one chapter on time management, for example, the author approaches criticism for those who may spend their free time in methods other than the author. In another chapter the author states that those who (and I am paraphrasing) "think their method of homeschooling is the best may think higher of themselves than they should", which is amusing since that is the exact view I see the author having.

Regardless, I recommend The Organized Homeschooler to anyone who craves a more productive school and home life. The questions the author raises about our priorities and how we schedule our lives deserve our reflection and soul searching.