The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child: Your Complete Guide to Getting Off to the Right Start (Paperback)

by Linda Dobson (Author) "SO YOU'RE THINKING about homeschooling, are you?..." (more)
Key Phrases: describing nonschool, home discretion, disallow program, Charlotte Mason, New Hampshire, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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Homeschool the right way from day one. -- Review

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Homeschool the right way from day one.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (May 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761527885
• ISBN-13: 978-0761527886
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,169 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #4 in	Books > Nonfiction > Education > Technology & Distance Learning > Distance Learning
  #62 in	Books > Nonfiction > Education > Homeschooling
  #79 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Education

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was looking for answers!!!, September 7, 2003

By	"maestra24" (Mystic, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This book was so amazing I am lending it out to people who aren't even thinking of homeschooling... it was just so wonderful to read! I was about to start homeschooling my oldest and didn't have any idea where to start. Lisa Dobson addressed each of my fears and questions... and I don't even know her! This book is so down to earth that it will put anyone at ease, and the advice she and the many many other homeschoolers give is so practical. I started using the information immediately. There are two wonderful features I would like to detail for you: first of all, she takes nine different styles of homeschooling, explains them thoroughly, and then takes you through "A week in the life" with a family using each. As a new homeschooler, this helped me immensely by helping me eliminate those philosophies which I know would not work for our family, but find some philosophies that I will research further. The second feature are the abundance of "What I Wish I had Known the First Year" highlights throughout the book. You will not regret this purchase!

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for parents exploring homeschooling!, January 7, 2002

By A Customer

As a mom who is looking to homeschool, I am in the process of researching the subject. This book is very well and logically laid out and is objective in its approach, using both religious and secular families in its examples.

The "What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me..." excerpts throughout the book were great, as I had some of those same preconceived ideas in mind -- what a relief to know I won't have to go overboard on expensive curriculum and extremely structured "class" time!

Ms. Dobson lays out the different homeschool approaches as well as goes through one week examples of each, most of which were interesting (although I must admit that after reading this part I found a couple of the approaches a little questionable ... it seems like class time is squeezed in between extracurricular activities (discussing topics in the car en route to/from karate or piano lessons)). Overall, I was pleased with the different approaches that are available (including online!), which has gotten me thinking about how I might want to do things, as well as eased some of my anxiety.

The only thing I did find missing from the book was that several people said they came up with non-confrontational answers to people who question their homeschool decision, but no actual answer examples were given.

I plan on going to several of the websites and user groups she has listed in the resource section.

I plan on re-reading this book several times!!!

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peace of Mind -- a gift from Linda Dobson, May 26, 2003

By A Customer

I stepped into homeschooling in 2001 as scared mom of a burned-out child. This book was not in print at the time that we began our homeschooling adventure, but I came across it several months later. What great gift it was to read! I learned that I was doing okay, that my decision to "deschool" was on-target and most of all, this book gave me priceless peace of mind that homeschooling does not have to replicate school in order to be a viable means of educating my child. I found particular comfort in the chapter on Homeschool Myths, especially the myth that all homeschool children are National Spelling Bee champions, science fair winners, etc. While it may seem contraindicated to have lowered expectations of one's children, this advice nugget helped me understand that my children don't have to confrom to society's expectations of success in order to be successful. I don't need to push them to achieve based on some artificial, media-biased standard. I can let them be -- and share the joy of learning as a family. *That* is the greatest gift of homeschooling which this wonderful book taught me to see. Thank you, Linda Dobson!