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27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
how to make your homeschool like American public schools, September 16, 2002
This book recommends that homeschooling be done one way and one way: that it be modeled exactly like American public schools, right down to regular test taking, giving and tracking grades, and attendance record-keeping. The tone of the book is insulting and at times negative about homeschooling and about the thoughts and opinions of the homeschooling parent. I feel that some parts can actually instill fear in the parent and the author then recommends that unless things are done his recommended way, then the child should go to public school instead. I felt this book was dis-empowering rather than empowering. You should be aware this book is very religious in content; the books front and back cover don't divulge this tidbit. The book is over 500 pages long, and the pages are large-sized. There is a lot of text but the organization of the chapters is illogical and confusing. Anyone intersted in homeschooling would be better off with a shorter book that is more concise and "to the point". Many of the writings by Wade make statements but these are not flushed out in detail-but then bits and pieces of that subject are mentioned here and there throughout the book. For example it mentions the benefit and necessity of knowing your child's learning style but then doesn't immediately explain anything about them let alone leave the reader feeling empowered to learn about it and then apply it. You will like this book if it is your desire to model your homeschool exactly as the public schools, including using the same curriculum as they do. If you like being told there is one right way to do things, then this authors writing won't offend you. This book is not for you if you like to read about different homeschooling methods and then come to your own conclusions. Please know that if you do like this book and start out this way and it is not working, there are loads of other resources about other ways to homeschool, ways that are more flexible and define education in different ways than the public education system does. There are other books, magazines, and homeschooling support groups that enlighten you about different ways to homeschool so that you can custom design what works best for your child(ren) and you. More about what I don't like about this book:
The first chapters start right off on a negative tone. Wade is a school administrator and much of the beginning of this book reads more like a policy manual for a public school. On page 36, Wade warns parents that choosing to pull their child out of school "may teach the child the wrong lesson". This is one example of the insulting language he uses to refer to a homeschooling parent's decision to remove the child from school is because "your mother hen instinct got all fluffed up because your little chick wasn't assigned to the advanced reading group". He is careful not to state anything negative about the public school system, which he still works within. The author perpetuates myths that have clearly been debunked by others who have successfully homeschooled their children. It is sad to see these old myths included as fact in a book that is supposed to be supportive of homeschooling. Examples are that the majority of people homeschool for religious reasons and that homeschoolers have less socialization than schooled children. The beauty of homeschooling is that learning can happen in different ways, custom designed to different learners. This book talks about how Wade feels homeschooling must look: it is a narrowly defined system that mirrors the American public education system. Wade is open to the unit-study approach that is initiated by the parent. Wade is opposed to children learning about what they are interested in, also known as "self-directed learning", "interest driven learning" and "unschooling". Wade openly states his opposition to various homeschooling methods such as unschooling (85) and classical education (89), such as outlined in "The Well Trained Mind". Wade makes it clear he doesn't like any curriculum that differs from the public schools and states that if a parent does not follow the public school curriculum then "you should let a more traditional school do the job". It is interesting to me that Wade is not only biased toward school but toward public school. To be so closed minded about educational choices, even to rule out various private school methodologies (such as Waldorf or Montessori) is amazing to me, and it shows his closed-mindedness with regard to education. Some of this book actually is not at all applicable to the homeschool environment. The parent is called the teacher and the child is a student (which I find annoying). Textbooks are said to be the most important educational tool that will be used (68) and he recommends getting the same educational materials as your public school system uses. I thought it was widely known that textbooks contain many errors and are boring to boot. I could go on and on about what upset me about this book but will stop here. Please be aware there are more positive books on the market for beginning homeschoolers such as those by Linda Dobson and Mary Griffith, and great magazines such as "Home Education Magazine". There are loads of books about the problems with public education such as those by John Holt, John Taylor Gatto, Jonathan Kozol and James Herndon.
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