CreativeDad

In the U.S., we’re conditioned to believe that public or private schools are the only viable option for educating our children. After all, two-income families are the norm rather than the exception today. How could anyone consider homeschooling their children when there’s no one home to teach them?

However, many families do opt to homeschool for more reasons than we’d think. Terrie Lynn Bittner, author of Homeschooling: Take A Deep Breath - You Can Do This!, gives some insight to this in her opening chapter. Finding that her gifted and learning disabled child was struggling with public school, she eventually turned to homeschooling (through her school district homeschooling program) to educate her daughter. Bittner’s deatils her own battles with fears of inadequacy and ADHD but eventually finds that homeschooling is more than books and lesson plans. Like the rest of the book, she provides a pragmatic but upbeat account of what it takes to homeschool your children.

The format of the book consists of 28 relatively short chapters with a glossary of homeschooling terms. Additional book and internet references are provided at the end of each chapter. Her easy-going and personal writing style does much to comfort the prospective homeschooler - her primary audience.

The early chapters of the book are devoted to convincing the reader and how to convince their family and friends that homeschooling is a feasible education option. Bittner then goes on to describe practical matters such as observing your local laws, organization and record-keeping, and supplies.  There is one chapter on “methods” - a vast subject itself in homeschooling - and reading, writing, math, science, and history are all treated in separate chapters. Special-needs children, writing your own or buying a curriculum, measuring success are addressed as well. Throughout, Bittner does a good job of covering the many different variations of and questions about homeschooling.

I particularly liked the short chapter on part-time or afterschool homeschooling.  Homeschooling is usually thought of as an all-or-nothing approach - Bittner shows that it can be used to supplement traditional schooling.

I read this book primarily to research homeschooling as a market for an education business I am planning. My business has much in common with homeschooling approaches in experiential and open-ended learning methods. While reading, I was reminded of my own experiences growing up and with my children in quality learning outside of public schools.

This book is an essential resource for the prospective and beginning homeschooler. With much practical advice AND emotional support, I imagine I’d see a dog-eared copy in any homeschooler’s home.