Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This book was not worth the money we paid for it. That is saying a great deal considering that we got it free. The author is right in believing that homeschooling might not be right for everyone. That is about the only point that this person is right on. The author’s points might come across a little better if the book were well written and better researched. The author states that it takes $3,197,000 plus per year to homeschool a child. Considering that we homeschooled seven children, this would mean that we had to have an income of over $22,379,000 per year. I only wish this were true. We managed to homeschool all seven of them for under $1,000 per year for the fifteen years that we schooled them. The author states that children need to socialize. Unfortunately, public school’s version of socializing is sitting in a classroom of about thirty other children of exactly the same age, from approximately the same socio-economic background. For most of the day, the children are expected to remain in their seats and not talk. Is this socialization? The author makes a point that in an emergency the parent would have to hire someone to come in and teach the students and this would be bad because the student would have to get used to a different teaching style. Before this statement, the author speaks of the strength of public school being that the child can learn from different teachers with different backgrounds. So which is it? Our family made the decision to change schools after trying to be active in our children’s public school education. When our oldest son received a failing grade on a concept map in science, I spoke with his teacher to find out how the concept map was supposed to work. In short, I wanted to know how the students were supposed to determine what to put into the circles on the concept map. The teacher responded, “To be honest, I don’t understand how to do them myself.” How can a teacher teach something if she does not know what she is supposed to be teaching? How can she expect a child to understand how to do something that she cannot explain? We homeschooled for many years and during that time we were asked many times about socialization. My response was for the person to talk with any one of the children about anything they wished to discuss and then come back and ask me the same question. Most people were astounded. The children were well-rounded. There are a host of things a homeschool family can do to socialize. We used to attend different churches. We had Sunday school at one church, Sunday evening church at another, AWANAs at a different church, and Bible School at multiple churches. We attended many free events at local colleges. Many offer free plays in the theatre department, as well as band and choir concerts. The kids met the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, along with Lech Walesa from Poland. These events are open to public school children as well, but it is rare that one sees them at these events. Many communities have homeschool associations where parents can share ideas about homeschooling and trade expertise on teaching methods. If necessary, some parents will tutor other parents' children in subjects where the child may need an extra hand. Another reviewer mentioned writing a book to debunk this one. I think that is a good idea. Please let me know when you do. This book is not worth the $2.99 it is listed for right now. Save your money. There are countless websites on line that can help you. Read all you can, pray, and make an informed decision. Visit some homeschool organizations. Our children are miles ahead of others at their colleges. Often their teachers single them out as outstanding students. We have written a rebuttal. You can find it at Is Homeschooling, or is it Home Schooling, Right for You?: With A Rebuttal to 27 Reasons Why Homeschooling Will Damage Your Child's Life Forever