Tuesday, May 3, 2011

"What Really Matters": Focus on Learning, not Educating

Homeschoolers easily get bogged down in the minutea of their everyday lives. We risk spending more time worrying about doing the right things for our children, instead of actually doing things with them. What should be an experience filled with joy and freedom becomes a drudgery laden with frustration and disappoinment.

What Really Matters: Two veteran homeschooling advocates discuss what learning is really all about, by David H. Albert and Joyce Reed, strips away all the extraneous matter we tend to add to our homeschooling lives, leaving us with what really matters: fostering the love of learning.

Beetween them, Mr. Albert and Ms. Reed parented and home-educated seven children, all who have gone on to lead successful lives. Yet, neither David nor Joyce approached homeschooling as an educational style; instead, they viewed it as a lifestyle, one which opened up a realm of learning possibilities to the entire family.

Readers are drawn into the written conversations between the authors, becoming part of the discussions. Each chapter is self-contained, with titles, such as "Secret Spaces, Hidden Places," "Hyrogrifix," "Perfection is the Enemy of Excellence," and "On Trauma, School Disease & the Way Forward." These thoughtful and thought-provoking essays will open up new avenues of thinking for many homeschoolers, while reaffirming the paths of others.

Ever wonder what the purpose of college is for students who already know how to learn independently? Check out "Why Go to College?" Ever sat with your child, struggling to get her to do workbook pages? Take a moment to read "Workbooks." Fear your children are growing up too fast? Sit down with "Time After Time . . ."

What Really Matters is available through a variety of small bookshops and online retailers. As always, supporting members of the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (GHF) will receive $2.00 off the listed price when they purchase the book through David Albert's website, www.skylarksings.com.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great review of this book book. Alternatively, it's available directly from the publisher at http://www.NaturalLifeBooks.com in both print and e-book editions.

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