The
Right Choice: Home Schoolingby Christopher J. Klicka
I used to have what I think was a previous edition of this book. Wow, was it thorough! It is far more than just another book about homeschooling. The subtitle is "The Incredible Failure of Public Education and the Rising Hope of Home Schooling"---but even that doesn't do the book justice. I loaned it out to someone who was preparing for a debate on educational reform and parental choice in education. He, in turn, loaned it out...
So now I've just ordered my new copy, which I'm sure will be as excellent a resource as the first one was. If you are dealing with doubts, skeptical relatives, or just want to know what homeschooling is all about, this is a book that will answer many, many questions. In fact, it will probably answer questions you haven't yet thought to ask.
The
Future of Home Schooling : A New Direction for Christian Home
Education
by Michael Farris
I'll admit that I haven't read this book yet; in fact, I just ordered it. However, I've heard excellent things about it and have enjoyed Michael Farris' other books in the past. Stay tuned for more info once I've had the chance to read it.
Recovering
the Lost Tools of Learning
by Douglas Wilson
What is a classical Christian education? This book answers that question. Although it was written mostly with Christian schools in mind, it has much of value to offer to homeschoolers as well. If you've been hearing such terms as "classical education", "Trivium", "the grammar stage", etc. and have wondered what on earth they meant, this is the book for you. It will give you a vision for education that is challenging and as fresh as it is timeless.
This also includes Dorothy Sayer's pivotal and definitive essay on classical education, so this is a must read for anyone exploring this model.
Repairing
the Ruins: The Classical and Christian Challenge to Modern
Education
Douglas Wilson, editor
Whew. It has been a long time since I have been so challenged, convicted, encouraged, and edified by a book about education! This collection of articles and essays articulates a lot of the issues that parents should be grappling with in terms of their children. Although the book is oriented towards Christian schools, I would strongly suggest that all parents, regardless of their educational choice, read at least some of the chapters.
Is there such a thing as neutrality in education? What is a Scriptural worldview regarding the education of our children? Does the worldview of the teacher matter when she is teaching subjects such as Mathematics? Is rote memorization a good or bad thing? What should you do about argumentative junior high students? How should history be taught? These questions and many more are explored in this book.
Read it before your child enters kindergarten and then read it again later. I've been marking many passages and sharing them with my husband---and we've been having quite a few exciting and thought-provoking discussions! [Hey, for those of you who practice "couch time" and are running out of new things to talk about, this is the book for you!]
It
Couldn't Just HappenOur older children enjoyed the first edition of this creation science book, which was subtitled "Faith-Building Evidences for Young People". They learned about the origin of the universe, about our solar system, about geological change on the earth, about fossils, about how scientists come up with theories, about Evolution and the flaws in that theory, about the evidence for intelligent design, and about all sorts of interesting scientific facts about humans, animals, and our universe.
The book is well-laid out and broken up into small sections. I think it's a must-read for any child in public schools, but beneficial for homeschoolers as well, even those whose Science texts are written from a Christian perspective.
This book came highly recommended to me, so I'm passing on the recommendation. It's sort of like a mystery novel and introductory philosophy text all in one. Although it's not written from a Christian perspective, it is none the less valuable as a general survey of philosophy. We plan on either introducing or accompanying this with some of Francis Schaeffer's insights.
Wheelock's
Latin
by Frederic M. Wheelock
My enjoyable study of an earlier edition of this text helped me to win second place in a statewide Latin grammar competition during my junior year of high school. Just think what it could do for your student...
One of the things I especially liked about "The Wheelock Book" (as we referred to it) is that it is actually based on the ancient authors. My favorite part of a lesson was translating Sententiae Antiquae and marveling that such timely statements had been made so long ago. Not only did the dead language come alive, but so did the history and culture.
This book can be used for self-study as it is well-written and there is an answer key in the back. There is also an accompanying workbook available, although it's not necessary.
Conversational
Latin for Oral Proficiency
by John C. Traupman
Who says dead languages can't be spoken today? If you have a sudden urge to learn how to introduce your children to their fellow Latin scholars or discuss such things as clothing, school work and the weather in Latin---well, this book can help! It's a series of conversations in Latin, with their English translations, as well as vocabulary. The chapters don't have to be done in order, so you can jump ahead and do your grammar lesson all in Latin before learning how to say, "Salve! Quid est nomen tibi?" Each chapter has conversations on three levels of difficulty.
This would make a fun and interesting companion book to any Latin text.
How
to Read a Book
by Mortimer J. Adler
A book about how to read a book? What's this? Originally published in 1940, it's considered one of the best guides to reading for comprehension. It explains the various levels of reading, such as elementary reading, inspectional reading, and analytical reading. It also teaches how to read practical books, literature, poetry, history, science, mathematics, philosophy, etc. This is a must for all junior and senior high students.
How
to Read Slowly
by James W. Sire
This is a good companion volume to the above. It not only stresses reading comprehension but goes beyond it to reading discernment: how to determine the worldview and philosophical leaning of the author. It's also a shorter and somewhat less intimidating volume than Adler's.
Reviving
Ophelia: Saving the Lives of Adolescent
Girls
by Mary Pipher, Ph.D.
Be forewarned: this is a deeply disturbing book. Furthermore, it's not written from a Christian perspective and thus needs to be read with a great deal of discernment. However, it is valuable reading for parents of daughters.
The author documents, in almost horrifying detail, what it's like to grow up as a girl in our culture. This is not a pretty picture. Her major premise is that our culture is "girl-poisoning" and dangerous for our daughters. She presents a compelling and distressing case for this assertion.
What can we do about it? She doesn't really offer the solutions that my husband and I would propose, so naturally we think that the book falls short in this area. However, it still makes valuable reading and sounds a much-needed alarm for parents who think that little has changed since they were teenagers.
A
Sense of Self: Listening to Homeschooled Adolescent
Girls
by Susannah Sheffer
This refreshingly candid and hopeful book offers a much-needed antidote to Reviving Ophelia. The author references many of the same studies and sources that Pipher does. However, the girls who speak in this volume are homeschooled girls. She explores the reasons why these girls are seemingly immune from many of the alarming problems and crises facing girls in the mainstream of our culture. Could homeschooling make that much of a difference?
Again, this book is not written from a Christian perspective. I would really like to see a similar project carried out among evangelical Christian homeschoolers. At any rate, parents wondering whether homeschooling is a good choice for their teenage daughters will find much encouragement and comfort in this book.
