Quick Book Review

I recently read Homeschooling Take a Deep Breath - You Can Do This! by Terrie Lynn Bittner. I have meant to review the book, but have been really busy and have not taken the time. Of course, now the book is overdue at the library, so I am going to write a really quick review before I jump in my car and take it back.

I really enjoyed this book even though it was geared more towards the new homeschooler. However, although I have homeschooled for 8 years, I still learned many things and found myself nodding in agreement at many of her points.

I like this quote:
"Remember that your hardest job isn't teaching your chldren, it's parenting them. If you have done a good job of parenting, teaching is already a part of your day. Any good parent is naturally a good teacher."

I think that is true in more ways than one. If you have diligently parented your children and taught them the ways of your household, it will also be easier to teach them. If your children already know that you don't like to be interrupted, and won't interrupt you under threat of (I can't think of anything funny here that won't sound like child abuse, so you fill it in) it makes it so much easier when you are explaining their lesson. If you have already worked with your children about staying on task in their everyday life, staying on their schoolwork will be easier too! (I say this as pure hypothesis because my children, ahem, some of my children, are not good at either of those things. YET. We are working on it)

I have never kept a homeschool journal. I never really saw the need for one and frankly, thought it would be one more thing to try to remember every day. However, I love her idea of using the journal as sort of an accountability partner. (my word, not hers) By writing in your journal what went right and what went wrong (she has a rule that you always need to have more rights, though) you have a quick overview of the day and you can seek to make changes. She has you circle the one thing that went the worst and try to troubleshoot that area. I love that idea! I have downloaded a journal onto my palm pilot for just such a purpose. I think it will be great to see the successes and get ideas for how to make things better on a daily basis.

Anyway, for those of you that feel the need to read EVERY homeschooling book out there (like me) I would highly recommend this one. I skimmed parts of it where I felt I did not need any ideas (although I still learned some great things from those parts as well) and other parts I hung on every word and even took notes. :-)

Now I'm jumping in my car....