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Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home | 
| Author: Rhonda Barfield
Publisher: Atria
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $13.99 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 617674
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0743442296
Dewey Decimal Number: 371.042
EAN: 9780743442299
ASIN: 0743442296
Publication Date: April 2, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Green Earth Books. Read -> Recycle -> Reuse!
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Product Description
The book that shows homeschooling in action!What does it really mean when parents say they homeschool their child or children? For Rhonda Barfield -- a homeschooler for the past 10 years -- the definition is as diverse as the 21 families she studies in this eye-opening book. Real-Life Homeschooling From the city to the country, apartments to split-levels, you'll enter each household and see education in action. Discover the challenges and rewards of tailoring instruction to each child's needs while catering to his or her inquisitiveness and curiosity. See why the number of children being taught by their parents is growing nationwide -- at home, there are no overcrowded classrooms, no unknown dangers lurking in the halls, and no doubts as to the quality of the education. Whether you are just contemplating homeschooling or are a veteran seeking fresh ideas and help in overcoming obstacles -- look no further: Real-life Homeschooling shows just how practical and rewarding it is to educate children and provide them with what they need most -- you!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Not As Expected January 23, 2008
The vast majority of the homeschoolers interviewed were fundamentalist Christians using pre-planned curriculum and often rigid scheduling. This was certainly not, by any stretch of the imagination, an example of the rich variety of choices to be found within the homeschool world. There were also some rather pathetic innaccuracies within the text describing the Jewish family. Just one example is the word "sabbath" capitalized as "Sabbath" (for this family, "sabbath" would be a common noun) while the word "Shabbat" is not capitalized (Shabbat is the Jewish sabbath.) I wonder if the families represented were even given an opportunity to check the author's representations of their lives. If you want to read this book, buy a cheap used copy.
 Interesting, though more balance desired November 28, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
While I generally enjoyed reading about different families and their homeschooling lives (particularly that of the single mother homeschooler and those families with special needs children) I would have preferred a more balanced cross-section of perspectives. Most of families interviewed seemed to fall into two camps: 1. the overwhelming majority were conservative Christian, presumably homeschooling for, though perhaps not exclusively, religious reasons (there was only one Jewish homeschooling family--no Muslims, Buddhists, pagans, or atheists, at least they did not identify themselves as such) and 2. "unschooling" secular families. I fall into neither of these groups and I know there are many others like me. As a would-be homeschooling parent interested in home educating for academic, family, and spiritual (though NOT religious) reasons, it would have been helpful to hear from more families that would speak to my/our condition. These two groups--particularly the first--have long had a strong voice in the homeschooling movement and their perspectives have been well documented. Better to seek out the quieter, often-less represented voices of homeschooling families.
Not a MUST buy, but still a good read ... May 4, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed reading about other families from different backgrounds and how they make homeschooling work for them. While the families did not give a lot of information on the curriculum they used, they did share information on why they homeschool and how they feel about structure and socialization. This is a book I would share with someone considering homeschool but were worried about making it work into their lifestyle. Though not a book I would reach to continually for advice, I did learn some tips and tricks while reading that I have implented into our own homeschool routine. If you see it at the library and you have time to fit in an extra read, I would recommend this book.
A Good Cross-section of Homeschool Families January 13, 2004
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I enjoyed reading about the different families represented. One of the best aspects of the book is the inclusion of each family's recommended reference books, as well as their favorite and least-favorite advice they'd received. Regarding the reference books: Whenever I felt a connection with one of the families I'd then look to see if I'd read their book recommendations. It was a great way to explore where each family was going with their thoughts. I agree with one of the other reviewers, though, in that there is sort of a detached approach to each family's chapter. Some families I found interesting and a few I did not. But rather than the dry, Here They Are presentation, I would have liked to have been taken further into the families' emotional attachments...how they arrived at the decisions emotionally. One does not buck such a strong system on a whim. Overall, though, a very good read. For anyone considering homeschooling, or for newbies looking for other ideas, this is a very good reference book. I'll be keeping this one!
 Excellent Homeschool Resource March 10, 2003
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I highly recommend this book for anyone considering homeschooling. It is filled with refreshing and inspiring stories of other homeschooling families that are all from different faiths and backgrounds. I applaud their courage to homeschool when it is the acceptable thing to stick your kids in school and thank them for their inspiration. Their stories reinforce my decision to homeschool my daughter. Most of all, I thank Rhonda Barfield for bringing their stories to everyone. This is an excellent and necessary read for anyone considering homeschooling!
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