Rating: 
Summary: Honest, and Straightforward
Review: I am an aide in an Illinois school, and I was appalled when I first started by how DUMBED-DOWN things are! Fourth graders are doing single digit addition and subtraction! I read this book and realized that my children are not going through such agony and boredom as the other unfortunate children in the public schools. This book gives reasons for shortcomings of the public school system, and makes for entertaining and enlightening reading. It is not a 'guide,' but it is certainly worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: There are So Many Better Choices
Review: I don't know of much of anyone besides the NEA who think that the public school system is working. I suspect that teachers and principals would want a lower student to teacher ratio. Just because you don't mind the govenment controlling what your kids learn doesn't mean that the rest of us have to. The book is written by a Christian, and therefore Christian opinions and principles shouldn't and can't be avoided with regards to this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Homeschooling Works!
Review: I don't know of much of anyone besides the NEA who think that the public school system is working. I suspect that teachers and principals would want a lower student to teacher ratio. Just because you don't mind the govenment controlling what your kids learn doesn't mean that the rest of us have to. The book is written by a Christian, and therefore Christian opinions and principles shouldn't and can't be avoided with regards to this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Very slanted toward Christianity
Review: I was surprised that a book with the name "guide" was based so heavily on this author's personal religious convictions and idealogies. Couldn't get through it.
Rating: 
Summary: Sounds like a pique against schools & teachers...
Review: I wonder if the author had bad experiences in school. This is nothing more than a conservative rally around a VERY BAD idea...homeschooling. He sounds cynical & bad-mouths teachers & sees them as the "enemy." In fact, this book is an insult to the millions of teachers, principals, & educators who get up five mornings a week & teach our children to read, write, do math, understand right & wrong, & to think critically (even if it questions traditional beliefs). Come on...will there be a more civilized tomorrow if we were to pull our kids out of school, abolish formal education, & put the entire burden on parents? Parents may be the primary caregivers of their kids, but they do not raise children alone; they share the job with the community & schools whether they like to admit it or not. It sounds as some homeschooling advocates, mostly conservative Christian right-wingers, feel threatened by anyone or anything that challenges their narrow beliefs & think that kids should be kept at home in isolation as so not to be "corrupted" by different beliefs. Sounds like a perfect recipe for intolerance & prejudice. It also implies that kids are the personal "property" of their parents when the book hammers home the concept of American "freedom" for parents to do as they please with "their" kids. Moreover, it is a disservice to kids to fail to expose them to differing lifestyles, religious beliefs, & values, even those you may not agree with. If the homeschooling pundits had their way,, the States would surely decline, child abuse would go up, illiteracy would skyrocket, & bigotry & ignorance would destroy the freedom of this nation! If you cherish what America is supposed to stand for-freedom & justice for all, don't buy into this awful idea of homeschooling...back teachers & schools & mandatory school attendance so that tomorrow's genration can keep this country free & tolerant for all its people!
Rating:
Summary: Sounds like a pique against schools & teachers...
Review: I wonder if the author had bad experiences in school. This is nothing more than a conservative rally around a VERY BAD idea...homeschooling. He sounds cynical & bad-mouths teachers & sees them as the "enemy." In fact, this book is an insult to the millions of teachers, principals, & educators who get up five mornings a week & teach our children to read, write, do math, understand right & wrong, & to think critically (even if it questions traditional beliefs). Come on...will there be a more civilized tomorrow if we were to pull our kids out of school, abolish formal education, & put the entire burden on parents? Parents may be the primary caregivers of their kids, but they do not raise children alone; they share the job with the community & schools whether they like to admit it or not. It sounds as some homeschooling advocates, mostly conservative Christian right-wingers, feel threatened by anyone or anything that challenges their narrow beliefs & think that kids should be kept at home in isolation as so not to be "corrupted" by different beliefs. Sounds like a perfect recipe for intolerance & prejudice. It also implies that kids are the personal "property" of their parents when the book hammers home the concept of American "freedom" for parents to do as they please with "their" kids. Moreover, it is a disservice to kids to fail to expose them to differing lifestyles, religious beliefs, & values, even those you may not agree with. If the homeschooling pundits had their way,, the States would surely decline, child abuse would go up, illiteracy would skyrocket, & bigotry & ignorance would destroy the freedom of this nation! If you cherish what America is supposed to stand for-freedom & justice for all, don't buy into this awful idea of homeschooling...back teachers & schools & mandatory school attendance so that tomorrow's genration can keep this country free & tolerant for all its people!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic author, great lessons to be learned
Review: Just what parents need today. This book is not for the left thinking, anti-religious, politicaly correct type. Mr Blumenfeld discusses the need for parents to get thier kids out of the public school system, and keep them from being brainwashed by the government.
Rating: 
Summary: Annotation:
Review: More and more parents today are disillusioned with public education, whether due to increased crowding and violence in the schools, incompetent teachers, or differences in teaching philosophy. Instead of merely tolerating a faulty system, expanding numbers of parents are turning to alternative education-specifically homeschooling-for their children, Homeschooling is now the fastest-growing educational phenomenon in the United States. Homeschooling not only describes what homeschooling is all about, it helps parents decide whether this choice fits their family lifestyle. This book covers virtually every aspect of homeschooling: -Why parents choose homeschooling -Devising and implementing a personal philosophy of education -What to teach and how to teach it -Handling the need for socialization -Dealing with the bureaucratic system -And much more Even if parents can't homeschool full-time, they will find that Homeschooling offers useful, practical information on how to educate their children at home part-time. If there ever was a liberation movement in America, this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Introducing parents to the benefits of homeschooling.
Review: The purpose of my book is to introduce newcomers to the wonderful world of homeschooling with its potential benefits to children and families. My hope is to save as many families and children as possible from the academic, spiritual, moral, and physical risks of public schooling. Homeschooled children are far happier than public schoolers because they know that their parents care enough to devote the time and effort needed to homeschool. Happy families will create a better society for all of us. As homeschoolers, parents get a chance to learn more than they ever got in school. Thus, learning becomes a family way of life.
Rating:
Summary: There are So Many Better Choices
Review: This book is more of a rant than a helpful resource. Blumenfeld seems to think the schools are out to kidnap our children. Granted, they are pretty awful, and homeschooling makes good sense, whether you are a Christian or just a parent interested in a decent education for your child (or both!) But there are so many better books on this subject, and if one wants a really good rant, read John Taylor Gatto's "Dumbing Us Down".
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