Hi!

I thought I would do a little book review. I just read 'Homeschooling for Excellence' by David and Micki Colfax. The Colfaxes home-educated their children through most of their schooling years and ended up with three of their sons at Harvard, Im not sure about the fourth as my book is a bit old and their fourth son had not yet applied for college.

At first to be honest I didnt think I got a lot out of it, but after reflecting for a few days I changed my mind. Coming from a CM background with a strong christian base, this book at first didnt seem to relate to me too well. It didnt mention a Christian education at all, and it spoke mainly on why we need to homeschool, what was wrong with the school system and then how to homeschool; giving recommendations for the various text books they used throughout the high school years. (which didnt mean much to me considering they are American and use American texts, where I am in Australia )

Saying this though, I really enjoyed the simpleness of their homeschooling plan. Im sure it wasnt as simple as it appeared ( things never are, are they?!) but it was obvious they did not have the huge array of choices out there that can be mind-bogglingly confusing at times for us 'modern-day' homeschoolers!  To encourage their children to write, they kept a journal, they wrote letters, they wrote notes to each other. To encourage their children to read, they read to them and built up a library filled with an array of fiction, non-fiction, classics and manuals. To encourage their children's work ethic, they purchased a property and had them work alongside them. They believe 'real-life, hands-on experience' is more important than any book work during the younger years. They focused on 'real-world' experiences:

"There is a world out there- beyond the home and the neighbourhood -of museums, libraries, parks, concert halls, factories, markets, construction sites, farms, and fairs, to which the child can be introduced at an early age. It is a world at once more challenging and more complex than the one presented on television or in books, and one to which he or she should be gently, thoughtfully, introduced." (page 52).

They even went on to say:

"Young children cannot be expected to immediately appreciate Picasso or Mozart any more than the fine points of a baseball game, and a light touch is in order, especially where 'culture' is concerned. Children should not be cutrurally indoctrinated by well-meaning but heavy-handed parents any more than by insensitive classroom teachers. Homeschoolers need to take care not to overwhelm their children with elaborate 'meaningful experiences', for didacticism can be as anitithetical to education in a museum or zoo as in the classroom...........A visit to the ballet may result in an aversion to, instead of an interest in, dance. And budding artists have been known to prefer baseball to art galleries. But, more typically, days at the zoo may evoke a general interst in wildlife, or a special interst in snakes, or spiders, or bears." page 53

I found this an interesting contrast to some of CM's teachings, and one that gave me food for thought.

Overall I found it renewed my enthusiasm for 'real-life' experiences with my children, it encouraged me to keep that tv turned off and get my children outside and working next to me in the garden. Their detailed data on the deterioration of schools re-inforced my decision to homeschool throughout the highschool years. Personally I would not recommend this book as a purchase but I enjoyed their viewpoint on homeschooling. It reminded me a lot of the Moores philosophy and inspired the choice of my next book: 'The Successfull Homeschool Family Handbook' by Raymond and Dorothy Moore.

Have a great day!