One Good Year: A Mother and Daughter's Educational Adventure

by Laura Brodie

Book Overview

"In a world where 'homeschooling' is so often misunderstood, discounted, and even ridiculed, Laura Brodie offers a clear-eyed view and makes a valuable contribution to the literature on the subject. This is necessary reading for anyone with an interest not just in homeschooling but in education generally."
-- David Guterson

"As a parent involved in homeschooling, I highly recommend this book. It's timely, beautifully written, and must...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061706507
• ISBN13: 9780061706509
• Release Date: April 2011
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Love in a Time of Homeschooling

I think all parents could benefit from a quick read of this book. It is always good to get a new perspective and really consider what our kids experience during their days and years in school. This book is very diplomatic; talking over the good things and bad about both traditional schools and home schooling. I enjoyed reading through her change from thinking that homeschooling was 'crazy' to a realization that spending hours each week arguing over homework might be crazy. School is so expected in our culture that we often don't stop to question it at all. My thanks to the author for sharing her story!

No matter what your position is on homeschooling, don't miss this book!

Laura Brodie's book Love in a Time of Homeschooling: A Mother and Daughter's Uncommon Year completely changed my opinion about homeschooling. Before I read this book, the concept of homeschooling was foreign. It was something only very religious, stay-at-home moms did. It was not for me. This book opened my eyes to a whole new world, one accessible and feasible in my own life. After reading this book, I am considering homeschooling my own son who doesn't thrive in the traditional school system. Brodie's daughter Julia struggled in the regimented public school system. She had lost her love of learning, and Brodie sought to reignite that joy once again. She set out to homeschool her daughter for one year, allowing her to explore, grow, learn. Although she had to fulfill certain requirements, Julie also got to set the pace of her own education by focusing on things that really interested her. Brodie and her daughter took knitting classes, visited museums, and went on countless field trips. Every day was a learning experience. They had their ups and their downs, their moments of bliss and their days of extreme frustration. Love in a Time of Homeschooling is the story of their year-long experiment. No matter what your view on homeschooling is, you're sure to take something away from this book. I gleaned much from it. I learned that I can provide amazing learning experiences disguised as fun for my own children. Brodie would continue to offer homeschooling experiences to her three daughters long after their homeschooling year was over. "So long as children lived under our roof, ours would be a homeschooling family, turning off the TV to spend more time talking and reading and going for walks," Brodie wrote. I intend to apply the same philosophy to my family. I gained a whole new respect for those who homeschool from this book, as well as many ideas to use at home. This book shouldn't be missed! by Jennifer Melville for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women

inspirational!

This book inspired me to think seriously about homeschooling my soon-to-be fifth grader. Having taught for several years in the public school system, I have an insider's view of its flaws and advantages, so I've toyed for years with the idea of trying homeschooling as an alternative, my only question being whether or not my daughter could stand an entire year with me as her only teacher. This book addressed many of my concerns regarding family conflicts as well as some basic information and resources for beginning a homeschooling experience. I especially loved the informal, fun, and honest way that Brodie relates her experiences homeschooling her daughter for a year. This book is a wonderful read for anyone interested in the topic and provides insights that other homeschooling books do not.

Perhaps Homeschooling Isn't Just for Kids

Reading Love in a Time of Homeschooling is totally delightful. Brodie is a master of entertaining sentences and uses word combinations that continually caused me to chuckle, and sometimes even slap my knee and laugh out loud. The entire book is throughly engaging, while at the same time deeply thought provoking about issues on many levels, both at home and within our culture. It was clear that mother and daughter benefited from the year of home study. The time together, while often challenging, clearly changed both of their lives (and the entire family's lives) for the better. And there will undoubtedly continue to be beneficial consequences that ramify throughout all their lifetimes. While reading Homeschooling, I couldn't help but think about my own public school experience. In many ways, I was a lot like the daughter, Julia; often bored with the classroom lessons, and usually off in my own little private magical world. I struggled through many classes. Especially in grade and middle schools, I felt that so much of my time was being wasted...and it was. But I go through it. So about my life now? What about your life now? Is "schooling" ever finished? Whether you acknowledge it or not, schooling and learning -- no matter what your age -- continues. The tests just come indifferent forms than multiple-choice, written exams. Because of reading Brodie's book, I'm pondering about homeschooling myself. Not only to help prepare the future me, but also taking time to learn about things haven't made their way into my my life thus far. Have I been nurturing and paying enough attention to my "inner child"? Am I taking Joseph Campbell's advice to "follow my bliss"? Could a pre-formatted, self-designed, homeschooling program (complete with lesson plans and learning objectives) help me to find, and "follow my bliss"? Well, why not? Perhaps it's time for all of us to think about adult homeschooling and retreading for new times. In these dynamic times, we can all benefit from gaining new life skills. Read Brodie's book irregardless if you have children, or are considering homeschooling. You'll find a lot of provocative ideas about life learning and the true meaning of education. I unconditionally and highly recommend this book.

An enjoyable window into a real experience

I'm a working mother of three teenagers who thought of homeschooling at various times in my children's schooling. But I knew I couldn't do it long term, and like the author describes in the beginning of her book, found little out there that gave me a sense that short term homeschooling was a practical option for a 'not so perfect' mom like me. If this book had been available a few years ago, it would have provided both the inspiration and guidance to make it happen. Reading this book was a delightful experience as I found myself chuckling out loud, tearing up, and deeply identifying with the self-questioning that we mothers so often do. The author's writing style makes for smooth reading with humor and thoughtfulness woven into the ups and downs of this mother-daughter experience. She does a great job of voicing her 10 year old daughter's experience and highlighting the different perspectives of the various family members. Even for those not interested in homeschooling, this book is a great reflection of family life - including the emotional ups & downs of raising children, maintaining a relationship, and respecting individual interests and pursuits. I highly recommend it.