No Regrets: How Homeschooling Earned me a Master's Degree at age 16

by Alexandra Swann and Joyce Swann

Book Overview

"One month before my fifth birthday, my mother began teaching me to read and write, and school at home became a wonderful thing."The engaging story of the Swann family's experiences with homeschooling as told by the oldest daughter, Alexandra. At the age of fifteen she became the youngest student ever to graduate from Brigham Young University in its 111-year history.

In this poignant narrative originally published in 1989 when she was eighteen, Alexandra recounts her experiences as the oldest in a family of ten children, all of whom were earning their educations at a highly-accelerated pace. With warmth, humor and affection, Alexandra draws the reader into the Swann household and shares a story of love, friendship and faith that overcomes obstacles.

This twentieth anniversary edition of "No Regrets"-republished in early 2010-contains an updated foreword by the author.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0962361100
• ISBN13: 9780962361104
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Alexandra Swann
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent narrative by a homeschooler about homeschooling

If you're wondering how homeschooled students feel about their experience, this is a great book to read! Alexandra Swann's parents, John and Joyce Swann, wanted to be sure their children received an exceptionally excellent education while instilling in them authentic discipline, sound Christian and orthodox values, and high morals. This book proves that this can be done, and done very well. Alexandra Swann and her nine siblings were enrolled in the oldest correspondence schools in the nation - Calvert School of Baltimore and the American School of Correspondence in Chicago - which have had reputations for excellence extending for over a hundred years. They attended Brigham Young University and California State University, completing all the coursework at home under the tutelage of their parents, most importantly their mother, who herself had never attended college. This factor alone, in my opinion, makes it the key point: parents do not have to be professional teachers, nor do they even have to have attended college to be able to successfully educate their children. This book shows most clearly that you need only common sense, a deep love of your children, and the graces of the Lord to succeed with your children. The only issue that I do not completely agree with is the speed at which the Swann children earned their degrees. There is something to be said about having the proper maturity for college studies, something which will only come with age and time. Therefore, I do not think it is best for children to be accelerated through their studies at such a pace. But this is only a minor issue, and each family must decide for itself what will work best in their given situation. For anyone -- homeschoolers, those considering homeschoolers and for any parent -- this book is a must read! It is uplifting and will leave you convinced that with God's grace you CAN succeed!

Inspiration and mentor

This book was a guiding presence as a teacher/parent in homeschooling our children. What were we to do with a 4 year old son that was reading chapter books at age 4? Public Kindergarten was out of the question, as they were just learning their ABC's. So, with the inspiration of "No Regrets" we accelerated our son's education. He was able to proceed in learning following his internal gifts. He began college classes at age 12 and currently holds a college math degree. Thank you Swann family for this book.

Very interesting reading!

I really enjoyed this book! I had asked around for some books on acclerated children because my 5 year old son is getting ready to begin 2nd grade work and this book was recommended to me. Alexandra is an engaging writer and I read the book in 1 day. She was the oldest of 10 children being homeschooled and all earning their masters degrees *at home* by age 16. I also really benefitted from reading the articles written by her mother at the Homeschool World Practical Homeschooling website.

Very Impressive Young Lady

This book helped me understand that there is an acceptable alternative to the public school norm without endangering the talents or acceptability of the child. I read the book when it first came out when my daughter was in second grade. She has been home schooled since, and is now a senior at BYU, she turned 19 yesterday. I have no regrets and if you are looking for assurance that homeschooling has a chance in your family, read the book for comfort. Not every child will match Alexandra's schedule, but most will thrive when given the opportunity.

Good book about homeschooling (even before it caught on!)

Here is a story about a young woman growing up in a family that homeschooled their children before the homeschooling "movement" caught. Good narrative overall. (The book is by Alexandra Swann.)