Books I've Read

Taking on homeschooling has been daunting. One of my biggest fears is being an absolute, unequivocal failure, resulting in kids incapable of reading, doing basic math, learning, and otherwise becoming functioning adults who will be able to support themselves in the world. And so, as I've begun this process, I've been trying to read and learn all I can about homeschooling. And I've found some books that inspire me in my "new" role as educator (because, lets be honest: my kids have already learned quite a bit from me, and I hope that to always be the case!). Here are the books I've completed so far in 2017:


A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century by Oliver DeMille -- an interesting read about an approach to education taken from how many of the Founding Fathers were educated. Education is focused mainly on those ages 12 and up, and using primarily literature to learn, but not all literature: classics. A classic is not defined by how long it has been around or by whether the school systems deem it as such, but a classic book is one that inspires greatness. This was one of the first books I read on homeschooling, and I loved the ideas of how to use literature to teach all subjects, even math. We have enjoyed reading several books on the classics lists, though not all have captured my kids' attention as I would have hoped. You can view more about TJEd on their website.

Passion-Driven Education: How to Use Your Child's Interests to Ignite a Lifelong Love of Learning by Connor Boyack. I would recommend this book to those who may not quite understand why one would consider homeschooling. The most interesting part of Boyack's book was the history of education -- how it came about not as a means of helping children reach their potential, but as a sort of assembly-line process of molding children into law-abiding, in-the-box thinkers. I would have liked his book more had there been more research and resources backing up his claims. The title was a bit misleading, as the book was primarily a discourse on why the public school system is failing and very little was about how to actually inspire love of learning. But, it's a quick read, and Boyack gives some brief introductions at the end to various methods of homeschooling (including TJEd, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, and unschooling), that will likely be unheard of by new homeschoolers, thereby giving them a place to start.

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie. This book gives homeschooling parents a reassurance that your child will be okay. As mentioned, my biggest fear is that I will fail at this, but Mackenzie reminds us that we need to put aside our fears and anxieties and worries in order to be in the proper spirit to teach. If we are anxious, our kids will feel anxious. If we are at peace and happy, they will feel comfortable. There is a lot of reminding that God will bless us as we attempt to raise our children well, and this is an aspect of the book that I loved. I bought this book as an audio book, and will re-read (or, rather, re-listen to) it regularly.


My current read is Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray. This book has taken me the longest to read but it has been one of my favorites so far. Peter Gray is a common name among the unschool community. Unschooling is based on the idea that children will learn everything they need to learn to become successful adults if the adults get out of the way of their learning. We destroy our children's natural desires to learn by insisting that they learn this subject, and this topic, this way, on this day, at this time, rather than waiting for them to discover and learn the subject when they are interested and ready to learn. Just as our children will learn to walk and run without our specifically trying to teach them as such, they will also develop loves for certain subjects and find ways to support themselves doing what they love. Dr. Gray's book especially appeals to me because his background is in psychology (he's a research professor in the Psychology department at Boston College)--as is mine--and his arguments are all well-backed by research studies in psychology, sociology, and anthropology. He brings back my love of psychology while reminding me of the amazing potential that my children have.

Next up on my reading list is You Are the Mother Your Children Need by Christie Gardiner. Sometimes I need a reminder that God gave me these children for a reason, and that I will be the best person to help them become the people that God wants them to be.

What books would you recommend to a new (or experienced) homeschooling parent?