Nancy R. (pezimaniac) reviewed Better Than School: One Family's Declaration of Independence on + 8 more book reviews
The subtitle of this book says a lot! It is one family's story of what life was like for them as homeschoolers in the early 1980s. The book has a great flow and is very easy to read. I felt like I knew the Wallace family very early in the book.
It starts by the author telling how they dealt with the public school for their son. In NH at that time the school board had to approve homeschooling on an individual basis. (Homeschooling was not even legal in all 50 states.) The family became friends with John Holt who encouraged and helped them along the way. Part of the book is told from the son's point of view, via selected journal entries.
Unlike some more recent "our homeschooling journey" books, I never felt like Ms. Wallace was implying that other homeschoolers should necessarily follow the same path as the Wallace family. It is not a "do this, then do this, then you'll be a good homeschooler" book.
I definitely recommend this book for people wanting to get a glimpse into the life of other homeschoolers, particularly those who paved the way when it was not as popular or well accepted as it is now.
It starts by the author telling how they dealt with the public school for their son. In NH at that time the school board had to approve homeschooling on an individual basis. (Homeschooling was not even legal in all 50 states.) The family became friends with John Holt who encouraged and helped them along the way. Part of the book is told from the son's point of view, via selected journal entries.
Unlike some more recent "our homeschooling journey" books, I never felt like Ms. Wallace was implying that other homeschoolers should necessarily follow the same path as the Wallace family. It is not a "do this, then do this, then you'll be a good homeschooler" book.
I definitely recommend this book for people wanting to get a glimpse into the life of other homeschoolers, particularly those who paved the way when it was not as popular or well accepted as it is now.
