Customer Reviews

The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book will help you to relax about homeschooling if you're stressing about it, but other than that, i was pretty dissapointed.

If i could do it again, I'd try to borrow it from someone rather than spending money on it. In fact, I'm going to donate my copy to my local library.

The Moores promote their way of homeschooling as the best way and encourage you to buy their 'Manual' to learn how. If you really want to know about their method, skip this book and get their manual.

Do keep in mind that they were Seventh-Day Adventist, so if you're going to order from their catalog, just know that there are Adventist books in their Bible section.

For example, William Sidis is described as 'burned out', or unbalanced. At the time of his death - his friends did not think that he was either. He wasn't. He rejected capitalism, for that he is remembered, even in new books - as unbalanced. This author did not do research.

I have been homeschooling for three years now, and I realized awhile ago that I had brought "school home" instead of homeschooling. This book gave me confidence to wait until my children are ready (one daughter is 7 and can read, but not well and she does not enjoy it) to even teach the basics. My son (10 yrs. old) hated to read, but backing off and not pushing him helped a great deal, and now he enjoys reading. This book is an excellent help in avoiding burnout. Homeschooling has become enjoyable again and the atmosphere of our home has changed drastically. Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore have much expertise in their field, but they have also experienced much of what they teach. They have a great website <BR... with information about the Moore formula. I would recommend this book to anyone who is considering homeschooling, or those who are having problems with their children in a formal school setting. It was relief to again have confidence in my decision to homeschool and know that I can help my children gain the knowledge they need to succeed in life.

The Moore's homeschooled their own children many years ago, when they were living overseas. Both Dr. and Mrs. Moore have careers in the education field and so are well aware of what goes on in primary and secondary education in America. They don't spent time bashing the schools in this book but instead promote homeschooling as a superior education.

My short summary:
This book encourages children to be at home with a stay-at-home mother from infancy through school-age (avoiding preschool). Then they recommend not teaching reading until the child is ready, and that can fall between 8 and 12. They discourage forcing learning to read before age 8 citing eye problems and other problems may occur. Formal lessons in other subjects are to begin no sooner than age 8. There is no one right curriculum or method. The most important lessons in the early years are character formation and to form a close knit family bond. Don't run your home school just like a government (public) school. And lastly, have the child to volunteer work and be of service to others on a daily or weekly basis starting at a very young age. This they call "The Moore Formula" for success. Be forewarned: anyone who doesn't agree with these ideas will dislike portions of the book or the entire book.

My longer summary:
First off the book jacket states the book will help you pick a curriculum. Whether that is something you want or something that turns you off please know that I could not find that information anywhere in the book and I did read it cover to cover.

The book starts of with the most convincing argument I have found anywhere (including in general parenting books) as to the value of young children staying home with their mothers rather than attending preschool. In "Miseducation: Preschoolers At Risk", author David Elkind speaks to the problems that can occur when children go to preschool instead of staying at home with a parent but he doesn't spend a lot of time stating the true value of a strong bond with the at-home mother and Elkind doesn't focus hugely on the value of an intact and close knit family. The Moore's book does cover the value of a close-knit family in extensive detail. Character formation, instilling values and ethics and good social skills are the main goal of raising young children, according to the Moore's. This can only be accomplished when the children have a close relationship with their parents and when they are physically with their parents so the parent can guide them. Separation at young ages (i.e. going to preschool) prevents the parent from seeing the bad or inappropriate behavior and therefore not being able to correct it. I also feel that this separation can actually cause problems that then need to be fixed.

The authors have spent years researching child physiological development, cognitive development, and reading readiness. The Moore's feel that children should not be taught to read before the age of 8 as a minimum and possibly until 12. For more on this topic. Read their book "Better Late than Early". If reading instruction begins too early, whether at home or at school, if they have difficulty they are labeled learning disabled and they feel other problems crop up such as self-esteem issues, acting out with bad behavior, etc.. How you feel about this opinion on reading will heavily influence how you like the book. If you are looking for proof that waiting a bit to teach reading is OK then you will like this book and also "Better Late than Early". If you have strong opinions against this idea then you will not like that portion of the book!

In lieu of formalized lessons and reading instruction before age 8 or so, the Moore's recommend character formation as the main goal of home educating your child. Television viewing is to be kept to a minimum of quality programming if not banned entirely. Reading aloud to young non-readers is strongly encouraged. Being of service by volunteering is recommended on a weekly basis from a very young age. Parents should also model being of service to others by doing volunteer work themselves.

The bottom line is that if we as parents spend time raising children with good personalities and social skills they will be fun to be around and well liked by others. By delaying reading and formal teaching until at least age 8, a lot of stress is avoided.

The Moore's are Christian and I am guessing there are about 10 religious references overall made by the authors. Their faith is not noted on the book jacket. I mention this as some people seek out books written by Christian homeschoolers and other people prefer non-secular homeschooling books. There are 17 essays written by homeschooling families using the Moore method and some of those are laden with religious references such as saying that the Lord called them to homeschool or that they feel homeschooling is a responsibility dictated by the Bible. I have read other books where religious references outweighed the content, such as saying "to get the best curriculum for your child pray to the Lord and he will guide you". This book does not do that. The book is loaded with ideas, opinions, and references to studies, which provide substance.

The most confusing thing to me was that throughout the book they reference using "the Moore formula" to have a stress-free home school but they don't say exactly what it is until the last chapter which is only 5 pages long. This short chapter really belongs at the beginning. I advise reading this chapter first and then as they go on to explain their formula in detail throughout the book you will understand the references they continually make to "The Moore Formula".

I think this book must be able to hit someone well. I think if your just starting out, Christian and sort of interested in unschooling this might be a good book for you. Unfortunatly for me I have been homeschooling awhile and found this book a waste of my time. I don't like how they tell you to be wary of curriculum companies and people trying to sell you things but in the next sentence they are pushing "their way" on you. A little two faced for me. But I did walk away with some good information so it wasn't a total waste. I have read worse books on homeschooling that is for sure.

On the most important subject to homeschoolers---teaching beginning reading--the Moores give poor advise. Read page 107. They advise you to be wary of "intensive" phonics but they don't define intensive phonics. They say that young children who have problems with reading are usually "just not ready." My experience has been that most such children have simply not had effective phonics.
The book's advice: If you have a weak background in phonics go out and get a book or program.
The idea is repeated from prevous books that many bright children devise systems of phonics and other attack skills largely by themselves. But a bright child might have got into useful reading much sooner had he been gently introduced to phonics. And what if you wait and wait and your bright child never does figure out the complexity of word decoding. Because the early years are so important to language acquistion, starting phonics two or three years later could limit the child's future potential and cause the parents (and child) much needless heartache and stress.
Don't, as the Moore's recommend, delay and wait for the light "to click on." When the child can name the letters of the alphabet gently start teaching systematic phonics. The bright students will move forward quickly, the slow ones will move slowly but none should experience failure if being taught by patient parents.
On page 105 he suggests "watching for opportunities" to teach. As in teaching the sound of o in oats. Most experts would say teach the sound of oa in oats.
The book condemns "zealots" who rush little children into formal reading. It says that development principles opposing this are as unchangeable as the Rock of Gibraltar. OK, I don't want to "rush" my child. My child wants to read. Tell me how to do it gently!!
This reviewer was concerned only with Chapter Three of this book.

I almost didn't finish this one. In the opening pages, the authors assert that without using their method, one will burnout. In spite of my irritation, I continued to read. The method the book goes on to describe is a combination of service to others (you know, work), prioritizing relationships over academic achievment, and waiting to begin formal academics until the child is really ready(the author's criteria seem mysterious and unknowable.) Pretty common sense stuff. They present a large number of personal testimonials, some of which I identified with and some not(it does take all kinds of people to make a world.) The book is worth reading for Ch.40, "History's Wise Lessons for Educators". It is a fairly encouraging and supportive manual, with comprehensive advice on just about every aspect of homeschooling. The original assertion that theirs is the only way weaves it's way throughout the book, which would be annoying except that, this couple was promoting homeschooling a generation before most of todays homeschool moms and dads were born. Their point of reference was extensive work in the field of education in the schools from elementary to college level. So, as annoying as the tone was, I am glad to have gained the point of view of such highly educated and experienced mentors.

I have read many, many homeschool books and this is by far the worst I have read.

This book is so clearly about unschooling that the title should most definitely be changed. They recommend NO formal instruction whatsoever until 8, 10 even 12 years of age! At the point that formal instruction does begin, they insist only very little drill or workbook work.

This book is full of catalyst arguements and written in an extremely condescending fashion. Consider this quote " When we send our very young children off to school...is there a more pervasive from of child abuse today?"

Also, there is no room for discussion of what works and doesn't work. "The best methods, as represented in this book, bring the best results". How arrogant! Every child is different and has different responses to different curricula, how ridiculous to assume that the Moore's view of what works is THE best.

Stewardship, discipleship and other statements of faith appear regularly. I'm glad that works for the Moore's, but not everyone homeschools for religious reasons and I do not appreciate their idea of religion being force fed me through the pages in this book.

This book was such a blessing! I had been practicing a lot of the Moores style of teaching and didn't even know it. I had a fifth grader reading a second grade level. I had been praying for guidance and felt it would be wrong to pressure her into reading. I followed her lead and we went to the library alot. She got started reading some Harry Potter books and before either of us knew what was happening she was hooked. She can now read fluently and is gaining confidence daily. I thought I had been doing things wrong and had no idea that I had been doing things right. What a relief to find all the information to back up what I was doing.

After reading the first few chapters of this encouranging book I realized, with relief, that I can homeschool my children. Not only that, I am now confident that they will be the better for it. Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Moore.