The book was written by Michael P. Farris, a homeschooling father of ten children and a long time homeschool proponent. His experience flows through the pages in a way that calms, comforts, and uplifts a mother's heart.
I needed to hear the words on these pages. I needed to be reminded about the lasting impact of my prayers for my children, just as much as the lasting impact of teaching my children at home. Mr. Farris is quick to point out that the importance of academics for most Christian homeschooling families come second to the importance of guiding your children spiritually.
My favorite part of the book is a part that has set me free. In a chapter entitled "The Dangerous Myth of the Perfect Homeschool Mom", I could only read and re-read the contents. While I don't believe I struggle with desiring to be perfect, I have asked myself the question, "Am I Homeschooling the Right Way?" about a thousand times.
I love books. I want to teach using 'living books' or 'real books'. This last year I used a workbook curriculum for a while and, honestly, felt guilty and like I had to defend my position. Mr. Farris stated the common quote that I have heard and tried to follow myself: "We shouldn't be doing school at home. We should be homeschooling." This quote has stressed me out!!!
Are living books better than a textbook? Yes, usually. However, when finding quality Christian books at the local library is difficult, I have to buy the books. Buying Christian books gets expensive quickly. If that is all I use, I could easily spend large sums of money each year. If my family doesn't have the extra funds, like after months of a layoff, then I am being a poor steward of God's resources to buy what I can't afford. If I don't buy them, then I'm either dependent on the secular selections at the library, or I am not covering what needs to be covered due to lack of materials.
Now I can find many books that are classic books from the library. I do that often. Some books aren't overtly Christian, but contain strong values. Some are just good books that don't need to be Christian based. Yet, for me, one of the reasons I am homeschooling my children is to give them a Christian education.
Mr. Farris freed me to use textbooks if I want, without stigma. I can't do everything. Even if I had unlimited access to money to buy whatever curriculum and books my heart desired, I would simply stress out trying to cover everything and read everything. With five children, I have to be a little more practical. Books are fun, and I plan to use them liberally. However, I no longer feel that my child will be shortchanged if I use a textbook here and there.
Mr. Farris talked about making sure your priorities are set. He set me straight on the difference between the subjects that need to be mastered (math and language arts), and the fact that the goal for other subjects should be good, in-depth exposure. While I agree that textbooks won't inspire a student the way I would like, I also realize that they do cover a broad range in their contents. For instance, when I teach U.S. History next year, it will place a lot of stress on me to find living books for every event and time period. With a Christian text, we can use real books to go in depth or to bring history to life as we cover things. Maybe, instead of only being able to focus on historical books, we might have time to read some other wonderful works of literature that don't fit in with that course of study.
After a couple years homeschooling, I am slowly learning about how I want to teach and how my children learn. The youngest may come along and do everything differently. Yet, for me, I feel a little more freedom in the choices I am making. Mr. Farris helped me with The Spiritual Power of a Mother.
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