I was reading the Illiad and the Odyssey in 3rd grade, along with Mark Twain, Nancy Drew… Shakespeare… I still love reading and go through phases with genres in fiction… ‘cept for love stories. I’m not keen on them at all.

I’m not doing any work though. I will help someone if they ask, usually if they say what school does he go to, when I say we homeschool they say they wish they could. Those are the only times I’ve been able to help.

Jeff’s thread made me think what I would tell a parent that may be illiterate and has no previous exposure to homeschooling or phonics. Martin made me realize that I take my literacy for granted. There may be mothers that don’t know how to read so they need to know exactly where to start and they need more of an “self taught” curriculum for their child. Their kids don’t have to be trapped in a failing public school, especially with all of the no teacher needed workbooks that are published.

This is a short article, I really liked the second to last paragraph where she describes how their mom allowed them to pursue their interests.

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/index.php?id=86&tx_ttnewstt_news=122

“Learning was a way of life for us. Occasionally, in the dead of winter, during a cold spell, we would have two or three weeks of intense bookwork and lessons. Every one of us would progress a grade during that time. Not because we learned that fast, but because the rest of year was filled with the practical aspects that the bookwork only talked about. Each one of us had weaknesses and strengths. I loved to read. Gabriel loved math. Nathan loved science. Shalom loved medicine. Shoshanna loved art and music. Mom allowed us to pursue and excel in whatever area we were good at. Whenever I got bogged down in math, Dad would sit down at the table with us and teach a math lesson to us. Whenever the boys got frustrated with reading, Mom would read halfway through a Louis Lamour book aloud and let them finish it. “