| And the Skylark Sings With Me; Adventures in Homeschooling and Community Based Education David Albert Review by Melisa Crosby August 2000 I'm not sure how or when it happened but suddenly it would appear that homeschooling is hot. If the shelves at local bookstores are any indication, it would seem that we homeschoolers just can't get enough when it comes to reading about planning, curriculum design, learning styles, and resources. I read these books too, but often find them somewhat uninspiring. What I love to read are personal accounts of what homeschooling families do and how each family enables learning to take place. I recently had the opportunity to hear David Albert speak here in Portland. He was promoting his new book And the Skylark Sings With Me: Adventures in Homeschooling and Community Based Education. I found both his talk and his book very inspiring and worthwhile wherever one might be in the homeschooling journey. Perhaps more than anything else I am struck by Albert's insistence that, by encouraging and supporting the children's passions and interests, the parents in this family have learned as much as the children. There are places in the book where he literally lists all the subjects about which he and his partner had either the most rudimentary or even no knowledge at all before their daughters began asking questions. This is a parent/teacher who has no fear of his ignorance showing. Rather it becomes one more opportunity to learn by example as parent and child seek out information together. The Albert family is constantly on the go, seeking new resources and opportunities for learning. Albert speaks honestly about the hard work that is sometimes involved in finding good teachers, mentors, and learning environments for his children. We all know that and creativity and persistence can be necessary when advocating for our children; the author gives numerous examples of how this process worked in his family. This book certainly puts to rest the stereotype of the children sitting quietly around the kitchen table filling out workbooks! Albert even suggests that the term "homeschooled " is a less accurate description of his daughters' education than "home-directed" and "home-evaluated". The insular model of homeschooling has never appealed to me, so I enjoy reading about this family's approach. Albert makes it very clear that homeschooling families can (and should) be an integral and involved part of their communities to the benefit of all. Through a wide range of activities, it becomes clear that these children are giving back to the community that has filled their lives with learning opportunities. This broad range of experiences is among the most important reasons for this family's decision to homeschool. "Where we differ from some homeschooling families is that their main objectives appear to be to protect their children by narrowing the range of available experience. As parents, we too strive to protect our children, but frankly we never apprehended the school system as a threat to our children's innocence or understanding. If anything, we perceive the range of educational experiences offered by school-starting with segregation of children into age-bound classes-as far, far too narrow. This is one of the main problems homeschooling seeks to address." One critique I have heard repeatedly about this book is the fact that David Albert's daughters are clearly extremely gifted. Most children do not play the violin at 3 years old or discuss genetics at six. Certainly one could be intimidated while reading about these very talented children. But the point I get from this is that all children have gifts and we owe it to them to help them find their gifts. When Albert writes of his daughters' musical skills it is clear that his pleasure lies not in the fact that they may become famous professional musicians, but that they will have the gift of music throughout their lives in whatever way they choose to experience it. What more could a homeschooling parent want? And the Skylark Sings with Me-Adventures in Homeschooling and Community-Based Education by David Albert, 1999, New Society Publishers, $16.95 |