Most children dislike homework –the word loathe comes to mind, too — but not every child runs and hides from the behemoth stack of math, history and science books, waiting on the kitchen table to be tackled every night.
But in 2005, when author Laura Brodie’s oldest daughter, 9-year-old Julia, couldn’t be found one particularly heart-pounding afternoon, Brodie knew it was a much bigger problem than a few math problems and social studies questions.
The mother of three knew that when she finally located Julia — hiding in her mother’s closet — that something needed to change. Her lively child felt so overwhelmed by homework that she was hiding in dark places. Taking her daughter out of the rural Lexington, Va., public school system seemed like a necessary move.
“Love in a Time of Homeschooling: A Mother and Daughter’s Uncommon Year” chronicles Brodie’s decision to stay at home to homeschool Julia for her fifth-grade year.
As a part-time English professor at Washington and Lee University, Brodie’s schedule allowed her to accept or decline courses in any semester and the idea of taking a year off to homeschool appealed to her, as well. She would be giving her daughter a break from her homework burnout, focus on writing and one-on-one math lessons and, in return, could teach a minimal load of classes and give Julia a leg-up before sixth grade.
Brodie started researching and realized that it was a growing trend in America.
“I never realized how many parents were homeschooling for the short term,” Brodie says. “I thought that Julia and I were doing something rare, but once we embarked on our year away from school, dozens of people began to offer their stories about how and why they homeschooled for a short while.”
But Brodie acknowledges that it’s not a journey to be taken lightly.
“Parents should follow their instincts,” Brodie says. “Every mother and father knows best whether a school situation is working for their child, how bad any problems are, and whether they might be able to offer something better at home. Homeschooling is hard work, and it’s not for everyone.”
The 255-page bookcovers the good, the bad and all the ugly of short-term homeschooling. Brodie’s candor about the ups and downs come across as honest and refreshing. Children are a blessing, yes, but they can also make you run screaming in the other direction. You’ll get the details — which is a critical move on Brodie’s part. Tempers flare, buttons are pushed, boundaries are raced over.
“Most homeschooling books never talk about the bad days,” she says. “But I include them, in order to give a complete picture.”
And while the book is geared toward parents, “Love in a Time of Homeschooling” can be an essay in education for everyone.
An excerpt: “Homeschooling is what happens when families turn off their TVs, cell phones and iPods. It occurs in long, thoughtful conversations at the dinner table, as well as at baseball games and ballet recitals, and in the planting of a vegetable garden. Parents who enrich their children’s lives with arts and sports and multiple trips to the library provide the backbone of American education.”
As for parents mulling a move to homeschool, Brodie says it’s key that the child or children want to take that jump as much as the parents do.
“Homeschooling parents must have the financial flexibility to forego a full-time job, and must have the willingness to immerse themselves in their new role as teacher,” she says. “It works best if the child is a willing participant, not dragged kicking and screaming from a school they enjoy. But if parents feel that homeschooling might work, they shouldn’t hesitate because of lack of confidence, or fear that other families will judge them harshly.”
