This is a heartwarming account of Janell Smiley’s homeschool journey with her two sons. This is a quick read, but one that will be encouraging to any new homeschooler and is also a story with many revelations veteran homeschoolers will recognize from their own adventures. For the non-religious, the author does invoke prayer and God from time to time, but I didn’t find it distracted from the message. Also, the author has what she describes as “precocious” children, but I would say they are likely gifted, so your mileage may vary in terms of what your homeschooling ends up looking like. Regardless, the core messages that homeschooling is something any family can do, that there are resources and community out there for homeschoolers, and that there are benefits to self-directed learning, are demonstrated and reinforced here. I appreciate that there is now one more example of how homeschooling can work successfully available for the general public to access. It’s a loving retelling from beginning to end of one family’s homeschool life and worth your time.
-Review By Jamie Heston Homeschool Consulting