Love in a Time of Homeschooling

After years of watching her eldest daughter, Julia, struggle in the highly regimented public school system, Laura Brodie - ignoring the skepticism of her husband, friends, and relatives - made the radical decision to teach her child at home for a year. The monotony of fill-in-the-blank history and math worksheets would be replaced with studying dinosaurs and dragons, some conversational French, violin lessons, and field trips to historical places, art museums, science fairs, bookstores, and concerts. Julia would have homework, but mostly it would be to write about what she'd experienced each day and to read to her heart's delight. "Love in a Time of Homeschooling" is the touching story of human foibles and human potential, in which love, anger, and hope, mingle with reading, math, and American history. Once the purview of Christian fundamentalist and bohemian parents, homeschooling is a growing trend among mainstream parents looking to address their children's short-term educational problems. Brodie gave her daughter a sabbatical to explore, learn, create, and grow - a year of independent research and writing to rejuvenate Julia's love of learning. Though the experiment was not easy, mother and daughter worked through their frustration and difficulties to forge an invaluable bond. Hers is a life lesson no parent should miss.