[88J]⇒ Download Gratis The Year of Learning Dangerously Adventures in Homeschooling Quinn Cummings 9780399537608 Books

The Year of Learning Dangerously Adventures in Homeschooling Quinn Cummings 9780399537608 Books

Download As PDF : The Year of Learning Dangerously Adventures in Homeschooling Quinn Cummings 9780399537608 Books

The Year of Learning Dangerously Adventures in Homeschooling Quinn Cummings 9780399537608 Books

I came across a WSJ article written by this author and immediately loved the way she wrote about homeschool. As someone who just recently began a homeschooling journey for similar reasons (i.e. non-religious reasons), I really connected with what she wrote and promptly pre-ordered her book (something I never do) after perusing her blog for a bit.

Here are my thoughts:
The Good:
Cummings is truly, truly hilarious. She writes extremely well, she is candid, and she tickles your funny bone in that Tina Fey sort of way. I thoroughly enjoyed the way she wrote.
She is insightful, I really loved her thoughts and probing into homeschool culture, history, and motives.
I also enjoyed the simple fact that her writing style was mature and easy to follow. You really get sucked into her book and her endless creative comparisons and similes.
Lastly, by the end of the book you have a thorough, honest overview of her ups and downs with homeschool. Instead of sugar coating things, Cummings is extremely honest about her questioning, the difficulties, and some of the awkward run-ins you have with people who can have such strong opinions about the choices you are making for your child.

The Bad:
I was raving about this book and would easily have given it 5 stars until I got to the section where she starts going to the conventions. I fully believed when I read about the first convention that she truly was interested and moved by the Radical Unschoolers, crazy as they seemed. However, by the time this self-proclaimed feminist was traipsing across the country to dabble with and dress like Fundamentalist Homeschoolers, Gothard, and Homeschool Prommers under the guise of truly being interested or intrigued by their passion or whatnot, I started to doubt her motives. It seemed like for the most part she just poked fun at them, all the while seeming like she wasn't like the rest of the nation who laughs at these groups of people and trivializes them because she was acting as though she had good motivation to do it, so it was ok. She writes about all their crazy bumper stickers and religious references like she's snickering in a corner with a friend about them, but all the while pretending that she had pure motives, which were that she was truly considering their curriculum or whatnot. I am certainly not a part of any of those sects of people and was apalled by some of the things I learned, and enjoyed her experiences, I just wish she would have just stated that she thought it would be interesting to see them and reported about them in the book instead of feigning interest and then making fun of them.

In the end, I really loved the wrap up of the book and I was reminded about how much I loved the beginning of the book, so I'm giving it 4 stars! Definitely worth a read and I love that it's a logical, balanced look at homeschool and the challenges/benefits it presents for the child and parent.


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The Year of Learning Dangerously Adventures in Homeschooling Quinn Cummings 9780399537608 Books Reviews

Homeschooling is becoming more popular day by day. Traditional schooling in a brick and mortar setting is going dinosaur. The internet allows for online study that could originate from anywhere in the world. Homeschooling (and it's variances) are on a path to mainstream. And it could happen much quicker than anyone might guess.
There are many good books on the subject. This one is Great. Because it is so informative in it's information on related history. Because it is so personal on Quinn Cummings' family level, making it so easy to relate to. Because Cummings is fair to all sides that have a say on the subject. Because Cumming' writing is so gosh darn funny.
The last is a main reason why This is an important book. I have read many books on homeschooling over the last few months. All dealt seriously on a serious subject. (The education of our children.) And their tone, without fail, was appropriately serious. Quinn Cummings gives us a laughter break. She writes seriously on homeschooling, but mixes in appropriate humor. And not just a little.
I laughed out loud every few pages and sometimes every few sentences. Cummings is self effacing with a very unique (humorous) perspective on the ordinary. Plus, bonus, she deals with the most important question any homeschooler has to deal with "What about socialization?"
If you have any interest what-so-ever in the very fast-growing homeschooling movement, well, then, this is a must read. Well, then, this is an important book. Oh, and did I mention funny? Very funny.
Ms.Cummings has a lot of doubts about her ability to take the plunge and begin homeschooling her sixth-grader Alice. The author does not undertake it for religious reasons like so many Evangelicals do here in the United States. Her family are churchgoers but not of the zealous bug-up-their-backside sort. She's one of those heretics who has a firm grip on reality by believing in science and the Theory of Evolution. Heck, the author and her husband have never even taken wedding vows. No, no, Ms. Cummings is most certainly not a Bible-thumper. Despite her constantly worrying, indecisiveness, and heavy-handed usage of self-deprecation throughout the book, the lady is no dunce. The author frequently stresses her poor math skills, but she does a fine job of using critical-thinking skills about the issues involving homeschooling. 'The Year of Learning Dangerously' is not a how-to book but more a personal journal about Ms. Cummings's first year as her little cherub's Miss. Frizzle.

God knows, the lady is witty. The author's writing is easy to follow and loaded with wry observations at her and others' expense. Besides addressing how the homeschooling movement began, she also covers such things as the issues around lack of socialization, bullying, online charter schools, unschooling, Radical unschoolers (these folks gave me a friggin' migraine), bureaucratic educational systems, a Classical education, playing team sports, and trying to find alone time. What stood out for me were her forays into the Christian homeschooling world. It made sense the author would look into this area. They really got the ball rolling in our country when it came to homeschooling. However, while reading these sections, I didn't know if I should laugh, cry, or start eating migraine tablets as if they're M&Ms. Ms. Cummings went in with an open mind but it was difficult for her or me to take too seriously their Chicken Little attitude about not getting involved with our sinful world. The author even attends, while in disguise, a sect called Gothards that caused me to feel bad for any court defendant who ever happen to have a few of these people on their jury. The defendant will be lucky to avoid being stoned in the town square.

'The Year of Learning Dangerously' is a quick, funny read. I especially liked her thoughtful conclusions at the end of the book. Ms. Cummings's work is not mean-spirited but it was difficult for me not to view the religious textbooks as nothing short of farce. I enjoyed her book and may pick up her other two entitled 'Notes From the Underwire' and 'Pet Sounds'. The author's amusing writing is a great escape from more demanding fare.
I came across a WSJ article written by this author and immediately loved the way she wrote about homeschool. As someone who just recently began a homeschooling journey for similar reasons (i.e. non-religious reasons), I really connected with what she wrote and promptly pre-ordered her book (something I never do) after perusing her blog for a bit.

Here are my thoughts
The Good
Cummings is truly, truly hilarious. She writes extremely well, she is candid, and she tickles your funny bone in that Tina Fey sort of way. I thoroughly enjoyed the way she wrote.
She is insightful, I really loved her thoughts and probing into homeschool culture, history, and motives.
I also enjoyed the simple fact that her writing style was mature and easy to follow. You really get sucked into her book and her endless creative comparisons and similes.
Lastly, by the end of the book you have a thorough, honest overview of her ups and downs with homeschool. Instead of sugar coating things, Cummings is extremely honest about her questioning, the difficulties, and some of the awkward run-ins you have with people who can have such strong opinions about the choices you are making for your child.

The Bad
I was raving about this book and would easily have given it 5 stars until I got to the section where she starts going to the conventions. I fully believed when I read about the first convention that she truly was interested and moved by the Radical Unschoolers, crazy as they seemed. However, by the time this self-proclaimed feminist was traipsing across the country to dabble with and dress like Fundamentalist Homeschoolers, Gothard, and Homeschool Prommers under the guise of truly being interested or intrigued by their passion or whatnot, I started to doubt her motives. It seemed like for the most part she just poked fun at them, all the while seeming like she wasn't like the rest of the nation who laughs at these groups of people and trivializes them because she was acting as though she had good motivation to do it, so it was ok. She writes about all their crazy bumper stickers and religious references like she's snickering in a corner with a friend about them, but all the while pretending that she had pure motives, which were that she was truly considering their curriculum or whatnot. I am certainly not a part of any of those sects of people and was apalled by some of the things I learned, and enjoyed her experiences, I just wish she would have just stated that she thought it would be interesting to see them and reported about them in the book instead of feigning interest and then making fun of them.

In the end, I really loved the wrap up of the book and I was reminded about how much I loved the beginning of the book, so I'm giving it 4 stars! Definitely worth a read and I love that it's a logical, balanced look at homeschool and the challenges/benefits it presents for the child and parent.