Not At School Today

This brilliant book can be read online, here.

I’m only 27 pages in, but so far it seems like such a common sense approach, and also quite radical in some aspects. Rumsley begins by talking about all the reasons why a Christian should not homeschool, for instance just because everyone else is doing it, or if the wife’s husband is not on board. She says that of course there are lots of good reasons to homeschool, but for a Christian the only reason should be because you have felt God’s calling on your life to home educate your children. Rumsley then goes on to talk about what that calling looks like, backed up with Bible verses.

Rumsley then starts to deal with stress. She explains the importance of priorities - in her house, they are:
1) Spiritual development
2) Helping around the home
3) Vocational training (including preparing for God’s unique roles for men and women)
4) Academic / Book work.
Everything has a time slot, but if things clash then the higher priority takes precedence. Just having this clear guide can go a long way to reducing stress. Rumsley also gives some practical tips (i.e. get rid of the TV, and even the phone!?), and looks at many different aspects of stress - where it comes from, what the Bible says about it, and how it can specifically apply to homeschooling mums.

That’s as far as I’ve got so far - I will write up more if it’s good!