God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn, by Julie Polanco - A Crew Review

In recent years, the homeschooling movement has exploded, and it continues to grow. More and more parents are bringing their children home, and their reasons vary according to each family. Interestingly, I have found that I can speak with four or five different homeschooling moms, and each of them have a personal philosophy or style in the way that they structure their educational journey. There are the traditional text book families, Charlotte Mason followers, eclectic families that pick and choose from an assortment of curriculum resources, and the list continues. There is another method that seems to be popping up more frequently also - "Unschooling". Scroll through the comment section of a social media post, where a new homeschool mom is asking for advice, and you'll find several people telling the parent that they need to "unschool" for a while, as everyone adjusts to a new lifestyle. I'll be honest and say that I often rolled my eyes at such advice. The kids were home, safe, with family who loved them and were attending to their needs, so what was this unschooling thing? It sounded to me, like the children basically had a free pass to do nothing all day. I mean, what kid is going to choose a school subject over something that they find more 'fun"?
I review a variety of fantastic homeschool curriculum, books, and resources, and it's a treat, but most of these items are specifically for my children. This time, I received the book, God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn by author Julie Polanco to review, and it's just for me! I'll give you one guess about the style of learning that this book advocates. Give up? Unschooling! As I read through the first chapter, I admit that I was thinking, "Oh dear, what am I going to do with this?", but then I thought that this was a good opportunity to get the author's view on the subject. I'm happy that I did, too.
She (Julie Polanco) is a homeschooling mother to four children, so yes, she has experience with this subject. The book is divided into two main sections:

Part One: Dispelling Myths - this is where she explains the concept of unschooling, suggests some Biblical reasons to do so, including Scripture, and discusses the ways that children become motivated. There are two chapters in part one.

Part Two: Practice - this includes chapters three through nine. Polanco breaks down the ages of children, and offers advice on how children learn best, citing various experts in the educational field. There are also tips and ideas for keeping and creating records and portfolios, and a question/answer section.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was helpful to me, to get a broader picture of what this unschooling method involves. I was happy to see that while supporters of this style (or at least this author) do provide and require meaningful areas of study, even if it doesn't look like another homeschooling method. Actually, I was surprised to find that some of the way that my family approaches homeschooling are similar to a few unschooling concepts. I agree with the philosophy included here, that speaks of the benefits of waiting to begin formal instruction to our children, rather than insisting that they need to begin at age two or three. I believe that a young child needs the opportunity to just play, without making everything a "teachable moment". Years ago, before I had children, and worked as a preschool teacher, the classes that I took drilled this idea into my brain - "It's the process, not the product." To see that very phrase used in this book made me smile. I wish more parents grasped that concept.

My girls are in junior high, and high school, so the chapters that focused on those years were helpful. I found myself agreeing with the author as she wondered why it is that often, in this day, our teens are not expected to carry much responsibility. I appreciated the comparison to previous generations, and the differences with each. There are also encouraging words and suggestions for taking college classes, what to expect, and what to consider as the question of what path your young adult might choose as a career option. Some of the information was familiar, but I gleaned some good ideas too.

Towards the end of the book, she says that in your homeschooling journey, "Make life sparkly". I like that. Make the most of the time that you have with your children. 

I only had one or two points of disagreement with what I read. In the beginning, she offers Bible verses that she suggest that the way of schooling in her book is the right way. To be fair, she did state what the verse was referring to at the time it was written. However, I tend to cringe when Christians quote a verse to back up a viewpoint that is often their preference, rather than an actual mandate. I do agree that Biblical principles can, and do apply to all manner of situations. Families approach homeschooling in so many ways, for varying reasons, and are successful. Likewise, I know families that wish they could homeschool, but for other reasons can't. As Christians, I believe that we need to support and encourage each other, and trust that God is directing our families. That being said, there are a lot of good insights in this book. It's helpful for basically anyone, for the mom just beginning the homeschool thing, to the more seasoned mom of teens. It's a great addition to your personal library. 

This is also a great time to pick up the e book, as you can purchase it for half price through August 22, 2018.

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