This is the NUMBER 1 question we get asked by anyone considering home education! Funnily enough, there really is no easy answer. We review a book that we recommend to all aspiring home educators: The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment.
Before we start we just want to add one disclaimer. Although it is permissible for a Muslim to seek knowledge from non Islamic sources, every bit of knowledge we gather from such sources should be examined to ensure we apply it in line with the Quran and the Sunnah. We mention this because we recommend this book in general but cannot guarantee every part of it is appropriate for a Muslim family. Take the good and leave the rest! Now on to the review…
Why do we recommend it? We have just found it to answer so many of the common questions we get asked by new joiners. Why do you home educate? How do you home educate? How much does it cost? How much time a day do you dedicate to it? Both new and experienced home educators will find so much inspiration in it!
The first section describes the why behind home education but also dives deeper into motherhood generally. Even reading this as an experienced home educator left me feeling so validated! Here is a quote from this section I loved:
You are your child’s best teacher because you can lead by example. You can show them how to pursue knowledge by doing so yourself. You can join them on this learning journey as a guide through life and education, and sometimes the other way around. You can show them how to push through hard subjects, how to navigate relationships, and how to interact with the real world every single day.
Call of the Wild and Free
The next section is all about busting the many myths that surround home education. This really helps if you have people around you that are not supportive of your decision to home educate. Even if everyone around you is, I think I am yet to come across a home educator that hasn’t had total strangers question their judgement! My favourite quote from this section is on the topic of the cost of home education:
Hear me on this. You don’t need a big-box curriculum to homeschool your kids, any more than you need a blackboard and a framed teaching certificate. If you have a good pair of walking shoes and a library card, you’ve got all you need. Everything else is icing.
The Call of the Wild and Free
The author then moves on to giving the reader an overview of the most popular home education philosophies. I love how she presents this topic as being fluid rather than giving the impression we have to fit into a specific category. In the end, our philosophy should be an Islamic one, so no one method will work perfectly for us.
The final two sections of the book take a more pragmatic turn. Here the author goes into the how of home education. I will leave you with one last quote and my take on it:
RHYTHMS ARE VITAL FOR ANY FAMILY, BUT especially for homeschoolers. No matter what personality they have, children respond better to consistency. Having healthy rhythms promotes peace in our homes, but it also speaks to our values. Our rhythm keeps us focused on what’s important. Kim John Payne, author of Simplicity Parenting, wrote, “Meaning hides in repetition: We do this every day or every week because it matters.”
The Call of the Wild and Free
My parting words here will be that our rhythm should be firmly built around prayer and other acts of worship. Nothing will put more barakah into your home education journey than to centre it around our perfect religion. Start the day with Fajr, incorporate daily adhkar, make the Quran a part of your family… and keep adding more good deeds for the sake of Allah into your day. The rest will fall into place إن شاء الله
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