"The true picture of the effective home teacher is more often a secure and happy mom. She and the children do straightening up chores the first thing each day so that the home with provide an organized, clean environment for learning.  She selects learning tasks for which each child is ready. She requires only enough daily practice or drill to allow her children to progress appropriately to mastery of basic skills. Fun projects are used to integrate and reinforce basic skills. And much of the day is framed around the children's interests with work and service that build genuine golden rule citizens,"

– The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook, Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore

Golden rule citizens.  Leave to dear Dr. Moore to help us articulate the highest and best vision and to lay out practical ways to get there.   It occurred to me that my homeschool library probably seems highly contradictory. (as well as outdated – intentionally) Still, I find these older books have common messages at their heart which still inspire me to begin again each year just as enthusiastically as I did with those little boys long ago.  

(We have begun again, a little bitty bit, with a brand new bookcases in a very old house.  The school room is coming together and I am so enjoying this new old space.)