by David Pritchard, Kelli Pritchard
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Some parts good, the rest is flat and hollow, 2008-06-15
I am a single mom and I have two boys, age 9 and 4. We have always homeschooled. My oldest son dropped a bomb on me a few months ago and told me that he wants to go to public school next year. Shortly thereafter, my youngest son told me the same thing. (They are starved for social interaction, as we live in a very isolated rural area and are members of a very lazy homeschool association.) As a K-12 product of the public schools myself, I cringed at the thought of my children being exposed to obnoxious bullies, undisciplined brats, apathetic/atheist teachers, and unChristian curriculum. Yet, my children are determined to go, and I've never been one to smother my children with my own agenda. As a mother who loves my children very much, I was also quite broken hearted. I prayed and searched for some kind of encouragement, and that's when I found this book.
The authors are respectable people (parents of 8, and they all look quite happy in the picture!), but I just never caught on to their train of thought. Some of their ideas and "information" seemed so flippant and flimsy to me. With chapter headings and subheadings like "The Moon is Round", "The Magic of Being Nice", and "Doing Good, Feeling Good", I've had plenty of chances to scoff and say, "Give me a break!!". In the very first chapter, the authors talk of a time when their first grade daughter called begging to be picked up from school, so as to not have to suffer the relentless bullying and harrassment she had been enduring at the hands of a few third grade boys. The mother's reaction to the school's phone call was, "Well, that's certainly interesting!" Are you kidding me??
I will be fair enough to say that I am only about 1/3 of the way through the book, so I know I'm leaving this review prematurely. I will revise at a later time if my feelings change.
In regards to homeschooling, the authors say, "Too many parents today operate under a premise of 'I need to keep controlling the environment, because I don't entirely trust my kid in the environment." (pg. 22) I beg their pardon, because it's not that I don't trust my kids, I don't trust the *other* kids, or their parents, or the teachers, or the administration. When you homeschool your children, they are being taught by the person who loves them the most in the world, cares about them more than anyone else does, wants the best for them, wants to help them reach their full potential (academic and otherwise), wants to ensure they are taught with a Biblically correct curriculum (if you are a Christian, of course), and you are never going to have to deal with drug dealers, gangs, kids who sneak Dad's Playboy to school, kids who want to teach your child every foul word imaginable, bullies, or people calling them fat, ugly, gay, stupid, etc etc. The authors of this book hint that public school is where they need to go through these things so that they'll learn how to hack it in the "real world". I must differ with them again, as I have never had as many of those experiences "in the real world" as I did while I was in school. Another thing they do that drives me nuts is hint that your children should go to public school so that they can be "a light in the darkness". No child should have that burden put on them.
While I can concede that homeschooling is not for everyone, Christian or not, I am having a hard time giving it up and getting ready to hand my children over to the state for 30 hours a week. I was hoping this book would help me, but so far it hasn't. This book seems geared towards people who are trying to reassure themselves that they are "doing the right thing" by sending their kids to public school. I hope it will get better, but so far I have been quite disappointed.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Awesome book. A must have for parents!, 2008-05-28
This is a very well written book with great practical ideas for helping navigate your kids through public school. I highly recommend it for all parents.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Fresh Perspective, 2008-03-19
As a Christian with 10 years of public school teaching experience, I read this book saying "Amen!" to every page. While Christian schooling and homeschooling are good options for some families, public school is also an optimal place for Christian kids to thrive and learn. The Pritchards have much more to say than the expected comment, "Send your kids to public school so they can be a light in the darkness". Yes, that is one good reason, but in "Going Public", the Pritchards spend most of their time showing how public school can benefit YOUR child in many ways - academically, athletically, socially, developmentally, and most of all spiritually. The book is a well-written, practical "how to" manual that balances the theory with real-life examples. After reading it, I'm excited to send my new baby off to public school in a few years!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Timely book, Important subject, Well-written. . . , 2008-03-19
I received an advance copy of Going Public and read it with interest. As a parent of 3 young boys, I have agonized over the school decision -- home school, Christian school, public school. . . Like all parents, I just want what is best for my kids. The Pritchards make a good case that public school CAN be the best option -- and they give helpful ideas of how to "homeschool" alongside public education by making the most of teachable moments, getting involved, and guiding your child through the tough decisions and situations that he or she may face in that environment. The concept is that giving your child the chance to make good choices and stand up for their values when the stakes are low is an invaluable gift -- so that as an adult, when the stakes are much higher, they will already have the confidence and the ability to do so. I was very encouraged, and send my sons off to public school with more tools and more confidence than I had before reading this book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Pritchard Gold!, 2008-03-06
We read a pre-launch copy of "Going Public". It will be an invaluable tool for every Christian parent, whether they send their child to private school or public school, or they home school their child.
Having known the Pritchards for more than 16 years, we flew our newly-married son and his wife to Centralia, to experience a few days in the Pritchard home. As a result, and with some direct mentoring by Kelli during one or two 'challenges' as young parents, Ben & Jennifer have a great marriage and excellent parenting skills. Their two young sons, Owen and Gavin, are fine examples of "the Pritchard method". Last year Ben and Jennifer moved Owen from a Christian preschool to the local public kindergarten. Now our younger son, Kevin, and his wife Erin, are ready for the same 'pilgrimage'.
"Going Public" offers you a glimpse of life with the Pritchards.
When their son Tavita hit the headlines last year leading Stanford in their historic win over USC (football), we weren't surprised. (See www.goingpublicthebook.com for more on this and the book, and their blog.)
Thank God and thank you David, Kelli and family, for showing us all what God intended marriage and family to look like in this crazy world!
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