I am a homeschooling parent and I've read many books on homeschooling and overall was disappointed in this book.

The book is small in size and 142 pages, with large font and good-sized margins. Twenty pages are comprised of lists of books and resources they like. Many of the references are from the 1970s and 1980s, since those were the times they were homeschooling their older children. I wonder how many of these books are out of print and also wonder if better books have been published since. Also these materials are simply in a list format and don't contain any opinions about why they liked that book, what the book is about, etc.

The beginning was a bit confusing to me as they go back and forth in time explaining their life experience. It jumped around from homeschooling to before they had children, and to when their children were in school. It would have been much better if they just started at the beginning in a chronological order.

A chapter on why the government education system in England and America doesn't work is a good introduction to these subjects. Both Colfax's were teachers prior to having children. The Colfax's seem to have firm opinions against government schools yet sent their children there and didn't homeschool until they moved to a rural area and had no other choice. I was surprised that they didn't homeschool from the beginning, it seemed a bit illogical to me to send your child to school when they worked in schools and didn't like what they knew of it. Also they stated they moved to a homestead area with no near school and only after moving did they realize they never considered the education issue for their children. How can someone never think about that? Doesn't every parent think about education issues, school quality, etc. before moving? Homeschooling is explained as a necessary step due to their living situation in a rural area.

The sections where they explain "how they did it" were very skimpy. Reading gets two pages and math gets three pages. My interest in this book is to hear how a family who homeschooled did it, given that three of their four children attended Harvard.

I enjoyed the theme of getting back to the land and simplifying their lives, with the cute photos of their children working at their farm, however this is the stereotype that some of us homeschoolers are shunning: that homeschoolers all live in rural areas with no school nearby and are part of a hippie back to the land movement.

No mention was made of how their fourth son "turned out". I was curious about that.

In a positive light I was happy to hear their philosophy was basically unschooling but making sure the three R's were covered. A strong sense of family values and helping their family create their homestead in a teamwork atmosphere are accomplishments to be admired. The last chapter is written by a child about his experience in school and explains why school is not a good fit for him and his life-it is excellent and almost worth buying the book for in and of itself.

In the end I would say that since this is a fast and easy read, beginning homeschoolers or the homeschooling curious would love this book. It is also a great book to give to relatives to convince them that homeschooling is great and everything will turn out fine for their grandchildren.

For more in depth discussions on school issues, unschooling, or more details about "how people do it", further reading is necessary. Some suggestions are the excellent ... which is full of reviews and detailed summaries of thousands of books and reference materials and written by a mostly-unschooling family-it lets you pick out what you think will be best for your family.

I have been Homeschooling for 4 1/2 years. This book helped me to see that I don't have to follow a strict curriculum. We changed pace in two days and we are back to loving it again. We started to bog down when child 2 started school this fall. Live and learn and remember change happens ! After all, isn't this one reason to homeschool? When it doesn't work, change gears and keep going.Public could learn a few things from all the parents( from all walks , religions, and backgrounds)who are HELPING their children.

After reading this book five years ago, I reinforce my commitment to seek excellence in my children's education by taking it into our own hand. Both my wife and I have MS in engineering and MBA from Ivy League university. I have to say this decision has changed our family life completely. This book is good, but it has its own shortcoming which I would like to point out to you if you are seriously thinking about homeschooling. This book does not talk about music and physical education for children which we think are very important. As a matter of fact, one of our daughter decides to go for professional violin training, we have no choice but to pull her out of a private school. This book is also weak in math and science part. The Appendix 4 is great, but it does not classify books by literature level. So, you can find pictural books among classical masterpieces. :-)

Homeschooling is not for every family for five reasons. 1. It is extremely time-demanding on the parents. You need to study, research, teach, review, correct test and discuss course materials. 2. You definitely need to have patient. Don't be surprised to teach the same material over again. The children need a lot of TLC. 3. You need to be able to teach at least to the level of high school cirriculum. Mrs, Colfax was a high school english teacher and Mr. Colfax was a college sociology professor who didn't get his tenure. Our commitment is to teach our children to the college sophomore level in science and math depending on the children's interest. We pretty much set "the sky is the limit" policy. We use current MBA readings (used by Stanford)to teach our children to go straightly for future entrepreneur career path. To us, the degree is useful only to get their first job. After that, their career depends on their capability in creativity, management (including interpersonal skill)and continuing learning on their own. They need to be agile and assertive to seize once in their lifetime opportunities like B. Gates and S. Jobs. 4. Financially, you will sacrifice a lot at least on one spouse income. Occasionally, both of you have to quit working for a short period of time or take on flexible job such as consultant. Sometimes, it will put stress on your marriage. 5. Finally, not all kids are suitable for this type of freedom in learning. Their efficiency of learning will be severely compromised. You may even have desciplinary problem. Don't put high hope on your homeshooling result imaging that you will have your kids to go to Harvard. You need to aim high but be willing to accept low. We certainly have our share of hardwork. Does it worth the trouble? I have to say a thousand Yes! The result is beyond our wildest imagination.

I agree 100% with Kenneth Robinson's comments on this book. It is definitely a "good read;" it was almost a page-turner. Many times I was amazed by, and sometimes I greatly admired, the authors' risk-taking, fortitude, and adventurous spirit. Certainly I could understand the importance they placed on family, and the way they valued learning by doing, which is something I believe we in the mainstream society have come to appreciate more over the years. However, I was less than charmed by their bitterness, strangely judgmental and superior outlook toward anyone who was different than them, and economic view of the animal kingdom. (I was also amused that they acted as if they were the first, and only, individuals on the planet to discover cooking from scratch, organic gardening, 4H, farming, etc.: many others do it, some with far less educational advantages, out of necessity, and to these multitudes it simply a natural way of life, not some grandiose philosophy.) I was left wondering why, considering their values and background, they so prized their sons entry into Harvard? And why did they bite their tongues regarding their politics when they wanted to take advantage of a neighbor to get water?

David and Micki Colfax have succeeded in doing what some of us would love to do ... return to a lifestyle that while more challenging (physically and mentally) is often more rewarding ... the simple pride of being able to provide for one's self and family; giving to one's children the gift of unrestricted time and energy, taking time to answer their questions and involve them in what you are doing and teaching them that some things in this world are not always fair .... there are other things I could mention but will let you find for yourself. When I find myself needing to step back from the hustle and bustle we know and call life, I return to "Hard Times In Paradise," to be reminded of what's really important.

When I bought "Hard Times in Paradise" and "Homeschooling For Excellence" in 1988, I was pregnant with my only child. I did not think that a federally controlled, compulsory education was healthy, nor did I think that small children should be removed from their parents' care at such an early age. I was hungry for information that would give me a perspective on what to expect. David and Micki Colfax have done a wonderful job of explaining the hits and misses that comprised the raising of their children outside of the standard educational systems. The long term successes of their sons are enough to inspire any parent. I can't recommend their books enough.

I worked at Philmont Scout Ranch outside of Cimarron for three years, two of those working for Steve Zimmer at the Kit Carson Museum at Rayado. Having read this book, I feel it provides a rather insightful glimpse into the lives of some of the people and events that have added some color to the history of Colfax County. It is organized in a series of short (average of about 10 pages) essays and stories concerning those figures (i.e. Kit Carson, Clay Allison, Black Jack Ketchum, etc.,.) that is both informative as well as easy to read.