This post contains affiliate links. I always read books about homeschooling with interest because most of them, unfortunately, don’t have much good to say about homeschooling. I read Homeschooled: A Memoir by Stefan Merrill Block, and I found that he, too, had very few positives to say about homeschooling, but the title of the book is misleading.
About Home Schooled by Stefan Merrill Block
Stefan is in 4th grade when his mom pulls him out of school to homeschool him. The family has just moved from Indianapolis to Plano, Texas, and his mother decides to homeschool him to nurture his brilliance. (Another reason is that she is lonely at home alone and wants Stefan with her.)
However, Stefan actually receives very little homeschooling. His mother likes to take him out to eat and to the beach. She has him drive by his old school and shout “suckers” to all of his classmates who are outside for recess. Her version of homeschooling is more like unschooling, but it is often no schooling at all, especially when she starts a tutoring business out of their home.
A better title for this book might reflect something about his mother’s mental state. Stefan’s maternal grandfather was in and out of a mental hospital, and I wonder if his mother might have also had mental problems. She has some strange beliefs, like having Stefan crawl around on his hands and knees all day, every day, to help his handwriting get better. (He has dysgraphia.)
My Thoughts on The Book
While this book is a reflection of his mother’s disturbing mental state, it’s also a reflection of Stefan himself and his difficult and unhappy childhood. It’s more a coming-of-age book in the shadow of a mother struggling with mental issues and codependency.
Stefan does eventually give some background about why his mother is the way that she is, but I would like to see more information about her life that led her to the place where she felt her youngest son was her entire reason for living. I would have also liked more perspective from Stefan’s older brother and his father. Those two are barely mentioned in the book except in passing. How did they feel about Stefan and his mother’s relationship? Did they notice anything off about it? Or were they just happy not to have her attention on them?
I give Homeschooled: A Memoir by Stefan Merrill Block 3 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.
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