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Joanne Calderwood
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The Self-Propelled Advantage: The Parent's Guide to Raising Independent, Motivated Kids Who Learn with Excellence Kindle Edition

by Joanne Calderwood (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 66 ratings
A home education expert and mother of eight shares her experiences and insights into harnessing a child’s natural desire to learn.
 
Joanne Calderwood has been a popular magazine columnist for several years and has become a popular speaker at home-education conferences across the country. Her self-propelled philosophy of education has transformed lives across the nation and around the world. In The Self-Propelled Advantage, Calderwood shares her wisdom, experience, and philosophy of education and parenting, as borne out in the lives of her own exceptional children.
 
Informative and inspiring, The Self-Propelled Advantage is for any parent who places a high value on their children’s education. Detailing her methods for raising inquisitive, diligent, self-motivated children, Calderwood also shares valuable information on preparing for college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT. Having taught one SAT perfect scorer, one near-perfect scorer, and four students who have gone to college on full academic scholarships, Calderwood has proven how successful her methods can be.
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  1. Print length
    327 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Morgan James Publishing
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2012
  5. File size
    3.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joanne Calderwood is a professional educator-turned-mom who has a heart for teaching parents to teach their kids to teach themselves with excellence and motivation. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and has been actively working with children for over twenty-five years. She has been a youth director, a houseparent at a children’s home, a fourth grade teacher, and has borne her own eight children. Her first four home-educated, self-propelled children have all attended the colleges of their choice on full academic scholarships. She has been a regular columnist in Homeschool Enrichment magazine for several years, where her column, “The Underwhelmed Homeschooler,” with its revolutionary methods and loving, gracious style has encouraged, blessed and de-stressed thousands of parents. Joanne is the founder of URtheMom.com, where she encourages parents to let go of the bicycle and watch with amazement.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009R8DLFW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Morgan James Publishing (October 1, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 327 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 66 ratings

About the author

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Joanne Calderwood

Joanne Calderwood

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Born and raised in Summerdale, Pennsylvania, Joanne Calderwood has been working with children for over thirty years. She graduated from Geneva College with a degree in elementary education. Since then Joanne has been a youth director, a houseparent at a children's home, a fourth grade teacher, and has borne her own eight children. (Seventy-two months of pregnancy, but who's counting?)

Joanne is the founder of URtheMOM.com, a site designed to encourage and equip parents for the incredibly amazing and taxing job of raising self-propelled children in a couch-potato world. She is a columnist with Home School Enrichment magazine, and is a popular speaker at events across the country. She has been described as a "Mom Magnet" due to her down-to-earth persona and ability to speak to the real issues of parenting in the twenty-first century.

In her spare time Joanne enjoys gardening, drying flowers, and taking naps. Joanne resides in Shelbyville, Tennessee, where she and her three daughters who are still at home try not to disturb the neighbors.

Ways to connect with Joanne:

* E-mail her via joanne@joannecalderwood.com.

* Friend her on Facebook.

* Like URtheMOM.com on Facebook.

* Follow her on Twitter @jcalderwood.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
66 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book helpful as a homeschooling guide, with one noting it does a wonderful job explaining the importance of teaching children. They appreciate its readability and presentation style, with one customer highlighting its down-to-earth tone. Customers consider it a valuable resource.

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34 customers mention "Information quality"30 positive4 negative

Customers find the book instructive and helpful, particularly for homeschooling parents, with one customer noting it provides a wonderful job explaining the importance of teaching children.

"...I found hope and encouragement and a very detailed plan on how to give my children the gift of self motivation and the ability to self teach...." Read more

"I found this book extremely helpful, and encouraging. I needed to do something different with my boys to prevent burnout in myself...." Read more

"...I would have done a lot better. Mrs. Calderwood is simply gifted in this area of motivation, and her book is full of wonderful, practical tips and..." Read more

"This book is not going to be a magic wand, but it helped me clear out my cluttered thinking, and gave me confidence to entrust my children with..." Read more

15 customers mention "Readability"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and appreciate it as a valuable resource for parents.

"...It was worth reading the book for that aspect alone along with the humorous answers some of her children gave in the back of the book...." Read more

"...is simply gifted in this area of motivation, and her book is full of wonderful, practical tips and methods...." Read more

"...children are grown and homeschooling their own kids, I found some very good points, many that I used myself...." Read more

"This book touched me, and is what I have needed to read...." Read more

3 customers mention "Presentation style"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's presentation style, with one noting its down-to-earth tone and another mentioning its well-written content.

"...Very well written in a friendly, personal style, with lots of valuable, proven mommy experience plus other research...." Read more

"...These are not "pie in the sky" topics. She is very down to earth in her presentation and I believe you will walk away encouraged by this book." Read more

"...Very down to earth tone, not preachy...." Read more

3 customers mention "Value for money"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book valuable and well worth the price.

"...Very well written in a friendly, personal style, with lots of valuable, proven mommy experience plus other research...." Read more

"This book touched me, and is what I have needed to read. Lots of valuable, affirming information on discipline and character-building in addition to..." Read more

"...and I already feel that way, the rest of her advice was well worth the price of the book and then some...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Happyshopper13
    5.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging
    Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I purchased Mrs. Calderwood's book because well....homeschooling wears me out. I was looking for a way to lighten the load of home educating three children who are all at very different places educationally. I found hope and encouragement and a very detailed plan on how to give my children the gift of self motivation and the ability to self teach.
    I loved several things about this book. First, Ms. Calderwood has a great sense of humor that you don't always catch right away, but pops up when you least expect it. It was worth reading the book for that aspect alone along with the humorous answers some of her children gave in the back of the book. Second, it was nice to know that some of the ways I felt like I had been *cheating* as a home school mom (letting my child check her answers with the teacher key) are ligitimate ways to help your children become independent learners . Last, I was really encourgaged to try some things that I would have not thought of before, like allowing my 13 year old to write up her own schedule.
    As a former public and private school educator, I was delighted with Ms. Calderwood's discussion of educational philosophy and was intrigued with the perfect SAT score information and research she presented.
    I have read quite an array of books on home education........ this has been one of the best and has already helped me to become less stressed and able to enjoy this time I have with my children.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • M. Archer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, helpful and informative!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book extremely helpful, and encouraging. I needed to do something different with my boys to prevent burnout in myself. My kids would rather I didn't teach anyhow. There was so many helpful tips and how-tos in this book. I read it cover to cover in 1 sitting, I was engrossed and taking notes! I want my kids to be self-taught and self-motivated, I just needed that extra boost of someone who has done it successfully and give me that nudge of encouragement and how-to. This book accomplished that for me. I've made some changes in our "school", some positive ones, that I took directly from this book. My mother-in-law used to say "1 good idea is worth the price of a book" and this one has many good ideas, at least it did for me. I love this philosophy of home-teaching! My kids are perfectly capable of teaching themselves, they just need a lot of oversight and accountability to keep their standards up (they tend to be lazy and unmotivated if I slack off and allow it). Basically that's my only job right now, enforce standards. They can handle actual learning part on their own with my help if they get stuck, of course. I love it, frees me up to do other things in the home! They are thrilled I'm not teaching anymore. A win-win for us.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Amz Shopper
    4.0 out of 5 stars NOT JUST FOR HOMESCHOOLING FAMILIES!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    If you like the idea of your children being self-motivated to complete their necessary responsibilities (chores, schoolwork, projects), plus have the motivation to complete these things WELL, then this book has lots of wonderful advice and ideas for all families. But the surprise: I found myself the most motivated! Bonus! Within a week of starting reading the book, all my children, ages 3 and up, were working more independently and responsibly, as was I. My four-year-old completed four of his science lessons independently (I was shocked), and my 7-year-old is now doing his reading/writing/math school work completely independently, and my 3 & 4-year-olds are doing some of their schoolwork independently, too.

    As a homeschooling mama for nearly 10 years, and within that time, giving birth to four boys in seven years, I had already learned a lot about teaching my children to work independently, but I wish I had had this book years ago. I would have done a lot better. Mrs. Calderwood is simply gifted in this area of motivation, and her book is full of wonderful, practical tips and methods. I also think she does a decent job of encouraging you to adapt her methods for your personality, and your children. Not one method works for everyone, but lots of her fabulous ideas are flexible and can be implemented to greater or lesser degrees, depending on what suits you!

    I coached my older children (14 * 18) with some of the exhortations in this book and they have both been doing much better getting things done, and doing them well. They have both been using daily planners to set personal one-day goals each day as well as write down quick to-do lists for each day (different for each day), and it has been a helpful little boost.

    Very well written in a friendly, personal style, with lots of valuable, proven mommy experience plus other research. You can't go wrong with the counsel of others who have walked the parenting path with success!

    Good job, Mrs. Calderwood! Thank you for your help! We needed it!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Snowflake
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clarifies the Vision
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book is not going to be a magic wand, but it helped me clear out my cluttered thinking, and gave me confidence to entrust my children with their own education.

    I bought the book nine months ago in January. I started plugging in some of her ideas immediately, on wobbly legs, just enough to shake our homeschool tree a little. Over the summer I read the book again, and came up with a solid action plan, which was implemented on day one of sixth grade.

    My eleven-year-old, twin boys have been working 100% independently for months now. They ask if I'm going to leave to do errands, because, "We work better when you're not at home."

    I'm not dragging them through lessons anymore. They care about what they're learning. They get upset when they don't get A's on their tests. They are proud of what they know.

    Today I was home (it's a Wednesday, their self-appointed "day off"), and I watched them spend almost the entire day reading. That has NEVER happened before.

    Maybe this review is more of a tribute to the author, a 'thank you' for writing the book that has changed our homeschooling lives so dramatically.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you.
    6 people found this helpful
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