David H. Albert 
And the Skylark Sings with Me 
Adventures in Homeschooling and Community-Based Education

Foreword , by Joseph Chilton Pearce

Saraswati
Ali discovers the violin, and we receive our first homeschooling lesson; on choosing a music teacher

Hares with Shells on Their Backs
the author as an advocate for all children, not just homeschoolers; ‘adequate’ education as inadequate; learning as vital to the quality of children’s lives; the end of education; Meera discovers the piano next door and learns to read music; choosing the right instrument

Hallelujah (Again!)
we sing the Messiah; music and standardized tests; our vision of the perfect learning environment; utilizing the community; educating ourselves as a family

‘Dog Kitties’
nature awareness and the process of naming; children’s delight in the natural world; what’s wrong with zoos; our house becomes a menagerie and we breed snakes; the societal costs of educating indoors; the evolving journey of self-awareness

Mr. Newton’s Rules
we meet Fig Newton’s brother and learn about gravity and momentum; the scientific method and true scientific inference as ‘but the normal working of the human mind’; science centers; Ali reintroduces us to astronomy and we build a telescope; an experience of educational democracy

Fearful Symmetry
pattern blocks and beads; the cult of method; mathematics as language and as operations; finding a values-based context; preventing math phobia

Exits and Entrances
the complexity of ‘child’s play’; how toy manufacturers take control; Meera and Ali discover opera and ballet; children empowered with control over their own play scripts; opera rehearsals and playwriting; preparing kids for the theatrical experience; poetry as theater of self

‘Letters’
letters in the environment; manipulating a book; writing before reading; phonics and whole language approaches; ‘reading readiness’ schemes; television; writing and editing

Cinnamon Bear
performing at the Sri Thyagarajah Festival; talking about race; the curriculum of combating prejudice; principles for children’s community involvement; our religious perspective as Quakers as it informs our homeschooling practice

Bric-A-Brac
my children teach me what I need to know; school as Cannery Row; the misuse of child development theory; the ‘Holy Grail’ of educational testing; teaching thinking skills?; the bric-a-brac principle; learning music as paradigm; the ‘S’ word; socializing the community to the needs of the child

The Fountain
music composition; learning to trust our children; the value of ‘wasted time’; the unnameable fountain)

About the Author