"To simplify things, I may just order 500 copies of Kama Sutra. Hopefully this will get my kids into college."
That quip is posted in the comments to the article Growing up With Books Boosts Child's Education Attainment. And the jab is justified: The mere possession of a large number of books is not going to raise one's academic abilities. That much is true.
But it's also true, according to the study, that those who grow up in a household with 500 books do much better in school than those who don't have nearly as many.
Why?
Obviously, for whatever the reasons, households with tons of books are the kind of environment where more learning happens. The cause isn't the ownership of books. Even so, there is a correlation. And as Amber Naslund observes in point #5 of this post:
Cause and Correlation are different. [But] correlation can be just as valuable in terms of justifying our efforts. [W]e're not conducting science experiments. We're simply trying to understand what helps and what hinders.
And growing up in a household with a large home library helps. Plain and simple. Though, the bits and pieces that make up this reality are, I'm sure, incredibly complex and convoluted.
In short: You should buy complete Sonlight packages right now to start building a huge home library!
<cough>
Right. Sorry, the sales rep inside broke out for a minute there. The point is this: There appears to be a correlation between owning books and a solid education. Sonlight promotes owning books and strives to give you a solid education through said books. Therefore, Sonlight is a fantastic option. In fact, Sonlight is the best homeschool option... though it may not be for you.
But as the comments which started out this post illuminate: Simply having means little. You have to do something too. This is particularly relevant to this blog because earlier today I was greeted by the following:
Blogger is Unavailable
Sure, I have a blog--or nine--but having them is merely the first step to allowing me to connect with you. I need my blog to be available so I can write a post. And I'm grateful that, after several hours, I was able to do just that.
~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father
