Hi Gem,

I never imagined i will be setting myself up for a gleeful debate by mentioning Maria.. I must admit i have no exposure to child psychology nor know other professionals in the fray. I found Maria's books simply fantastic. I am not talking about her schools i am talking about her books. Assuming the schools work to perfection based on her theories, we could still have the dispenser of education, i.e. the teacher touching a raw nerve of a kid here or there. I was therefore referring to her books and books alone. It not only deals with education but also parenting. I wil put some thoughts on this board this weeend and may be you will appreciate why i am so bewtiched by her ideas. LOL.. thanks

but do books teach u all u need to know about rearing children or just serve as a guide?

I believe parenting is similar to the methods of wild animals and how they bring up their young.
They pass down their knowledge of surviving ie:- hunting for food, personal hygene, learning to socialise within a group etc. These are the fundermental basics of parenting which allows our children to survive without us (because they will have to one day). Society can be so materialistic,  we forget about the important details such as how they will survive if something ever happens to us. You'd be doing them no favours in the long run, doing everything for them. They have to know for themselves.  
I am confident my two boys will know how to cook, iron their clothes, and keep healthy while i'm gone, and this is what I see as my biggest priority. Anything else in addition to this, is careful guidence.
Regards Vicky

I would like to read about her..I always wanted to check out those schools for my daughters.Thanks for the  idea...I will post after I read some..THANKS