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Robinson Curriculum?


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That fascinated me for a few years, but I could never commit....

I choose not to do it - but I have heard good things about it.

You provide Saxon math, and any lab science - but according to what I've heard, everything else is included. I believe everything comes on a disc (or 5) and you print as needed.

Rainbow resources used to have a wonderful description on their website, with reviews, but they are no longer carrying it (well - it says 'Not Available').

I do think you have to have very self-motivated children. That was one of my main concerns when my kids were younger. Now it wouldn't be as much of an issue - but we're happy where we are.

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I bought it a few years ago and do consider it money well spent. I bought the Henty CDs, as well, but...my boys don't really care for Henty books, so that was a bust. :)

 

The books are, for the most part, all written pre-1960. Most of them are public domain, but Robinson has them formatted so they print neatly.

 

All of the McGuffy Primer/Readers are on the CDs. For upper levels, the the grammar/spelling program included is called Professor Klugimkopfs and I found the story behind it entertaining, but as a curriculum it's not so hot.

 

Robinson admits his kids were not great with language arts, but that wasn't important to his family. For us (for me) LA is important, so we supplement with a formal LA program.

 

He recommends you don't try to teach sciences until after Calculus. Of course, your child is exposed, conceptually, to science through all the reading he/she does from he beginning. My boys sailed through their TAKS Science tests, and we never taught science as a seperate subject.

 

Robinson recommends starting Saxon math, level 5/4 at age 7. He says the Saxon leves 1-3 are useless and were only created to keep kids dumbed down for public schools. (that's my interpretation of his rationale, anyway)

 

Also included on the CDs are a couple of...kinda odd...selections, like his Access to Energy newsletter and Nuclear Survival Skills. He and his late wife were working on civil defense, so, I guess that's something he's passionate about.

 

His economics reading is definitely slanted towards the Austrian school, which I happen to agree with...for the most part...so it doesn't bother me but I'd supplement that with other philosophies.

 

RC is more a method, than a curriculum. A similar approach is A Thomas Jefferson Education. Basically, the kids do everything self-directed, and you act, not so much as a teacher, but more a director and manager of their education.

 

A typical schedule would be:

 

Math for 1-2 hours, 6 days a week.

Reading for 5 hours, 6 days a week.

A one page essay summarizing what the student learned that day on a topic, either assigned or of his/her choosing, 6 days a week.

 

We don't do our school a la Robinson, anymore, because I missed the involvement with my kids' learning and teaching them. Plus, although I love incorporating classic literature, I found most of the reading material too archaic to be the main focus of their education.

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Thanks Cindy, your summary was succinct and helpful. I too have wondered what exactly RC would add--I think I'm pretty happy with what I've got right now. I'm wondering, though, do you still use RC materials mixed in with your others? It seems it might be nice just to have as a resource...

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Thanks Cindy, your summary was succinct and helpful. I too have wondered what exactly RC would add--I think I'm pretty happy with what I've got right now. I'm wondering, though, do you still use RC materials mixed in with your others? It seems it might be nice just to have as a resource...

 

I'm wondering also. We have started with Ambleside, but are not doing well with math. RC seems to be similar, even a supplement, maybe.

 

:bigear:

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I had also looked closely into RC but chose Ambleside instead. Since you can choose any math program to use with Ambleside (AO), you might want to just reconsider the math program if the rest of AO is working for you.

 

The reason I didn't go with RC was that I believe their family life, experiences living on the farm, helping father with his professional work, etc., probably were at least as instrumental to his children's success as the curriculum and teaching method itself. I don't have those kind of resources to balance out my children's education. However, in our family we can live out the "Education is a Life" philosophy that is integral to a CM education, and AO was the best curriculum I could find to assist with that.

 

Thanks for bringing this up. I look forward to hearing others' responses.

 

Take care,

Suzanne

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Thanks Cindy, your summary was succinct and helpful. I too have wondered what exactly RC would add--I think I'm pretty happy with what I've got right now. I'm wondering, though, do you still use RC materials mixed in with your others? It seems it might be nice just to have as a resource...

 

I do use it as a supplemental resource. It includes many of the classics you'll find on any reading list, as well as several autobiographies and diary collections from historical figures. The CDs include a 1913 Merriam dictionary as well as an 11th edition Encyclopedia Brittanica.

 

I'm not sure if I mentioned earlier, most of the literature resources are public domain and pretty easily acquired, but the RC curriculum has them formatted for easy printing into books. I print mine using the booklet option of my printer, and bind them with a coil binding machine.

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I am wondering also. We have started with Ambleside, but are not doing well with math. RC seems to be similar, even a supplement, maybe.

 

:bigear:

 

Yes, I think it's a great supplement, though AO is comprehensive as well.

 

RC won't help you much with math, as you would still need to select your own math curriculum. RC doesn't include Saxon, it's just the one Art Robinson recommends. You can purchase Saxon at a discount through RC, but I think you can get the same price through a source like Rainbow Resources.

 

:)

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I purchased this years ago but lost the first cd and haven't used it yet, so I cannot comment on the use. However, if you decide to purchase it, it is a lot cheaper on another site. Are we allowed to tell others of sales on other sites? Hmmmm, I just thought of that. I just saw it for $135 and for $75 on another site. Just in case we aren't allowed to say the site on this blog, if you would like to know where pm me and I'll tell you.

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We used RC for our oldest children, and for several years, followed the curriculum exactly as Dr. Robinson describes. We had excellent results. Btw, I have not heard of any homeschool family with the Robinson family results; i.e. six children, six (+) doctorates in science. Yes, their lifestyle contributed to the children's success, but there are many other families having equal or greater success who do not live on farms or help in a lab. Throughout the years, I have found there are many misconceptions about the curriculum. If you would like further information, please send me a p.m.

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I purchased this years ago but lost the first cd and haven't used it yet, so I cannot comment on the use. However, if you decide to purchase it, it is a lot cheaper on another site. Are we allowed to tell others of sales on other sites? Hmmmm, I just thought of that. I just saw it for $135 and for $75 on another site. Just in case we aren't allowed to say the site on this blog, if you would like to know where pm me and I'll tell you.

 

Thank you! Sending you a pm.

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Yes, I think it's a great supplement, though AO is comprehensive as well.

 

RC won't help you much with math, as you would still need to select your own math curriculum. RC doesn't include Saxon, it's just the one Art Robinson recommends. You can purchase Saxon at a discount through RC, but I think you can get the same price through a source like Rainbow Resources.

 

:)

 

I was under the impression he had his own math until the child was ready for Saxon 54. Am I wrong?

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Until Saxon, the student uses the flashcards included in RC to memorize math facts for all four operations through the twelves. Dr. R also recommends using simple manipulatives; i.e. beans, for the student to prove the equation before the memorization work.

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We used RC for our oldest children, and for several years, followed the curriculum exactly as Dr. Robinson describes. We had excellent results. Btw, I have not heard of any homeschool family with the Robinson family results; i.e. six children, six (+) doctorates in science. Yes, their lifestyle contributed to the children's success, but there are many other families having equal or greater success who do not live on farms or help in a lab. Throughout the years, I have found there are many misconceptions about the curriculum. If you would like further information, please send me a p.m.

 

Thank you! I sent you a pm.

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Until Saxon, the student uses the flashcards included in RC to memorize math facts for all four operations through the twelves. Dr. R also recommends using simple manipulatives; i.e. beans, for the student to prove the equation before the memorization work.

 

I didn't even realize (or had forgotten) there were flashcards. :) We started when my youngest was in 3rd grade, so we went straight on to 5/4.

 

Some things I'd work on before starting Saxon 5/4 are:

 

math facts, addition and subtraction

telling time

reading a calendar/knowing months and their sequence.

using a ruler, including metric

concept of fractions (using "Pie" pieces)

counting money and coin value

directions: north/south/east/west, right/left, up/down

liquid measurements - oz, cups, pints...

shapes/polygons

sets/subsets

simple charts/graphs

 

Those are a few, off the top of my head, that Saxon covers in levels 1-3. The concepts are repeated in 5/4, but with a good headstart, it'll make the transition a lot easier.

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I purchased this years ago but lost the first cd and haven't used it yet, so I cannot comment on the use. However, if you decide to purchase it, it is a lot cheaper on another site. Are we allowed to tell others of sales on other sites? Hmmmm, I just thought of that. I just saw it for $135 and for $75 on another site. Just in case we aren't allowed to say the site on this blog, if you would like to know where pm me and I'll tell you.

 

That's a bummer! Have you contacted the company? I've found their customer support (Dr. Robinson, himself) to be quite gracious. I bet they'd send you a replacement CD, especially if you have a receipt for yor order.

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I didn't even realize (or had forgotten) there were flashcards. :) We started when my youngest was in 3rd grade, so we went straight on to 5/4.

 

Some things I'd work on before starting Saxon 5/4 are:

 

math facts, addition and subtraction

telling time

reading a calendar/knowing months and their sequence.

using a ruler, including metric

concept of fractions (using "Pie" pieces)

counting money and coin value

directions: north/south/east/west, right/left, up/down

liquid measurements - oz, cups, pints...

shapes/polygons

sets/subsets

simple charts/graphs

 

Those are a few, off the top of my head, that Saxon covers in levels 1-3. The concepts are repeated in 5/4, but with a good headstart, it'll make the transition a lot easier.

 

Thank you, that's very helpful!

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If your child cannot go straight from math facts to Saxon 54, they can work through Practical Arithmetics First Book, which you can buy from Keepers of the Faith for $15. After that, Saxon 54 should be smooth sailing.

Edited by 1Togo
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If you child cannot go straight from math facts to Saxon 54, they can work through Practical Arithmetics First Book, which you can buy from Keepers of the Faith for $15. After that, Saxon 54 should be smooth sailing.

 

Thank you for that resource. I was having a hard time swallowing the $100 per grade of Saxon Math.

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I considered Robinson Curriculum, but ended up going with Accelerated Achievement. Elementary Math (K-6) is included with that one, and we used it for a while but have since found other programs that work better for our family.

 

A2 is a nice resource, and it did work for us when we first started homeschooling. It was a nice way to jump into five grades at once without spending a lot of money on curriculum. My children got a good education while I researched and learned and we adjusted to being home together. It just wasn't the best thing over all for us, but sometimes I wish we could go back to the simplicity of it.

 

Mostly, my children hit a road block when the reading material became too advanced and they had read everything they could handle. I needed to let them mature a few years, and my oldest felt it was just much too intensive on the American History--It has some great resources, though.

 

Sorry for the side track on this thread..... I hope you've found some helpful answers to your question.

 

P.S. A2 lets you order a sample for $.01. Everything is on the disk, but the print function is disabled. That might be a nice way to take a look at it.

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P.S. A2 lets you order a sample for $.01. Everything is on the disk, but the print function is disabled. That might be a nice way to take a look at it.

 

Thanks, I am going to order it!

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1.03.01

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Well, we ordered RC. I ordered it from their website because they will replace any scratched or damaged CD for free. I'll let you know what I think in a few weeks. I have some Amazon gift cards, and so I'm going to order that Brother Duplex Laser printer they recommend also. I have an old ink jet, which would be really slow and expensive for printing that much. All the books are really for the children to read on their own, so I think we will continue with the Ambleside books I can find at the library (or even print them out) for fun read aloud time as a family.

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We live just 11/2hrs. from Art and have heard him on numerous occasions recently since he is running against Peter DeFazio a long time, of approx.23yrs., in the House.

My husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed speaking with him, and his son Noah. Their logic is beyond reasoning in any debate and could take on the best of them. I think that for math, his program would be fantastic.

Cyndi

Wife to dh of almost 30yrs.

Mother to 6 28-11 Have homeschooled since 1984 or well...maybe it was when she 4 in 1986.

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I have been looking at this curriculum for a year now trying to decide if it is something that would work well for my DS who is definitely an independent learner. Other than supplementing in the LA department, are there any other areas you would say that the curriculum is weak in? And did you use it while applying his rules--no TV, no sugar, etc, etc?

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Hi Lisa, I'm not planning on following the no sugar. I like the occasional sweet and so do my kids. As far as TV, it's limited anyway since we don't have a dish or cable, but I don't plan to completely cut it out. We like family movie night and will keep it.

 

I don't really know what the weaknesses are right now, but since it's all supposed to be read by the children, we will still continue our read alouds from Ambleside since we enjoy them tremendously. My oldest even asked for another story from Trial and Triumph; a book I wasn't even sure we were going to use at this time. I will post with updates. I wish there were a place where I could talk to other Robinson users in a forum atmosphere like this.

 

In Christ,

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I read through the whole RC website again last night and I can't help but wonder if the reason his kids did so well is because he and his wife obviously were extremely gifted people. I want to know if this program works for the average child who does not come from genius parents.

 

I like the theory behind it and agree with a lot of it, but it's kinda scary giving up all those pretty textbooks we have accumulated. I think my DS would be happier with this method vs 6-8 different subjects to accomplish.

 

My main question is how does one go from 2 hours a day of schooling to 5 hours? Do you add a little time each week until you hit 5 hours? Do you jump in with both feet? And how does one STAY HOME for 5 hours a day? It's hard enough staying home just ONE day a week, never mind 5. And do 5 year olds start out at 5 hours or do they work up to it as they age?

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Dr. Robinson says that his children are not gifted. They are hard workers. When you really understand what they did, the hard working part is truth. By age 13 or 14, the children had self-taught Saxon through calculus, they read a challenging list of books plus many, many other books from their home library, and they learned to write by writing a page every day and correcting per their father's input. At that point, they independently worked through a college-level chemistry textbook, two physics textbooks, and completed a challenging group of Cal Tech physics problems. After that or concurrently for some of the students, they self-studied to pass numerous AP tests. AP tests were the core of their high school work. The youngest son, Matthew, passed 30+ AP tests.

 

When the children were young, the Robinson children did not do school for five hours. After they learned their math facts, they worked a Saxon lesson, read from the RC list, and completed 1/2 page of copywork. As they got older, they still completed a Saxon lesson per day and read from the RC list, but they also began writing - 1/2 page to 1 page per day. Dr. R never taught them writing forms or told them what to write. In addition, they memorized the spelling and definitions of an extensive vocabulary list. Dr. R also suggests flashcards and outlining/teaching an imaginary class from that outline as teaching tools for older students.

 

Until the students were mature, Dr. R sat in the schoolroom at his desk and completed his own work. The children sat at their desks and completed their work. Simple and quiet. No busywork. Learning in the hands of the student. When school was done, everyone enjoyed life. Their methods were effective - 6+ doctorates in science.

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Thanks, that is very helpful information. Today I told my DS that for science, I was going to just have him start reading books on his own about science topics and afterwards, to write a 1 page essay or story on the topic--fictional or true. He didn't get it at first and wanted to know if I was doing it because I didn't want to teach him anymore.:lol: But he read his book on Antarctica and wrote a story about him going there and how cold it was based on the book saying that it got down to -120 F.

 

I think I need to just buy the program already and give it a shot. My one concern is that I don't have a working printer so I would also need to buy a new printer. I guess that will be what we spend our tax money on this time around.;)

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I bought a Brother HL-5370DW, black and white laser duplex, from Office Depot for around $200 (I think.). It's a terrific printer - print and walk away. Come back later, and you have clean pages printed front and back. Three-hole punch the pages, and put them in a black binder. I store the books in Office Depot file boxes. Curriculum has come and gone in our house, but we have been using our RC discs for over ten years. It was our sons' 'great books' list.

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Dr. Robinson says that his children are not gifted. They are hard workers.

 

While there is no doubt they are hard workers, they are almost certainly gifted as well. Precious few 'merely' bright students would get those results with the same amount of work. No average student would.

 

With his job and environment, Robinson is surrounded by people who are, if not gifted, certainly much brighter than the average. He has those same attributes himself. He is a scientist who was married to another scientist; since his college days, he has been surrounded by people who are generally either highly educated or aspiring to be. To his eyes, his children don't appear extraordinary or gifted, but he really has no basis for comparison. His life does not expose him to many 'average' people.

 

That doesn't mean the curriculum won't work for bright or average students as well, but certainly I wouldn't expect most students to get those same results, even if they follow every recommendation to the letter.

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Dr. Robinson says that his children are not gifted. They are hard workers.

 

While there is no doubt they are hard workers, they are almost certainly gifted as well. Precious few 'merely' bright students would get those results with the same amount of work. No average student would.

 

With his job and environment, Robinson is surrounded by people who are, if not gifted, certainly much brighter than the average. He has those same attributes himself. He is a scientist who was married to another scientist; since his college days, he has been surrounded by people who are generally either highly educated or aspiring to be. To his eyes, his children don't appear extraordinary or gifted, but he really has no basis for comparison. His life does not expose him to many 'average' people.

 

That doesn't mean the curriculum won't work for bright or average students as well, but certainly I wouldn't expect most students to get those same results, even if they follow every recommendation to the letter.

 

This is what I was thinking. Which made me wonder how the "average" student (not surrounded by brilliant people, living on a farm, a research lab right next door, etc, etc, etc) fares using his methods.

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Dr. Robinson says that his children are not gifted. They are hard workers.

 

While there is no doubt they are hard workers, they are almost certainly gifted as well. Precious few 'merely' bright students would get those results with the same amount of work. No average student would.

 

With his job and environment, Robinson is surrounded by people who are, if not gifted, certainly much brighter than the average. He has those same attributes himself. He is a scientist who was married to another scientist; since his college days, he has been surrounded by people who are generally either highly educated or aspiring to be. To his eyes, his children don't appear extraordinary or gifted, but he really has no basis for comparison. His life does not expose him to many 'average' people.

 

That doesn't mean the curriculum won't work for bright or average students as well, but certainly I wouldn't expect most students to get those same results, even if they follow every recommendation to the letter.

 

This is what I was thinking. Which made me wonder how the "average" student (not surrounded by brilliant people, living on a farm, a research lab right next door, etc, etc, etc) fares using his methods.

 

:iagree:Is there information about other students who use the program?

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Dr. R writes about the curriculum in his science newsletter. He often mentions students, other than his own, who had amazing results with RC. If you want more information, you can join the yahoo group. I was part of that group for several years and read hundreds of posts from families who used RC with success. In many ways, the success of the Robinson children is hard to understand and accept because Dr. R's plan is simple. It's easier to attribute their success to the farm and the lab. I am not criticizing because I have doubted RC even though our family had excellent results with it. In recent years, we began adding subjects (along with the subsequent planning and busyness for me) for our youngest student instead of focusing on the basics, and we are not pleased with the results. We are now circling back to where we started and making up for lost time.

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Dr. R writes about the curriculum in his science newsletter. He often mentions students, other than his own, who had amazing results with RC. If you want more information, you can join the yahoo group. I was part of that group for several years and read hundreds of posts from families who used RC with success. In many ways, the success of the Robinson children is hard to understand and accept because Dr. R's plan is simple. It's easier to attribute their success to the farm and the lab. I am not criticizing because I have doubted RC even though our family had excellent results with it. In recent years, we began adding subjects (along with the subsequent planning and busyness for me) for our youngest student instead of focusing on the basics, and we are not pleased with the results. We are now circling back to where we started and making up for lost time.

 

This is exactly what I have noticed from the yahoo group as well. Thank you for coming back and clarifying it's not just his children with great results. Using great books, mathematics foundation concentration and solid writing; combined with actually doing it and making it a priority is what the other families have stated is why it works.

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Okay, I have another question after perusing the yahoo site suggested. There is lots of talk about me sitting at my desk modeling a work ethic. I don't have a home business, I don't have much paperwork, I do pay the bills which takes about 5 minutes a week, I occasionally have something to read over before a village council meeting, but that's about it for desk work.

 

So what exactly do RC parents do during the 5 hours their kids are working to model a desk work ethic? Or do you just ignore that part and do your house cleaning, etc?

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I haven't been on the yahoo group for several years, so I don't what they are discussing there, but an RC day consists of one Saxon lesson, reading from an RC book (time depends on the child's stamina/focus), grammar (if the child is ready for the grammar book), vocabulary (3 to 4 words per day), and writing (copywork to original writing). At your children's age, that might only be 2 to 3 hours. When the children were young, Dr. R sat at his desk in the schoolroom and provided the children with a role model for good work habits. Since most mothers don't have Dr. R's research work, they use that time for whatever they choose; i.e. reading, menu planning, working Saxon lessons (nothing like tackling the same work as your children to develop empathy), providing input on their children's writing, letter writing, Bible study, etc. It's a nice quiet time. When school was over, everyone went about their lives. Since the children's mother died when the youngest Robinson son was only 18 months old, Dr. R had a full plate trying to raise six children, run his business, etc. He needed to keep the education time focused and teach his children independence. By the time the children were working 5 to 6 hours, they were disciplined and self-teaching.

 

Btw, I think the important point to take away from this discussion is there is more than one way to do it. Jessie Wise had great success with classical methods for her children, and Susan is using those methods with her family. Dr. R focused on core skills and self-teaching. We know families who have used only textbooks, and their students were National Merit scholars and have earned doctorate degrees. If you and your students thrive with WTM methods, then go forward with confidence. Other families may have students who would not do well with the educational plan described in WTM or they have life circumstances that make it impossible for mom to be involved with teaching a myriad of subjects. It reassuring to know that WTM is not the only path.

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Okay, I have another question after perusing the yahoo site suggested. There is lots of talk about me sitting at my desk modeling a work ethic. I don't have a home business, I don't have much paperwork, I do pay the bills which takes about 5 minutes a week, I occasionally have something to read over before a village council meeting, but that's about it for desk work.

 

So what exactly do RC parents do during the 5 hours their kids are working to model a desk work ethic? Or do you just ignore that part and do your house cleaning, etc?

 

The reason we went to RC was because I did have to do bookkeeping work for our business, but I also used, and continue to use, their personal study time to pursue my writing and work through book lists for my own education (Great Books, Well Educated Mind, etc.).

 

I consider our education my full-time job, which helps me approach it more seriously and not feel like I need to be doing housework during the school day.

:)

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That doesn't mean the curriculum won't work for bright or average students as well, but certainly I wouldn't expect most students to get those same results, even if they follow every recommendation to the letter.

 

I read through a bunch of stuff on the RC website the other day after reading this thread, and I have to say that any educational method or curriculum that brags about how following those methods/curriculum to the letter will bring guaranteed results makes me leery. His assertion that it never occurred to his "normal" kids to ever disobey their parents made me suspicious.

 

Tara

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The greatest advantage of home education (it seems to me) is to be able to interact with ones children. Claiming you can spend 15 minutes a day on their education, and the SELLING that educational model to other parents, is an irresponsible and dangerous take on education in my book.

 

I could not have greater contempt for an approach that that that advocated b Art Robinson.

 

Bill

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The greatest advantage of home education (it seems to me) is to be able to interact with ones children. Claiming you can spend 15 minutes a day on their education, and the SELLING that educational model to other parents, is an irresponsible and dangerous take on education in my book.

 

I could not have greater contempt for an approach that that that advocated b Art Robinson.

 

Bill

 

 

That's interesting, as it seems exactly the approach that Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, to name a couple, took to their own education. :)

 

As far as Robinson claiming that anyone who follows his method will have great results, that's not true. He specifically states that he CANNOT guarantee what will work for another family, but only relate what worked for his. That's why he includes the bit about avoiding sugar - not that avoiding sugar is some magic bullet, but that was one of the ways HIS family chose to live and it may or may not have affeced their education.

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Dr. R spent huge amounts of time with his children. His children were (and still are) an integral part of his life. They were first his students, and they are now his colleagues. They are a close and loving family. Dr. R's oldest son is running his political campaign, but the entire family is working together on it and causing quite a stir for the incumbent. As regards the actual curriculum, Dr. R and his children put together an educational plan that worked for their family. Selling the plan was as much the children's idea as his.

 

I have been reading WTM and listening to SWB's lectures, and while SWB advocates a different path to achieve student independence, she also promotes independence at the high school level. I can't remember whether it was in the book or on one of the lectures, but she mentions 15 minutes of input for every hour of student work at the rhetoric level. That's 75 minutes of involvement for a six hour (approximately), academic day. Not really a lot of teaching. Eventually, most students stand alone for their academics. That's a good thing. However, that doesn't mean the parent isn't involved in their child's life. The involvement changes. Also, in Jessie Wise's lecture, "If I Could Do It Over...", she describes the achievements of Susan and her siblings at various stages of their education, but I never thought of it as bragging. Rather, I was intrigued and inspired by the focus and order of their lives. I have learned from Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer just as I have learned from Dr. Robinson and others.

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