Educating classically when you've never seen it

[Guest Charity Grace]

Most of the hs'ers I've been around have been boxed curriculum types (ie A Beka). I myself was homeschooled using this approach, with a lack of emphasis on rigorous academics in high school.

 

I love the idea of classical education, but I don't know anyone (locally) who does it so I can't see what it looks like. I have read WTM many times but it just feels like learning from a book is not giving me a complete picture.

 

I have a long-distance friend whose child is in Classical Conversations, and when she told me what all her child (same age as mine) is learning, I was floored. I felt I was doing OK until then. It's clear that her classically educated child will have an *incredible* education. I just don't know how to achieve that level (or similar) on my own. My kids are not ignorant, but I don't feel they are getting the "super-education" that I hoped the classical method would bring.

 

Also, classical seems to take a huge amount of time. I am having difficulty fitting everything in with multiple grade levels and other responsibilities. Tips? Ideas?

[dragons in the flower bed]

I find it helps a lot to close my eyes and walk through the day in my head, like a daydream. I remember reading in some tacky motivation newsletter that Michael Jordan did this before every game.

 

Maybe your classically homeschooling friend would let you spend a day at her house?

 

I don't know if it takes longer than the worktext method, because I've never used it. But I do know it doesn't take up any more time than any full-time job would.

[elegantlion]

You might start by reading The Latin-Centered Curriculum. It helped me see classical education as something doable for me. Like you most of our friends used a box curriculum and my own education was far from classical. LCC outlines a nice framework for classical ed and has a great chapter on helping adults who do not have a foundation in the classics.

 

I'm using the high school recs for my own self-ed.

[cara]

We follow WTM very loosely, I use it for book and curriculum recomendations, I love the way history and science are presented. We don't do everything the books says but use it as a guide.

 

I honestly think it's a lot of trial and error. You do what works for you, if it doesn't you revamp.

 

We just did everything in 2 hours this morning, some days, no most days take us a lot longer. I have 4 hours scheduled for school a day, if it takes us longer then that, we just stop until the next day. My goal is for us to be finished before lunch time everyday (2 hours). I've been struggling to fit in all in also and just came to realize we don't have to do everything, everyday.

 

We do Math, Grammar, Reading, Vocabulary and Spelling Daily

 

Writing and Handwriting are doing enterchangably every other day

 

The rest of the schedule we do a block schedule

 

Monday - Art

Tuesday - Science

Wednesday - History

Thursday - Geography

Friday - Homeschool Group

 

This way everything gets in every week. I'll let you know how it works as this is our first week. Now I only have 2 at the moment. DN is 3 and she is doing tot school activities (hands on play based themed activities) while DS (8) does his school work. DD is 1 and will play or nap during school time, when she is old enough she will do tot school activities also.

 

I also started adding in a unit study based on DS's interest every other week... I got them from TOS and while they are Christian based I don't find them overly Christian and something we can work with as secular homeschoolers, the material is presented well and is very interactive. These are done only if DS wants to and only for 15-20 minutes a day.

 

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=429&zenid=35960e84e145711a230e6037397263ec

 

Hope that helps. This forum has helped a lot and I have one friend that is loosely following WTM so we bounce ideas off of each other.

Edited January 11, 2010 by cara

[Heather in WI]

Honestly, I get through subjects quicker when I do them the way The Well-Trained Mind advocates as compared to doing them with a textbook publisher. I remember back in first grade when I tried Bob Jones Science. Oh my goodness! The prep time + the time it took to teach a lesson was greater than my other subjects combined!

 

I have a 4th grader, a 2nd grader, and a K4-er. :-) I find it easiest to pair up highly teacher intensive subjects for one child to subjects for the other children that are mostly independent. That way I can work with each child one-on-one while another child is occupied.

 

Have you read any of Susan Wise Bauer's "A Day in the Life"? I find them entertaining and reflective of days in a classically homeschooling family.

 

SCHOOL AT MY HOUSE - Susan Wise Bauer

 

Edited to add:

For our family, scheduling is key. I make out a schedule for each child the Fri/Sat before each new week. I'll try to link my older boys' current schedules. Just ignore the times on the left hand column. That's from the beginning of the year when I was still switching things around trying to find our groove. Morning school takes about 1 1/2 -2 hours. Afternoon School takes about 2 hours for my 2nd grader and 2 1/2 - 3 hours for my 4th grader.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Heather in WI

[Chris in VA]

Classical Conversations looks very impressive, and it is, but it is memory work in the younger years, and meets one day a week. It is not meant to be a whole curriculum then--although later is a different story. So perhaps you are seeing the fruits of memory work in her kids--and that is actually not very time consuming, and is just one component of a well-trained mind!

 

What are the ages of your kiddos, if I may ask?

 

Really, I don't think classically educating takes as much time as people think. By 5th grade, a lot of it is independent--Mom checks in for 10 minutes, kid reads for an hour type of thing. (I am currently re-reading Logic Stage right now, so I just read this in WTM.)

 

I agree that going thru with more kids is more difficult/time consuming, but so is brick and mortar school, and this is really so much more efficient. It is a full-time job, but one with lots and lots of perks.

[Guest Charity Grace]

My kids are almost 2, 4, 6, and 9. I do think I should keep that in mind. In a couple years they will do a lot more independent work, although my 9yo is a phenomenal reader, which helps.

 

The day in the life was helpful too.

 

I agree that it doesn't take more time than a full time job, but I don't know how FT working women do it all either! LOL

 

My friend's children are just at the memorization level. Maybe it seemed overwhelming to me because one of mine struggles with memorizing.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

[angela in ohio]

Since this is so time-consuming and so different from what everyone else I know is doing, it helps me to keep dunking myself in the 'theory' for encouragement.

 

Some helpful resources:

 

CIRCE Institute - read their articles, order talks from their conference, visit the (not very active, unfortunately) message boards

 

Veritas Press - you can order talks from their teacher training at Wordmp3.com, sign up for the Epistula (monthly email) and the catalog, both of which have thought provoking articles, or read the archive of articles at their site

 

Memoria Press - order their catalog and read the archives on their site for helpful articles

 

ACCS - you can order their talks at sermonaudio.com, also

 

Read:

Classical Education and the Homeschool (Wilson)

Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning (Wilson)

Teaching the Trivium (Bluedorn)

The Seven Laws of Teaching (Milton)

 

Read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and Swiss Family Robinson for examples of classical education and family-driven education.

Edited January 11, 2010 by angela in ohio

[Laura Corin]

 

Have you read any of Susan Wise Bauer's "A Day in the Life"? I find them entertaining and reflective of days in a classically homeschooling family.

 

SCHOOL AT MY HOUSE - Susan Wise Bauer

 

Not comparing myself to SWB, but here's another day in the life. It was a very good day - often things are much more fraught and crazy than that. There's a post here which is probably more representative.

 

I started home educating when I lived in China and had little to compare myself with. I found that coming here to the forums (and previously to the Sonlight forums, although I never bought a core) was very important in building my confidence.

 

Good luck,

 

Laura

[Colleen in NS]

Honestly, I get through subjects quicker when I do them the way The Well-Trained Mind advocates as compared to doing them with a textbook publisher.

 

Since this is so time-consuming and so different from what everyone else I know is doing, it helps me to keep dunking myself in the 'theory' for encouragement.

 

Same here. I've been using WTM as my guide for almost six years now, and the more I read here, the more I figure out how to teach various skills, the more I'm able to teach efficiently. It takes a lot of time for *me*, but schooling the kids doesn't take up hours and hours a day. And I enjoy learning how to learn with WTM-rec'd skills. I think it's MUCH more satisfying to our minds than using a prepared content curriculum.

 

As to never having seen it....I haven't either. I have depended on reading people's experiences and stories here.

[Peela]

What has motivated me is getting that wonderful education myself alongside my kids. I find it inspiring. I was never homeschooled myself so I dont have anything to compare it to..but my picture of textbook type hoemschooling is the child sitting and working on their own a lot. I find with the WTM type classical- not that I follow it closely but it has been my inspiration for years- it requires my attention and involvement but that is a fantastic thing. Reading SOTW aloud on the couch has left the most wonderful childhood memories. Struggling with Latin together, learning about artists, reading classical literature, trying science experiments...all wonderful shared experiences.

I would try and combine your kids for everything but the basics, even if they have to work on different levels. Stay on the one history year and do the one year of science..and combine for those subjects as much as you can.

The joy of learning together has outweighed the exhaustion on my part....and given us common experiences that will last us a lifetime of conversations.