How has using TWTM improved homeschooling for your family?

[cakemom]

I am a bit of floater right now with no set path to follow in our homeschooling journey. I can visualize the end point goals I want for my kids out of homeschooling but when it comes to having a focused plan to follow and be sort of our guide, we are lacking in that area. So, I wonder how other families who use TWTM have found it to be helpful to both you as the teacher and for your kids education.

 

Thanks :)

[Chris in VA]

Vetted curriculum choices for me--made it much less overwhelming.

 

Gave me confidence, too--I started with a K'er, then my ds told me he wanted to homeschool high school. Because I'd already read WTM all the way thru, it was much less intimidating.

[Carol in Cal.]

1. It calmed me down. I would have been frantic about 'gaps' if I had not read it. It's so comprehensive that I know that if I do everything it says there are no gaps. I don't do everything it says, but those gaps are chosen, not accidental, and that makes all the difference to me.

2. It makes sense in explaining why to approach things a certain way. The three stages are ones that I remember. They are correct. So I have credible support for that kind of approach.

3. It helped me do something I planned to do anyhow--make world history a central organizing principle in my homeschooling. It gave a wonderful way to organize around that.

4. It sold me on copywork, which has been incredibly valuable to me. And it helped me find good, easy LA resources. If I had stuck with Scott Foresman, I would probably have quit before second grade. That comprehensive, overwhelming LA bundle was something I never really could get my arms around.

5. It introduced me to subject areas that I would not otherwise have considered--specifically, Latin, logic, astronomy, art technique. I didn't do all these all the time, but I did each of them more than I would have done without WTM. DD is richer for that.

6. It led to the essays on curriculum by SWB on her website, and also to these boards. Both resources have been immensely valuable to me and to our homeschool in ways that I could not possibly assemble in one paragraph!

[Cedarmom]

I was a "floater' as you put it for my son's younger years. We used a mix of Charlotte Mason and unit studies, which worked fine. But when my son was about 9 or so, I began to feel like we needed more distinct goals. And I listened to Susan Bauer at a conference. The things she said really struck me. She had specific goals for how to help your childthink and communicate their thoughts. I went home and bought WTM. My son is a math science guy who had trouble sharing what his thoughts were. (What was the book about--uh I don't know) WTM gave me specific guided questions to ask. We became more diligent in copywork and dictation, and his writing skills improved.Other things that I think we owe to classical/WTM are:

 

1) From doing dictation he learned how to hold thoughts in his head, which helped in communication both written and spoken.

 

2) The history cylce provided a great framework. Timelines helped him place the events.

 

3) Grammar not only improved his grammar but taught him how to think methodically.

 

4) Logic taught him how to think logically! It helped him to see flaws in other's arguments and to think through an argument.

 

5) We both loved the Great Book we did in his High school years. It taught us to pay attention to what we're reading, how books are part of the great conversation, how we can tackle something difficult and that reading "old" books can be fun.

 

6) Latin taught us to pay attention to detail. It improved my rusty memory and strengthened my son's memory.

 

7) We did debate club because WTM said we needed to do debate. And I attribute debate to helping make my son a confident speaker (which is definitely not his normal personality)

 

I am now at the end of teaching my son's homeschool. It is very interesting to look back and see how much WTM has influenced us. These things are just the tip of the iceberg- I think SWB is very knowledgeable and has written a fantastic helpful book. You don't have to follow it exactly-but she does give a great framework.

[mycalling]

It gives be a starting point to tweak things from. Basic amounts of time to spend per subject, per grade. What output I can expect from a child each grade. A basic advancement of skills in each subject over the years.

[Heatherwith4]

Admittedly I'm just starting, but WTM has already proven to be an invaluable resource! First, it gave me direction and guidelines. Second, it helped me make decisions. (Before I had the entire RR catalog to pick from!) Also, it made me realize it's okay to have high academic standards.

[kwickimom]

I am brand new, but without WTM as my guide I think I would have decided not to even try HS. I was crazy overwhelmed and doubting myself until I found this site and read the book. Now that I have a guide to follow I feel so much better. It all makes total sense and has a great flow and sequence to it. It just clicked and now I am totally excited and not scared at all.

[myfunnybunch]

We follow WTM only loosely, but it's provided a framework for our studies and helped reinforce my belief in and desire for a rigorous education for my children. I re-read it almost every school year so that I can put my thoughts and plans for the year in order.

 

Cat

[lllll]

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