If the WTM had never been written, with what approach would you be hs-ing your kids?

[Halcyon]

Just a fun question-If the WTM had never been written, and the concept of a neoclassical education hadn't really been laid out as clearly as SWB lays it out, what approach would you be taking to your child's home education? Eclectic? CM? LCC (although this was written later, and partly in 'response' to WTM, no?)?

 

Would you have "discovered" classical education, in some form, on your own?

[Chris in VA]

I'd probably be doing textbooks, with some extra reading thrown in, or drowning in KONOs by now.

 

Or, doing Sonlight, but it drives me nuts.

[Janice in NJ]

I was trying to learn about how kids learn to help my oldest; ds was in a private school. I found TWTM on an end-cap at Barnes & Nobles.

 

Read it.

Loved it.

I felt like I had direction.

 

I had read about homeschooling. Before TWTM I wasn't convinced that it was something I wanted to do.

 

I don't think I would have tried hsing if it hadn't been for TWTM.

 

Thanks Jessie and Susan. Deep gratitude and thanks!

Janice

[WTMCassandra]

Shudder. I would be in a world of hurt.

 

I would probably be trying to adapt materials from the classical Christian private school world. I had already looked at Doug Wilson's stuff before the first TWTM came out, and I was intimidated. I was and am sooooo grateful for TWTM.

Edited January 25, 2011 by WTMCassandra
ETA: Fixing typos from having tried to post from an iphone, sigh

[twacademy2010]

If WTM hadnt been written, I wouldnt be hsing! It was the book and this forum that solidified my decision :D

[momto2Cs]

Eclectically, since that is what I did before a friend told me about tWTM. We did unit studies, using a wide variety of materials and varying approaches. Sort of what we do now, only I have more of a framework in place.

[AngelBee]

Hands down Charlotte Mason. As it is, that influences a LOT of what we do.

 

I like to call our style Classical Masdorf :) A classical, CMish, waldorfy mix.

[justamouse]

CM. I had actually read @ CMs work before I read TWTM, but even back then it was beyond what I could grasp. I am finding I was very wrong. :001_smile:

[Veritaserum]

Me before reading TWTM =:willy_nilly: I was trying to do a classical approach, but I really needed some direction. Before WTM we were trying to do TJEd (which is like unschooling classical with a million products and seminars that never seemed to give me the tools I needed to actually implement a classical education in our home). If I'd had a classical education myself, it probably would have been easier.

 

It was such a relief to read TWTM! :) I might have fallen into Charlotte Mason (maybe) with a lot of tweaking....

[ReidFamily]

I would be following amblesideonline which is what I was doing when I started reading the book. Now, we've adapted the two approaches together :)

[LoveBaby]

I would be homeschooling eclectically with a heavy dose of Charlotte Mason. Honestly, WTM kind of threw me off kilter for a while. I started trying to follow it because everyone I knew was...but it didn't really fit *me*.

 

I'm thankful for having read it now and for all the wisdom gleaned from it. It does help me make decisions about certain things and give me insight into others, but I don't follow it as written and I've stopped trying to make my homeschool look like the WTM.

[elegantlion]

I would be following LCC. However, I only discovered LCC through conversations on this board. So if WTM had not been written I wouldn't be using this board.

 

We'd probably be doing eclectic and overwhelming my ds with too much.

[laundrycrisis]

Probably something like Core Knowledge, but the non-chronological history part would not have worked because it makes me dizzy.

[Cindyz]

We'd be doing K12 online. How do I know? Because we were all signed up for it and ready to go until I read the Well Trained Mind again and I quickly called them to cancel!

 

If we weren't doing that, it probably would have been a secularlized Sonlight.

[patchfire]

I don't know if I would be homeschooling, TBH. If I was, it would probably be a result of negative institutional experiences; I know we wouldn't have chosen it from the start.

 

I would probably do something that looks a little more traditional, but honestly, it's hard to say, because without WTM, I suspect a lot of the curriculum that's been developed in the last 10+ years would not exist, either.

[Crimson Wife]

Probably something like Core Knowledge, but the non-chronological history part would not have worked because it makes me dizzy.

 

:iagree:

 

I read The Educated Child by William Bennett before I ever started considering HS. It was actually one of the things that first got me thinking about HS because I saw how poorly the schools in my area compared to what was laid out in Bennett's book.

[Hillary in KS]

I'd read Douglas Wilson's "Lost Tools" book in 1993. Two of my good friends taught at the Logos School when it first started. So I was sold on the classical model.

 

In 1999 I was working a part-time job at Barnes and Noble and saw WTM, and found the forums a couple of months later.

 

But I'd still be doing a classical approach.

[abbeyej]

Classical. I'd just be working harder to figure out *how* to make that happen. :)

 

Really, dh and I talked about wanting our children to have a classical education before we even knew we'd have the *same* children. ;)

[Jyniffrec]

I would hope that I would have searched for a classical education, but I would probably be doing Sonlight or Ambleside Online.

[angela in ohio]

We'd be using Veritas and Logos. I used them mostly in the beginning, but have incorporated more WTM for high school and for my third ds.

[mom2boys030507]

:banghead: would be me trying to use Abeka or something else that was written for a classroom. This is what I was looking at until a friend showed me MFW. Then I found HOD used that for a year and then had the courage to do my own thing. Then, I realized that I was really doing TWTM but making it harder by not really reading the book. Now, life is much easier even though I still do our own thing for history in science. I have a clear big picture outline and a place to go when I am not sure what the next step should be is.

[prairiegirl]

We would be doing unit studies. :001_smile:

[nova mama]

If WTM hadnt been written, I wouldnt be hsing! It was the book and this forum that solidified my decision :D

 

Ditto! Before reading WTM, I didn't know that I could do it!

[Elizabeth in MN]

Well, we're mostly LCC but I do view that as a response to WTM. That said if I were not doing WTM I'd likely be doing something between Ambleside Online and Waldorf.

[elise1mds]

Add me to the list of those who probably wouldn't be HSing. I had considered it, but didn't have the knowledge about "how" to do it. My revelation came when a HSing friend handed me her copy of WTM and encouraaged me to flip through it. It gave me the confidence to think, "I can do this!"

[Ariston]

I guess I'm in the minority here because TWTM has not influenced me in the slightest--I did not care for the book at all. But if the TWTM did not exist, then these forums would not exist and that would be a bummer for me b/c I love coming here and getting advice on curricular choices! :D

[Carol in Cal.]

On the bad side:

 

I would not have even considered trying Latin.

I probably would have skipped Logic altogether.

 

I would still have coordinated history and literature, because that's just something I really, really like; and I would still have started world history really early.

 

I doubt that I would have taught grammar as well as I did. Certainly I would not have started it so soon or stuck to it so far.

 

I would not have implemented or pushed copywork, and thus DD would not have progressed in spelling and punctuation to the acceptable level that she is at now.

 

I would have taught writing much more as creative writing, and DD would have been far less prepared to write good, strong essays in high school. I would never have emphasized summarization at all, and DD is very good at netting out the most important points in anything she reads because of that emphasis. Our literary discussions would not have been nearly as good, and DD would have no idea how to formulate a thesis statement.

 

Worst of all, I might have stopped much sooner. I am not sure that I would have had the confidence to go much beyond 5th or 6th grade. Before I read TWTM, I was terrified of gaps.

 

On the downside, there have been a few things that I could have done that would have paid off in the long run, if I hadn't followed TWTM.

 

I would have taught more science earlier, just as I taught more history earlier than I was taught.

 

I would have switched to Spanish soon enough to make high school Spanish easier for DD, rather than doing Latin after we dropped German because it was getting too time-consuming and is not taught in high schools here.

 

I'm really glad that, early on, I read SWB's descriptions of a few 'typical' days at her home. They were much more relaxed than my interpretation of TWTM. That gave me the space to take a deep breath and do the best thing for my DD, and not to worry so much if we weren't exactly on TWTM grade level at all times. (starting with first grade, when she did not learn to read quickly.)

Edited January 25, 2011 by Carol in Cal.

[BBG580]

Hands down Charlotte Mason. As it is, that influences a LOT of what we do.

 

I like to call our style Classical Masdorf :) A classical, CMish, waldorfy mix.

 

I'm going to steal this term! I'm finding that I like a blend of the three as well. :tongue_smilie:

[johnandtinagilbert]

Hands down Charlotte Mason. As it is, that influences a LOT of what we do.

 

I like to call our style Classical Masdorf :) A classical, CMish, waldorfy mix.

Love that!

 

I shudder at the thought. A stranger at a home school park day introduced it to me and within the first few chapters I found myself. I got on the (old) forum and took off from there. I have benefitted from this forum as much or more than from the book.

 

We've changed a bit along the way, but I would not have done Latin or Logic for certain and I'm quite sure I would be using more classroomish materials without joy!

 

This forum introduced me to Charlotte Mason, too, so over time, I have morphed into a CM/neo-classicalISH home schooler.

 

I would not have found TOG w/o the forums, either.

 

I would be less flexible,also since many of the more relaxed hsers here have shown me great results; whereas the relaxed schoolers irl did not do that for me.

 

The process as a whole has been a real life changer.

[LisaKinVA]

I'd probably still be doing some version of classical ed... mostly with Veritas Press, mixed with a bit of CM, and traditional (so not that much different than what I'm doing now ;))

 

Now, if you asked me what I'd be doing without FLL, SOTW, the adult series by Bauer... that's another question entirely :D

[Mommyfaithe]

Just a fun question-If the WTM had never been written, and the concept of a neoclassical education hadn't really been laid out as clearly as SWB lays it out, what approach would you be taking to your child's home education? Eclectic? CM? LCC (although this was written later, and partly in 'response' to WTM, no?)?

 

Would you have "discovered" classical education, in some form, on your own?

 

Well, I was homeschooling before the WTM came out so I can answer this question truthfully...LOL.

 

I started out homeschooling with a very literary approach...and I already had decided to teach world history chronologically. Back then, Sonlight had a World History core (actually similar to how it is now) and I tried that off the bat. It didn't work great for us, but there really wasn't much available back then.

 

I read a lot from Ruth Beechick and the discovered Charlotte Mason. They both have influenced my homeschool greatly. I also read a ton of stuff by Marilyn Howshall and by othe Christian homeschool Moms who were writing curricula in those days....Barb Shelton, Maggie Hogan, Lynda Coates, Robin Sampson Scarlata etc.

 

I would love to know which educators Jessie Wise studied and whose methods she used. I know she contacted classical private schools and asked for their curricula lists. I did something similar in my early days....

 

Gee, when I started homeschooling, we couldn't get teacher manuals without a school letterhead, there was no internet, and we were always worried about the truant officer.

 

Faithe

[Mommy22alyns]

I had read about homeschooling. Before TWTM I wasn't convinced that it was something I wanted to do.

 

I don't think I would have tried hsing if it hadn't been for TWTM.

 

 

 

This. I have some friends on a children's clothing board I frequent who homeschool, who helped me dispel the stereotypical notions of the denim jumper. :001_huh: And one of them recommended TWTM. So I bought & read the book and it just felt so doable. I have to admit, we've strayed from following the book strictly, but if TWTM had never been written, my girls might be in public school right now.

[UmMusa]

If WTM hadnt been written, I wouldnt be hsing! It was the book and this forum that solidified my decision :D

Same here. Well, I might have gone with K-12 b/c that was sort of all I knew about. Who knows what I would have done if I were not very pleased with it. I am very thankful for this book!

[hiveHolly]

I wouldn't be homeschooling either. I always thought homeschoolers were just running away from bad schools or bad influences. I live within walking distance of some of the best schools in a great school district. Reading TWTM, however, convinced me to walk away from good enough and strive for something better.

[DaffodilDreams]

Instead of classical/cm/waldorf, I'd just be cm/waldorf.

[persephone43]

Charlotte Mason ....but Im pretty much doing that already with my son. I decided to take a different approach with him. My dd was very, very different and really thrived with the classical method. Honestly I don’t know that i would have felt as confident or loved what we were doing as much if I had never come across TWTM. It was the ultimate inspiration for me and pretty much my homeschooling bible and the one I always reccommend to families interested in homeschooling. I shudder to think of a world without Susan and Jessie and their phenomenal work.

[Rosy]

Probably Sonlight...and I'd be constantly griping about the cost.

[Sahamamama]

Wow, that's hard to imagine. Even though our girls are so young, we have pursued homeschooling since before they were born. I can still remember the day, eleven years ago, when I first saw WTM (1st edition) on the shelf in the library. I can actually picture it there....

 

This was the first book I ever read on homeschooling. Prior to that, I knew some people who homeschooled, I had asked them many questions, I had tried to think about what "it" must be like... but WTM was the first hands-on resource I found that really laid it all out, step-by-step, and made it seem like something real people could do.

 

Other than WTM, I have been drawn to many ideas of Charlotte Mason & Ambleside Online, some ideas from Trivium Pursuit (mostly placing the emphasis in the early years on language/vocabulary), and Montessori (which I don't think I ever really understand, I just feel drawn to it). I also have liked a few ideas from LCC, especially the literature selections for the early grades -- and the fact that Drew kept them to a few, choice works to be read and reread and savored.

 

Frankly, even though these books are not at all homeschooling books, I have been strongly influenced by the work of Diane Ravitch, E.D. Hirsch, William Bennett, and Sandra Stotsky -- all people who place an emphasis on strong academics, core knowledge, and content mastery.

 

I probably would be a combination of

 

 

• Charlotte Mason (nature study, handicrafts, multiple foreign languages, copywork & dictation, oral narration as training for written composition, grammar, living books)
  
• Trivium Pursuit (in particular this list of Ten Things to Do with Your Student Before Age Ten).
  
• Latin-Centered Curriculum -- not exactly his sequence, but the pursuit of Latin as a core subject, not an add-on. Also, his literature selections to some extent.
  
• Core Knowledge -- not exactly with the same nauseatingly multicultural political correctness :tongue_smilie:, but the pursuit of actually KNOWING a body of core, common knowledge and honing real skills.
  
• Memoria Press has also been an influence... some good, thought-provoking articles and ideas come out of that resource. I think that Mrs. Cheryl Lowe is a teacher's teacher.
  
• Math Mammoth -- sounds funny, but thinking about a teacher's teacher made me think of Maria Miller. She's another one who is shaking up my world, and teaching me HOW to teach math.
  

 

I suppose I like whatever I perceive as not being anti-intellectual? Does that make sense? For example, an assignment that has a 10th grader writing a 7-10 page research paper with citation in proper format is what I consider academic, rigorous, and appropriate. An assignment that has the same 10th grader writing a rap song pulled out of his head about how the little paperback novel made him FEEL is what I consider anti-intellectual, lame, and a waste of time. So the above resources have appeal because they, like WTM, are also not against developing a well-trained mind.

Edited January 25, 2011 by Sahamamama

[Mimm]

I actually didn't know about the WTM until rather recently, but we had decided on classical education when my oldest was a baby, after hearing someone talk about Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning. We relocated after that, but just happened to find a classical private school nearby (I fairly adamantly didn't want to homeschool at that time). When we decided to homeschool this year, I was looking for stuff and found WTM. I haven't even read it. I've read parts. :)

[Hedgehog]

We came to Classical education only recently, and I'm not sure I would have ever "discovered" it on my own. A good friend recommended that I read TWTM and I'm so glad I did.

 

Before that we were unschoolers with a bit of Montessori/Steiner-Waldorf thrown in. The kids would probably be at a Montessori or Steiner school now, actually.

[ElizabethB]

Pretty much the same. I had Latin books before I had children or had read WTM. I tell people only half jokingly that I chose classical because I already owned most of the books.

 

Now, if not for this forum, I wouldn't have some of the more fun things we're doing like MCT and RS math games.

[Annabel Lee]

Just a fun question-If the WTM had never been written, and the concept of a neoclassical education hadn't really been laid out as clearly as SWB lays it out, what approach would you be taking to your child's home education? Eclectic? CM? LCC (although this was written later, and partly in 'response' to WTM, no?)?

 

Would you have "discovered" classical education, in some form, on your own?

 

I'd either still be doing Abeka (possibly w/ modified science to incl. more hands-on) or I'd have had to talk to some Sonlight/Weaver/KONOS folks to find out about a different way of homeschooling. I might have tried to add or substitute some of the plans outlined in the Colfax's book Homeschooling for Excellence, which I read the same summer as TWTM. Or, I suppose, my kids would be in private school & I'd be at work. :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: I finally got sick of the last bits of Abeka I was hanging onto this year, and I do have a friend IRL who recommended VP when ds9 was 6. She only talked about their reading & lit. guides, so that's what I did. Maybe I would have pursued that when I got sick of Abeka (I'd like to think!).

 

I had NEVER heard of CM, LCC, "eclectic", piecing together your own curric. let alone making your own before I entered the world of this forum.

Edited January 25, 2011 by Annabel Lee

[Donna]

I would be eclectic which is what I basically am now. I have read CM, books on unschooling, and other education theorys besides TWTM. So, I tend to take what I like from each depending on what works best for each child.

 

I really liked the way SB laid out the cycles for history and science and hadn't seen it done like that before so I would probably be doing history and science differently...more by topic than sequentially.

 

I would still be doing the same subjects and giving my kids (now kid since the others are in ps) a rigorous education.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Some sort of Core Knowledge/Sonlight mix. I might never have found CLE though which my kids like more than anything else we've done. I don't know that I would be planning Latin either. I tend to wander around on my own anyway though the WTM provides a starting point for me. I assume I would just be wandering with another starting point.

[Closeacademy]

Waldorf. After I left Sonlight and realized that the living books curriculums weren't going to work for us, I probably would have tried Oak Meadow again a lot sooner. It's what I wanted to do at the beginning. That or CM. And CM didn't really work for us.:001_smile:

[dakarimom5]

Many years ago I hs my oldest using a box curriculum. I didn't NOT like it but it was way too easy...we did 2nd grade in about 3 months. After that I felt he would get a better education at a private school.

 

Fast forward to now and I'm not the only hs mom I know. Actually most of my hs friends use WTM in some way.

[angela in ohio]

Pretty much the same. I had Latin books before I had children or had read WTM. I tell people only half jokingly that I chose classical because I already owned most of the books.

 

Same here. I had pieces of a Classical education in public high school and college. I took Latin, had a fierce grammar teacher, had an overall very rigorous education, and took Great Books classes in college. I knew I wanted the same for my dc, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I had a Latin and Greek text and all of the major Great Books on my shelves before we started homeschooling. :001_smile:

[Haiku]

We'd be doing CM.

 

Tara

[skueppers]

I would probably have been an eclectic homeschooler -- and that still seems most likely.

 

I don't really think of myself as a TWTM follower, and I have no idea which aspects of the method I will incorporate long term. My oldest child is in Kindergarten, and I don't think we'd be doing K differently if TWTM had never been written. Next year, I plan to do ancient history, which I probably wouldn't have done in as much depth without TWTM, though I would probably have done it at least as far as is outlined by the Core Knowledge folks.

 

Many people I know are unschoolers, and I'm very clear that this philosophy doesn't resonate with me. One of the things I love about these forums is that people here generally agree that it's important for kids to learn specific academic skills.

[Tammyla]

Charlotte Mason