An introduction and a question

[Jujudalu]

Hello

 

I am sorry if this is a repeat message. I tried to post a similar one earlier but received a message that I wasn't logged in and lost the message. GRRR

 

I am a homeschooling mother of two boys DS11 (almost 12) and DS8 and a DD3. My children have always homeschooled. We have in the past been fairly ecclectic Classical/CM/SL. I read, tried and put aside TWTM (1st edn) when I first started homeschooling. I have recently reread the latest edition and found it appealing. My experience homeschooling has given me a different lense and my expectations are more realistic. Last year my DS11 did SL core 3 which we greatly enjoyed but we seemed to end the year without having put pen to paper much, so I am reevaluating.

 

I am considering doing TWTM. I have gone through the relevant years and summarised/broken down what is suggested/required. I would start DS8 in grammar and DS11 in dialectic at the beginning of the 4 year history cycle and then gradually work up through the year so they are both at the suggested skills level in terms of written work (narration, outlining etc) for their grade/age.

 

My question is this. I have done quite a bit of searching through past posts and I am curious as to why, given that this is TWTM forum, there so much discussion (particularly for history) of other curriculum SL, MFW, Winterpromise, TOG or whatever. I am aware that the classical method can be applied to other resources, that homeschoolers should adapt/tweak whatever curriculum to their needs, family, stage etc. I am just wondering whether TWTM is more appealing on paper than in reality and whether it is a recipe for burnout. In which case I will reconsider sticking with SL and just add the rigour of TWTM to our written work and then re-evaluate what we are doing for highschool.

 

My question is a genuine one. I would really like to hear the experiences of veteran homeschoolers using TWTM history pretty much as outlined and that are happy.

 

Thank you in advance to those who take the time to reply. I am fully aware of how precious a homeschooling mother's time is.

 

Julia

[NancyNellen]

Hi Julia! Welcome the the WTM boards!

 

We are currently in our 9th year of homeschooling and have followed the suggestions in TWTM rather closely for most of it. I was especially drawn to the systematic approach of narration, copywork, and dictation. It just made sense to me - and it did give my kids a very solid foundation in the early years.

 

When my son hit the logic stage, and we had finished all 4 years of Story of the World, I needed to find a history course for him. Now, this kids lives and breathes history. I knew the suggestions in TWTM wouldn't be appealing to him since he had already devoured both the Usborne and Kingfisher Encyclopedias. (Seriously, the Usborne is duct taped together - he used to sleep with it when he was younger!) He had read and re-read every page of those encyclopedias many times. I knew the suggestion to outline from the Kingfisher would be unsatisfying to him, so we tried History Odyssey for his 5th grade year. It was OK, and we worked on outlining. The next year we did Teaching Company courses. We practiced taking notes from a lecture - turning those notes into an outline, and writing summaries of the lectures. The next year he and his sister did the Teaching Company High School Early American History course - completing all of the comprehension questions and essay questions each week.

 

This is our first year using TOG and it has been a godsend. I can keep all of my children in the same period, discussing the same topics, but working at their own skill level. With soon-to-be five school age children it behooves me to find a way of doing history that is more streamlined. My children have really enjoyed the reading selections and I have loved the teacher's notes and discussion questions. My history-obsessed son is also quite happy!

 

So there is my long-winded answer. I still love TWTM, but have found a way of doing history that, while incorporating all of the same skills found in TWTM, makes my life easier and is more engaging for my history-loving offspring.

[Leeandrea]

Welcome! I've never read TWTM. I'm not sure how I originally ended up posting on these forums, probably because we have used SOTW off/on and other classical material such as VP. I can't say for sure, but I suspect there are others here who are not using TWTM, but still are able to glean from the bank of knowledge and experience in other resources and offer ideas and share experiences of their own.

[Tracy]

I think that Susan Wise Bauer, in her wisdom, realizes that not everything works for everybody. Consequently, she has opted not to limit this forum to just WTM discussions. The result has been a very active forum where you pick people's brains about everything under the sun without wondering if someone is holding back because of the forum rules. And SWB has not necessarily used, or even seen, everything out there. So it makes sense that she allows us to discuss everything.

 

Also, a lot of the curricula that you see mentioned here (like TOG, for example) are also classical curricula. Many of us do not feel equipped to teach WTM style. Some of us didn't have a good enough education ourselves and lack confidence. (That would be me.) Others are just stretched too thin. It is nice to have something that schedules everything for you and provides a script with which to teach your children.