WTM- The Book-advice for a mom who is a new reader?

[Bang!Zoom!]

I bought a hardcover copy of WTM today.

 

At Barnes & Noble. Full price. I couldn't stand not knowing details anymore.

 

I've been assimilated.

 

Have any advice for a new reader?

 

What are some of the most surprising ideas you ran across? Most helpful or amazing portions?

 

I think I want to get this autographed or something. :)

 

Susan, mind if I mail you out a bookplate to sign and send back? :)

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

I think the best thing I did with WTM was read parts of it to my husband. I'm a fast sight reader, and reading it out loud helped me see things I missed, as well as cement in my mind what it said. It also got my husband from 80% sure about homeschooling to 200% :D

[Julie in Austin]

The schedules (as in: amount of time spent on a subject) do not seem to reflect most people's reality: we've always spent *much* less time while doing the bulk of the WTM program.

[Bang!Zoom!]

Is there any particular part you refer to over and over again? Do you write in yours, highlight, make margins in the notes?

 

I'm like that. I'm a big time scribbler.

 

On the intro pages (xxv) it starts with the sentence: This is a very big book.

 

I don't know why that struck me as hysterically funny, but it did, I was laughing and howling and had to set it down and walk away.

 

Ya, talking about teaching the (basically) theory of everything is a going to require some pages...

 

It's like opening a bible or something. :)

 

The first ah ha/mind crunchy thing I've found is the emphasis on the written vs. the visual. I liked that. A lot.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

In the resources sections for my child's age group I sticky note review notes from Amazon and here.

 

I'm starting from a young age, so I've read the grammar stage chapters more than I've read the rest (I've read all of WTM 2 or 3 times and I plan on getting the 3rd edition and reading it within the next 6-9 months.)

[Bang!Zoom!]

3rd edition is what I have. Small moment of panic there, I'd asked if I had the most current edition available, had to double check.

 

Yep, this is it.

 

Can I scribble now? :)

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Can I scribble now? :)

 

 

Sickynotes have more room, imho. And you should definitely mark what's important to you :001_smile:

[Margo out of lurking]

I used sticky notes and pencil marks. When I loaned my book out, I took out the sticky notes (because they stuck out past the sides of the pages) and wrote the page number on each one so I could return them to their "spot."

 

My advice? Just read the beginning and then your child's level for the time being.

 

:D

[happyhomemaker25]

Read it and walk away for awhile. Come back and read it again. Really. When you've homeschooled for a year or two read it again. Really.

When I first read the book my girls were in school and I was waiting to adopt them. The day adoption was finalized I went from the courthouse to the school board and took them out with 3 weeks left in school.

That was Friday. We started on Monday. I had an 8yo who was on the verge of failing 2nd grade and a K'er. I used everything the book recommended. By the end of week 2 my girls were in tears and my hair was sticking up on my head. It was crazy. Within the year I'd given up almost everything I learned from TWTM. That was about 6 years ago. About a year ago I read the book again and it all made sense. I am using it now as a guide and fitting in things that work with my kids. We are back to basics with my 2 older girls and I wish I'd been able to see the book as a guide and not a "must do" back when we started. I don't think we would have burned out and I think my 2 older girls would be closer to where they need to be.

It's an amazing resource and there was a thread on here awhile back about covering the basics with your kids that I think should be included in the next version of the book. :thumbup1: It helped me make sense of it all and understand what I was reading when I read it again. The videos on Youtube by SWB are amazing and a great tool as well.

I hope this has helped you some.

[Bang!Zoom!]

I am just reading a page at a time, and it seems that on every page I am picking up one line or set of words that are thunderbolt for me. I just love it.

 

It's also a bit powerful in how it makes me miss my mother. I feel like this is some sort of weird attic discovery of letters to me from my mother. She was a lot like Susan's mom.

 

I think I'm reading it (on the first reading) as a conceptual overview, a really wide scope of really big ideas. My heart about broke when I read the part about the mental health visit with the kids that took place before they home schooled full-time. The bit about the educationally labeled levels of fluency vs. what a traditional PS classroom practiced really smacked me mentally.

 

I can really relate to this emotionally and intellectually.

 

When I was in kindergarten, the first week, I was given some books which were Dick and Jane picture books; my teacher asked me what I thought of the book..was it too hard for me?

 

I replied, "Don't be facetious."

 

Boy did that comment ever cause problems.

 

My mother had educated me at home in language arts and reading, and I was very much in the same situation as them. Not brilliant, just exposed and familiar already.

 

Mom was brought to the school for a conference, came out, and announced to me that "don't you ever go showing off like that again."

 

I was absolutely bewildered and never fit in from that day on.