If you choose to homeschool with the classical method and are almost done...

[Neptune]

I would love to ask you a couple of questions :)

 

1. Why did you choose classical education in the first place?

2. Are you happy with your choice / would you have done things differently looking back?

3. Why do you think this method of education is beneficial for your child?

 

I am currently evaluating my options for homeschooling. I am reading WTM right now, and I would love to have real feedback from people who have been there/done that.

 

Thank you

[WTMCassandra]

What do you mean by almost done? (I mean that sincerely, no snark.)

 

My children are beginning high school, and I'm already seeing the fruit of my labors start to emerge. Now and then. (Not today, which was, ummmm, really Monday-ish.) But I am confident enough from what I have already seen to stay the course. We have done WTM since the beginning of our school career.

 

But I have not yet officially graduated anyone or had them accepted into college, so the jury is still out.

 

ETA: I forgot to provide some of the specific answers you were looking for.

 

1. Years ago before WTM came out, I investigated all of the methods available at that time. I liked bits here and there but didn't feel like I really fit anywhere. I had thought I would like classical but Doug Wilson was the only game in town and he intimidated me, bigtime. Then when WTM came out, I found ALL the things I had liked about all the other approaches in there. I called it "the kinder, gentler classical education." It totally fit our family, and I've been there ever since.

 

2. We have been very happy with our decision.

 

3. My children are learning to think for themselves, and they are learning to write short persuasive papers right on time, after doing copywork/narration/dictation/summaries/outlines for many years. I really like Susan's sections on "What You're Not Doing" and "What You're Still Not Doing" in her writing curriculum, which have helped me stay the course when I got nervous in this area. My children are doing formal logic and are able to handle it because of the preparation she recommended. Their Latin really helps their language arts skills, and they are holding their own in Greek. Our WTM Great Books study is going well.

Edited April 10, 2012 by WTMCassandra

[missmoe]

I have one that graduated last year and is a freshman in college this year, two currently attending high school, and two middle-schoolers homeschooling.

 

 

 

1. Why did you choose classical education in the first place?

 

I choose to provide a classical education because I was drawn to the order of this method of homeschooling. The building of skills makes sense to me.

 

2. Are you happy with your choice / would you have done things differently looking back?

 

I am happy with this choice. What would I have done differently? I would have stuck with things longer before trying a different method or curriculum. With my first I was too quick to jump ship to something new and better. I think there is a learning curve with everything--teaching is no different. I've become more confident as a teacher and learned how to rely on the method of teaching instead of a specific curriculum.

 

3. Why do you think this method of education is beneficial for your child?

 

I can see the skills my oldest learned through classical schooling benefiting him in all aspects of his life. The self discipline and thinking skills developed through this kind of learning will carry him through anything he decides to try.

 

Keep in mind that one model does not fit all. I have two children that left homeschooling to go to school at the high school level. The school they attend follows the classical model some what though that model looks different from what we do/did at home. For these children this school was better for them. Classical school does not fit every child.

 

Also, I never saw my children doing anything but homeschooling until graduation, but life changes and different opportunities present themselves. It's good to make plans now, but know they may need to change at some point.

[MelAR05]

:lurk5: :bigear:

[Neptune]

What do you mean by almost done? (I mean that sincerely, no snark.)

 

 

As in "are you near the end of your homeschooling journey?". Sorry I might not have made that part of my post very clear. Sorry about that. (it was rather late when I wrote it);)

 

I am very interested by what I have read in WTM. But I wanted to have a glimpse in the future of what a children that has been homeschool with this method "looks" like when he/she is almost through with homeschooling.

 

 

I totally appreciate your replies! Thank you very much for these answers.

 

 

missmoe: Your comment about the fact that there is not a one size fits all method of education is one of the reason for this post. Thank you for bringing this up, and reminding me again of this.

[angela in ohio]

I don't know if I fit your definition of almost done or not. My oldest has two years left.

 

1. I had two weeks to prep for homeschooling my dd, as I was pulling her out in the middle of kindergarten. I read every book on homeschooling, looked at what was available on the web (much less back then!!,) and thought about what I appreciated from my own education. I had a pretty rigorous education in a public school, including Latin and Great Books, and I saw that in classical education. I have continued to read books about many different education philosophies, but we are solidly grounded in classical ed. I appreciate the focus on learning the skills necessary to learn - gather information, process, output.

 

2. If there is anything I would have done differently, it's that I would have been even more confident in taking a different path (classical education.) I still kept us a bit on track with the usual scope and sequence at times, and I wouldn't have worried about that at all.

 

3. My dd can learn anything, she can express herself incredibly well in writing and speaking, she thinks logically, and she has a large mass of background information to work with in the basic knowledge of the world. In addition, she loves to read, and she can read anything comfortably, and she has a view of the world from a much larger scope than many her age.

[Neptune]

I don't know if I fit your definition of almost done or not. My oldest has two years left.

 

 

Yes, it does ;)

 

thank you so much for your input! I really appreciate it.