For Those of You Who Encouraged Me to Read "WTM"

[PachiSusan]

I put myself on a waiting list for it at the library and I picked it up today and am browsing through it right now.

 

In another thread, I said I had no desire to change what was working for us so I didn't need to read it. I realized now that If I'm to have my arsenal completely full and ready to pull out different tools if I need them, I need to be more prepared. I am reading some Charlotte Mason, some SWB, some traditional methods...

 

I have a 10 year old that is edging into the Logic Stage, but we really haven't done much of classical training up until this point. How do you read this book? It isn't a read through and it seems just overwhelming to me.

 

Any hints?

 

Just for anyone else's information -I am using a full curriculum from Seton Home Study School and I don't plan on leaving it, but incorporate more classical thought/methods into it. I do not plan to change to the full program. :)

[weederberries]

Back when I read it for the first time, I was new to homeschooling, my children were barely walking. I had a desire to homeschool, but felt I would have to invent my own system to match what I had in my mind as ideal. TWTM didn't make any sense to me (very little anyway) until I got all the way to the end. It made me realize I wasn't the only one traveling down this path. Yes, I consider it a read through book. When you finally realize where it all is winding up, you will understand the rest. Then, you will be able to use the book in it's pieces and sections more readily.

 

Try your best to read through the whole thing - skimming the detailed lists of curricula suggestions and book lists. You'll understand the why and then go back for the hows.

[swellmomma]

Brand new to the book I would read the prologue, grammar stage (skip chapters 3 & 4), and grammar epilogue. Take time to think and process each chapter as you go. It is not a book to rush. Think about how you can implement the method or resources for each subject one by one. Then jump over to chapters 35-42 for further support and such for homeschooling on the whole, Then read the appendices. Chapter 46 is a resource/catalogue list keep a post it or book mark on that chapter. Then begin reading logic stage to have an over all outlook at the next stage. Followed by Rhetoric stage. Jump from there to chapters 43-45 to give outlook to ideas/plans for high school.

 

I recommend that even though your dd is only 9 you do read the rhetoric stage because it helps you come up with a big picture plan and then you can work backwards to the grade she is now to be sure you stay the track to reach those goals etc.

[serendipitous journey]

I did read it through. So if you work like that you could give it a whirl ...

 

and while I found it invaluable as a base, I disagree with rather a lot. FWIW. But I'm very, very grateful for it and it's been my single most-used resource.

[PachiSusan]

I have to say that I am quite pleased at how well Seton actually lines up with the method so far except for memorization of poems and the amount of classics/ free reading, and narration. I'm reading the scope of 4th grade material and we are doing the same things except science.

 

I am near the end of the grammar stage chapters.

[Parrothead]

I read it all the way through with my mouth hanging open the first time and a yellow highlighter the second time. This was toward the end of dd's first grade year. I dumped Kolbe's box curriculum and have been on TWTM road ever since.

 

I always thought Seton lead toward the classical. You know, because as a good Catholic, I was always interested in religious curricula choices. So I investigated the lot of them.

[happyhomemaker25]

The first time I read through it I was itching to bring my K'er and my 2nd grader, my two oldest kids, home. I took to heart everything the book said and could not wait to get started. On adoption day we went straight from the courthouse to the school board. It was a Friday. On Monday, I pulled out EVERYTHING that SWB mentioned for their grade level and we started. Oh, the vision I had! Two months later we were a hot mess. I totally put away everything and went back to the drawing board. The next 2-3 years were a blur of switching curriculum, some crazy sort of unschooling that I'm still suffering PTSD from, and general slacking off.

In desperation I came back to these boards and there was a thread from someone who had a WTM kid in college. She was talking about how they implemented the WTM and how it had actually worked out for them. One of the best threads EVER! It drove me back to the book. Now, I had some experience under my belt and could make TWTM work for me and my family instead of me just blindly following. It made a lot more sense to me. I am so happy to say that even though my older girls are farther behind for a mixture of reasons including our 2-3 year treck into the jungle and learning/emotional issues on their part they are doing well with our revamped school. My oldest son is excelling! My younger son is..well he's learning on track. LOL

I keep the book by my side most of the day. It's marked up with notes, underlining and big boxes. I have a notebook filled with pages that I just wrote out a WTM plan for each grade. Sometimes I have a plan A and a plan B. Trying to figure out the logic stage right now has kept me buried in that part of the book. Once I get a good grasp on that I will move to the rhetoric stage. I've already read through the rhetoric stage, but it's not all marked up.. yet.

If you think the book is a good resource I highly recommend you buy a copy. Mark it up, take notes, dive deep into the logic stage since that's where you are headed. Skim through the other parts so you can see the book as a whole, it really does make more sense when you see where you are going, but really focus on where you are and where you will be in the next couple of years.

That's just my suggestion for how to read the book and make it work for you.

[UrbanSue]

Well, I'm the kind of person who MUST read a book from the title page right through to the index including all footnotes, so . . .take what I say with a grain of salt. But I would read the whole thing, for the most part. Not the curriculum lists--you can skim those. But just take your time.

 

Also, I hated TWTM the first time I read it but kept it for the resource lists. After kind of hitting a wall in my first year of homeschooling I reread it and loved it. I'm not a 100% WTM-er but I definitely use it as the standard from which I deviate when I have a good reason.

 

And--though I think you are experienced enough to know this, by now--it's definitely the ideal. Obviously, obviously, you can and should tweak to fit your situation.

[Starr]

TWTM made home schooling possible for me. It led me to SWB and SOTW and, and, and.

[Mom22ns]

The first time I read it, I read it cover to cover. I did skim over the rhetoric section at that time because that seemed so far away. The next time I read it, I skipped the grammar stage. I think I've read it 3 times now. The last time, I focused mostly on Logic and Rhetoric suggestions and less on overall approach.

[PachiSusan]

Back when I read it for the first time, I was new to homeschooling, my children were barely walking. I had a desire to homeschool, but felt I would have to invent my own system to match what I had in my mind as ideal. TWTM didn't make any sense to me (very little anyway) until I got all the way to the end. It made me realize I wasn't the only one traveling down this path. Yes, I consider it a read through book. When you finally realize where it all is winding up, you will understand the rest. Then, you will be able to use the book in it's pieces and sections more readily.

 

Try your best to read through the whole thing - skimming the detailed lists of curricula suggestions and book lists. You'll understand the why and then go back for the hows.

 

Thank you, Lisa. I went ahead and started the whole thing last night and got through the grammar stage.

[PachiSusan]

 

I recommend that even though your dd is only 9 you do read the rhetoric stage because it helps you come up with a big picture plan and then you can work backwards to the grade she is now to be sure you stay the track to reach those goals etc.

 

Thank you, I will do so!

[PachiSusan]

I did read it through. So if you work like that you could give it a whirl ...

 

and while I found it invaluable as a base, I disagree with rather a lot. FWIW. But I'm very, very grateful for it and it's been my single most-used resource.

 

I'm a skim first, read in detail kind. I skimmed most of it and then started in on the Grammar stage. I skipped the pre-school stuff.

[PachiSusan]

I read it all the way through with my mouth hanging open the first time and a yellow highlighter the second time. This was toward the end of dd's first grade year. I dumped Kolbe's box curriculum and have been on TWTM road ever since.

 

I always thought Seton lead toward the classical. You know, because as a good Catholic, I was always interested in religious curricula choices. So I investigated the lot of them.

 

Well, mine is a library book so I think they would give me quite a talking to when I return it with highligher. LOL

 

I think Seton is a good fit for us - a mix of traditional and classical. I want to add in a few more "classical" things. :)

[PachiSusan]

I admire your tenacity and resolve!!!! Thank you for sharing your journey with me. We are in it for the long haul and we're in a slightly different position in that we have not done much curriculum hopping and M has been homeschooled her entire life.

 

I am going to start implementing a few things here and there this last half of 4th grade, and if they work well for our family, I will buy the book so I can devour it! :)

 

The first time I read through it I was itching to bring my K'er and my 2nd grader, my two oldest kids, home. I took to heart everything the book said and could not wait to get started. On adoption day we went straight from the courthouse to the school board. It was a Friday. On Monday, I pulled out EVERYTHING that SWB mentioned for their grade level and we started. Oh, the vision I had! Two months later we were a hot mess. I totally put away everything and went back to the drawing board. The next 2-3 years were a blur of switching curriculum, some crazy sort of unschooling that I'm still suffering PTSD from, and general slacking off.

In desperation I came back to these boards and there was a thread from someone who had a WTM kid in college. She was talking about how they implemented the WTM and how it had actually worked out for them. One of the best threads EVER! It drove me back to the book. Now, I had some experience under my belt and could make TWTM work for me and my family instead of me just blindly following. It made a lot more sense to me. I am so happy to say that even though my older girls are farther behind for a mixture of reasons including our 2-3 year treck into the jungle and learning/emotional issues on their part they are doing well with our revamped school. My oldest son is excelling! My younger son is..well he's learning on track. LOL

I keep the book by my side most of the day. It's marked up with notes, underlining and big boxes. I have a notebook filled with pages that I just wrote out a WTM plan for each grade. Sometimes I have a plan A and a plan B. Trying to figure out the logic stage right now has kept me buried in that part of the book. Once I get a good grasp on that I will move to the rhetoric stage. I've already read through the rhetoric stage, but it's not all marked up.. yet.

If you think the book is a good resource I highly recommend you buy a copy. Mark it up, take notes, dive deep into the logic stage since that's where you are headed. Skim through the other parts so you can see the book as a whole, it really does make more sense when you see where you are going, but really focus on where you are and where you will be in the next couple of years.

That's just my suggestion for how to read the book and make it work for you.

[Parrothead]

Well, mine is a library book so I think they would give me quite a talking to when I return it with highligher. LOL

 

I think Seton is a good fit for us - a mix of traditional and classical. I want to add in a few more "classical" things. :)

 

And to throw you for a loop; have you checked out Mother of Divine Grace? I think they may be more expensive than Seton.

 

(Now you know why I spend so little time on the curriculum board. Entirely too many ways to second guess or tempt oneself.)

[PachiSusan]

Well, I'm the kind of person who MUST read a book from the title page right through to the index including all footnotes, so . . .take what I say with a grain of salt. But I would read the whole thing, for the most part. Not the curriculum lists--you can skim those. But just take your time.

 

Also, I hated TWTM the first time I read it but kept it for the resource lists. After kind of hitting a wall in my first year of homeschooling I reread it and loved it. I'm not a 100% WTM-er but I definitely use it as the standard from which I deviate when I have a good reason.

 

And--though I think you are experienced enough to know this, by now--it's definitely the ideal. Obviously, obviously, you can and should tweak to fit your situation.

 

I plan to. ;) I want to incorporate more a "thought process" of classical and incorporate some methods to use with the curriculum we have chosen. I'm amazed at how well it really does line up with the content of SWB's cycle with different materials.

[PachiSusan]

TWTM made home schooling possible for me. It led me to SWB and SOTW and, and, and.

 

I'm very glad for you!!

[TracyP]

Oooh, I'm glad you decided to read it. I use very few of the resources, yet I consider WTM to be the most beneficial of all the homeschooling books I have read. I think it is because it is written by two women who have really btdt.... and done it with great success.

 

I did the same thing. I read from cover to cover skimming and sometimes skipping as I went. Then I went back to it for more specifics. Enjoy! :)

[PachiSusan]

The first time I read it, I read it cover to cover. I did skim over the rhetoric section at that time because that seemed so far away. The next time I read it, I skipped the grammar stage. I think I've read it 3 times now. The last time, I focused mostly on Logic and Rhetoric suggestions and less on overall approach.

 

I am focusing on the Logic stage now as we are so close to it.

[PachiSusan]

And to throw you for a loop; have you checked out Mother of Divine Grace? I think they may be more expensive than Seton.

 

(Now you know why I spend so little time on the curriculum board. Entirely too many ways to second guess or tempt oneself.)

 

Yes, I have. When we chose Seton, we agonized over Kolbe, MODG, and Seton, and Seton always came out on top for us. I'm glad we went with them.

[PachiSusan]

Oooh, I'm glad you decided to read it. I use very few of the resources, yet I consider WTM to be the most beneficial of all the homeschooling books I have read. I think it is because it is written by two women who have really btdt.... and done it with great success.

 

I did the same thing. I read from cover to cover skimming and sometimes skipping as I went. Then I went back to it for more specifics. Enjoy! :)

 

I needed a refresher as to why I was using a rigorous curriculum, and what our original aims were in choosing home education.

[UrbanSue]

I'm glad you are seeing the broader application of the ideas. I do a lot of things that would probably be more Charlotte Mason-ey if I just listed them but I consider myself a classical educator because my ultimate goals are the same and because, the more I actually do school, the more I see that TWTM really bears out with my reality.

[PachiSusan]

I'm glad you are seeing the broader application of the ideas. I do a lot of things that would probably be more Charlotte Mason-ey if I just listed them but I consider myself a classical educator because my ultimate goals are the same and because, the more I actually do school, the more I see that TWTM really bears out with my reality.

 

 

I think what I'm learning most is that you can take WTM in so many ways: I took it as "Follow it Faithfully" or "Don't". I didn't realize that you could take the ideas and apply them with different texts, different curricula and tailor it so much. I thought it was like a box curriculum. It works as a team only. LOL

[UrbanSue]

 

I think what I'm learning most is that you can take WTM in so many ways: I took it as "Follow it Faithfully" or "Don't". I didn't realize that you could take the ideas and apply them with different texts, different curricula and tailor it so much. I thought it was like a box curriculum. It works as a team only. LOL

 

 

You must not hang out much on the curriculum boards :laugh:

 

(I know you actually do.)

[PachiSusan]

 

You must not hang out much on the curriculum boards :laugh:

 

(I know you actually do.)

 

 

That's how I know it's not followed to the T like I thought it had to be... :rofl:

[Crimson Wife]

Other good reads are Laura Barquist's "Design Your Own Classical Catholic Curriculum" and Drew Campbell's "Latin-Centered Curriculum" (although I have heard he is no longer Catholic, he was at the time he wrote LCC). I don't follow any of them exactly but they have definitely influenced my philosophy and curricular choices.

[PachiSusan]

Other good reads are Laura Barquist's "Design Your Own Classical Catholic Curriculum" and Drew Campbell's "Latin-Centered Curriculum" (although I have heard he is no longer Catholic, he was at the time he wrote LCC). I don't follow any of them exactly but they have definitely influenced my philosophy and curricular choices.

 

Laura was my first introduction to Classical Education - she spoke at a HS convention I went to. It was my first spark!

[JudoMom]

In addition to reading the book (which I love, and need to spend some time with as we prepare for high school), I love SWB's lectures. I just listened to the Joy of Classical Education, and it reminded my why they heck we're doing this every day. A very big picture lecture, and well worth the couple bucks.

[Nan in Mass]

 

I think what I'm learning most is that you can take WTM in so many ways: I took it as "Follow it Faithfully" or "Don't". I didn't realize that you could take the ideas and apply them with different texts, different curricula and tailor it so much. I thought it was like a box curriculum. It works as a team only. LOL

 

 

YES YES!

[North Coast School]

Glad you went and picked up the book! Even if you don't use SWB's rec's at all, the book is such a great read for HS'ers.

[happyhomemaker25]

 

I needed a refresher as to why I was using a rigorous curriculum, and what our original aims were in choosing home education.

 

 

Honestly, this is the reason it is beside me most of our school day. I NEED to remember that even though my older kids are behind they are still getting a better education using this method then they would be if they were on track in PS. It helps to see the overall picture.

[PachiSusan]

Glad you went and picked up the book! Even if you don't use SWB's rec's at all, the book is such a great read for HS'ers.

 

 

Yes, it is!