Why are you here at TWTM boards?

[Critterfixer]

I read TWTM before I found the boards. I've read it a few times all the way through, and the grammar and logic sections more than the whole book.

 

I would say we follow TWTM classical philosophy very closely. We do Latin. We use SOTW, and I follow the science pattern to a point. This year we have opted to take topics from Life Science/Earth Science/Chemistry/Physical Science and spend about 10 weeks on each instead of spending a full year on Physics.

 

I come here to listen. I post, but more often I just come to see what people think about things that I'm thinking about at the time.

[Giraffe]

I found TWTM at the library and read the whole thing when DD was an infant. DH is opposed to homeschooling, and I was fascinated by the chapter on afterschooling, which DH wholeheartedly supports. I surfed the interwebs to find more information on afterschooling and stumbled onto these forums. While it's probably a 50/50 mix of education and socializing for me, I love you guys. I've since moved overseas and find you all to be a lifeline when days get rough and absolutely no one gets me. Even if I'm just lurking, I feel better just knowing there are like-minded people out there. And now that DD is starting 1st grade, I am excited to start this adventure "for real"!

 

I own all three editions: 1st hard copy, 2nd Kindle, 3rd Kindle and hard copy. :wub:

[sunnyday]

According to Amazon, I bought my copy of TWTM in 2010, my kids would have been a bit over 3 and just-turned-1. I seem to recall that I had read it a few times from the library, and my son being on the verge of enrolling in preschool was the excuse I had for finally buying it. I read it all the way cover to cover and was completely inspired. I was a physics major in college but I have always had a soft spot for history and literature. So this idea of a comprehensive education struck my fancy from the start.

 

I don't remember if I found this board before or after buying the book. I am a huge fan of seeking out message boards for any subject that interests me, so I suspect I found the board by 2010 at the latest. I am pretty sure that the existence of the "Afterschooling" board helped me to feel like I could work with my kids at home even though I was sending them to preschool and was probably going to send them to public school. In fact, it helped me feel OK about the choice to try the public school -- I knew that as long as my kids were motivated to learn more and deeper, I could get all those great homeschool curricula and use them after school.

 

I finally just joined a month ago, because we are really getting started on our quasi-Classical journey. And my son is LOVING it and we are always looking for more inspiration (we wouldn't have added Mesopotamia to our study of Ancients if someone here hadn't said their kids loved the story of Gilgamesh!) Plus both kids are working above grade so I'm keeping tabs on the Accelerated Learners board too.

[kiwik]

I found the first edition WTM in the library when ds6 was a toddler. I read it right through and thought "this is the education I wanted", I remember every year thinking we were finally going to learn history or grammar or something and each year being just as pointless as the last. However I am a single parent and have to work so my kids go to school and I try and plug the gaps.

[JennW in SoCal]

My family has asked me why I keep coming to these boards now that I'm all done homeschooling with one ds already graduated from college and the other a sophomore in college.  I come back in fits and starts mostly to answer questions and offer some "been there done that" advice I hope helps someone out there.   I have many friends on this board, too, who still have kids in high school, and I want to see them through til the end.

 

I've been on these boards since I started homeschooling in early 2000.  I lurked for several years but was more active on the Kaleidoscape forum for eclectic homeschoolers until that forum imploded.

 

I started homeschooling as a rather ecelectic unschooler.  I bought the WTM in 2000, though it stayed on the shelf early on as the grammar stage section of TWTM didn't fit my boys with all that writing, and grammar and phonics busy work.  Memorization was never, ever going to fly with either of them -- I knew some families who made the memorization of poetry a huge part of their homeschool and it was very cool, but nope, not my kids!!   I pulled the book back off the shelf when my oldest was reaching 4th grade and rediscovered how much I loved how literature and history were tied together in the logic and especially the rhetoric stages.  And even though I said the grammar stage didn't fit, I did follow the sage advice of doing copy work and narrations.  

 

People talk about using the WTM, as if you are only a pure WTM, classical homeschooler if you use all the products published by Peacehill Press or the products recommended.  But I used it as the standard of what I wanted my kids to be at the end of our journey -- articulate, well read, and thoughtful young adults who can logically and clearly state and defend their opinions.   I poured over the book, marked it up and referred to it many times (the 1st edition is the only one I own).  

 

I have learned so much from this community, about homeschooling, about authors who I might never have read, about kilts and cupcakes and different faiths.  It is a very welcoming and civil group.  

 

 My ideal wrap-up for our homeschooling adventure would be to take ds on a cross-country tour of the U.S., making convenient stops to deliver cookies and wine to the lovely "boardies" who have made this ride so much the richer - educational for him, social for me.

 

The complaint that there is no one to talk to about classical education on this board is an old one. This baffles me. Ask a question on something in TWTM and you are sure to get an answer. If you can't find it in your usual hangout, say the logic stage forum, then look up. Try high school or even the college board. There you will find many homeschool veterans who started homeschooling when it wasn't popular and there were few resources specifically designed for homeschooling. They are well-versed in the ways of TWTM.

 

Just had to reply to Lisa that if she does make a road trip -- head down the I-5!!   I was disappointed we didn't get to meet when my ds was looking at colleges in your neck of the woods!

 

And that last paragraph is so true -- we didn't have Story of the World or all those writing programs back in my day.  Why we had to walk 3 miles uphill in the snow to start our homeschool day -- in Southern California, mind you!!  But seriously, we either used the suggested materials or were creative in using what was on hand at our libraries, and our kids are all successful in college.  

[DarlaS]

I am here today because dh and the kids are watching Shrek. Again. :-P

 

And I am *dying* to meet Dr. Bauer next spring in Cincy.

[SFM]

1) have ever read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer all the way through or not

I read, perused WTM before I heard about these boards. What I read really resonated with me and what I was trying to create as a new homeschooler. It empowered me and gave me confidence and a good set of "guidelines" without feeling like I was boxed in.

 

2) read TWTM by SWB before or after you came to the boards

I read it before the boards. I read it after reading Cathy Duffy's Homeschooling picks and picked up things to read about Charlotte Mason, Montessori, and Classical homeschool philosophies.

 

I go back when I am planning our year and piece together what will work for us. It's a great resource.

[chiguirre]

I read the book about 10 years ago and I've reread the parts I need every year or so. It turned out that I didn't use much of TWTM with Geezle. As Trinqueta gets older, we've become more classical for the humanities. The most valuable aspect of the boards for me have been the math and science recommendations. I've gotten lots of good advice here. I also enjoy the chat board, it's the only place where you can interact with so many different stripes of homeschoolers.

[2_girls_mommy]

Yes, I have read WTM all the way through (Many times..)

 

I came to boards after reading it and deciding it was what we were going to do (after a year of preK and K at home on my own.  The K year was spent researching hs methods, books, and curric. I chose the WTM)  I came here specifically to ask a question about implementing SOTW as I was gearing up for 1st grade from those who had done it.

 

I pull out WTM regularly.  In fact, this week dd11 and I were using it as a textbook to teach her 2 level history logic stage outlining.  It has it completely laid out in the book w/examples for her of what to and what not to do.  We laid it right beside her KHE as we worked through her 1st one together.

 

I go more closely to WTM every year in the writing dept.  It helps me so much.  I was very pleased this week, our 3rd week of our new year, when we finally had a week that lined up pretty closely to what WTM had for us.  We had a rough start to the year and it felt like we were finally on a roll.  I hope we can keep up the momentum in the next couple of weeks as all of our extra curriculars start up.

[MomKat]

Figured this would be a great first post. :)

 

I've read WTM many times, I follow some of it but definitely not all. A lot of curricula offered now wasn't around when I started so I got used to doing things my own way without it. I also have read many other educational method books and there are many ideas I try to incorporate depending on the child. I only recently found the forums and I love the atmosphere here. I've been on a few mom forums but love that everyone here is homeschooling but yet there is so much diversity. It also seems like these are a lot more active. 

[AimeeM]

I've read through applicable (to me) parts while sitting at the bookstore. If I'm honest, I really only care for the history, grammar, and some literature suggestions for my kiddos; I'm not entirely fond of the science, math, or writing recommendations (*ducking*).

 

It was a big MISS for my eldest - she's my mathy, science-loving, hater of all classical literature, dyslexic kiddo. The WTM is the education I wish I'd had as a child - I love it for ME... not so much for my children, their personalities and learning styles, and where I see their strengths taking them later in life.

 

I'm here (on the forums) largely because ya'll rock. Never before have I come across a more diverse (yet unified in the desire to give our children a rigorous home education) bunch of homeschoolers. Besides - you guys help me spend my curriculum budget :p

[Angie in VA]

Other= to break my school budget buying all the things I read about here, lol!

[8filltheheart]

I like SWB's general approach to home ed, although we are nowhere near classical.Eclectic, definitely. I only allow myself to be here because I'm a SOTW user. If I didn't use anything of hers, or know anything about Classical Education, I'd probably think I shouldn't really be here.

 

I think she's very tolerant of allowing different resources to be recommended here. I know FIAR only allows discussion of subjects not covered by FIAR, supplements or high school level resources.

 

I'm actually surprised people are so vocal about not using/liking her products. I think that's a wee bit rude :)

While I don't use the WTM, I actually think the WTM is a great resource for moms that don't want to go with a provider and want to put together their own curriculum. I am sure my "lack"of using the WTM has been more than compensated for by the number of times I have recommended it to new homeschoolers. I have done several talks over the yrs on creating your curriculum and WTM and DYOCC are the major suggestions I make for people to use as resources on learning how to design their own courses. :)

[ByGrace3]

Yes, I have read TWTM, and came to these boards as a result of reading the book. I don't feel compelled to do everything exactly outlined in WTM, but I do follow pretty closely ...adjusting as needed to meet our individual families needs. I tend to follow the spirit of the book more than the letter...

[Kim in Appalachia]

I've read through TWTM twice ( I have also referenced parts numerous times).  I read it back in 2001.  It changed how I homeschooled, actually it saved my homeschooling, since what I was doing was not working and I was feeling like I couldn't do it.  

 

I don't follow it completely, but I do use many of the ideas, and even use what has been recommended.  

 

 

[Maela]

I read TWTM before finding the boards. I re-read parts of it periodically and expect to continue to do so.

 

I'd call my style eclectic--I pick and choose from any number of homeschooling resources. We will do history in the four-year cycle, for example, but will not do science aligned with it, and probably not Latin at all. I enjoy sifting through the ideas here.

This exactly.

[momma2three]

While I don't use the WTM, I actually think the WTM is a great resource for moms that don't want to go with a provider and want to put together their own curriculum. I am sure my "lack"of using the WTM has been more than compensated for by the number of times I have recommended it to new homeschoolers. I have done several talks over the yrs on creating your curriculum and WTM and DYOCC are the major suggestions I make for people to use as resources on learning how to design their own courses. :)

 

Yes, I agree!  Even though I don't use most of the resources suggested in the WTM, it was still very useful for thinking about what subjects I want my kids to learn, and how to organize them, and that it's okay to pick and choose.  The authors do a nice job discussing not only the how, but also the whens and whys of a full elementary course of study (I haven't thought much about the high school stuff), which I thought was very helpful.

[Holly]

I have read TWTM and re-read portions of it every year when I'm planning our curriculum.  I consider myself a Charlotte Mason homeschooler more than a classical HSer.  I do take elements of both methods, but mostly follow CM methods.  I like these boards since there is quite a bit of knowledge of different curriculum and methods or teaching ideas.  If I ask a question about a specific program on here, I'll get more responses than if I asked on a specifically CM forum.       

[angelmama1209]

I got twtm from the library many years ago. I glanced through it and went "huh?" so back it went. so no, I have never read it. please don't stone me. we are very eclectic homeschoolers. we find what works for us and do it, regardless of philosophy. a friend referred me to these boards and I come here daily for homeschooling advice, curriculum reviews/suggestions, and a sense of community.

[mommymilkies]

I read the WTM 1x many yrs before I found the forums. I read it bc I was putting together a talk to give on eclectic homeschooling and I wanted another source to suggest to people that didn't want to go via a provider. (I think that was in 2001, I can't remember exactly.). I found the forums sometime around 2004, I think (ETA: I have tried remembering when I found the forums and I only have a vague memory of coming to the old boards to read about Foerster's alg. Jeepers......I never spent more than 5 mins on the internet before that day!!)

 

Anyway, I am another poster that doesn't use the WTM personally. I do recommend it to people. But, I am also like CupOCoffee. I have been doing this so long I don't need(or actually even want) a guide to something that I enjoy doing myself.

 

But.....this forum has been my homeschool support group for ages. I have met some of the best women in my life via this forum and am incredibly thankful for them. Kathy in Richmond is not only a wonderful friend that I would never have met without this forum, she has also made a huge impact on the life of my children......for which I am forever grateful.

 

Anyway, I guess you can count me in the group that confuses you.

I know that tone can come off confusing on the Internet, but people are reading into what I wrote and getting offended over nothing. Geez. Good lord, I'm not saying people who don't follow WTM shouldn't be here.

[dsmith]

I've read the 2nd and 3rd edition all the way through, and refer to them often. I have a copy of the 1st edition

 

I lurked on the old boards for a short time when ds was very young, forgot all about them for a few years, and rediscovered them when I pulled ds out of 2nd grade. I read the book then. I wish I had read it a few years earlier. It would have saved ds a year and a half of a not so great school experience, although we treasure his previous Montessori years.

 

I don't follow TWTM very closely, but I still get a lot out of it. I skim most of it and pore over sections of it every year before the official start of our next year, along with LCC.

[8filltheheart]

I know that tone can come off confusing on the Internet, but people are reading into what I wrote and getting offended over nothing. Geez. Good lord, I'm not saying people who don't follow WTM shouldn't be here.

 

I wasn't offended in the slightest, nor did I interpret what you were saying as people shouldn't be on the forum.   I was simply clarifying how I found the forum and why I stayed.

 

So, geez, don't be offended by a clarification.  ;) :)

 

ETA:   and completely unrelated to mommymilkies post.....I only stay on the forum by completely ignoring certain threads and the entire chat board, otherwise I would have to stop coming b/c some things do drive me crazy. ;)

[alicai]

I have a copy of the 1st edition which I have skimmed and deeply read selected sections. I read it well after discovering this forum and doing large amounts of internet research on homeschooling, curriculum, etc. In the beginning, I thought we would go largely classical, but 3 years later we are not very classical at all and I'm ok with that.  

[Audrey]

I've been around these boards since about 2002 or so.  I've known I wanted to homeschool since before I even got married. I had read the 1st edition of WTM and googled a bit. The forums came up on the search and I have parked here since then.  My ds has always been homeschooled and we start grade 9 this year, so I've at least made it through to high school. 

 

I've also read the 2nd and 3rd editions of WTM, but I guess I'm more old-school, because the only copy I kept was the original and I still use those methods as the framework for our homeschool.

[Brad S]

I've read TWTM all the way through and read parts of it a few years before joining the board here; I finished the book about the same time as joining here.

 

I find many of the discussions here very useful and wish I'd joined a few years earlier when spending more time going through curricula.  I still spend a lot of time looking over homeschooling curricula, so the forum is a great place.   My first impressions of TWTM weren't as positive as now since the math, science, and some other recommendations seemed weak to me.  But there's a lot of great advice there, with very similar goals to ours, and the forum here builds on that advice tremendously.  Thanks to Peace Hill Press and all of you!

 

 

 

[Farrar]

I've read WTM and read it before I really knew about this forum.  I'm in the influenced by it category.  Though I'd say I'm also influenced by a totally different neoclassicist - Adler's Paideia Proposal, as well as Charlotte Mason and all kinds of non-classical things as well.  I mean, I started in education because of The Teenage Liberation Handbook and Summerhill, so that's a pretty different departure point.  So I'm only marginally classical.  I appreciate WTM and SWB's role in education, especially homeschooling, even if I don't always agree.

 

Of the various WTM spin off materials, I've only used SOTW, but I've been back and forth about it.  I love many things about it and other frustrate me.  We're back to using it again this year for volume four.  WWE and FLL were not right for us.  As others have said, I really like how many different curricula and methods are allowed to be discussed here.

 

In general, I don't think there's any other homeschooling community like this one and that's why I come here.  The one thing that unites almost everyone is a desire to learn and a great appreciation for academic rigor of some kind or another.  There's nowhere else I know of where issues of education are discussed with this much depth.  And while I've seen my share of online nastiness here, I think the mods do an amazing job of letting debate go on yet nipping personal attacks and trolling in the bud.  Overall, I think people here are pretty nice and respectful by internet standards.  So that's why I come.

[Corraleno]

I had not heard of SWB or TWTM before I discovered this board while googling reviews for curriculum, but after I joined I bought both TWTM and TWEM and read them cover to cover. I've also read 2 editions of The Latin Centered Curriculum. I have great respect for SWB, and I've bought and/or tried to implement a lot of the recommended curricula and methods, but concluded that it is just not a good fit for my family, so we went back to the relaxed/eclectic/interest-led approach that seems to work best for us.

 

However, I do think there are many paths to a "classical education," not all of which include copy work, dictation, and formal memory work. The parts that resonate with me are the study of Latin, and an emphasis on philosophy, critical thinking, and Socratic questioning, so that is what I emphasize. Both kids study Latin, and DS particularly loves Greek, which he plans to continue throughout HS and into college. He's watched every TTC course on Greek history & culture, reads voraciously on the subject, has toured archaeological sites & museums in Greece and Turkey, and has read the Iliad often enough that he can recite chunks of it by heart (just from reading it so much, not from formal memory work). He plans to double-major in Classics and linguistics in college. 

 

 

I am here on these boards because it is a unique community of homeschoolers that care about academics- most of the homeschoolers I know IRL are unschoolers, and I am alone with my homeschooling philosophy. I have been reading here for several years and found it extremely helpful; I have learned about curriculum, navigating high school, general homeschooling issues, general educational philosophical debates. 

In general, I don't think there's any other homeschooling community like this one and that's why I come here.  The one thing that unites almost everyone is a desire to learn and a great appreciation for academic rigor of some kind or another.  There's nowhere else I know of where issues of education are discussed with this much depth.  

 

:iagree:

The Hive is where I first learned about Lukeion and The Teaching Company, which together have totally changed the course of DS's education & life. Some of the discussions on educational philosophy (like Lisa's mega-thread on depth vs breadth) have been among the most enjoyable and stimulating discussions I've had since grad school. And now that DS is in HS, I'm finding the information and recommendations regarding college applications and planning invaluable.

 

Jackie

[PeacefulChaos]

Reading such wide responses makes me wonder about the different sub-groups of people here.  I'm curious about the actual breakdown.  Some people I know IRL say it's actually hard to get much feedback from people with experience using TWTM by SWB or by people who follow any for of Classical Education here on TWTM boards. I'm wondering if that's because they're responding to the topics on forums that aren't specifically geared to Classical Education or if it's because there's a large percentage of people here who have simply opted for a different educational philosophy.

 

When you respond, please tell me if you:

 

1) have ever read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer all the way through or not

2) read TWTM by SWB before or after you came to the boards

1) Yes.  More than once - I actually read it a year before I started homeschooling (started in 2011, so I read it in the fall of 2010) and I refer back to it every year when I'm looking at the next school year.

2) before.  I don't know when i started on the boards - maybe about when i started homeschooling? 

[Lisa in SC]

I own all 3 editions of TWTM and have read them multiple times. I refer to them often, but I don't strictly follow the model because it isn't what I have found works best for our children in all areas. I do use the model in some areas of our homeschool, but even then, I usually add in other resources. I'm a customizer. It's a sickness.

[Wildcat]

This is why I'm here.  Most of the homeschoolers around here tend to be pretty unschooly. 

 

I also like coming here for the curriculum suggestions and reviews, and the interesting conversations.  There aren't any homeschool (or mom in general) boards that I've found that are nearly as active.  It makes this a great place to waste time.  :thumbup1:

 

I have read TWTM but not all of it.  I didn't bother reading the high school stuff since my kids are so young (my oldest went to public school straight through).   I use some of the ideas/suggestions but not that much.  My son would not do well with a full classical homeschool.  I usually say we are secular eclectic.

 

I'm quoting you because I'm too tired to type that all out (that is pretty much what I was going to write)

 

I read TWTM when I was considering homeschooling. I found the boards sometime in the first year. It took me a month or two to realize the book & the forum were by the same person. :o

 

Early in our homeschooling we were more classical in our approach, but I learned that ds wasn't doing well... he was more math & science oriented, so I tailored our approach.

 

I also use secular materials unless I absoutely can't find what I need, so that limited the materials TWTM suggested.

 

I will forever be grateful to SWB for her book(s) and these boards. The books got me started and convinced me I could homescool, and the boards have been my 'go to' place for everything from hsing to general life questions. I love these boards!!

[sagira]

CM and classical are much intertwined, and I own TWTM and reference it regularly. That said, they differ on some points. CM is also more a method rather than rules, IMO.

 

We use and love SOTW too.

 

Other reasons I keep coming to this board:

 

I meet like-minded moms: we all care deeply about our child's education and homeschool as well

We tend to discuss the same issues

Curriculum reviews

Active forum

A group of intelligent, interesting women and men

[Parrothead]

 

 

1) have ever read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer all the way through or not

2) read TWTM by SWB before or after you came to the boards

Yes, more than once.

 

Yes, I did read the book first then came to the forum.

[Bree]

I read TWTM before starting to homeschool the whole way through, got a little overwhelmed but have found myself drawn to most of her recommendations anyway :) A few years later I reread the parts that were relevant to my  kids age group and found we follow a lot of it already, probably mostly because of what I have found on this board :)

[Dory]

I haven't read all the responses on here , but I'm somewhat curious as to the answers. I have read TWTM all the way through once and then pulled pieces out to re-read numerous other times. I have my 4th copy right now because I keep giving it away.

I read it before ever knowing this board existed.

I do not follow it exactly, but fairly closely with my oldest son, and a little more loosely for the other two.

[Uff Da!]

I stumbled into the forums looking for some lifeline for teaching Spanish. I can not tell you how confused and overwhelmed I was when I found this place, especially since my language hunt led me to a bunch of Latin, grammar and "Why teach latin?" threads . When I stumbled in here, I owned SOTW volume 1 and had heard of TWTM but had no idea they were connected in anyway. These forums have been a gateway for education for my family because of all the wisdom and shared resources. I am so very thankful for this place.

[coffeefreak]

A friend gave me her copy of the first edition and I read it all the way through.  Then, I found the old boards by accident while researching curriculum.  I never posted there, but when the new boards were created in 2008, I created an account and started posting.  Since then, I've purchased the 2nd edition of TWTM in hardback, and the 3rd edition on Kindle.  Even if you don't follow it religiously, it's a wealth of information.

[Mom22ns]

When you respond, please tell me if you:

 

1) have ever read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer all the way through or not

2) read TWTM by SWB before or after you came to the boards

 

I have read TWTM multiple times. I'm not sure if I ever read all of it. My kids were logic stage when we started homeschooling and I usually skipped the sections specific to the grammar stage.

 

I had not read TWTM before I came to the board. I found the board in a search when researching homeschooling before we started. Because I was impressed with the accomplishments of families following TWTM, I read the book, repeatedly :).

[PachiSusan]

I did not know about SWB or WTM when I came here looking for a home education support/informational group. I had no intention upon reading WTM or using SOTW. Along the way I decided to read it and gained a better understanding of the classic mind, but I do not follow her curriculum. I'm one of those nasty box ladies! ;)

[Five More Minutes]

I read TWTM several years ago (before I found the forums(, and refer to it on an annual basis when I'm in planning mode. I had read it before I found these forums. I use some of SWB's recommendations -- the ones that work for our family.

 

The reason I show up in these forums is because they are active and there are sub-forums that are education (vs. lifestyle) focused. High academic standards are the norm, rather than the exception, here, and I appreciate that.

 

I like TWTM because it outlines a workable way of achieving academic excellence, but I know it's not the only way to do that. When one of TWTM recommendations doesn't really fit for us, I can come here and someone, somewhere will have an excellent alternative. That's how I've found the math, science, and grammar programs that we use.

[marisolstice]

1) have ever read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer all the way through or not

 

Yep

 

2) read TWTM by SWB before or after you came to the boards

 

Before

 

This board has the widest range of users of all the homeschooling forums I'm aware of (if anyone knows of others, lmk!). Most of the others seem more curriculum-specific or pertain to a certain method of homeschooling. So it's very helpful to me as our children are young and just beginning their educations. I appreciate the varied backgrounds and different educational philosophies here.

[MotherOfBoys]

I was starting to wonder the same things the other day on this WTM website. That more people on here are not actually classical educators as much as I thought. It made me rethink some advice I received on here. My friends are boxed curriculum people that think if they buy into a boxed curriculum full throttle, they can't be to blame for failure. They also don't have much joy or learning life style homeschool lives. So my husband asked me to separate from them for awhile because he didn't want me to be like them. I found this website after reading the book and love the options and reviews I can get. It's a living rainbow resource catalog!

 

I also like these forms because the replies are fast. I get a wide variety of replies. My small town people use pretty much abeka or rod n staff and that's it.

 

I read the WTM book a dozen times and some parts even more. I like the use of real books (even though it can be more work) and the over all three steps of learning. We will stick with WTM closely for my families education.

 

I find myself recommending this website and the book a lot. It really opened my eyes. I can also vent here to understanding moms instead of my husband, which he appreciates.

[ScoutTN]

I have read TWTM cover to cover three times. I own the most recent edition and reread portions of it every year.  I read the book long before I knew about these boards, before I was even married or had kids. I worked in an education related field and have friends whose homeschooling has been influenced by TWTM since the year the original edition was published (1999?). 

 

I am here because I learn things - about education generally, about homeschooling, about classical education, about curriculum, about methods, about literature and history and science and math and art, about children, about myself, about our world. 

 

I am here because these boards are a diverse community of intelligent, purposeful people who have compelling, funny, helpful and encouraging things to say. I can talk with people here whom I would never know IRL. This place makes my world bigger ...... and also smaller. 

 

I am here for the kilts and other craziness!  ;)  :D

[serendipitous journey]

(this is a "blind reply" -- I've only read the OP, and will go over the thread after) 

 

1.  I read TWTM all the way through, twice, before my older child started Kindergarten. 

2.  I had read TWTM before reading/joining the board (which I found about 1/2 way through K, I think) and have read chunks of it after, too. 

 

In the poll, I responded that all of our education follows some form of Classical Education, and also that only a little bit/some of it follows WTM.  I am on the boards for all reasons except investigating if hsing/Trivium/&c will work for our family. 

 

I fully intended to follow TWTM for our homeschool, and it failed utterly in my home, and I am still scrambling (we just started 3rd grade) to recover.  I thought we were ideal "candidates" since DH and I are educated enough that the materials were not intimidating, we are a roughly college-aiming family (one never knows, but that's the assumption) and A. showed a precocious ability for formal learning.  Especially maths. 

 

But almost none of it worked (except the math idea of Math U See, which I discovered through WTM and which was our saving grace in the earliest years).  WTM claimed children were fascinated by ancient history; my son detested history and particularly hated mythology since he was super sensitive & sweet and couldn't tolerate stories of unkindness. 

Also encyclopedias were Not Popular.  Trying WTM science turned my science-lover (a la Sandbox Scientist and a bit of Montessori) into a science-dreader. 

I was startled to find that I could follow WTM to the letter and my child would not be getting much of the best literature for littles (Mr. Popper's Penguins, Charlotte's Web, Pippi Longstocking and other wonderful books that don't fall into the historical literature category). 

I followed the writing as I thought was suggested (and used WWE)  and my son was not growing in his writing at all -- we couldn't do the recommendation to "write letters" to relatives regularly because he hated writing so much and the whole process was so painful to him. 

My child jumped so far off the FLL script that it was unusable (but hilarious -- I'll never forget our "noun" lesson). 

And so on. 

 

I do keep trying to get back to a purer version of WTM because I am a total pushover for organization & "rigor" and I want a Plan.  But it really doesn't fit well.  I'm also discouraged because I've not been able to find someone who used WTM all the way through and is repeating the process.  (highlighted 'cause I'm hoping somebody has & will respond!!!)  I can find people who have followed Sonlight through graduation and run it with littles, too; or for Ambleside Online; or for TOG or Kolbe.  I look at their experiences, their particular struggles and successes, and what they considered to be successful, and this helps me considerably in vetting the plans for our own use. 

 

Well, this is now approaching the Length of Unusability.  So I'll stop here.  With a finishing thought: as I've learned about Classical Education I've been disappointed in the vision of WTM which is history-centered and aims for college-prep science and maths, as opposed to virtue-centered and aiming for a deep understanding of the physical and social world -- the latter being, it seems to me, what the Classical Civilizations aimed for in the best of their education. 

 

however, WTM is still the most-used resource I have and I am profoundly grateful for it and for SWB's work and generosity in producing homeschooling materials and sharing her homeschooling journey.  I do keep trying to use the Bauers' resources and, as A. gets older, it is growing easier.  N. won't be so much trouble by half!!! (much mellower temperament)

[serendipitous journey]

In my TWTM-focused reply above, I didn't get to the question of Why the Boards. 

 

Well, I am just so grateful for the serious, the funny, the supportive, the challenging boards here.  I wouldn't have made it through K without y'all.  Thanks so much. 

[Holly]

I wasn't referencing you.  I didn't even read the thread first.   :p

 

But I was referencing the number of people I have seen on here who actually did not know WTM or SWB before coming here and it always confused me because I didn't know how they got here.   :lol:  The search function on here has me less than pleased, but if you search back, you'll see it's not terribly uncommon.  Maybe not in this thread, no, but it has been an issue.  I'm not saying they're bad people, it just confuses me for a minute.  

 

Search engines. :)  I'd heard of TWTM (and decided it wasn't for me), but I think the first time I visited here was through a search engine after looking up a HS topic.  After a few years of being a member here, I finally decided to pick up a copy of TWTM to see what it's all about.   :lol:  While it's still not for me on the whole, I have used portions of it in our studies.  

[swellmomma]

I read TWTM before I ever came here.  In fact I read it before I put my kids into ps.  I knew it was what I wanted but thought I could not homeschool as a single parent.  I had read other books about other styles of homeschooling.  I had spoken to others.  But reading TWTM was like a breath of fresh air, it just felt right. 

 

I wanted so badly to make it work for my family, but then started realizing that with their LD TWTM was not the perfect fit as is.  That said I do use a lot of the guidance I learned in that book and on these boards to help with the path we are taking.  My kids are doing the approved courses from Alberta gov't for their diploma, but meeting those outcomes often using resources recommended in TWTM, and they take classic lit, latin, poetry etc online with our registered school board which believes strongly in the classical model(yet is the main board for unschoolers in our province since they are also very hands off).  So over the years my methods have changed and adapted based on the child, grade, LD etc.  But every year I still pull out my copy of TWTM as I plan a new school year and glean what I can to enhance what we are doing and give me the oomph each year to stirve for this caliber of work (especially when I live in an area where girls only being taught to be keepers of the home and easy peasy are accepted as the best high school education)

 

Coming to these boards was like coming home.  I had struggled for years, first with trying to figure out out to afterschool and then homeschool following the TWTM in those early years, when I found out about the boards and checked them out I was so thrilled to have a community of people who got it.  When I first started out all the groups I was in irl were primarily unschoolers.  I was outright told I was being mean, pushy bossy etc to expect my young kids to do school work, especially seat work.  I was really starting to waiver and cave to the pressure even though I knew TWTM felt right.  Then I found these boards and the support to keep on trucking, even if it was not exactly like the book

Over the years I was likely one of the least structured, and looked the laziest when compared to what was posted online but as my bigs enter high school they are quickly stepping up the rigor and while they may never reach levels as high as some on the board I see that the underlieing philosophy I believed in all along for classical ed has permeated through even in the "lazy" years and they are really doing quite well.  The difference I see between their logic skills, and drive to succeed and make those connections between subjects and true understanding of things is much higher than many of their peers, even in the subjects they are delayed in.  The other kids may be further ahead than them in something like math but they don't really understand it, they just know the algorithms to use kwim.  The other kids this age don't know how to discuss good literature (or read it it seems), how to see the bigger picture and make connections unless it is explicitly pointed out to them etc. 

TWTM and these forums have been invaluable to me in this journey.  If I listened to the "experts" about my son I would have made him literate and left it at that (as I was advised to do when he was 5) because no one thought he was capable of more.  TWTM and these forums gave me the tools and drive to push further, and while he struggles and will always have some issues with certain subjects, he is so much more than literate.  He is becoming quite a well educated young man, and even if he can't graduate until 20+ following the trivium is ensuring he is truly learning and reaching his full potential. 

[Scarlett]

I read the TWTM all the way through and parts of it more than once. I love it. I found the boards after I read the book.

 

I know very few people IRL who are homeschooling independently. Most are using state controlled virtual schools or boxed curriculums on their own.

[*Lulu*]

Reading such wide responses makes me wonder about the different sub-groups of people here. I'm curious about the actual breakdown. Some people I know IRL say it's actually hard to get much feedback from people with experience using TWTM by SWB or by people who follow any for of Classical Education here on TWTM boards. I'm wondering if that's because they're responding to the topics on forums that aren't specifically geared to Classical Education or if it's because there's a large percentage of people here who have simply opted for a different educational philosophy.

 

When you respond, please tell me if you:

 

1) have ever read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer all the way through or not

2) read TWTM by SWB before or after you came to the boards

I found TwTM on the shelf at our local library a couple years after we started homeschooling and was excited to find a resource that layed out K-12 the path that we we already walking and I was creating myself. I have adopted some of the suggestions, followed my own path for others. I use it as a resource and own the first edition, have the third on kindle and available at the library. It is chiefly a source of encouragement to me that the educational philosophy and direction we've embarked on is sociable, as someone has done it already. From the book, I found the boards.

 

That encouragement fator is a huge reason why I stuck around here at the boards in the beginning. I have a local group of homeschooling friends that are mostly academically inclined and awesomely supportive, but at the time I found the boards I had one academically inclined friend. Now I've been here long enough to have become "accustomed to your face" and enjoy the chat forum as much as the educational ones.

[FO4UR]

I come here mainly to glean wisdom.

 

Breadth vs Depth, 8's Delight-driven education and REAL tea time, cloud children....those threads are read and re-read and I think, "Hey, someone else has forged this trail...I can find the path!"

 

I read TWTM (1st edition) every year. It balances the CM I read.  The Trivium has limited value imho, but SWB's practical application is simply wonderful...or wonderfully simple...maybe both. 

 

 

 

[mamatohaleybug]

I come here to gather ideas for homeschooling. I do not follow the classical approach much at all, except that we take some CM ideas and discard others. I do not follow TWTM. I read TWTM after having been on the boards for a year or so. Lots of good stuff but not the best approach for my DD. We are eclectic homeschoolers because it is what is working best for our family. I LOVE this community and have grown and gained so much knowledge from participating here. Invaluable resource.