Why are you here at TWTM boards?

[amazzie]

I've read it through 3 times...taking notes, even! But I don't really follow the suggested plans. I do like to ponder the ideas in TWTM, but they haven't so far been a good fit for my son. They may be a better fit for my younger children.

[AimeeM]

I have yet to make it all the way through reading TWTM. Honestly, some of it appeals to me, but I find some areas really lack WITH REGARD to what *we* want for our kids and their education.

I stumbled across this forum years ago, when I started researching homeschooling. It is one of the first things that popped up in the search engine, lol.

I'm addicted to y'all :)

[raptor_dad]

OK... well I've read all 3 editions WTM at least once.. I've also read John Holt's corpus several times. Both have an element of truth in them.  I've also read Gatto, Friere, Ivan Illych, etc.... Like SWB, I find Neil Postman to be insightful, but I don't think he supports her views ;).

 

I am on the WTM boards because I find them best site for academically minded homeschoolers. The General and k-8 boards occasionally alarm me with their ultra-conservative/christian bias but the accelerated board is very welcoming... I would characterize our HS as classical unschoolers... to the horror of everyone but us :)

[myfunnybunch]

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, yearly until I loaned my copy to a friend who has not returned it. I think she lost it. Oh well. I keep telling myself people are more important than books, and she is lovely, so I forgive her. :P

 

2. Yes, both before and after.

 

I do not implement TWTM fully, as that would not suit my family. I do use TWTM as a springboard. It is the first resource I turn to when planning both short- and long-term.

 

My experience of the homeschool community is that it would be very difficult to find a group of homeschoolers who follow exactly (or nearly so) the same philosophies because most of the homeschoolers I know take full advantage of the freedom offered by homeschooling to tailor the education to suit their own families. 

 

I checked all of the responses that weren't about investigating homeschooling (pretty sure I've got that covered!), because they are all true for me. I come to these boards because they are full of intelligent thoughtful people who have interesting lively discussions about education and other topics, so while the classical education focus is certainly a draw for me, it's not my primary reason for participating.

 

Cat

[lots of little ducklings]

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! ;)

Oh, but I love those box ladies! My IRL hs support network is made up of almost entirely young "box ladies" or retired hs-ers who knew only Abeka. They've taught me tons, talked me down from the ledge more than once, and offer phenomenal encouragement. I'm just too much of a control-freak to be a box lady myself. :-) I guess that's why I first checked out these boards. I needed up-to-date direction on curriculum choices that no one else I knew was using.

 

I read WTM (1st ed) long before marriage/children were even on the horizon, but I was already sold on Classical Ed thanks to Sayers. WTM showed me that Sayers' philosophy could actually be implemented, and I was hooked. So thankful for JW and SWB!

 

Stumbled on these boards via SWBs blog, I think. I was completing my first round of K last year and needed direction for 1st. What a rewarding find... I love the variety and diversity the boards offer, and the wealth of information and virtual support available here is above and beyond anything else I've seen.

[MomtoCandJ]

I have read the whole book and came to the forum after the first time reading it

[laughing lioness]

I've read the book multiple times. I like to internalize stuff, mull it over, make a detailed plan and then just see where it all goes.

 

I've been on the forums since they first came out- 13-14 years? I'd already been homeschooling aout 9 yrs, having written a thesis on "Why Parent's Homeschool" so a lot of my initial reading about homeschooling was more GWS, Holt, Colfaxes, Moore's, etc. I've been thinking, just recently, how different the homeschooling "community" is compared to what it used to be- back in the day it was denim jumpered preggos with large families, getting into angst filled discussions over head coverings. Now, it's kind of the hipster generation with lots of tech and skinny jeans, talking about thier fav K-cup. 

 

[LisaMarie6]

I'm not a bigger talker, so mostly I come to research curriculum. Occasionally something else might catch my eye and I will respond.

[Momof3]

I read WTM through several times - before I knew about the boards. I think I have parts of it memorized. :) When I first read it, I thought, 'Wow! This is so awesomely exactly what I have been looking for! This is exactly what I am wanting for my kids - and their hs'ing experience!'

 

I get overwhelmed and a bit guilty-feeling whenever I skim through it again (the library copy)... In between readings I settle into my own version of what I'd like to accomplish with my kids & how I plan to get there. This includes borrowing from elements of WTM, other articles I've read, pp I've talked to, my own experience as a hs'ed kid, etc. Then I pick the book up again & start to browse... And I start to get nervous. I worry that on the one hand I'm going to miss out on something really important bc I'm just not doing things the way SWB says (I know she says most pp don't follow everything)... OTOH, I'm *really* reluctant to base my child's whole future & education on her (SWB's) experience & ideas. KWIM?

 

Anyway, I have a great appreciation for WTM, I'll continue to browse it from time to time - and I have learned a *lot* on the boards! :)

[julie4]

I read TWTM before we started homeschooling. I read it again after I decided to homeschool to help me decide on curriculum. And I re-read it regularly as a reference book. I came to these boards after reading the book, I think by way of Susan's blog.

[Teacher Mom]

I have read two editions of the book several times. I started lurking on the old Boards and fell in love with the forum. I loved the Draconians, those great women who taught me it was okay to strive towards excellence. I miss them and their advice very much. They made me a better teacher. I wish I could shake their hands and tell them that. 

 

I still read the Board because of the people here that keep my dream of academic excellence going. Whenever I am afraid or lost or feeling uninspired, a post by someone I admire helps me put the teaching armor back on and get back into the fight. I can't name you all but each of you makes a difference in my life and my school. Please keep posting.

[Seeking Squirrels]

Yes, I've read TWTM. I've read the parts relevant to where we are twice. I didn't read it until after I had been here a little while though I had heard of it before. When I came here I intentionally came knowing what the board was, not through a random google search. I don't think I had a clear understanding of the idea of classical education or exactly what TWTM was about. I just knew it was all homeschool related and that a lot of people recommended reading TWTM. As I read more here I started to realize there was more to it than just general homeschool advice. It was probably about a year ago that I got the book and read it.

[Michelle in MD]

WTM was the first hs'ing book I read.  I'd like to share that when I began in 2001 with six children, I contacted Jessie Wise and asked her whether this homeschooling thing was even *possible* with six kiddos.  Makes me smile to recall that day....especially now that I have ten!  :laugh: Anyway, she wrote me back a very detailed email with numerous suggestions and encouragement the next day. I still treasure that memory in my heart!