Have You Actually...

[Guest]

The closest option was "when you were beginning to homeschool", although my 1999 self would have been horribly insulted and want me to choose the obligatory "other".

 

When the Veritas Press catalogues started appearing in our mailboxes, I was mostly hanging out with unschoolers who thought it was the most ridiculous thing they had ever seen, but a small, secret, geeky part of me thought Classical education looked really cool and wished I had a gazillion dollars to waste on what ultimately turned out to be (rest of sentence deleted to protect SWB from any allegations of hosting a slanderous libelous anti-VP discussion).

 

I moved up here in 1998 and read about TWTM in some homeschooling magazine or other and it sounded much more sensible, doable, and far less elitist. $35 for a shiny new hardback book with a dust jacket was a HUGE selfish luxury back then, but it felt so worth it to me. I probably used my Christmas check from my aunt, but I'm not sure. My local independent bookseller preordered it for me and I called him every week to see if it had come in, even though he assured me that he wouldn't forget and would call the minute it was delivered .

 

It arrived in 1999 and the kids didn't have lessons that day, their dinner came out of the freezer, and their dishes soaked in the sink. I read that puppy cover to cover in one sitting. I can't say I implemented it all that perfectly, but it has still had a huge positive impact on my adult kids' lives.

 

I've looked stuff up in it since the little guy was born and also acquired the modern edition in Kindle format and looked stuff up in that too. Too bad I don't have the self control to take a board break and use the time I free up by NOT using the internet to reread it again. It's on my "to do" list, and in my defense, the little guy isn't even compulsory attendance age in my state until next October.

 

I have also lurked and looked stuff up on the boards since the big guy and his sister were homeschooling, but did not open an account and interact with other posters until the DM/SD poopstorm hit the unschooling world and I wanted to distance myself from that label and that culture ASAP.

[Chris in VA]

I originally was going to just homeschool my dd (for Kindergarten), and I was looking at KONOs at the time, but it didn't quite feel right.

 

Then a dear friend, who had introduced me to the idea of hsing, told me she was going to use WTM, so I bought and read it--all of it. I was so excited!

 

The winter before my dd started K, my then-8th grade son was working as a page in the VA Senate program. I was driving him back for one of his last weeks (he'd come home on the weekends) and he leaned over and turned off the radio in the car, and said,

 

"I've been thinking about something. I've been thinking about being homeschooled."

 

Because I'd read all the way through WTM, the idea of homeschooling high school was not nearly as daunting. The next year I started with a K'er and a 9th grader.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I read the first edition, I have the most recent on my kindle now.

[Just Another Jen]

I've read all 3 editions many times. I still own 1 and 3- but mostly choose the plans in the 3rd edition. Got the first edition in 2001, started homeschooling that Fall.

[OneStepAtATime]

I put other because I skimmed a bit of it and found it very interesting, but that is not why I am homeschooling.  We had to pull the kids out after a rather horrific 2nd grade year for my son.  But my mother has been reading TWTM for years and is a huge fan of SWB.  She reads me passages and snippets on a regular basis so I do have exposure.

[SierraNevada]

How about an option for:

"Haven't read it cover to cover, but I have heavily browsed it or read significant portions of it. "

 

That's my vote.

[Above The Rowan]

I have read the portion that is age appropriate for my two kids, a couple of times. I find myself moving away from TWTM style homeschooling so I'm not sure how much I will reference it from here out.

[Seeking Squirrels]

Yes I've read it and I voted before we started. That's mostly true. I read it before our official k year so technically before actual homeschooling. But we did a lot of k work the year before so I'd really already started.

[Jenny in Florida]

When my daughter was nine, she asked me what we were doing to prep her for college. (Yeah, I know, but it's true.) We had been taking homeschooling kind of on autopilot until then, So, we started researching more structured programs. As I usually do when I am starting to plan a new project, I went to Barnes & Noble, sat on the floor next to the parenting and education section and pulled of the shelf everything that looked like it would be remotely helpful. 

 

I had heard of TWTM prior to that evening, but I knew very little about it. So, imagine my surprise when the excerpts I read clicked immediately I took notes all over the back of every envelope I had in my purse. 

 

After we talked over the various options with our daughter, we all decided that TWTM sounded like the best road map for her next few years. I bought my very own copy of the book, and we were off and running. I read the whole thing, cover to cover, after I got it. Over the last decade, I've re-read large chunks of it several times. Until we started outsourcing my son's classes, I used to re-read the relevant sections of TWTM every year before I started planning curriculum.

[ForeverFamily]

Yes I have read it all the way through at least a couple of times. Each year I try to read through the stage that currently applies to us.  I am always finding something new and shiny in that wonderful book  ;)  :D ! 

[Donna]

I read it through once completely when I bought it a couple years after I started homeschooling. I re-read chapters now as I need them so before we move on to the next "stage" I read the chapter for ideas then I use it as a guide while doing certain subjects.

[boscopup]

I haven't read it. :leaving: When I was first looking into educational philosophies, I read that TWTM emphasizes teaching latin in the early years (which I realize now may not have been true), and, having cheated my way through latin roots in high school, I determined that I was not "Classical Educator" material and moved on to Charlotte Mason (who I out rightly disobey by more or less formally teaching prior to age 6). :laugh:

 

It's pretty obvious to me now that I can pick and choose from philosophies, not to mention the fact that I haven't noticed a lot of teaching-latin-in kindergarden-threads. But I expected that I'd find the Classical mode too intimidating. Having read that it's actually bestowed confidence, I will add it to my 'to read' list. :)

 

:lol: WTM book recommends starting Latin in 3rd grade. I found that to be a good time for my oldest. We used Getting Started With Latin, and both loved it. Now he's doing Lively Latin and really enjoys that too. Latin has been one of his favorite subjects, despite me having NEVER learned Latin before (I took Spanish and German in high school).

[Desert Strawberry]

Not when we were first starting out. I began implementing classical methods in first and third grades.

 

I honestly wasn't impressed and didn't finish the first time (third edition). The preK section turned me off. It seemed to promise that if you do everything right, your little ones will be so advanced. I did everything right, and my kid had a learning disability. Touchy subject.

 

After using FLL, SOTW, and WWE for a couple of years, I read it through. Now I have my own first edition. I haven't read it yet,  but I use as a reference guide.

[Seasider]

Every page.

[Aiden]

My "other" vote was because I'm in process of reading it now. I've finished the grammar section and the first couple of chapters of the logic section. For future polls, after I've finished reading the book--I'll probably read it multiple times, though probably only this first time straight through; it'll be used for reference after that--I won't be sure whether to say "before I started homeschooling" or "after I already was homeschooling." I know many on these boards think that you shouldn't do preschool and don't count it as homeschooling, but we've been doing it for a year now and are about to move into preK. So according to that crowd, I will have finished the book before I start homeschooling, for K or 1st grade--one or two years from now--but for those who count preschool and preK as school, I'll have read it after I started homeschooling.

 

Tolerance for ambiguity is a good thing. The overwhelming need to be literal and precise in the language I use ... well, sometimes that's a good thing :)

[elegantlion]

I voted other. I found these boards and the book as ds was entering 5th grade. I have the latest edition and have read everything passed the grammar stage. I refer to it often even though we don't follow it specifically. It has more sticky tabs in it than just about any other book I own. 

[mprez]

I did a quick read through to the end and thorough reading of the parts that I can use for this year . I'll probably reread the book every year before I buy materials we are using. I'm not following all the suggestions, only those that I like. I found TWM and the forum in February. I was having serious doubts whether I am capable of homeschooling my daughter. I've been tutoring kids to succeed academically since I was 15yo but the thought of being responsible for her education kept me awake until dawn researching and reading any info on homeschooling. TWM gave me confidence I could.

[prairiewindmomma]

I have read all three versions, and I own two copies so that I can keep mine and have one to loan out.

 

I re-read WTM every year as I plan goals and look at materials for the upcoming school year.

[EmseB]

I read WTM three years before we had any kids.  My husband was homeschool and wanted to homeschool our kids (or mainly give them a Christian education), and I couldn't wrap my brain around the concept because I grew up knowing one person in my entire life that was HS'd, and they were not a ringing endorsement of home education.  I operated on the public-school-by-default mode until I read WTM and a couple of other classical ed books.  I bought the newest edition because we're actually going into full on HS'ing next year.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I found the forum first, I'd already been HSing for awhile.  I did borrow the book from the library (read some of it ) but it really didn't help me in my choices or direction the way it does to come here.  

[Caclcoca]

I read the second edition all the way through the summer before we started homeschooling.  It influenced a lot of my choices for that year.  I now own all 3 editions and use them as a reference tool.  I will also reread our stages for the next school year at the end of the current school year.  I feel like it helps me see where I want to go.  We do not follow it to the letter though.

[BigMamaBird]

I've read the Elementary section every year we've been HSing and browsed the Middle School part.  I only have Elementary kids at this point.

[freeindeed]

Yes. I read it as I was starting homeschooling and then I read it again a couple of years ago.

[CrunchyGirl]

I read it when LegoMan was 4 1/2 and we realized we would have to homeschool him despite our intentions not too. I have read most of it several times. I'll admit I only skimmed the high school section because it's so far off (although doesn't seem that way some days!) and I think there was a religious section at the end I skipped because it simply didn't apply to us. It remains my favorite homeschooling book hands down and I credit it for making me feel okay about homeschooling our kids.

[idnib]

I have also lurked and looked stuff up on the boards since the big guy and his sister were homeschooling, but did not open an account and interact with other posters until the DM/SD poopstorm hit the unschooling world and I wanted to distance myself from that label and that culture ASAP.

 

I don't understand the reference to DM/SD. Can you clarify?

[Homemama2]

Yep.  I've read all the editions and I reread the current one every year, although the last couple of years I haven't read the sections for the youngest kids because I didn't have anyone in that age range.  Now as to actually following it... not so much.  :leaving:

[TheAutumnOak]

Yes...I read it all the way through at least once...I have re-read parts of it many times...I own the 1st and 3rd editions...I read the 3rd edition all the way through and parts of the 1st edition...I read it a few years ago, right before I joined the forums...

[Runningmom80]

I have. It's what gave me the confidence to homeschool in the first place. It's really a great read. I actually think I will try to re read it this summer.

[Guest]

Yep, the whole thing--all 3 editions. Multiple times.

[Kareni]

I voted for:

 

Yes, at least once. The forum is a supplement to TWTM, not a substitute.

 

 

but this would also have been true:

 

Yes, at least once and before I began HS.

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Amy M]

Yes, at least once before/at the beginning of HS, and re-read parts of it repeatedly since then. I read the parts pertaining to our age level every year. I've underlined and taken copious notes. Life-changing!

[wingedradical]

I read it when it first came out but that was long after I began homeschooling.

[sewingmama]

I voted other. I'd never heard of it till I found this forum. I took curriculum recomendations from this board without reading the book. It was too expensive for me to buy at the time and my library didn't have it.

 

I HS for about a year and a half before I found a library that had it ( there is one copy in my whole State BUT I had to have it on hold for about 6 months before I got it so someone must be reading it).

 

Well not much changed after I read it. I was already using a lot of the recommendations.

 

I didn't buy the book because strict classical just does not work for my DD.

 

So I just use the board as my resource when I need help with something.

 

And yes...I did read most of it before I returned it.

 

But I hope to head more in the direction of project based learning. I'm not really concerned with 4 year cycles and learning Latin.

[PeacefulChaos]

Yes, before I began homeschooling, I read it cover to cover.  Twice.

Every year I read over parts again.  

[Kathryn]

Yes, the whole thing before my oldest was compulsory school aged, though we'd already begun schooling. I took Cathy Duffy's quiz and came up Classical/Charlotte Mason, but was at first intimidated by Classical so read up on Charlotte Mason. The more I hung out on the Sonlight boards, which is where I started out, the more it sounded like here was where I belonged, so I figured I should at least read the book.

[marge]

Yes. When my oldest was 6 months old and I mentioned being "intrigued" by the idea of homeschooling at a social gathering, a homeschooling Mom of 7 scrawled "The Well-Trained Mind" on a piece of paper and gave it to me. I ordered it from Amazon when I got home and devoured it. I pull it off the shelf frequently to re-read chapters or to re-focus my thinking.

[Colleen in NS]

I read the 1999 ed. around 2001 or so.  Then I bought the 2004 ed. (didn't know there even was a new edition until it arrived in the mail) in 2004.  That thing is starting to fall apart.  It is highlighted, written in, folded, has papers stapled to various pages inside, etc.  It has been a sure guide to me over the years, and the forums are definitely a supplement to it for me.  I would not have had a clue how to put together a home education for my kids had it not been for that book.  I am forever grateful that they wrote it.

[Camelfeet]

Yes, but not when I was new to homeschooling.  I read it after homeschooling for 2 years already and moving from an all in one box curriculum to doing things myself.  

[Hannah]

I read the first edition when my oldest was about three.  Someone from dh's work offered to be a courier brought it for us from the States (I don't think Amazon shipped to South Africa then?)

 

I had the suggested reading lists just about memorized at one point as I had the lists in my handbag and on bookmooch and collected them as 2nd hand.  Thanks to SWB we've built up an impressive children's home library over the years!

 

For primary school we follow a lot of the suggestions and use Peacehill Press materials.  For high school we do the Cambridge IGCSE's in preparation for university entrance here. 

 

WTM definitely gave me the confidence to start homeschooling.  It was also what convinced dh that we could provide a good education (and better than the local schools) at home.

[Melissa in Australia]

I read it through just before the beginning of each school year.

[IsabelC]

Yes, I have read it cover to cover a couple of times, and I have read the sections that are particularly relevant to us maybe 15 or 20 times. There are lots of things I don't agree with, but also lots of things I do find tremendously helpful, so I'm glad to own a copy.

[StartingOver]

I read the 1999 version from cover to cover, in 1999. I have the other two additions and spot read where we are.

[HRAAB]

I bought and read the 1st ed. of TWTM when it first came out, but I had already been homeschooling for several years.  I re-read parts of it every year.  I've checked out the newer editions from the library.  I would say the TWTM is my starting point, and I like referencing it, but at this point, I get most of my information and help from this board.

[Catherine]

I first read it during the summer of the year before I started teaching my oldest. We had just withdrawn him from a disastrous school experience and he was a rising seventh grader. NPR interviewed SWB and that's how I first heard of the books. My first read was a library copy but I knew I needed to own it. The following year, I taught all three of my kids and reread TWTM. It is my tattered reference; I use it when planning every year. Even though I don't slavishly follow any of the recommendations, I find it ALWAYS builds my confidence. It was the book that convinced me I could teach my children my self; it changed my perspective.

 

Thank you Susan!!