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Title: The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise, Susan Wise Bauer ISBN: 0-393-04752-0 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 August, 1999 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.55 (103 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Home education the way it is meant to be. A great book!
Comment: This is a spectacular reference with tons of information for parents who want to help their children reach their full intellectual potentials. It covers everything from "Why homeschool?" and "What do I do first?" to "What about college?" and almost everything in between. The book suggests that parents can best decide how to integrate their religious beliefs into the curriculum, making this a great book for secular and non-secular homeschoolers.
One of the things I love most about TWTM is its focus on history. In a nutshell, the authors suggest that students as young as six learn history. WTM students learn in three developmentally-appropriate stages, beginning with basic facts and skills and progressing to higher-level thought by high school. History, science and literature are taught in an integrated manner.
Each student learns about the world from about 5,000 B.C. to present time in a four year course, repeating the chronological cycle three times over a 12 year education. For example, 1st, 5th and 9th graders all learn about "the Ancients" -- but each grade reads age-appropriate books and does activities suited to its level and ability.
Science, literature, music, art, etc., follow the same pattern. For example, in science students learn about the natural world, chemistry, physics, etc., at an age-appropriate level, first learning basics, then getting more in-depth as the the child matures. Using history as a guide, all academic subjects can be tied together and related to one another.
The WTM is suggests that children read LITERATURE, not mass-produced reading books. What better way to learn writing and language arts than to study excellent writers (instead of textbook company employees)?
This is a large book, but it's full of great information and extensive reading lists and curriculum information. Initially, the sheer amount of information can be a bit overwhelming, but the book could be used for a complete education from first through twelfth grades. Instead of getting overwhelmed, I focused on the grade my child is working right now, and I'll reread the information for other ages/stages as I need it.
Although the cost of the text might *seem* high compared to [money] workbooks, I think the money is well spent. This book can be used for multiple students over several grades. Three dollars a year for a complete 1st-12th curriculum guide? Sounds cost-effective to me!
The book covers all twelve grades but gives information about what to do if you're starting in the middle and gives information about modifying the curriculum to suit your children. Yes, a few of the recommended books are unavailable but this doesn't surprise me, because some of the books recommended were immediately snapped up by WTM parents soon after TWTM became popular. This is the 21st century -- a PRINTED reference book cannot be up-to-the minute on book availablility.
Don't get overwhelmed by the lists of books or try to read every book suggested! The readings are *suggested* readings. If you can't find one listed, get another -- or find a similar title. The authors make it clear that reading lists are only suggestions -- not complete lists of every appropriate book for any grade.
I bought several homeschool books before deciding to homeschool my third grader. I wish I'd listened when friends suggested TWTM at the beginning of my research! TWTM is the only book that got me excited about helping my daughter reach her full intellectual potential. I've hold a bachelor's and a master's degree, but I have the feeling my daughter will be better educated than I am when we're done -- and I'm sure she'll know more than a majority of public school students. TWTM is the best guide for home education I've found.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Wonderful Homeschooling Resource...
Comment: These comments are mainly in response to the "Don't Torture Your Children" review. For a detailed description of the contents and organization of this book, please see the editorial reviews. My comments will focus on how this book has been of use to me. Instead of finding this book narrow, rigid, and otherwise stultifying (as some reviewers have indicated), I have found this to be an invaluable curriculum planning resource. It lays out a practical, reasonable way of schooling at home in a "classical" manner, without any of the excesses that one might associate with traditional "classical" education. I have read many of the other homeschooling resources on classical education but this is the one that enabled me to feel comfortable in implementing this method at home. The recommended curriculum programs are easy to use and reasonable in price and even if one doesn't use them, they give one a good idea of what type of programs to look for. The suggested schedules are helpful in providng an outline in planning a school day. But for those who think the timeframes given are too structured or too rigorous, know that the authors present them only as guidelines, not as the only way to school if one is doing "classical" education. The authors have made this clear on their wonderful website, where hundreds of other Well-Trained Mind users give feedback, support, and suggestions for schooling the Well-Trained Mind way.
I fully appreciate the progression of developmental skills provided in this book. For example, in the grammar years for history, the young student narrates what he/she hears and then begins to write out his/her own narrations (a la Charlotte Mason); in the dialectic years, the student begins to outline the material, do timelines to see interrelationships, and write short reports; in the high school years, the student concentrates on analyzing events and integrating history with literature and philosphy. The same kind of progression is also provided for science and for the other academic areas. This is one area that I found missing in other classical homeschooling resources--just what kind of work does one require from students in the different areas of the trivium.
So, bottom line, if you are interested in classical education at home, this book is a wonderful foundational resource. You may not use everything suggested in the book; you may not do everything suggested in the book. But the book will give you excellent perimeters within which to do your classical schooling.
Rating: 5
Summary: The only thing I would change is the title
Comment: Thank you Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise for writing this book! I live in a state whose public school students consistently rank near the bottom of the nation and, as someone who learned to read when I was 3, the thought of waiting until age 6 to send my child to an underperforming school to learn the alphabet is downright frightening. Our public schools have their hands full with discipline problems, gang fights, and illegal immigrants who cannot speak or learn in English, and our private schools are very expensive for what would rank as an average education elsewhere. Homeschooling becomes almost a necessity and your book has given me the courage to do it. I am not kidding when I say this book has changed my mind about having to leave the state to find a decent education for my child. I am looking forward to starting with a brand new infant and singing the alphabet song every day. Thank you especially for the concrete book suggestions.
The only thing I would change about this book is the title, to include the word "homeschool". At first glance, it is not obvious that this book is about homeschooling, and I almost skipped over it on the bookstore's display table. I'm so glad I picked it up. I wish I had been educated this way, and this book will form the basis for my child's education. I can't thank you enough.
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Title: The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had by Susan Wise Bauer ISBN: 0393050947 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: August, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child; Volume 1: Ancient Times by Susan Wise Bauer ISBN: 0971412901 Publisher: Peace Hill Press Pub. Date: 15 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise, Sarah Park ISBN: 0971412928 Publisher: Peace Hill Press Pub. Date: December, 2002 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Phonics Pathways by Dolores G. Hiskes ISBN: 0962096733 Publisher: Dorbooks Pub. Date: March, 2000 List Price(USD): $32.95 |
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Title: The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages by Susan Wise Bauer, Patty Martirosian, Jay Wise ISBN: 0971412936 Publisher: Peace Hill Press Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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