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Summary: The BEST resource ever!
Review: This book is a temendous blessing to me and my children. It offers a reasonable, rigorous system of study while not overwhelming the home schooling child or parent. I was excited to see that this system uses "real" literature, not the nonsensical readers that came with the prepackaged curriculum on which I had previously spent hundreds of dollars. I can also move at my youngsters' own pace, and I waste very little time in our daily lessons. This system of Classical education also allows me much flexibility, in that I teach two of my children science and history at the same time (though I require more written work from the elder.) Using books from the library instead of boring textbooks also makes the information come alive to the children. I can read aloud with the baby on my lap, while asking pertinent questions and quizzing orally on matter previously covered. In addition, assigned reading is directly related to current subject matter, but the books are kid-friendly and fun to read. While we have not begun Latin study yet, I know it is valuable, even in today's world. I took a class in college on Latin roots in the English language, and even now, twelve years later, I still use the information on a regular basis. In the past, I have always been afraid of "using a little of this, a little of that" like the more experienced parents did. I was afraid of gaps and of being behind the regular school kids, so I made sure I purchased a cohesive program, though I never found one I really liked. With this method, I can use the guides and feel confident that I am doing the best work with the best materials. It took the fear out of the process for me, and gave me confidence to be excited about educating my children.
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Summary: Simply the best hsing book out there!
Review: This book is what convinced my husband that we could homeschool effectively, and it is the book that we turn to whenever disorganization rears it's ugly head! Simply a wonderful guide, well-written and well thought out. It is, however, only for those who feel that their child requires ACADEMIA as a core of their education. This book is NOT for unschoolers!!Divided into the three sections of the trivium, it gives in-depth guidance on every aspect of the academics of the group in question. The authors supply resource lists and detailed step-by-step instructions on the way to teach each child each subject. For the earlier reviewer who stated that the book was too long to be effective, I can only say that you have to approach the book as three SEPARATE books, addressing each stage of your child's learning career separately. To the person who said that it was useless for older children, there is a specific chapter on how to start a child midway through the program. My son, in fact, was pulled midway through second grade from a public school environment and has blossomed with this program. This is the easiest method I have found to ensure that my children get a complete, traditionally thorough, education. It's not about keeping their noses to the grindstone, it's about making sure they have the educational tools they need when they venture out into the working world. As a matter of fact, with this method we have more time available for other things than we did before we put it into practice. Within the security of a complete and varied traditional education, we can enjoy our free time that much more. Bravo, Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer -- you are truly stars -- and your book is a must-have for anyone considering the Classical method for their children's education. I wouldn't want to homeschool without it!
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Summary: The only thing I would change is the title
Review: 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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Summary: This book motivated me to start homeschooling!
Review: I've been homeschooling for 3 months now using the methods outlined in The Well Trained Mind. Contrary to the negative review below, I was glad that the authors included the level of detail that they did (amount of time per subject, etc.), since it gave me a solid starting point for homeschooling my daughter. I tend to think the reviewer below did not read the book thoroughly, for there are frequent encouragements to personalize the program to suit your child(ren) and family. They simply provide a general guideline based on their experience, and frequently acknowledge that a prime advantage of homeschooling is the ability to customize it for each child. The WTM program is designed to challenge our children and optimize their learning and thinking skills, but all the while developing a joy and enthusiasm for learning. Highly recommended for anyone who thinks (correctly, in my opinion) that children can learn and perform at higher levels than are currently expected of them, and that it can be done in a positive way.
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Summary: The Revision Is Even Better!
Review: I own both copies of the Well-Trained Mind--the original and the revision--and the revision is a wonderful improvement on a wonderfully helpful original. The "how to" sections are clearer. All of the information is up to date. Readers can choose from a number of different curricula options; the authors give pros and cons for each. The resources are much simpler to use. For some subjects, the authors have included curricula, developed since the publication of the first book, that line up with the classical principles laid out in the original ground-breaking TWTM. These new resources are uniformly simpler to use and more affordable--and, in many cases, academically superior--to the original recommendations. In a total of FOUR PLACES, the authors recommend materials that they have developed themselves. That's FOUR PLACES in a book with literally HUNDREDS of resources. Those resources--the Story of the World series, First Language Lessons, The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading, and The Well-Educated Mind--are offered in the place of resources which many readers had trouble using--the Usborne history, which is fragmented and cartoon like; English for the Thoughtful Child, which is dated and requires way too much handwriting for many kids; Phonics Pathways, which is a GREAT phonics primer with absolutely NO help for the parent/teacher; and How to Read A Book, which the authors acknowledge is a classic BUT very hard for many high school students to read. (My kids are still middle school aged, but I've heard my home school friends gripe about all four of these resources.) Buy this revision. You won't be disappointed.
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Summary: I was hoping for more
Review: I read the original version of "The Well Trained Mind" checked out from a local library several years ago and was very impressed. As my children are nearing school age, I decided to buy the book intending to use it as a resource to suppliment their education. The revised edition disapointed me. Though I appreciated more up to date resources and ordering information, the authors omitted many resources that they recommended in the first edition that are still available in favor of their own books. I found that a great disservice to a very loyal readership. It significantly lowered my opinion of the author's character and credibility. Though I still plan on using the method presented, I don't think I will be buying any more of their material.
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Summary: I was a bit disappointed...
Review: I have the old edition of The Well-Trained Mind and just received the revised edition. It has been a great book overall, but I was hoping for more information on different classical curriculums offered out there. They also took out the books they recommended for history and grammar (in the grammar stage) and inserted the books that they have written. I thought that was a bit biased and very self serving on their part. They should have recommended their own books, but also included others as good alternatives. There is not as much change to the book as I had hoped.
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Summary: Great reference
Review: I was looking for a more structured way of teaching my 3 year old daughter and came across this book. I wanted to add something extra to what she learns in her pre-school and this book gave me good ideas on how to do it. The concept of language-based classical education method is what i liked the best about this book, as for the schedule and the references, i think each parent needs to decide what suits their children best. For a parent like me who is not homeschooling this book definitely gives ideas to think towards the development of my child.
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Summary: A Pivotal Resource for Home Schooling
Review: The Well Trained Mind brings you fantastic insight, a well-rounded curriculum, book lists with ordering information, and how to home-school your child from pre-school through high school.
This book is outstanding for anyone who wants to take their children out of public or private school, for whatever your reason may be, and provide them with the solid education and attention they deserve.
An outstanding resource! Barbara Rose, author of 'Individual Power' and 'If God Was Like Man'
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Summary: Once an Educrat, always an Educrat....
Review: This book makes such a fuss over homeschooling, yet from the beginning when it brags about the daughter's many degrees, it goes on to continually quote from people who have....degrees, as if having a degree makes everything you say automatically worth listening to! And, get this, the daughter is....a teacher (granted, a college professor, but still!). It is as if all that matters to these people is the slip of paper. The slip of paper is not the same as an education, people. They went to so much effort to avoid being part of the system, only for the daughter to become part of it. And yes, it is strange to mention the other two children at the beginning, but not anywhere else in the book. I also got the impression that there wasn't much time for any extracurricular activities that took a lot of time, or required much time away from home. They make some very good points in this book, such as beginning with phonics for reading, but are totally off-base when in comes to the value of computers and the internet. Their attitude is if it isn't in print from an "established" book publisher, it's suspect. A fact is a fact, wherever you find it. Get with the future, ladies, where students are consumers, and they will go where they can find the information, and quickly. The internet is quickly removing the need for conventional "brick-and-mortar" schools anyway, except for classes like band and drama, where you need lots of people. I also was disappointed in the lack of a real "catch-up" program for the older student. As one reviewer pointed out, you get the impression that you're too late if you don't start in preschool. Maybe read everything on their list in a "Cliff's Notes" or "Classic Comics" version to get up to speed? LOL And do you really need to take an entire course in Latin? Why not just study the major root words (which comprise about 30-40% of English) and take a modern language like Spanish? Any time you take a foreign language, you learn about your own language's grammar and syntax. Also, the book/resource lists seemed to go on forever. They would have done the reader a service listing them by publisher first, then subject/grade level--Dover appeared constantly, and I know they have a catalogue. The lists take up a good portion of the book, too. I see that this edition is already "unavailable", and the new version is updated with new ordering info, etc., at a higher price, of course. Even at the Amazon price, considering that a good portion of the book consists of lists/contact info that will go out of date quickly, this book is overpriced. I will look for it used.
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