The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, Revised and Updated Edition [Hardcover]

Although I had a little trouble with the idea of teaching very formal academics to a younger child, I liked the progressive nature of the Trivium, I liked the clear structure of the curriculum, and the extensive resource lists, and I liked the emphasis on classical works. The trivium, as she states, is language-based and not image based, so there is very little hands-on and art and music mentioned. I think the problem with this approach is if you have a child with another type of learning style. There is a lot of reading and writing. It may not work well with all kids. I also note that there is little if any discussion on how to teach multiple children, or where to start if you don't do this from the beginning, and a lack of discussion in building loving family relationships. It sounds like 12 years of academics with little time for much else. I think if you use this book, you need to soften the process with good relationship building and family skills.

The principle is this: The first years, grades 1 through 4 are the "grammar" stage where the mind is supplied with facts and images (rules of grammar, math facts, phonics, poems, songs, stories in literature and history). And I was glad to see that these four years were just an introduction to facts, not a deep delving. Then, the"logic" stages, in grades 5-8 where the child is given tools to logically organize those facts (including learning outlining, paragraph constructions, organizing skills and analysis) , and the third stage is the "rhetoric" stage, grades 9-12 where the child is equipped to express conclusions forcefully.

The other part of this process is the repetition ever four years. The first ,5,th and 9 th grades study the Ancient times (4000 B.C - 400 AD) and the grades 2, 6, 10 study the Medieval and Early Renaissance (400 AD - 1600 AD) , and the grades 3, 7, 11 study the Late Renaissance and Early Modern (1600-1850)and the Modern to Present times is studied in grades 4, 8, 12. The science is divided also this way: The first time period is Biology and Human body and Classification (Ancients), the second is Earth Science and Astronomy (Medieval times), the third time is Chemistry (Late Renaissance), and the Modern times studies physics and computer science. History is studied with the same four time periods, as is the literature. Everything in a whole year follows the time period. After four years, you repeat the cycle, but with more emphasis on analysis and logic and creativity.

A couple of other things she says: she believes that peer socialization should not take such a precedence in children's lives. That family and neighbors should come first. She doesn't believe in dating in high school. She does throw her personal ethics in here a lot. She also says that children can learn to do more than we think. We can challenge them. She has a lot to say about the literataure and movies that most educators let our kids use for academics. She has a section on testing, transcripts, lists of resources, how to use certain books and resources, complete step by step ideas on developing notebooks, how to prepare the mind to think. I think this book is very good, BUT, like other homeschooling books, it could make you feel inadequate as a homeschooling parent. ON the other hand, if you need some guidance on classical studies, and want someone to lay out a good curriculum for you complete with resources, this is a good book to own.

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If, on the other hand, you are contemplating teaching your children at home because public (and even private) traditional schools have watered down the content of your children's academic learning, and you truly want to give your child a world-class education at home in the classical tradition, you need look no further than this remarkable resource.

The authors have compiled a complete list of what to teach, where to find the resources with which to teach it, and, if you need it, some suggestions for working out a schedule that will accomplish it all (The authors acknowledge that the schedules in the book won't work for all families, but are merely meant to be examples).

Mind you, this book describes a system of rigorous education that requires dedication on the part of both parent and student. Any parent who has chosen to homeschool their children, though, already has proven that they have the necessary dedication to follow this program. The authors do not give credence to popular notions that children need watered-down, video- and photographically-enhanced stimuli to learn. They encourage parents to teach their children to read early, read constantly, and eventually to learn to search for answers to questions on their own. Children of the video age may find it difficult at first to actively learn, but if they are to be well and truly educated, and become lifetime learners, they cannot learn any other way.

You can use this book in many ways. If you want an all-encompassing guide, complete with suggested schedules, the authors have included them. The beauty of home education, however, is that you have the freedom to modify your curriculum.

So, what if there is a fabulous exhibit at your local art museum, but doesn't fit into the historical period you're studying that year? You go! You CAN go because even the rigorous program described in this book takes far less time than children typically spend in school and doing homework. What if your child has passion for art or dinosaurs? At home, you have the freedom to allow their exploration without sacrificing any other component of their education. Because even if you do everything described in the book, you'll still be finished with time to spare for these "passions."

But if you don't give your child the education described in this book, how will they ever have enough information about their world to know what they truly are passionate about?

Jessie Wise and her daughter, Susan Wise Bauer have been living the homeschool experience for more than 25 years, first as Jessie taught Susan and her other children, and now as Susan teaches her three children. There are few families in America that have this kind of experience from which to draw. I am using this book as the core of my homeschool curriculum (in fact, have used the program for a full year already, having used Mrs. Wise as our curriculum consultant before the book came out), and highly recommend it to parents who choose to homeschool to ensure that their children receive a quality education -- one that is simply not available in public (and even good private) schools anymore.

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