Thomas Jefferson Education?

[King Alfred Academy]

I'm out of the loop on this one. I googled the title and looked for it at the University library, but there are several choices. I am interested in reading about this. What is the title of the one that has helped you the most and who wrote it.
Thanks so much!

[Trivium Academy]

The gist of it is to mentor your children- read whole books/classics before they do so you can lead them in Socratic discussions. Teach yourself before you attempt to teach your children. It was a convicting read but there really isn't anything new if you've read The Well-Trained Mind and some of Charlotte Mason's books.

Links to explore for info:
http://www.curriculumconnection.net/thomasjeffeducation.htm
http://www.hsunlimited.com/resources/homeschool-methods/thomas-jefferson-education.php
http://homeschoolblogger.com/LeadershipEducation/Thomas%2BJefferson%2BEducation/
http://www.tjed.org/

Reviews:
http://www.homeschoolchristian.com/Reviews/ThomasJeffersonEducation.html
http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/reviews.php?rid=1298
http://micheleschafer.blogspot.com/2007/12/thomas-jefferson-education-by-oliver.html

It's not a waste of time to read but I think it's more of a theoretical than practical guide.

[yvonne]

There's also the book by Oliver Van DeMille, A Thomas Jefferson Education, that sums up the basic ideas. But, I would explore Jessica's links before purchasing the book.

yvonne

[Kimber]

While I like the idea, I haven't read it in that much detail. I have quite a backlog of books. One of the major appeals to me is the idea of training them for leadership. I believe it encourages the child to have more input in educational goals than what most other books advocate. Although, I have not read all of the "most other books". So take that with a grain of salt.

:)

[PixieKris]

I read the first one, and it is good philosophically, but not practically. But, my friend was starting a book group based on the philosophy, so as time has gone on, I have listened to CD's, read pamphlets, etc. They have a new book out that (if I understand correctly) combines the first book (A Thomas Jefferson Education for the 21st Century) with the pamphlet (which I can't remember the name of, but is the wife writing about how it actually looks at home.) I believe it is called A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion. The people in our group that are really trying to implement the philosophy really like this book.

What I resonates with me about the philosophy is 1) inspire, not require. We are responsible for educating ourselves, and through that mentorship, inspiring our children to learn. I like the stages - the earliest stage is really doing chores and helping the family run and play. Then I believe is the love of learning phase, with lots of reading, projects, etc. The next phase is slightly more structured, and the final stage is more intense than we see many college students studying. We sort of naturally and gradually implemented these stages, which seem to be less rigid in the early years than Susan Wise Bauer's.

My concern with people trying to follow it to a T is that each homeschooling family is individual - if we wanted to do the square peg in a round hole, we'd send our kids to school, right? On top of that, this is not a tried and true method; this has sort of been studied in an abstract sense - how did Thomas Jefferson learn, and then how can we make that happen in our current world. As far as I know, none of the DeMille kids are grown, and even if they were, it's again looking at what worked for one family and trying to make it work for your own.

Now, all that said, I'm the same way with the Well Trained Mind and Unschooling and Charolette Mason, so I'm probably preaching to the choir on my soapbox here. (how's that for mixing metaphors. :) ) But, for me, who loves reading about educational philosophies and loves adding in bits and pieces of what I find (I love the "classics bookshelf" idea, among other things) it was well worth the time. Plus, it was required by my bookgroup, and that I wouldn't give up for the world.

Good luck!

Kris

[GVA]

A friend of mine owns most of their materials, so I've borrowed them here and there, but the "Companion" book explains how to realistically implement it. That's one that I bought myself and that I periodically re-read.

[Shaner]

I've enjoyed both the book and companion. I think others have given a good description, in theory it is energizing but I fear the implementation failure rate would be pretty high without real commitment. The premise is that as teachers we take on a mentorship role and inspire the pupil to grow. The book model IMHO is more geared towards pupils in the "Logic" stage and would see more success. It does though make me think on how I teach and what my role truly is as a parent.

[Allen Academy]

This is on my list to read, but I have had it on hold at the library for over 2 months :eek: Maybe one day... because I am not going to buy it if I can read it for free :)

[5wolfcubs]

in theory it is energizing but I fear the implementation failure rate would be pretty high without real commitment. The premise is that as teachers we take on a mentorship role and inspire the pupil to grow. The book model IMHO is more geared towards pupils in the "Logic" stage and would see more success. It does though make me think on how I teach and what my role truly is as a parent.

This was my view of the book as well. I actually read it aloud to my dh -- only homeschooling book I read him! He would have thrived under mentorship ...but implementation here at home, with our own kids. Well...sigh. I do love the line Inspire, Not Require that Van DeMille uses and try to apply it!:)

[Judy in WA]

I've read A Thomas Jefferson Education and agree with many of the posters. I also agree with "Inspire, Not Require". In my years of homeschooling, the things I made my kids learn has not stuck. The things they were inspried to learn have become part of them. That's what I'm looking for in their education.

It's kind of like potty training - Their education is their achievement, their responsibility. It's my job to be their guide. That is the crux of TJEd to me.

[elegantlion]

I have the TJed and the home companion. There was some good information and inspired me to get cracking on my own self-education. It also reminded me to step back and look at our family goals for education. That being said, the book clubs he recommends are impractical for our family.

[Debbie in OR]

If you have to pick one to read, read The Homeschool Companion, not the original TJEd book. It is philosophy, not so much how-to, but the companion is more detailed about what it could look like when implemented. I agree with all the others that the main things I took away were focusing on my own self-education: there will be no inspiring your dc if they don't see it being lived out in your life. The "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" does not work here! Also, it was helpful in helping me really start looking at what my kids are passionate about and finding ways to feed those passions. There's more but those were two of the main things.

I actually found the Principle Approach to have many of the same components (inspiring, how to mentor, finding your dc passions,etc..) with more substance, less just philosophy. However, PA is very Christian, TJEd can be implemented for either secular or Christian.