MelissaM
02-05-2008, 04:24 PM
Homeschooling is not about curriculum.
(Sheesh, it looks even more stupid written down than it did when I started processing it.)
I've known for a long time that I can't hs the way WTM is written, but, by golly, that's all I know. So every year we start gung ho and every year I crash and burn. It got to the point that I decided that I am just not a hsing mom and put the kids in ps. The disastrous results we're getting have lead me right back here but this time I have a completely different mindset. For the first time in 7 years I finally "hear" what so many of you have said all along: the curriculum, philosophies, books, message boards, etc are TOOLS to get where we are going. SWB said
Which brings me to the REAL value, for me, of (neo)classical education. IT TELLS YOU WHERE YOU'RE GOING. The goal of a classical education is this: at the end of the twelve (or however many) years you educate, the child can gather information, evaluate it, and express an opinion about it. There are many paths to that goal.
I think that the paths we outline in TWTM have helped many parents design a journey towards that goal. And I have to say that most of the nasty attacks I've seen on us and on the book, over the past ten years, come from people who have totally misunderstood our intention: To equip you to get YOURSELF there. We're trying to strengthen and equip, not oppress.
So kudos to all of you who are trying to reach that goal. You'll make wrong moves, back up, try again, hit dead ends, turn around, re-evaluate...constantly, every single year. You'll never "get it." You'll be in process until that child walks out the door...to continue the process on their own.
All this time I've thought that I was failing because I could fit neither myself nor my children into her book. I really missed the boat. Thankfully we are supplied with a fresh beginning each day.
(Sheesh, it looks even more stupid written down than it did when I started processing it.)
I've known for a long time that I can't hs the way WTM is written, but, by golly, that's all I know. So every year we start gung ho and every year I crash and burn. It got to the point that I decided that I am just not a hsing mom and put the kids in ps. The disastrous results we're getting have lead me right back here but this time I have a completely different mindset. For the first time in 7 years I finally "hear" what so many of you have said all along: the curriculum, philosophies, books, message boards, etc are TOOLS to get where we are going. SWB said
Which brings me to the REAL value, for me, of (neo)classical education. IT TELLS YOU WHERE YOU'RE GOING. The goal of a classical education is this: at the end of the twelve (or however many) years you educate, the child can gather information, evaluate it, and express an opinion about it. There are many paths to that goal.
I think that the paths we outline in TWTM have helped many parents design a journey towards that goal. And I have to say that most of the nasty attacks I've seen on us and on the book, over the past ten years, come from people who have totally misunderstood our intention: To equip you to get YOURSELF there. We're trying to strengthen and equip, not oppress.
So kudos to all of you who are trying to reach that goal. You'll make wrong moves, back up, try again, hit dead ends, turn around, re-evaluate...constantly, every single year. You'll never "get it." You'll be in process until that child walks out the door...to continue the process on their own.
All this time I've thought that I was failing because I could fit neither myself nor my children into her book. I really missed the boat. Thankfully we are supplied with a fresh beginning each day.