We are going today to finish getting ready for the church's Children's carnival. Busy weekend.
I am finishing "Thomas Jefferson Education." I am not really impressed.
The author is a college professor and obviously still believes the "public schools saved the poor from illiteracy"
Bologna.
Prior to ps being imported to this country we had a 98% literacy rate. Now it is 85%. the schools are flat failing. Even the poor were very much better off before.
See http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm
The whole book is online to read for free.
That nit-pick aside, the author advocates lots of reading of classics, discussions, teachers leading the students in learning not pushing them, high standards and freedom to explore. At its core, basically the same thing as Charlotte Mason, unit studies, TTTclassical, even some unschoolers. Very good ideas, but not really anything new. He quotes often from Alan bloom's "Closing of the American Mind." That was a VERY hard chew, but so full of meat it was very satisfying.
Basically, I would recommend TJ-ed to those just starting out on homeschooling ( I will be incorporating some of his suggestions into my school), but do follow it up with something meatier, Teaching the Trivium, Charlotte Mason (Karen Androle's books about Charlotte Mason are much cheaper and easier to find. These are what I have read), or some of the other "classics" of homeschooling.
I am finishing "Thomas Jefferson Education." I am not really impressed.
The author is a college professor and obviously still believes the "public schools saved the poor from illiteracy"
Bologna.
Prior to ps being imported to this country we had a 98% literacy rate. Now it is 85%. the schools are flat failing. Even the poor were very much better off before.
See http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm
The whole book is online to read for free.
That nit-pick aside, the author advocates lots of reading of classics, discussions, teachers leading the students in learning not pushing them, high standards and freedom to explore. At its core, basically the same thing as Charlotte Mason, unit studies, TTTclassical, even some unschoolers. Very good ideas, but not really anything new. He quotes often from Alan bloom's "Closing of the American Mind." That was a VERY hard chew, but so full of meat it was very satisfying.
Basically, I would recommend TJ-ed to those just starting out on homeschooling ( I will be incorporating some of his suggestions into my school), but do follow it up with something meatier, Teaching the Trivium, Charlotte Mason (Karen Androle's books about Charlotte Mason are much cheaper and easier to find. These are what I have read), or some of the other "classics" of homeschooling.
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