****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
In my many years of homeschooling, I've yet to find a book as comprehensive as The Well Trained Mind. The authors not only tell you the WHAT but, most importantly, the HOW. For example,they provide a 4-year breakdown of History, how to teach it at each stage of the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric), provide a suggested list of books for each year and stage, how to teach from those books, and, just in case you might have been wondering, they throw in a suggested daily schedule. There's not much to wonder about after reading this book. They did not cover specifics on religious instruction, but wisely decided to leave that to the parent, and, although they didn't cover Physical Education, because their focus was on academics, they did leave references for the parent to turn to. All in all, you will find just about everything you need here. Our daily schedule doesn't look very much like the one in the book though, because it's our own, just as yours will be. We have established a flow and rhythm that took a little time to establish. Some of the suggested books didn't mesh with some of my children, but no big deal, we just use different ones. I have a daughter who's a hand's on learner and a son who's still learning how to sit still, it works for both of them. Regardless of what your children will eventually become when they grow up, the educational philosophy espoused by the authors of TWTM will serve your children well. They will grow to be thinkers; people who can process information and come to an intelligent conclusion ON THEIR OWN. They will have developed the ability to teach themselves ANYTHING that might interest them without the need for someone else to give them pre-digested information. They will have developed the rare art of discipline, both mental and physical. How many young people do you know with such qualities?
