You have to feel bad for Susan Wise Bauer, author of the terrific classical homeschool guide - The Well-Trained Mind
.Recently she's been besieged by some members of the Christian community for being *secular* - or at least she feels she's been besieged.
Susan, a minister's wife(!), has decided to defend herself through a couple of blog posts. After all a homeschooling book that's reviled by the largest (50-70%?) sector of its target market is going to suffer big time.
The thing is, Susan not only declares herself a devout Christian, but she also fought against her *secular* publisher to include a good deal of Christianity in her popular - Story of the World
series for young'uns.My son has actually listened to a little bit of that (audiobook); it was tough to get your hands on it at the library!. Ironically the only complaint I ever heard about The Story of the World
was from a libertarian atheist who thought it *too religious*. This homeschooling *mom* told me she had to pre-screen each audio track and skip all references to *God*, etc. - because, obviously, her 5 year old daughter would be irretrievably harmed from listening!Whatever.
I want to link to Susan's lengthy self-defense which is actually a re-print of hers from several years ago - obviously she's suffered this criticism continually:
A Golden Oldie
Apparently some speakers at a recent homeschooling conference, one in which she was also speaking, were bad-mouthing her.
I do feel bad for Bauer (no relation to 'Jack'). But hey, if you want to traffic in an inherently sensitive/political subject like *history* and market your take to the public....then controversy sort of goes with the territory!
Click here - to read her other blog post defense.
Coincidentally, I just borrowed the WTM tome from the library yesterday, for yet another reading.
See also my wonderful post from last year - Book Summary - The Well-Trained Mind.
2 comments:
do we need any schooling at all ? (even home)
can it just be vocational, starting from childhood ? Whey they grow up they are going to be in one particular field anyways. Why not focus/specialize purely in the area from childhood.
Lets say computers...start developing computer programs/software/ipad apps etc from young age. Forget about everything else...even math. They will learn/Apply required math as needed.
Same for other areas...some fields dont require calculus or higher math anyways. (medicine ?)
Homeschooling folks are making it another "system" of education...just done at home .?
Its 21st century and we need a new paradigm.
Anon,
But your 21st suggestions, i.e. child labor and apprenticeships, sound so 'old school', so 19th century!
Of course I agree. I want my kids working ASAP. Hopefully they take to it with gusto.
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