In this post, I give an overview of The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and talk about why I recommend it to wannabe homeschoolers who don’t know where to start. I also share what I consider to be the highlights of the book as well as a few caveats based on my own experience.
I first listened to the audiobook version of The Well-Trained Mind before my oldest was ready to start school. This was the first book about homeschooling I read around that time that mirrored my experiences as a student, made me appreciate my education and convinced me that my daughter could also have a very rigorous education at home. I have re-listened to the audiobook several times over the past few years and have continued to educate myself about Classical Education. Despite having a few disagreements with the author’s approach to subjects like music and foreign language education as well as her use of the term “classical education”, I continue to come back to this reference book for several reasons, which I explain below.
Overview
This book is written by a mother, Jessie Wise, and her daughter, Susan Wise Bauer. Together, they review Jessie’s experience homeschooling her children, but focus on Susan and her homeschool experiences and beyond. It starts off with why Jessie first decided to take her children out of school to homeschool them. The book then delves into a description of the Trivium, the foundation of a Liberal Arts education, and explains how they use these three arts (grammar, logic and rhetoric) to shape their homeschool K-12 scope and sequence. After this brief introduction, the rest of the book systematically covers kindergarten through the final year of high school in depth.
Highlights
Hand-Holding for K-12: I consider this book to be the ultimate “Homeschooling for Dummies” reference and I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense (I actually own several For Dummies books myself). If you want somebody to walk you through what subjects you should be teaching each grade and a list of resources and curriculum suggestions for each, then this is the book for you.
We are going to lay out a whole plan of study for you, not just theory, but resources, and textbooks and curriculum. It’s still hard work, we don’t deny it. We’ll give you a clear view of the demands and requirements of this academic project.
Even if you don’t need or want that level of help, the numerous lists of books and resources for every subject and every grade is an incredible reference for those of us wanting to give our students a rigorous academic foundation and have no idea where to start.
Traditional Approach: I also appreciate the emphasis on primary sources and not “textbooks” that try to do the thinking for the student. Their traditional approach, though not technically “classical” is indeed language focused, with an emphasis on memorisation at the appropriate stage. The Well-Trained Mind certainly lays a pathway to a very rigorous and thorough K-12 education.
“Classical” Education?
…Finding the links between fields of study can be a mind-twisting task. A classical education meets this challenge by taking history as its organising outline, beginning with the ancients and progressing forward to the moderns, in history, science, literature, art and music.
This statement right here sums up the organisation of the book. In an effort to show how fields of study are related to each other, the author makes the claim that classical education means teaching all subjects in chronological order. Even though teaching some subjects in chronological order is extremely helpful, it is not the defining characteristic of classical education. And I’m not sure if the author intended this or not, but it seems like nowadays, many homeschoolers believe that if they study the usual subjects systematically in chronological order, that they are getting a “classical education” and that is simply not the case.
In fact, the author’s reasoning behind using the term “classical education” seems to come solely from Dorothy L. Sayer’s speech The Lost Tools of Learning which, though interesting and informative about the trivium, was simply a comment on the falling standards of education in her time, not an essay on educational philosophy. Therefore, in The Well-Trained Mind, the term “classical education” is misapplied to mean an education in which subjects are taught chronologically and through the stages of grammar, logic and rhetoric. Though this type of education is rigorous and traditional, it is not “classical” in the sense that “classical education” has been defined throughout history. For that, you can read this book review of Climbing Parnassus, a book that actually explains what classical education is.
Some Caveats
My only other issue with the homeschooling approach described in The Well-Trained Mind is the authors’ advice about music and foreign language education. Granted, I’m probably biased when it comes to these two subjects because I’m quite passionate about them. Not every homeschooler will be and I get that. I guess the point is that I’m not interested in doing something to check a box. And it seems like that’s how the authors approach both of these subjects. I believe that if you’re not going to commit to music education or commit to a foreign language, then it’s a waste of time. How many people do you know who took two years of high school Spanish believe they accomplished anything? Unless, of course, they continued on with their study of the language and didn’t stop there.
But for the sake of brevity, I will stick with music. The authors suggest at least two years of piano lessons to make a well-rounded student. And if after two years things don’t seem to be working out, cut your losses. I wholeheartedly believe that “taking piano lessons for at least two years” is terrible advice. I don’t have anything against the piano, but I do have something against recommending it to everyone considering music lessons for their children and setting the bar at a minimum of two years.
Music Education
Studying music is a huge investment of time and money. It takes a fierce dedication. And if parents are not willing to commit to helping their students, then I honestly don’t think they should bother. It’s a waste. Nothing of substance can be accomplished in only two years of music education. You’re still setting the foundation. To paraphrase Amy Chua, playing an instrument is not fun unless you’re good at it, and the only way to get good at it is to practice. And it takes more than two years of practice to get to the “fun stuff”.
Another aspect of this is the parent having a passion for the chosen instrument (assuming the child is too young to choose or doesn’t know enough about music to have a preference for an instrument). How else will they be able to push through the hard times? If you as the parent do not particularly love the piano, how on earth are you going to find the motivation to help your child push through daily piano practice? You’re not. The only reason I’m able to spend an hour of EVERY DAY with my daughter practicing the violin is because I love the violin and I know how beautiful it can sound when it’s played well. And I believe that if my daughter continues to practice, that she will eventually make that beautiful sound.
Conclusion
The Well-Trained Mind is a godsend if you’re new to homeschooling and want a bird’s eye view of what it can look like when done well. You get an idea of the sheer number of books involved as well as an idea of how many fun projects and extracurriculars you can pursue with your student. As long as you keep in mind the authors’ use of the term “classical education” and take their music and foreign language education advice with a bucket of salt, I highly recommend this book as a resource for any homeschool family.
Have you read The Well-Trained Mind? How has it had an impact on your homeschooling?
Keep Reading About…
Classical Education: Book Review of Climbing Parnassus
Music Education: The Suzuki Method, Effective Music Practice, Music Appreciation
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