Author Topic: Twaddle, anyone? (Read 1228 times)

DonnaE · « **Reply #30 on:** June 29, 2012, 11:50 AM »

Good article, Lill!

lizstraw · « **Reply #31 on:** June 29, 2012, 05:30 PM »

It sounds like a bunch of twaddle to me. I mean the thing about books. I don't care if you home school your kids, although sometimes I question many people's reason for doing so, but that is my opinion and you have yours and I will not debate anything except people labeling books as twaddle, that is all a bunch of twaddle as Nero Wolf would say to Archie.

RebeccaH · « **Reply #32 on:** July 04, 2012, 09:32 AM »

A non-prairie-dress-wearing homeschooler here, weighing in…

I agree that some of the problem isn't Charlotte Mason's original ideas, but rather how people choose to interpret them. For instance, some CM followers tend to dismiss most books written in the last hundred years, favoring those written in CM's time. This has always struck me as more than a little ridiculous. But on the flip side, by perusing recommended book lists on CM websites, I have discovered some old gems that I otherwise might have missed.

As for the twaddle/living books discussion, this is what I recall from when I explored the CM method: a living book is one that really brings a subject to life (versus a dry textbook). I think we all strive to write living books. Whether we succeed or not depends on the reader. As for twaddle, I always took it as a word that allowed an adult to dismiss a book that they didn't like.

I've even heard The Cat in the Hat called twaddle, I think because it used simple language. To which I say

Clearly what is twaddle to one person is not twaddle to another.

By the way, I think it's a stretch to say that CM is popular among homeschoolers. Most homeschoolers do not follow CM. Many have heard of it but don't know anything about it. I know a few homeschoolers who have tried the CM method but, like me, they found the ideas interesting but the method far too rigid to be workable in real life.

DonnaE · « **Reply #33 on:** July 04, 2012, 12:43 PM »

*waving to RebeccaH!*

My prairie dresses are all boxed up, too.

Pippa · « **Reply #34 on:** July 04, 2012, 12:54 PM »

Interesting discussion!

RebeccaH · « **Reply #35 on:** July 04, 2012, 12:55 PM »

I'm with ya, DonnaH, on the prairie dresses. Besides, that starchy calico is just too hot on these 90 degree days.

Lill · « **Reply #36 on:** July 04, 2012, 04:06 PM »

Ah, well at least where I am CM or bits of it at least are very popular, and just about everyone has heard of it. Most of the people
I know depend on lists like Five in A Row and Honey For A Child's Heart. Although I've been homeschooling for over four years, I've only been involved in
groups for two. And I just hear a lot about Ambleside Online and CM and all that stuff.

RebeccaH · « **Reply #37 on:** July 05, 2012, 10:16 AM »

Lill, it's interesting that this would vary so much from one part of the country to another. Admittedly, it's not like I've every done a formal survey, so it's quite possible I'm underestimating how much people follow CM. It's just that I've just barely ever heard anyone mention CM in my area (central PA), yet I do hear people talk about other methods and curricula.

Lill · « **Reply #38 on:** July 05, 2012, 11:15 AM »

Well, for one thing, as I understand PA has some pretty strict homeschooling guidelines which may limit your choices or methods. As I understand you guys have a fair amount of reporting to do. In Texas, we have virtually no regulation. We do not have to report to anyone, show any records, have curriculum approved, or take state tests. Maybe the other methods are more compatible to your state's requirements, and that's why they are more well known.

Also, I think CM is more popular among conservative Christian home-schoolers, although I do know of Jewish and agnostic homeschooling families that use it. Our only large homeschool group is faith based, and outside of one very small group aimed toward young children, there are no organized secular groups in town.

In my circles Well Trained Mind, Charlotte Mason, and Classical Education are well known and popular.

What other methods do you hear about most where you live?

Lill · « **Reply #39 on:** July 05, 2012, 12:56 PM »

All Texas requires is to teach reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and good citizenship, with a written curriculum which may include digital sources. That's it. No testing, portfolios, attendance, registration, etc. Home schools are considered private schools and are not regulated by the local or state government. But the home school families I know go way above and beyond those basic requirements.

It is both liberating and scary as heck.

Susan · « **Reply #40 on:** July 05, 2012, 04:29 PM »

Lill, no science, history, geography?

Lill · « **Reply #41 on:** July 05, 2012, 08:02 PM »

It is not required by the state. However, every homeschool parent I know covers those things. Every co-op I know of teaches those things. We all want our kids to get good jobs and get into college, so yes, we all do much, much more than the state says we have to. We are just free from paper work and reporting. Many people I know do have their kids tested.

Lill · « **Reply #42 on:** July 05, 2012, 08:29 PM »

In case anyone is curious, here is a map that breaks down the amount of home-school regulation per state. It varies quite a bit.
http://www.hslda.org/laws/

Lill · « **Reply #43 on:** July 17, 2012, 08:38 AM »

Even though I hate the term "twaddle," if I had to use it I would direct it toward all the insipid poorly written workbooks that are on the market.
Yes, I've been shopping for curriculum in the last few weeks.

RuthD · « **Reply #44 on:** July 17, 2012, 08:48 AM »

Now that almost all of the states are moving to common core curriculum standards, I wonder if/how this will affect homeschooling?

Lill · « **Reply #45 on:** July 17, 2012, 10:25 AM »

My state isn't adopting the standards, at least not the science ones. One of the many reasons I homeschool is to avoid the bias of our state board of education. I have printed out all the ccc standards as I tend to follow national not state standards, anyway.

I don't know .. I think it all depends on how closely each state requires home-schoolers to follow state standards anyway. I don't
think it will change much, but there is a huge difference in homeschooling requirements per state. So, I think that those who are required to follow state standards and submit to state testing will continue to do so, and those who don't -- won't.

I know that the little or no regulations status of my state must sound scary, but most everyone I know provides a more rigorous education for their children than they would get in the public schools. Both our state and our city have major educational funding problems, and it's especially difficult for people with kids with special needs.

RebeccaH · « **Reply #46 on:** July 20, 2012, 03:03 PM »

PA has plenty of regulation and lots of reporting. Despite all of that, the state does not require you to follow state standards and is pretty hands-off on what curriculum you teach, although you do have to jump through hoops to prove that, yes in fact your children are learning *something* in every required subject area. Sonlight and other religious curricula seem to be popular, varying of course depending on the religion being practiced. Many people seem to piece together a curriculum from several sources and some are dyed-in-the-wool unschoolers. In my family, we use a literature-based approach -- which is a fancy way of saying we read lots and lots of books!

jillifish · « **Reply #47 on:** July 20, 2012, 08:33 PM »

I was homeschooled and am familiar with all those terms, but actually didn't connect "twaddle" to homeschooling. We didn't bother to read much about the different homeschooling philosophies when Mom decided to homeschool me. I learned the word "twaddle" from Roger's & Hammerstein's Cinderella.

News:

Poll

Are you familiar with the terms, twaddle, living books, and Charlotte Mason Method?

Author Topic: Twaddle, anyone? (Read 1228 times)