A Dissent (Classical Sources Message Board)

A Dissent
Author: Cindy Marsch	September 9, 1999 at 15:09:02
in reply to: I should add...* posted by Susan Davis on August 29, 1999 at 18:35:55*

I had the opportunity to review *Grammar Works* a year or
two ago, and though I didn't use it with my children, I got
a fairly thorough understanding of the program and did not
like it.

I post this not to haggle about the program but just to
note that it's not for everyone. To my mind there are
things it teaches explicitly and systematically that I
prefer my children learn "as we walk by the way."

In a classical approach there are many opportunities to
teach our children a discipline in a systematic way, and we
should certainly focus ourselves on some of those, as
Dorothy Sayers advised learning ONE subject well in order
to know how to study all subjects. But Jay Patterson's
program is to my mind byzantine and difficult to follow. It
purports to cover many grades but limits the first grade or
two to just a few pages from the manual, referring the
instructor back to the Spalding program.

I so enjoy the adventure of teaching my children with
"living books" and natural patterns of learning that I am
loathe to regiment the process with a text full of
"educationese."

And to qualify with yet another paragraph, I want to note
that we DO apply systematic study to Bible, history, math,
art, music, science, and Latin, and this year we are
beginning a sentence diagramming curriculum with the 6th,
4th, and 1st grader.

Cindy Marsch

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> I had the opportunity to review Grammar Works a year or > two ago, and though I didn't use it with my children, I got > a fairly thorough understanding of the program and did not > like it. > > I post this not to haggle about the program but just to > note that it's not for everyone. To my mind there are > things it teaches explicitly and systematically that I > prefer my children learn "as we walk by the way." > > In a classical approach there are many opportunities to > teach our children a discipline in a systematic way, and we > should certainly focus ourselves on some of those, as > Dorothy Sayers advised learning ONE subject well in order > to know how to study all subjects. But Jay Patterson's > program is to my mind byzantine and difficult to follow. It > purports to cover many grades but limits the first grade or > two to just a few pages from the manual, referring the > instructor back to the Spalding program. > > I so enjoy the adventure of teaching my children with > "living books" and natural patterns of learning that I am > loathe to regiment the process with a text full of > "educationese." > > And to qualify with yet another paragraph, I want to note > that we DO apply systematic study to Bible, history, math, > art, music, science, and Latin, and this year we are > beginning a sentence diagramming curriculum with the 6th, > 4th, and 1st grader. > > Cindy Marsch
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