I have an education degree. Homeschooling was not on my radar as a possibility. The influence of some homeschooling friends got me and hubby thinking and a recommendation to read The Well-Trained Mind gave me a game plan. We are in our 11th year of homeschooling. Best thing for our family!

I’ve been rethinking school as we are on this homeschooling journey with three sons who don’t approach school the way I did at all! They are all clever and bright, but I’ve had to regroup numerous times to teach them the way they learn.

Education is not a pursuit for a high paying job but a pursuit in beholding what is true, good and beautiful.

This book has been well-loved by our family already. We have children on both sides of the academic spectrum, and have often found it difficult to navigate their individual educational paths. Thank you for giving insight and organization to so many constructive thoughts for any child who doesn't seem to fit tidily into the traditional model. I have recommended this book to other families many times already and even used it as a backdrop for a conference session on working to classically educate all types of children well. Thanks for your trailblazing work!

I homeschooled, but the best years were the high school years with the last one. I read your Ancient and Medieval world history books, one chapter a day, while he took notes. We studied your maps and used a globe as well. We read aloud ancient and medieval literature from Worldview Academy's Great Books list along with the history, discussing them as we went. It is my fondest memory of homeschooling, and if I had it all to do over again I would have done it with all of them straight through.

Ha! This is what I posted on my wall just today: Our homeschools (mine included) are filled with Mamas who love Jesus but don’t comprehend the full power of the Holy Spirit concerning their children. For one week, I challenge you to shut the school books and open the Bible. Exchange the memory work for scripture memory. Turn off the history cd in the car and turn on a biblical podcast. Let your kids play however they play while you immerse yourself in more of God’s word. Let yourself be pulled back into the Spirit. Give yourself Jesus. Lean fully into the Holy Spirit. He will intercede for you as you pray for your children and your homeschool. God will give you what you need to teach your children. God knows the tools they need for this world. God will give them through you what they need for this world. Look up, Mamas. Be bold, Mamas. Trust the Holy Spirit, Mamas. He never sleeps. He never needs a break. Your burden should be light because this world is not intended to be your worry. Worry breeds fear and fear is not of the Lord. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 It is easy to give our kids Jesus. He is all they need. #lookup #choosejoy #believersbebold

My very first book about homeschooling was The Well-Trained Mind. It shaped my thinking about homeschooling and it’s been my handbook for over 10 years now. I really want to read this new one!

Everything changes. Even when you know what you think education should look like ... you get the kids you get, and you still have to tweak (or completely rewrite) your plans, no matter how good they were. We were fortunate to be planning to homeschool even before we had kids, but our reasons for actually doing so were completely different than that ideal dream I had back when I was a kid and first heard of 'that homeschooling thing'. And even the bad parts have been for the good.

We are rethinking school because after 14 years of teaching in public schools, I left to teach my own children at home. They are now 8, 6 and 2 and I am learning that the cultivation of their souls and inspiring them to be Godly young man is far more important than any academic achievement ever. As a recovering type “A”, rule following, overachiever this is a huge learning curve for me. I was always more concerned with getting an “A” than actually learning much when I was a student. I don’t want that for my own children. I have a lot of undesirable habits to break and goals to redefine. Truly a paradigm shift for this homeschooling mama. I loved the Well Trained Mind and I can’t wait to read this new one.

I laugh pretty hard at myself and how serious I was about my children learning all the things. I’m coming to the end of our homeschool journey and I’m so happy I lightened up. My kids are not that great at Latin but they are nice to be around and I’ll take that over being fluent in a dead language any day.

When I started this homeschool gig, it was because I was a teacher who always felt unprepared and lost as to how to teach well. After reading the Well Trained Mind, I knew it was the opposite if every "good" teacher thing I was taught to do. I jumped right in with the Parents Ordinary Guide to Teaching Reading. Also finding out that one kid has dyslexia and dysgraphia made me realize even more how my M.Ed. did not prepare me to teach well. Whole Language hangs on in schools and will not die, but it sure does not live at my house!

I have come to realize that education within my home is organic and ever evolving and it doesn’t look like anyone else’s. It doesn’t fit into a neat tidy box and I am okay with that now. It was a hard road for me to get to that point as I have my degree in education and have had to completely reprogram my way of thinking on most things. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. 💕

We've been at it almost a decade now. The first little spark was a Sir Ken Robinson clip on YouTube addressing how assembly line education is an industrial time left over. You book TWTM put flesh on it and has been a very helpful guide!!! i need to read this new one as we approach high school and i feel even more pressure to standardize education/ traditional college readiness/ etc.

I've learned since becoming a homeschooling mom that it's not about exposing them to numerous subjects or for them to learn as much as possible in a set period of time, but that all we learn points back to our creator and to learn more about Him. It's about developing a live of learning for a lifetime, and all Soli Deo Gloria.

When my oldest was a toddler a family friend asked if we would consider homeschooling. My husband and I had considered it but were unsure. This friend recommended your book The Well Trained Mind and that started us on this homeschool journey. It has been life changing in the best way for our family. Thank you.

Second generation homeschooler here - I have some PTSD issues with the homeschool world (only slight exaggeration there). Susan Wise Bauer gave me hope it could be done and done well in a better way than I was. And when I realized full time homeschooling and parenting while my husband worked and traveled 80+ hours a week, we found an option that still allows me to homeschool a few days a week. And the hybrid school uses The Story of the World so you know it's good. 😉 Thank you, Susan! You are a breath of fresh air to me!

Such an amazing book Susan! I don't need a copy so not entering. Just cheering you on!

How have I rethought school? By taking my eldest out of public school when it was failing him, and realizing that it's not that hard to create a thoughtful, challenging, and fun academic plan (and implement it). Fortunately I had a copy of TWTM that helped me figure it all out. My younger two followed in their brother's footsteps, and when they all eventually headed off to public school for grade 11 they stood out for their enthusiasm, not to mention their skills in reading aloud. Most of their peers were tired and bored and uninterested in what they were being offered, so it wasn't hard to stand out, sadly. That alone made me rethink school. It wasn't doing what I'd expected it to. I'm thankful there were alternatives - and that I wasn't too intimidated to try them.

I never ever expected to be a homeschool parent but 8 years into it we (say it with me) really love it. We've had two major overhauls of what/how we do it, and each time it has gotten better and closer to our goals. I'm not in the camp that says everyone should homeschool and I'd love to read this book. I heard your discussion of it on a podcast (was it with Andrew Kern?) and have been meaning to get my hands on it ever since. ❤️

Rethinking School has helped me reframe how I view my homeschool and how I utilize the parent partnership program that we use. It gave me permission to look at my kids with learning differences as 'merely different' instead of disabled. The book helped me to breathe as a mother and home educator. This has been Bauer's best book yet!

I've learned that my child may never be able to pursue a liberal arts college degree and that's fine. I need to educate her to be able to get a job that can pay the bills and instill in her the desire to pursue the beautiful things in life and to love learning new things and more about what she already loves. Can she write a paper analyzing the nuances of a Shakespeare play? No, but she can watch a Shakespeare play and laugh her head off or remember enough of a line to change it and apply it to something else. "To sing, or not sing. That is the question."

This is an excellent book--it helped me rethink how to discuss the goals of school with my husband and kids

This book made me think hard about whether my child was ready to begin 9th grade this year or if she needed an extra year to mature. I had never considered how her earlier learning struggles might impact her readiness for high school.

April Bryant - We’ve rethought school because we don’t want to teach our kids that it’s all about the destination/product for 18 years and then expect them to suddenly enjoy the journey.

Rethinking school for me has taught me that not all of my kids learn the same way. What works for one, may not work for the next one.