And the saga yet continues.
I’ve been very blessed by the responses to my question posed over at The Well Trained Mind forums. I’ve been a fan of Susan Wise Bauer’s book for a long time. I think I’ve owned it since Ana was in 1st grade and bought the revised edition when it came out. I’ve had the pleasure of using The Story of the World Vol. I-IV, The Ordinary Parent’s Guide, and all of her editions of First Language Lessons.
I asked some BTDT (been there, done that) Mamas to respond to which they would find more beneficial to use – Sonlight or Tapestry of Grace. I’ve come to learn, over time, there is so much value to be gleaned from mothers who have walked the path…. And I was anxious to see how they would compare the differences between the two for an older child, for utilizing in high school.
I’ll willingly admit that I don’t know if Ana is going to college. She is certainly very academic but as I don’t wish to raise a feminist, the whole college question is hard for me. I’d just as soon (ducking) have her find a mature and competent, Godly young man and get married at 20 and live her life as see her sent off to be under the tutelage of others. The thought quite frankly scares me to death. The liberalism taught at college isn’t just a course, but a whole body bathing, washing children in feminism and a liberal attitude.
But I do FIRMLY believe that we should equip and prepare her for whatever God might have planned for her life. And, for our family, for Ana specifically, this will include what some might call a “rigorous academic college prepatory program.”
I think you’ll find their responses very thought provoking. Never once did it occur to me that she could plan her own days with this program. I did know that Tapestry is considered the more challenging of the two programs, requiring much more thinking and writing.
Sonlight vs. Tapestry Take Two – High School Years
Moreover, I was grateful to be led to this link which showed how Tapestry has gone ahead and broken down the material into high school credits.
So, for now, I’ve made a decision. We’re going to purchase Tapestry, one unit. I’ve not yet decided on Year 2 or Year 3. I still have some time. The difficult decision has been made and we’ll see how this fall’s unit goes. I think Ana will love having the control and freedom of planning her learning.
June 10, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I think you’ll find, as you explore college options, that there are many rigorous Christian colleges that have strong honor codes and moral codes. Just thinking of California where I live, there’s Biola, Pepperdine, Azusa Pacific, among others, and many more in the rest of the country. So college doesn’t necessarily equal Godlessness or liberalism. I went to a super liberal, super feminist college but then I am a liberal feminist. I guess I subscribe to the brand of feminism that is about women choosing their own path, which seems compatible with the way of life you hope your daughter will choose.
June 10, 2009 at 9:33 pm
I think you could very well be right. You know it’s so funny… College has always seemed so very far away. Even high school has been off in that distant “sometime” beyond now. All of a sudden it seems as though everything crept up on me!