A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille, sounds interesting and rigorous, right? Thomas Jefferson was a smart guy, he wrote the Declaration of Independence after all and he was the 3 rd president of the USA, so A Thomas Jefferson Education also known as TJED or a Leadership Education should be a pretty good thing, right?
You would think so, but unfortunately, A Thomas Jefferson Education is anything but the kind of education Thomas Jefferson actually had. It's more of a modern educational philosophy disguised under a name that describes something totally different. It got big here in Utah, and I really hope it dies out, because it can't work. Here are the 7 Keys of Great Teaching:
Classics, not Textbooks -- Learn math by reading Archimedes instead of filling out mindless workbooks --- Excuse me, my goal is to learn and if that is best done through a textbook and so called busywork, then so be it!!!
Mentors, not Professors -- I don't think mentors are a bad thing, but I think they need to give advice and guidance which is not encouraged by DeMille, he says they should stay back and allow the student to figure things out on their own. Hello!!! Teach me what you know, then I can add to that, don't make me reinvent the wheel!!
Inspire, not Require -- This is one of the WORST keys in the philosophy!! Don't require your child to read, do homework, or chores, instead, trick them into doing it through whatever passive aggressive tactics you can get to make them do what you want them to without them realizing your manipulation call it inspiration!! Please!!!!!!
Structure Time, not Content -- Isn't this one of the problems we face in the public schools? The kids are doing their time for example in math, just waiting to get through to the next grade and the next teacher. Content is by far more important, some things will take longer than others, the important thing is that the content is mastered!!!
Quality, not Conformity -- I'm not sure what this one means. Quality is a good thing, and conformity is not always a bad thing.
Simplicity, not Complexity -- When you put many simple things together such as notes on a piano in a certain sequence, doesn't it often come out sounding very complex?
You, not Them -- This is the one that makes me the most upset!!! The "mentor" or homeschool parent is supposed to concentrate on themselves and then the students will follow their example and be just as educated as the parent even though they haven't been required to do anything. This is an excuse for parents to ignore or neglect their child's education and pursue their own goals and ambitions. Here is my response: It is all about the child, the parent's turn or chance is past.
Now there is a new key in addition to these original 7:
Secure, not Stressed -- why did DeMille have to add this one? Because the other keys don't work and they cause the parent stress, but now with this new key, you can ignore your stress and promptings that TJED doesn't work and keep doing it anyway!!!
My thoughts on TJED? Run away, run far far away!!! It is a very bad educational and parenting philosophy. I think we will see a great many disappointed future leaders and parents of future leaders who have given their all to TJED. These keys I have listed are just a small part of the philosophy. They've got books and seminars and classes and groups. I could go on and on, but I think that is enough to see that the philosophy is erroneous. There are a couple blogs that already go into more detail if you search.
TJED reflects very poorly on the homeschool community and I try to distance myself as much as possible from these people. If I were given the choice between TJED and public school, I would choose public school hands down. I am very disappointed in the people who have embraced TJED and I hope I can distance myself from them as much as possible as an academic homeschooler. There are some very nice people who have gotten caught up in it, and I feel sorry for them. I hope they don't really do all the things DeMille recommends and don't feel like failures. I think the nicest ones are the ones who feel failure because they can't do everything DeMille says, but in reality they will be much better off. That's all I'm going to say on the subject for now. I feel better getting that off my chest. I want to spend my energy finding the best ways to teach my kids the things I want them to know and focusing on the positive. But sometimes, I have to point out the bad. Glad that's over!!!
28 comments:
I did some research and I think they are all "MORMONS" too. If you can follow that so called religion, then following the teachings of this new DeMille education prophet should be super easy.
I hope the above commentator realizes that I am Mormon and that I don't like TJED. I don't see the connection to Mormonism other than that DeMille is also a Mormon. TJED is actually more evangelical than it is "Mormon". DeMille got some of his "diplomas" from Coral Ridge Baptist University in Florida which turns out to be very anti- Mormon.
I would say that most the people doing TJED are Mormon, but there are plenty of non-Mormons too. TJED is maybe evangelical with a Mormon twist -- not a good thing!!
Most Mormons don't know anything about TJED. It has only spread in the homeschool community and fortunately, I think it is dying out.
There are several misconceptions and/or misunderstandings about TJEd in your post. If TJEd were really what you described, of course there would be reason for concern!
It's true that the educational methodology they suggest is not exactly what Thomas Jefferson had - they acknowledge this in print and say they think these are principles that could produce someone with similar quality education.
Classics not textbooks - DeMille says repeatedly that some textbooks could be 'classics' or what he defines a classic to be - namely, anything you can read (or listen to, or look at) over and over and learn something new each time. That's it. He defines a 'textbook' as a watered down compilation of information found in 'classics.' Basically what he's saying is "Use quality materials." If he just said it like that, no one would have a problem with it..
Mentors, not professors - What he means by 'mentors' is someone who cares about the student and helps find the resources and experiences they need in order to develop themselves. He defines professor as someone who has a preset system and tries to make the student fit the system instead of individualizing to what that particular student actually needs. He says actual professors are absolutely essential PART of the process (as teachers, subject experts).
Inspire, not Require, Structure Time, not Content - The DeMilles absolutely DO support parents requiring their children to do chores - LOTS of chores! And requiring family rules, etc. However, they say that for *academic education*, it's best for YOUNG kids to find enjoyment in learning, and leave the requiring to the chores/discipline aspect of life. For younger kids, the idea is that education should be enjoyable and should feel like 'play' (a la montessori) and free from pressure to move more quickly than they are comfortable with. In that sense, early education would be spending hours every day teaching your kids (Rachel DeMille spends every morning teaching her kids!) in a low-pressure environment, emphasizing discovery as well as memorization in a family-centered, low-pressure way. TJEd suggests having several hours per day of REQUIRED learning time, but that during that time, children who are old enough to study on their own should be given freedom to study subjects of their choosing. (Although he suggests a classical education such as The Well Trained mind outlines.) After 5-8 hours a day of REQUIRED study time (the time is required, just not individual subjects per se) for several years, a teen would be at least as educated as their public school peers, I would think. They would say go ahead and teach classics, latin, etc., to your 6 year old, but have fun with it, show them why it's great, and don't regularly force the poor child to tears to pass a certain level or make them hate learning at a young age.
Quality, not conformity - he means put in real effort, think things through, don't just try to do the minimum required by the teacher, or what you think they want to hear.
You, not Them - The way you described this is alarming - I would not suggest that, either!! They do say repeatedly, however, that parents should be VERY involved with their kids, teaching them daily, finding or creating excellent resources for them, even delving into the subjects your kids are passionate about so that you can discuss with them (daily!) and really get to know and focus on your child. (also part of the mentoring aspect.) The 'You, not Them' principle means that the parent should model continuing education and passion for their own interests and work. They even mention that with scheduling, the stay-at-home parent would not spend more than a very few hours per day on this (reading, writing, music, volunteering/working, etc, combined). I don't think anyone would object to the parent modeling this. Also, don't require say, the violin, just because YOU are interested in it - learn it yourself.
Simplicity, not complexity - Put in non-demille terms, you shouldn't fall back on a complex curriculum, but focus on 'classics' (defined the tjed way), reading, discussing, and applying as a simple model.
I think the principles are good if you delve in to what he's really saying. Unfortunately I think Oliver DeMille got himself into a heap of trouble/criticism by defining things in his own way, which leads to misconceptions, misunderstandings, and makes TJEd sound dangerous/neglectful *at first glance* if people don't take the time to find out what he's really saying. Unfortunately, it does take a lot of time and effort to read through their books and find out what's actually being proposed.
Whew! sorry that was so long! I had to break it up to hit all the principles.. lol :)
As evidenced by this post, TJED takes a LOT of explaining before one can understand how it "really" works and what DeMille "really" means ('cause what he means seems to be very different from what he says).
Sarah also reminded me that chores are required with TJED although academic pursuits are not. She reminded me of a couple of my TJED friends whose kids do an astounding amount of household tasks which are required, but they are very behind in math and handwriting, because they're just not interested in it right now-- they'd rather read. And their parents trust the process, and figure that they will catch up when they're ready and it probably won't take them very long anyway.
I think there needs to be a balance, and the reality of human nature is that when things get tough, we tend to try to get out of doing the hard stuff -- especially kids. They don't have the same experience and perspective their parents have. I think that's one of the major roles of parents- to help their children accomplish things they think are too hard or uninteresting. I don't think there is anything more rewarding or satisfying than watching the "light" come on in a child's mind after struggling hard with a subject or task.
Why can't we do chores and schoolwork? Why can't we learn math and cooking?
Get out of TJED. Just have fun learning and doing new things with your kids!!! In fact let's not even worry about educational philosophy, let's just learn stuff!! How about Koine Greek?
Nice article!
I agree with Sarah totally and completely, and I am not a home-schooler. I also suggest that you read the book again. Do you remember all of the phases of learning? You can't make a child who is in core-phase to learn something. If someone doesn't want to learn something, they wont. But once they move on to the next phase of love of learning - which can only be reached if the child (in core phase) was free to learn what he wanted to learn - they will be able to progress in their education. I was public school my whole life, and now I am in college. I wish that my mother had home-shooled me in TJED, like she is doing with my younger siblings. They are far more advanced than most of their friends are, or than I was at their age. I believe that with TJED, each mother can tailor it to her needs and the needs of her children. That book is not a curriculum, or syllabus. It was meant to be read, and then you take the principles that you have learned, and apply them to your life - however that may be. Please read it again with an open heart and mind. If you do, I assure you - you will understand it a lot better.
Also - just to clear things up - I am not a homeschooler, I don't know if I'll ever be one - but I probably will with the way our country is heading. When I graduated from high school, I seriously considered going to BYU and two other schools to receive my higher education. After much thought and prayer, I packed up my bags, and traveled to Cedar City to go to a small, almost-but-not-quite accredited school called George Wythe University. It's the best thing I have ever done. If you ever get the chance, please visit the school, sit in a class. And then decide wether TJED is all it's cracked up to be. There are truly leaders in those classrooms. Ciceros and Aristotles and Platos of our time. I am blown away every day!
The mentors are inspired. They lead and guide and give advice. They are truly mentors, and I know that they will be my mentors for life.
The thing I love about GWU and TJED is the 5 Pillars. - The five ways we learn.
1. Classics
2. Mentors
3. Simulations
4. Field Experience
5. God
We use all of these. Not just one or two - but all. Please reread and reconsider what you wrote about TJED. It was incorrect and untrue and out of context. Thank You. :)
I am a parent using TJED. I have been for years and from my experience you cannot be further from the truth. When I first read TJED the book the thing that inspired me the most was the quest they were inviting me to go on. It is not a curriculum packaged up for you to follow blindly. It is far deeper than that. DeMille CONSTANTLY invites all the readers to read the "classics" of education. Make decisions for yourself. There are a plenty of studies to show that children develop at a pace different than the pace the public school system tries to teach children. I could go on to other similar critiques but the point is systemically our children are turning into adults with a general dislike for reading, math, and science. Most graduating seniors consider anything related to learning as a "chore" or "work" with a negative connotation. I have seen in other TJED children and in my own this pattern being broken. These are but a few important keys that I feel are being misrepresented here.
To Publius- I have driven past GWU on the freeway, last week in fact--it is a far cry from what any person would consider to be a university. It is about the size of a supermarket, if that-- how many classrooms are there? How many students? I doubt they are anywhere near becoming accredited.
I've read the main book, it is very ambiguous and people always want to know how to do what he says, because he really gives no info. www.whyidontdotjed.blogspot.com has a great indepth critique of both books with lots of qoutes to back up his ideas, and that's enough for me. I don't need to go into depth here.
I reject the idea of phases for learning. My 2 year learns things all the time and loves to learn. All my kids do and have their whole lives. There's no phases I need to try to follow or put them in.
I wish you luck with endeavor to read the classics. I love the classics and I plan to have my kids read many of them before they leave home, but make sure you also gain some skills that will help you in the practical world of work and survival. Again, TJED is unbalanced. Make sure you have balance.
To Dana -- I don't disagree there is a problem with what we have been doing in education for years, nor that many kids lose their enthusiasm for learning. That does not mean that TJED is the answer.
DeMille is far from being the only person to encourage a reading of the classics, although many of the books he considers classic, I do not. I love the classics as you can see from my reviews on this blog.
How specifically can you tell that TJED is working for you? I don't do TJED and my kids seem happy an well-adjusted-- how do you measure that? and did you have to do TJED to accomplish what you have and are you sure you're doing TJED the way DeMille describes? Because if you are really having success with it, I doubt you are only inspiring and not requiring and that you are focused on yourself and not on your children.
Good luck to you. Take the good you've learned and run away from the bad that is preached in TJED.
Thank you for your thoughtful response. You seem like a wonderful, concerned homeschooling mom whose children are doing well. I don't think that tjed methods are best for each family, and I hope that we all do what we feel is best in our particular situations. I just hate to see misunderstandings (of the principles) propagated.
I don't think I have misunderstood any of the principles. I take what DeMille says at his word. I don't read into what he says to mean what I hope he means rather than what he said. Again, check out www.whyidontdotjed.blogspot.com for actual quotes from his books. I have an informed opinion on this subject and there is absolutely no reason why I shouldn't share it.
I think DeMille says what he means, and from what I've seen, people either think they are doing it when they are not, or they follow exactly what DeMille says, and I'm sorry for them and really don't enjoy being around them. I really think TJED has been bad for homeschooling in general. The principles TJED espouses do not give homeschoolers a good name and that's why I wrote the post-- to make it clear that I am not a part of that group. I don't want to be associated with it in any way at all.
I agree that people should do what works for them, and I hope that if they are into TJED, that they will take the good from it-- like reading good literature-- and leave the rest. Just teach your kids-- make sure they have the skills they'll need to be successful in the world. Make them do things that are hard so they can see that they can do hard things. Bah-- with the unschooling idea!!! (except for little tiny kids)!!
I am a product of a Thomas Jefferson Eduction, well sort of. I attended a year at GWU and hope to one day return. I am doing great at Utah State University, and I accredit that to a lot of the things I learned through TJED and attending GWU. I see people around me struggling, but I have got to thank those wonderful people at GWU for teaching me correct principles to helping me attain a great education. LIke just about anything else, there are going to be fallacies with some ideas and philosophies with TJED. There are many things I regret doing, or not doing (i.e. Math and Science focus) because of TJED. And I have seen many people struggle who do it, but I must say, for the most part it is an amazing program. But just like the people here posting on this blog, it's not perfect, and I must say it is much better then what I received at Public School! Much much better then Public School!
Kudos to you anonymous! It sounds like you took the good there was to take from TJED and can recognize and acknowledge that it does have some problems. Thank you.
I have seen a number of LDS members drawn into TJED. Honestly, it looks more like an endless marketing gimmic than anything else: In order to understand any of this "educational philosophy" one must spend money on seminars and books indefinitely. And the reason? Nobody appears to fully understand the entire thing. And, I've noticed two phenomena among those who claim that they DO understand the thing in its entirety: 1)If they walk away from it and explain why (and, it will inevitably include negative opinions of the TJED method) they are told they "misunderstand" the priciples and 2)If they decide they like what they here they must continually plunk down more money in order to "really" understand the principles.
A good idea is generally a simple one. (Wait - isn't that one of the TJED principles? Ahhhh... irony!). And, TJED is purposefully made as complex as possible in order to further the marketing strategy.
I noticed that the first poster mentioned that most of the TJED followers are LDS. That is, indeed, true. And, may I also point out that Utah is one of the top states in the nation for scams involving money. It seems we LDS tend to fall hard for anyone making claims and following it up with, "And, I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon!" It's similar to hiring a plumber because he advertises himself as "Christian" (so he MUST be trustworthy ya' know?).
Anyway, I've noticed the TJED people seem to be all over ANY legitimate criticism of their product (ie the books and seminars promoting a self-described "philosophy"). One need only look at the discussion pages on Wikipedia on all of the subjects pertaining to TJED to see the very argumentative adherents (if not founders) of this particular marketing subject attempting to whitewash the critical yet valid facts, criticisms and supporting information.
It's like our own little LDS conspiracy! Yay us! We have now arrived in the world! (sarcasm)
Wow! It is disheartening to read such cynicism! I find it interesting that those who oppose
TJEd find it so threatening that they feel a need to criticize it. You would not find me criticizing those who choose a different method of home schooling or who choose to send their children to public school. I just happened to stumble onto this blog, and find it interesting that you all have so much time to discuss this! Use your time better! Go read a good classic! :D)
To Ranee:
I'm not being cynical, I really think that TJED is detrimental to the people who try to follow it and to the homeschooling community in general. I have every right to express my opinion as such especially on something that I really think is harmful for children, families and homeschooling. Informing people people about it is a very good use of my time.
My wife and I have been trying to make TJEd work for 4 years now and decided to move onto K12 because we couldn't make it work the way it is sold to be. And perhaps that is due to the "you didn't do it right" or " you need to be more committed" or "invest more of you time in it." Whatever the argument for our failure in making our homeschool successful using TJEd, it was a failure, and know we have the work of getting our kids caught up on everything they are behind in.
With that said, if you have any suggestions from your experience and research for some good curriculum's we could use instead, your advice would be appreciated.
A persons educational experience varies... greatly. Consequently educational philosophies vary... greaty. I highly doubt that the sort of people who would even bother to read DeMille's books are the type to dogmatically adopt a particular educational philosophy with lemming like devotion. If someone is looking for a regimented program that doesn't require them to evaluate/engage/ or modify the system for their childs needs then public school will suit them fine. DeMille is clear about tailoring your educational approach according to the individual. I am not totally on board with TJED either but, respectfully, I don't think you really understand TJED. Your critique bears this out and I think Sarah expressed some of the misunderstandings clearly. I would agree emphatically that some of TJED is not for everyone but I have never met a parent who doesn't want their child to love learning and to actually learn HOW to think. I believe that is what DeMille is striving for and I have found much of his ideas to be helpful. I would encourage people to be critical of TJED but do so with clear understanding of what is actually being proposed and not to think of it as an educational Torah to be rigidly adhered to.
It’s been my experience that for every one (loud and outspoken) family that can’t seem to make TJED work in their home, there are dozens of families that are quietly and successfully raising future leaders in theirs.
Personally, I am a public school Jr. High teacher. I try to implement TJED principles in my classroom. Some of my students do really well. Some don’t. I find it interesting that for the most part, the students I have that do well in my class do well in their other classes as well. Some teachers just call them “gifted.” I also find that those that do poorly in my class do poorly in the others too. Some teachers just call them “special.” In my experience it is the parents of the “special” kids that are always in the principal’s office complaining about my unorthodox use of TJED principles.
My guess is that parents of “special” kids are the parents saying negative things about TJED online.
What are jaradoron/Amber's real concerns? What are all her "not cynical" misinterpretations of allegedly "taking what DeMille says at his word" covering up? What's her real issue with DeMille and/or TJED?
Why do I ask? Because it seems impossible for any reasonable, unbiased person who has actually read "A Thomas Jefferson Education" to reach jaradoron's conclusions unless they are 1) purposely trying to warp or manipulate DeMille's ideas into something they are not to accomplish some unknown motive or further some hidden agenda, 2) they are too uneducated to read and understand material written to a 6th grade reading level, or 3) they actually haven’t read the original sources, but have consigned themselves solely to negative commentaries on TJED (like those who think they have an unbiased opinion of Mormon beliefs because they have read lots of so-called "Anti-Mormon" material).
For the sake of time and space, let's just look at one example:
Amber/jaradoron claims that "Inspire, not Require" as taught by DeMille means to "trick [students] into [studying] through whatever passive aggressive tactics you can get to make them do what you want them to without them realizing your manipulation." (Since Amber "take[s] what DeMille says at his word" and doesn’t "read into what he says to mean what I hope he means rather than what he said," perhaps she would be so kind as to cite which book and page number in DeMille's writings he says this.)
Then, after demonizing DeMille’s ideas by twisting them into something COMPLETELY different if not opposite from what he actually teaches and adamantly expressing how "Inspire, not Require . . . is one of the WORST keys in the philosophy", she astonishingly reveals that she actually does what DeMille calls "inspiring":
"I think that's one of the major roles of parents- TO HELP THEIR CHILDREN ACCOMPLISH THINGS they think are too hard or uninteresting. I don't think there is anything more rewarding or satisfying than watching the 'light' come on in a child's mind after struggling hard with a subject or task" (emphasis added).
Hint: Helping your children/students accomplish things they think are too hard or uninteresting and then enjoying the reward of their success with them IS inspiring them—at least it certainly could be (unless jaradoron defines "help[ing her] children accomplish things" as "trick[ing her students] into [studying] through whatever passive aggressive tactics [she] can get to make them do what [she] wants them to without them realizing [her] manipulation"). So evidently, by one definition or the other, Amber does believe in inspiring her students and thereby perhaps unknowingly follows the very TJED principles she claims to abhor. Thus her posts here are either contradictory or non sequitur, and the irony and incongruity of her subterfuge is exposed.
It will be interesting to see how jaradoron/Amber responds to this comment. Her response (or lack of response) may further reveal her lack of understanding of TJED principles or further divulge her tacit personal vendetta toward DeMille, TJED, and/or the TJED community.
Finally, while we don’t know Amber’s real concerns, we do know that nothing I’ve said will convince her to knowingly pursue TJED, but who cares. As DeMille says, "I am not the expert on your family; you are. Seek inspiration and do what you feel is best" (2000, "A Thomas Jefferson Education," p. 106). Or, from the tjed.org website, "The more you know about the principles of Leadership Education, the more confident you will feel about your ability to PERSONALIZE THEM for yourself and your family" (emphasis added, http://www.tjed.org/about-tjed/7-keys/). And in the final analysis, isn’t that at least partly what leadership education is really all about?
I don't disagree that helping our children learn is the role of parents. "Inspire, not require" is ridiculous. They go together. DeMille specifically states that child led learning is superior to textbook learning or workbooks and that if you require them to do things they don't want to do, then you will shut off their inner desire to learn. Instead of making a list of tasks for your student to accomplish or a list of skills for them to master and then requiring them to take the steps to master them, DeMille recommends that the parent just try to inspire their children to learn things by modeling the behavior they want their children to exhibit. I don't think that is a very effective method. I think a lot of parents who have tried TJED have met with failure trying this method because it is very ambivalent and changing. There is not a specific goal and there is no way to measure progress.
This may be O.K. when the children are very young, but it is certainly not a good way to learn such subjects such as math, Latin or formal Logic when they get older. DeMille also changes what he says a lot and when challenged will then say that's not really what he meant. It's disingenuous.
Fortunately now, even the people who claim to be doing TJED don't do what DeMille recommends and I am fine with that. Doing what works regardless of what people call it is good with me. These bad ideas need to be challenged and reviewed and revised. So if people change from doing bad ideas to doing good ones. That's what I'm after and that is the purpose of this post as well as an outlet for some of my frustration in the homeschool community.
I am hopeful that it will get better. Let's gear up to take the National Latin Exam!!
Call it by whatever name you wish, but by the looks of some of your other blogs, Amber, it looks like you do a lot more leadership education--i.e. what DeMille actually teaches--than you may realize.
If what I do-- requiring my children to fill out workbooks daily and setting specific tasks that they are required to do before doing other things academically-- is now leadership education-- then DeMille must have explained it all wrong in his books, speeches and seminars. What I do is NOT what DeMille describes in his books. I do not have a 5 shelf bookshelf, I am not focusing on my own education right now, I use workbooks, I have a regimented schedule, I have requirements, we read more than just classics, etc.
What I'm doing with my children and in my homeschool is not leadership education. School and home are separate for us. When we finish our schoolwork- we are done. We are free to do whatever else we want- productive or not.
But if people claiming to follow DeMille and Leadership education want to do what I do and call it leadership education- go ahead. I just want people and especially homeschooled children to have a good education. DeMille's methods and ideas as explained in his books will not do that.
Just stumbled onto this Blog. It's pretty interesting.
I have to agree with Ben and some of the others though. A quick Google search and read of some of what DeMille has actually written vs. what Amber claims DeMille says shows major disparities.
Amber reveals that she is Mormon and yet her writing style is very similar to so-called "Anti-Mormon" literature which frequently uses the same techniques of twisting a word or phrase into something completely different.
I would also add that while reading www.whyidontdotjed.blogspot.com could be considered informative, it doesn’t give a person "an informed opinion" on the subject of TJED. It just gives a person various disconnected quotes from ONE of DeMille’s books and J.L.L’s largely unsupported opinions about them. But at least J.L.L. actually quotes DeMille before sharing his opinion of why he agrees or disagrees with what DeMille says. Amber resorts to COMPLETE fabrication and then astonishingly claims that it IS what DeMille says. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but misquoting someone, especially misquoting them and then saying that you are not misquoting them (e.g. "I take what DeMille says at his word." But it’s not his word--at all!), is libelous and unethical and certainly not an "educated" thing to do. Embarrasing.
This blog is hilarious. Jaradoron says, "What he means seems to be very different from what he says." Sorry Amber I think it would be much more accurate to say, "What he means seems to be very different from what YOU say he says."
By the way, cute kids. I hope they enjoy doing their workbooks and achieving whatever it is you want them to achieve in life.
I didn't feel like pasting and copying quotes to back up what I claim--the whyidontdotjed blog does that rather well if you want exact page numbers and sources, but I did review each of the seven keys of teaching and discuss those.
Do you disagree that DeMille says to "inspire and NOT require", or focus on your own education NOT your children in "you, not them"?
I'm not putting words in his mouth or misinterpreting what he says.
Where did all of these TJEd supporters come from? I think DeMille flubbed up big time when he included the "nots" in his phrases for the seven - or is it eight? - keys. How emphatic can one get that its "his NOT that." Of course, he covers up by saying that TJEd is doing what works for your own family. I say, "Then what is the purpose of all the books and seminars, if it boils down to doing what works for your family." This isn't TJEd in my opinion. This is what people have always done and sophistry at its best from DeMille and his minions.
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