Thomas Jefferson Education - A Review

A Thomas Jefferson Education

Thomas Jefferson Education is designed to encourage parents to teach the
"old-fashioned" way; to teach the way that worked and created great leaders.  It is a wealth of information.  I have only touched the tip of the iceberg and look forward to delving even deeper.  I wish I had this kind of inspiration when I first started homeschooling years ago.  Oliver and Rachel DeMille are the founders of this great resource.

Some of the neat things about the site are their newsletters, delivering inspiration right to your inbox.
- Daily INSPIRE emails
- Monthly INSPIRE newsletter

From their site, you can learn some of their basic principles.
"7 Keys of Great Teaching
There are seven principles of successful education. When they are applied, learning occurs for any learning style or interests. When they are ignored or rejected, the quantity and quality of education decreases.

1. Classics, Not Textbooks
2. Mentors, Not Professors
3. Inspire, Not Require
4. Structure Time, Not Content
5. Simplicity, Not Complexity
6. Quality, Not Conformity
7. You, Not Them"

TJED.org also has a paid subscription called 
This Week in History for $9.99/month.  This is what I was asked to use and review.

You may VIEW SAMPLE WEEKS.  It is a great way to get a feeling of exactly what "This week in history" is all about.  Topics range from the serious (such as the Purple Heart Medal) to the silly (such as Silly Putty) to the helpful (such as CPR)

TWIH is delivered right to your inbox on a weekly basis.  It has a list of things that happened for each day of that week.  It lists dates, events, pictures, links, and extra activities for further study and enjoyment.  You choose how little or how much to do.  You can use it just as a quick introduction to history each day, briefly stating what happened on this date.  Or you can take it and run with it, using all the extra ideas and links for your history lesson of the day.  Or you might find one subject of great interest to your family and stay on that subject for the week, turning it into a mini unit-study.

I have used a book in the past that lists important historical events for each day in the school year.  We would start our history lesson by briefly reading down the list of events for that day.  But TWIH takes it so much further.  It is right there in your inbox, waiting on you.  It has clickable links to more information.  And the email includes lots of great ideas for further study.

This feature could be great for you, if your history lessons need a jump-start...if you want a break from the traditional textbook...if you are looking for a pre-made unit study...or if you simply just want to add an interesting fact of the day at the beginning of each school morning.

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But please remember that as wonderful as "This Week In History" is, it is just a part of the overall service that Thomas Jefferson Education provides.  Take some time to explore their site and check out all the information, advice, and wisdom related to "an educational philosophy and a methodology by which great individuals throughout history have been educated."

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In my opinion this is a wonderful investment, at $9.99/month.

Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge, as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. The above is just my opinion. Please remember that opinions may, and do, vary.