psychology - Veronica Ross

About Susan Wise Bauer

Bauer is a central figure in the modern classical education and home education movements. She was home-schooled by her mother, and in turn, home schooled her own children. She holds a PhD in American Studies, and two Master's Degrees.

Susan authored numerous books, including the well-known home school resource: The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home co-authored with her mother, Jessie Bauer and published by WW Norton. The curriculum covers preschool through grade twelve for at home schooling. The high school curriculum builds on the foundation set in the first eight years, though the process can be started at any time, or it can be used to supplement a child's in-school education.

The Well Trained Mind forum

The Well Trained Mind forum can be found on the related website, Welltrainedmind.com. This home schooling online forum is a discussion among parents using the curriculum, and includes help for parents of children with special needs as well as parents of accelerated learners. Parents using a bilingual education approach will find support here, as will parents using the home schooling high school curriculum.

What is a classical education?

A classical education, as described by Bauer's website, involves a trivium approach. That is, in grades one through four, known as “the grammar stage” children enjoy absorbing information through memorisation. The curriculum uses this natural skill to feed the mind with facts and rules.

By fifth grade, children begin asking “why”. This is known as “the logic stage” of learning. Students are taught the reasons behind the facts and rules: the scientific method, why the rules of grammar exist, finding the causes of historical events.

In the third stage, “the rhetoric stage”, with a solid understanding of the facts and the reasons behind them, the child learns to express his or her opinion and conclusions. In the classical education model, there is a heavy focus on language – the written and spoken word. Videos and images are not used, as they do not require the brain to truly work. Students study from the classics and books written about the subjects of interest. Relationships are made between subjects, they are not studied in isolation.

The approach is systematic and rigorous, and encourages mastery of subjects. The end result should be a well-trained mind.

In its simplest terms, mental health refers to the condition of one’s mind, or the absence or presence of mental illness, just as physical health refers to the condition of the body and the absence or presence of disease.

The body/mind connection

Mental health was once considered separate and distinct from physical health. However, recently experts are seeing how intricately the body and mind are connected.

For example, depression is now being identified as a heart attack risk factor. Moreover, depression can make a person more likely to get sick.

Furthermore, many mental illnesses are known to have a contributing cause in biological or chemical dysfunction. Mental illness can affect feelings, thoughts and behaviour in addition to health.

Staying mentally healthy

Feelings give us a clue to our emotional health first. The purpose of feelings is to help us make good decisions. The problem is that feelings are not always easy to interpret, and sometimes people act on them in unhealthy ways.

Maintaining mental well-being involves identifying the feelings that you have and understanding why you have them. It involves communicating about them and making healthy decisions which are informed by them.

What is a mentally healthy person?

The mentally healthy individual is able to feel and express all of the human emotions. They are flexible in their responses to life situations. They have a wide range of healthy relationships, and are not usually swamped by emotions. They live a balanced life which integrates opposites. For example work and fun, social support and alone time, rest and productivity, feeling and thinking.

A mentally healthy person understands reality versus fantasy. They develop healthy relationship patterns, grow and utilise their talents, live a fairly well-rounded life, and experience joy.

What is mental illness?

Mental illnesses can be experienced when there is too much instability in a person’s mood or anxiety level. Problems with thinking and reality testing can indicate what are known as thought disorders. There are mental health issues related to eating (anorexia) and to being sick (hypochondria.)

People might experience issues with identity, (dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder) sexuality (pedophilia) and gender identity. Personality disorders occur when there are rigid, destructive patterns of behaviour.

Some people experience problems with impulse control (pyromania), sleeping (night terrors) or substance abuse. There are numerous mental disorders often diagnosed in childhood, like attention deficit disorder or mental retardation.

It is critical to take care of the body, through nutrition and exercise and appropriate medical care. It is equally important to care for one’s mental state and seek professional help when needed.

Note:

This article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for personal medical or psychological care.