Susan’s newest book for Norton is a guide for parents, Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Education (2018). Her previous books for Norton included updated editions of two perennial best sellers, The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (fourth ed., 2016) and The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had (rev. ed., 2015); The Story of Western Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory (previously titled The Story of Science) (also 2015): and the History of the World series, a narrative world history series that so far encompasses The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome (2007), The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade (2010), and The History of the Renaissance World: From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople (2013).

With Princeton University Press, she has published the academic title The Art of the Public Grovel: Sexual Sin and Confession in America (2008).

Susan’s curricula materials, published by Well-Trained Mind Press, include the four-year series Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind: A Complete Course for Young Writers, Aspiring Rhetoricians, and Anyone Else Who Needs to Understand How English Works; the four-volume elementary composition series Writing With Ease; the three-volume pre-rhetoric composition program Writing With Skill; and the four-volume world history series The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child.

Education

Susan’s parents taught her at home for most of elementary and middle school, and all of high school; she entered college at seventeen as a Presidential Scholar and National Merit finalist, and finished her B.A. in five semesters with a major in English, a minor in Greek and a summer spent studying twentieth century theology as a Visiting Student at Oxford. She went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, where she added Hebrew and Aramaic to her languages. In 1994, she also completed the M.A. in English language and literature at the College of William and Mary in Virginia; her concentrations were in translation theory, seventeenth-century devotional poetry, and Psalm paraphrase in the Tudor period. She received her Ph.D. in American Studies from William and Mary in 2007, with a concentration in the history of American religion. From 1994 until 2010, Susan Susan taught writing and American literature at William & Mary.

DeeDee and Ximena are two homeschool moms and YouTubers, trying to figure out how to savor life through every messy moment. They draw strength from each other, and like chips and salsa, they try to keep life tasty and festive!

Ximena was born in Mexico city and grew up in Florida, she has been married for 20 years and has two kids; a beautiful, sweet girl going into 9th grade and a funny, witty boy who will be in 6th grade. She started homeschooling with her daughter when she was in 4th grade and then continued with her son when he started 2nd grade. Her favorite thing about homeschooling is being able to teach things she is passionate about, like art, music and Mexican culture. They love to swim, listen to music, and watch The Office!  

Dee Dee and her husband of 17 years are both San Diego natives and have four amazing kids; three handsome young men, and a beautiful daughter each only a year apart in age. They have always homeschooled so with nine years of experience, DeeDee is a wealth of information! Her favorite thing about homeschooling is learning along with her children. For fun they love to play games, make music together and dance.

Michelle Sullivan has been homeschooling her four children since 2004 and has been an ES since 2006. She firmly believes parents are the best teachers for their children, and her goal is to help parents feel confident and encouraged in their homeschool journey.

Tamara started her career teaching in Jurupa Unified School District as a 5th and 6th-grade looping teacher. She served on the Student Study Team and School Site Council. She taught in a highly differentiated classroom with two ELD clusters, an RSP, and a GATE cluster. Once she had her son, she made the move to Springs Charter School. She served in the Homeschool Program as an Education Specialist, GATE Mentor, and AIMM Mentor. She homeschooled her two children, now 15 and 14 from tk-4th grade. She now works as the Director of Professional Learning and Development. Tamara is most happy when she is learning and growing, building relationships, and enjoying recreational activities in the great outdoors.

Nicole Haynes has been in education for 26 years and began teaching in Arizona at the high school level. After moving to California she earned her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, as well as her multiple subject credential. She taught Kindergarten in the Murrieta Valley Unified School district before becoming an Educational Specialist for the Homeschool program at Springs Charter School 11 years ago. She has worked as both the K-8 ELA and Math Curriculum Specialist for Springs and now works full time as the K-8 ELA specialist with a focus on Primary Reading. She is most passionate about helping children learn how to read and loves her job!