No, I’m not forsaking Charlotte Mason for something else. But I am going to reveal three areas where I don’t follow Miss Mason’s advice. Here are the confessions of an eclectic CM adapter.
1. Poetry
CM says — study one poet each term.
Jimmie says — UGH! One poet an entire term? Can’t do it. Won’t do it. One artist, no problem. One composer, doable. But an entire term of Robert Louis Stevenson or Robert Frost is enough to make me lose my mind. I want variety in the poetry area, so we read a daily poem from an anthology.
2. Reading Aloud
CM says — once a child is old enough to read to himself, the bulk of his education should come from reading. A child who can read should read. And he should not be coddled by an adult reading his material out loud to him.
Jimmie says –I continue to read novels aloud to Sprite, and not just the fun ones but our academic texts as well. Sprite is a competent reader, but she still gets more out of my reading aloud. She’s only ten, and I think that we have plenty of time for the transition to her reading everything on her own. If I had a house full of little ones clamoring for attention, I’m sure I’d not be able to invest so much time in reading to Sprite. But God gave me only one. And I’m still reading outloud to this one.
3. Crafts
CM says — Teach children practical handicrafts such as knitting, crochet, basket making, weaving, etc. Silly, meaningless crafts are to be avoided.
Jimmie says — Bring on the glitter, sequins, Elmer’s glue, and fuzzy pom poms. We love crafts whether they are practical or not. Fanciful, purely creative projects are fine in my book. And I believe that the creativity and imagination that are inspired through these types of crafts will serve Sprite well all her life. If they lead to more practical, “grown-up crafts” that result in wearable socks and usable baskets, then that’s wonderful. But if they lead merely to a creative outlook on life and an adult love of the feel of rubber cement on your hands, then that’s okay too.
So there you have it, Miss Mason. I hope you’re not too scandalized to hear that I disagree with you. I overall greatly admire your philosophy, but I have to go with my own insights and opinions above your recommendations, however revered they may be.
I know that there are very, very few CM purists out there. Most people who call themselves Charlotte Mason homeschoolers are actually much like me in that they pick and choose what works best for them. And since the education of their children falls on their own shoulders, that’s exactly what they should do.
Anyone else have a homeschool philosophy confession to make?
Totally agree! I love your site and can’t wait to keep reading.
.-= Danette´s last blog .. =-.
Right on! I completely agree. 😀
.-= Makita´s last blog ..Ecology Explorations is Finished! =-.
Jimmie – I wanted to reach you privately but can’t seem to find your email address. Can you contact me?
.-= Makita´s last blog ..Ecology Explorations is Finished! =-.
Fully agree here. We love creating our own homeschool style and pull from Classical, CM, and others but aren’t true to any of them for each in some area isn’t true to our hearts.
My confessions:
We are classical in many ways–except that I only lightly touch on Latin in the grammar years and my children can’t do declentions to save their lives.
We love the narrative tradition of Charlotte Mason but like you stray from her in many areas. (Including every area you mentioned above!)
We are ecclectic; and more specifically PrairieFrog style homeschoolers. Just as no two families are identical; no two homeschools will be–and that’s what makes it work.
I love reading about the materials you are using. So often your book stash mirrors our own. (Or mirrors my wishlist, lol!)
.-= Dell´s last blog ..Keegan’s red casts! =-.
My older daughter is a very proficient reader, yet LOVES read-alouds and books on tape. Some of our favorite books are the ones she and I and her younger sister read or listened to together.
.-= Deb´s last blog ..Liana’s Top Picks =-.
I think there’s also a shared community when you read stories out loud together.
And, I’m not a huge poetry person, so I’d really struggle with spending a whole term on one person. I like my poems in short bursts.
.-= Ticia´s last blog ..Week in Review =-.
I agree. I’d rather say we are eclectic with CM leanings but we also follow Christian Classical method combined with principle/biblical worldview approach with multimedia exposure. HA! And what is that exactly? We do what works. I read aloud a lot to my kids everyday, even with my middle schoolers yet they do read independently for hours in a day, we do crazy crafts just for the fun and creativity of it, many are impractical really and often too messy for us to keep in the house or even for blogging. We love poetry – all sorts but never stick with a poet for a week, we hardly remember the poet but the verses we love. Ha! My older daughter (12yo) has somehow grown to love studying logic and rhetoric. She is the one drawn more to classical ed, so I oblige.
.-= Maria´s last blog ..Making history come alive =-.
Yeah, same here. We’re CM-based, but quite eclectic. Everyone is just so different, we gotta do what works for us! I think it’s a homeschooler’s privilege to be flexible, anyway, and not bound to a certain this or that. Thanks for bringing up the topic, I really liked reading everyone’s responses!
.-= Dana´s last blog ..our last days (of vacation!) =-.
I haven’t read all of the comments here, but it sounds like most of these homeschoolers have the right idea! It is very unlikely that any one philosophy is going to fit any one family perfectly. The beauty of homeschooling is you don’t have to try to make that happen! I think those who do are missing out on one of the major benefits of the whole homeschooling ideal–freedom to do what works for your family.
We are unschoolers, and my personal opinion is that the ultimate homeschool lesson is this: “Life is the lesson”. We try to fill our every waking minute with learning something. It could be how to make brownies (simple, yes, but something most boys never get to learn), responsibility and commitment to caring for our pets, how to find the best deal on an item at a store, how to garden….we could even be “doing school” on Christmas day if we decide to play a new educational game, etc. What I consider educational typically differs greatly from what many others consider educational, but we feel it works for us. I mean, how many 9 or 12yo can operate a circular saw, use a Dremel tool, or know if you pre-drill a screw-hole then the wood isn’t as likely to split? (We’ve built a lot of stuff in the past year!)
I love your post! We, too, use a mix of CM… and Classical… and whatever else I find that I think will work for us. We, too, enjoy crafts of all kind and I love to read aloud to my only child, too. I’m sorry to say that we haven’t done a lot of poetry, but I also know I couldn’t spend a whole “term” on one poet!
Thanks for this great topic!
.-= Dana´s last blog ..Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh (Day 7) =-.
Ah the beauty of home schooling, is to tailor it to your child and his or her needs. The rest is just a guideline.. good job!
.-= Kristy´s last blog ..It finally arrived today! =-.
I agree 100%. We also do any type of craft (as well as practical), we also still read aloud, and we also do not do ONLY one poet per term. Though the CM philosophy has changed our homeschool tremendously, I still keep a lot of classical WTM. I also consult my Konos book when looking for ideas. We are starting to do more lapbooks and whole notebooks on topics.
Confessions:
1.) I do not leave grammar and spelling solely to copywork and personal word lists. Penmanship is also not practiced solely through copywork. Quality workbooks still have a place in our homeschool.
2.) We don’t get outside nearly as much as dear Charlotte suggests.
I wonder if Charlotte Mason were alive today, what if anything would anything be different in her philosophy???
.-= Shannon´s last blog .."The Story" =-.
I’m right with you Jimmie! Especially with the reading aloud. I too have been blessed with only one, and I still read to her daily. (she’s 9)
I have found that it has worked out best for us, to incorporate as much CM as we can, and yet to still maintain our own ideas of what to do, when, and for how long.
I have to agree about the read alouds. I have a house full, seven to be exact. My oldest is 10, but I must admit on most days I want to pull my hair out. I have 2 great readers right now, and I still read a lot to the children. When my daughter was 4, the president of our homeschool group said that she still read a lot to her children who were around 12 (at least) at the time. She talked about how the still love to cuddle and read. I must agree, I love reading to them, and I plan to continue reading!
.-= Angi´s last blog ..PREPARING FOR MONDAY =-.
I’ve parted ways with CM a while back. Couldn’t help but post about it.
.-= Martha´s last blog ..To CM or Not to CM, that is the question! =-.
I would have to say that we are really eclectic with strong CM leanings if I was being honest. My boys HATE copy work! I have one struggling writer. Both were late readers (one is still learning now at 7 1/2) so we like read alouds – even with a house full! We love nature study but struggle to do it as often as we would like. Living in England it seems that the days we are ‘free’ to go out and do nature study it rains and on the fine days we are so busy there is no time! *sigh* I do some workbooks but have definetly cut alot of workbooks and busy work out of our days. And as a MUS rep, we use that instead of ‘living maths’. :o) We have changed our books for living books and gotten rid of alot of ‘twaddle’ in our schoolroom. So I guess you could say we are moving closer to CM by degrees! LOL!
I love how you describe your homeschool in details…
btw..I’m just starting with my li’ll one and I’m interested with CM method… & your blog is such a blessing!!
.-= yunie´s last blog ..A Woman’s Roles at her Home* =-.
I like this confession time, hee,hee. My son dislikes poetry as well. He’s eleven, but I still read him stories before bed. We are reading Shakespeare for Children by Charles Lamb. I read him things he is not likely to read on his own, or things that may be interesting(information wise), but below his grade level. Some books sound so much better read aloud, especially the vintage ones with all their beautiful language.
He really dislikes art and crafts! I forced him to take art classes when he was in early elementary. He just doesn’t like it, but I tried. He’ll be forced to learn some major artists too – that won’t be fun, but I want him to at least know some artists.
He’s into nature either(do you see what I have to deal with, lol !), but enjoyed a Junior Ranger camp I put him in early this summer.
He does like to read, so that’s where to twaddle free books come in – and he likes religion, thank God! So we get a lot of Christian reading for him.
.-= Alexandra´s last blog ..Feast Day of St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) =-.
I agree. I do love CM, but I’m not 100% anything. And these are three areas where we veer off as well. 🙂
.-= { jamie }´s last blog ..Celebrating Lilly =-.
Not read aloud? No way! Then I’d be stuck reading boring adult books all the time! LOL!
.-= Melissa Telling´s last blog ..Great Notebooking Deals To Start Your School Year! =-.
This is a great post!
I’m attempting the CM-style this year, but I knew from the onset that I wasn’t going to be 100%. My brain wouldn’t allow it. I guess my brain is more “twaddle” than anything else. I will be using portions of her method, but the rest is mainly, well, eclectic.
I found your blog from another blog, and she was complementing your bravery to say what you don’t agree with when it comes to CM.
THANKS for making it “ok” to be only partial-CM!
.-= Jackie´s last blog ..Weekly Tweets for 2009-08-09 =-.
I think Charlotte would be impressed, regardless.
.-= Stefanie´s last blog ..Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop: School Room Week =-.
Agreed!
.-= Cindy´s last blog ..Boys and Dinosaurs =-.
Hi there!
I thought I would chime in too :O)
I my oldest, 14 yrs, and a boy at that- I still read aloud to. My daughter who is 10- I still read aloud to. I can’t imagine not doing this. Especially for history. We use Beautiful Feet for our history curriculum. This is a very rich literature based curriculum and although the books used are wonderful… my children just don’t seem to enjoy them without momma reading them aloud. It is a favorite time of our day.
My son, who just started the high school years, is finally reading on his own for required ‘school work.’ He is not always so pleased with this for he’d rather be reading something about super heroes or anything of science-fiction packed with great adventure, but there comes a time when you just have to do (have to read) something that is not on the the pick of your list. Although, I often find myself still reading a page or two aloud to him just to give him that push of encouragement to get going. And I find myself reading the book to myself so that I can still be involved with his reading by means of discussion and to be better prepared when we review his assignments.
Even at the high school level he is only asked to read alone from his World View class (Cornerstone Curriculum, another literature rich based program) other than that momma still reads!
I really love the CM methods. Narration, copywork, nature study, living books – those are my favorites and basically all that is a part of our school.
I don’t get to involved with classical arts / poetry. It is hard for me to implement some of these things when I have to ‘pinch’ my children to stay awake.
Charlotte Mason is hands down my most favored homeschooling method used in our home. However it is the Lord’s direction in all things even to the smallest details of our homeschool are that which always reaps the best harvest for our family.
My biggest concern when I read anything about CM is how much of it is treated as if it is sound doctrine. I am disturbed when I hear or read comments such as, “I just need to stay faithful to the Charlotte Mason Education.” While I l-o-v-e certain aspects of the CM method I can not feel comfortable in remaining faithful its way of teaching, even though it be Christian based, and truly believe that my children will have then received the best education possible. No matter a parent’s choice of education if it is not faithful to the way the Lord has called then how will the child have really received the best education possible …
Thanks and blessings to you and family!
Deanna
ps- I think I shall post this comment to my blog page, after all- it is rather lengthy for a comment ~ sorry about that :O)
.-= Deanna´s last blog ..Wonderful Week! Wonderful Jesus! =-.
Wow, Deanna, this is a rich comment! Please don’t apologize for long comments. I LOVE them!
You are so right. CM is not an educational savior. She should never be elevated to such a level. I think it’s good for CM educators to know what CM actually said, and then make reasoned decisions about parting from that. In fact, I think CM would respect a mom who does that. She may disagree with the decision, but I feel she’d approve of the mom’s taking responsibility for the decision making.
I agree with you on the poetry and reading aloud. I have four children (only 2 can “read”) but I continue to read to all of them. Studies have shown that you should always read to your child at a higher level than they can read for themselves, and it has even been encouraged to read to your high schooler! So enjoy reading to Sprite!
.-= Karin Katherine´s last blog ..Leopard Geckos forever =-.
Very good example of how we should not become a slave to a philosophy or method. I agree with you – let kids be kids and enjoy the richness of variety!
We used to read Poems Every Child Should Know. When they are young, I feel that it is more important to know the poems- than the poets. We do one poet a term, now. So, as to get to know the poet better. It was really hard for me to give up reading aloud to my two big kids. I wanted to be a big part of it and learn too! However, now that my little one is beginning school…I am reading his books aloud, so they have to be on their own for most all of their reading. (it is working better than expected.) With crafts… I let the kids make whatever crafts that they want, but if it involves me…I like it to be useful! One thing for certain…CHANGE, (as they grow.)
Homeschooling is wonderful in that we can decide when and how and IF to make those changes.
.-= keri´s last blog ..Initiative in Work =-.
Amen…CM & Unit Study sister here!
.-= Kyle Suzanne´s last blog ..Come on by …pool edition =-.
So, I’m just curious…maybe you know Jimmie. How do people do narration once their children read the books or at least read some of the books – unless from a program that has pre-done questions or unless they’ve read the materials themselves?
I think you have to take C.M. in context anyhow – of the period of time in which she was writing. Certainly our children should be competent readers and not be lazy. Yet, there are books on CD and audio from various sources – one could argue that the skill of listening needs to be strengthened as well. Regarding poetry, I understand where you’re coming from, but my personal style – I think it’s neat to get more familiar with one author. I’m not sure what a “term” means – a few months? And regarding crafts – hey maybe your “crafts” are more art or like card-making and who is to say they are not practical. I mean you aren’t giving Sprite pre-done crafts with step one, two, three and no meaningful result. I’m not sure CM would be in much of a disagreement with you.
Cathy
.-= Cathy´s last blog ..Charlotte Mason =-.
I have Sprite narrate her novels to me, and I’ve not read them all. She may be omitting things (I wouldn’t know for sure), but as long as her narration is coherent, I figure she’s done a good job. If there are gaps in logic or big jumps in the action, I may ask for clarification. Then she’ll have to amend her narration.
I am right with you girl 😀
.-= Loni´s last blog ..Tenative Chicken Coop Plans =-.