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?
Good thoughts — thanks. I love the choice and control we have to determine what is best for our students and our families as home schoolers. We shouldn’t feel like we have to fit another person’s mold for our school any more than we choose to, even if it is Miss Mason herself.
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Nodding my head in agreement!
It may surprise some people that we at Simply Charlotte Mason are not necessarily CM purists either. For example, I don’t teach mythology to my young children; I don’t study Shakespeare every year; and I do a short poet study sometime during the year, but read random poems from an anthology the rest of the time.
I’m a firm believer in “teach the child, not the curriculum.” And I think Charlotte would agree with that philosophy. She emphasized that education is a method, not a system. We need to adapt and tweak according to each child’s personality and abilities. Now, the underlying principles remain, but the application of those principles may look a little different in each of our homes.
As one commenter mentioned, the Charlotte Mason Method is a great framework with which to begin. Charlotte had wonderful and effective ideas that we can all benefit from. Thanks, Jimmie, for a great post. I’m so glad we have the freedom to customize!
.-= Sonya´s last blog ..A Well-Kept Secret =-.
Thanks for chiming in, Sonya. Your opinions are much valued.
Just wanted to pop in and say I love your daughters craft blog! She is a very talented girl.
.-= Naomi´s last blog ..On its way! =-.
I’ve always said that people who are into Charlotte Mason (which includes me) should always remember that she was single, had no children, and never homeschooled…When she did work with children it was in a classroom setting. Therefore there is often a bit of a disconnect between her philosophy (which I totally agree with) and her methods. So I’m with you…take the best, work with your kids as individuals, and don’t adhere to any other philosophy/method/curriculum so slavishly that you can’t modify it to work in your family.
During my college days, Jim Trelease’s “Read Aloud Handbook” was featured to us future teachers as both a classroom and a parent resource. His philosophy is that you read to them from before they are born and don’t stop. Reading things slightly above their own reading level enriches their vocabulary. And the shared experience of you reading to each other as they grow is priceless. http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/
As you pointed out, she would say academic texts should be read by the student as soon as they were ready. However, she also talked about family reading time which we would call read-alouds 🙂
I do the poetry the CM way; read aloud as a family, even with teens; and my girls enjoy crafts. I do not. ?
PHEW! I tried CM for the first time this year, and there were a few things that just didn’t work, but a few that did. I felt like a failure for a bit. We were bored with one subject, and the approach was not working for another. However, the family lessons, were working great for us. Mind you, we don’t crochet and sew… buuuuut we love read-alouds, Scripture memory, music and picture study, Book of Centuries, and Nature Study, along with the read-alouds. I’m learning that not everything works for everyone and that it is okay. It’s good to hear from others that I’m not a failure, I’m on the right track, and we are doing better than I thought. 🙂
You must be my twin! I agree 100% with your list! I try my best to avoid poetry. Totally not our thing here. Handicrafts that engage and interest the child is better than the suggested ones, esp. if they could care less about basket weaving and sock making (lol)…..my son would gag if I made him do those things-altho he has made a rag rug….but his handicrafts are manly man ones (fixing cars/snowmobiles/tech. stuff) not your typical crafty things. As for the reading aloud-that is about 80% of how my son gets his lessons. With dyslexia it is one of the best ways to get his lessons completed-geez we’d be stuck on one book forEVER if I didn’t do most the reading. He learns better when he hears the stories/lessons anyway. So yah-another divergence from CM. Great post Jimmie! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I appreciate this post so much, Jimmie! I have had a few things come up lately that I don’t agree with either. Crafts are a big one! She thought that the brain “filled up” like a cup, and once there was enough in it, learning was done. For this reason, I don’t agree with her statement that children should never be exposed to “twaddle.” I think there is a time and a place for entertainment, and a small amount of silly, fun books is okay.
Jimmie, I totally agree with you! I am happy to know that I am not the only one that thinks this way. I have always enjoyed the CM method but I am an eclectic homeschooler and I have always tweaked the CM way to better suit our family. Thanks for sharing your confession with us! 😉
I absolutely have to agree with you on crafts, Jimmie. I don’t quite agree with her statement: “silly and meaningless crafts are to be avoided”. If a glitter and sequins craft brings the happy in, jump in and enjoy!
I totally have to agree with you on the poetry. That kind of teaching is basically what killed my interest in poetry in school. I had to heal from the trauma before I even thought about introducing a poem to my children. And I found out that I loved poetry.
So long as it is a bit here and there and it changes and it isn’t all Donne, I love it. And my children connect with a poem chosen because it fits what we’re doing rather than yet another bit of poesy by an old dead guy.
Yes… we’re somewhere between Unschooling and CM. It’s an ebb and flow kind of thing.
I think this is great! Though I can’t help myself in saying… none of this actually goers away from CM except maybe they poetry. She says when they’re able they should read most to themselves for school… but you said yourself she’s still gleaning more from your reading so she’s obviously not quite ready. Which would mean she’s not “able”. And she doesn’t say don’t ever read aloud… in fact they read aloud for pleasure in her school. Reading aloud is a good thing ?? And crafting… she says don’t give mindless busy work. She doesn’t say only ever do practical things… we do all the glitter and fun stuff here too but because my kids want to and we enjoy it… not because it’s busy work that is just going to be thrown away.
I know I know… I’m being that person. ????? I can’t help it ? Still love what you said and it is the same here!