Episode 274: Gaining Independence

As home educators trying to spread the wide feast of a Charlotte Mason education for multiple children, we feel the need to have our students working independently. But how do we get them there? Join Liz, Nicole, and Emily as they discuss the rewards and challenges with practical advice for how to help our children grow in independence–in school lessons and beyond.

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“As we have already urged, there is but one right way, that is, children must do the work for themselves. They must read the given pages and tell what they have read, they must perform, that is, what we may call the act of knowing.” (6/99)

“One of the features, and one of the disastrous features, of modern society, is that, in our laziness, we depend upon prodders and encourage a vast system of prodding.” (3/39)

“…parents who have always satisfied the intellectual craving of their children must needs forego the delight of watching a literary awakening.” (3/123)

“The children must know themselves to be let alone, whether to do their own duty or to seek their own pleasure. The constraining power should be present, but passive, so that the child may not feel himself hemmed in without choice. That free-will of man, which has for ages exercised faithful souls who would prefer to be compelled into all righteousness and obedience, is after all a pattern for parents. The child who is good because he must be so, loses in power of initiative more than he gains in seemly behaviour. Every time a child feels that he chooses to obey of his own accord, his power of initiative is strengthened.” (3/31)

“A parent may be willing to undergo any definite labours for his child’s sake; but to be always catering for his behoof, always contriving that circumstances shall play upon him for his good, is the part of a god and not of a man!” (1/10)

“Make children happy and they will be good,’ is absolutely true, but does it develop that strenuousness, the first condition of virtue, which comes of the contrary axiom-‘ Be good and you will be happy’?” (3/57)

“Let her distribute her time as she likes, but count her tale of bricks; let her choose books for her own reading, but know what she chooses; let her choose her own companions, but put before her the principles on which to choose…” (5/245)

The Coddling of the American Mind, Haidt and Lukianoff

Awaken: Living Books Conference

2024 ADE @ Home {Virtual Conference}

Episode 108: Masterly Inactivity

ADE’s Patreon Community

Episode 273: Voices from the Conference: Melissa Petermann on Homeschooling Through Chronic Illness

At the 2022 ADE at HOME {Virtual} Conference Melissa Petermann of Charlotte Mason PE presented a talk entitled “Mindset, Margin, and Tactics: Homeschooling Through Trials & Chronic Illness.” We’ve invited her onto the podcast this week to discuss some of the practical ways she has found to continue on even on hard days.

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“ln the things of science, in the things of art, in the things of practical everyday life, his God doth instruct him and doth teach him, her God doth instruct her and doth teach her. Let this be the mother’s key to the whole of the education of each boy and each girl; not of her children; the divine Spirit does not work with nouns of multitude, but with each single child. Because He is infinite, the whole world is not too great a school for this indefatigable Teacher, and because He is infinite, He is able to give the whole of his infinite attention for the whole time to each one of his multitudinous pupils. We do not sufficiently rejoice in the wealth that the infinite nature of our God brings to each of us.” (2/273)

“Let the mother go out to play! If she would only have courage to let everything go when life becomes too tense, and just take a day, or half a day , out in the fields, or with a favourite book, or in a picture gallery looking long and well at just two or three pictures, or in bed, without the children, life would go on far more happily for both children and parents. The mother would be able to hold herself in ‘wise passiveness,’ and would not fret her children by continual interference, even of hand or eye-she would let them be.” (3/33-34)

2024 ADE @ Home {Virtual Conference}

Melissa’s Swedish Drill Resource

Melissa’s Mindset, Margin, and Tactics: Homeschooling Through Trials & Chronic Illness Workshop from the 2022 Conference

Sabbath Mood Homeschool Science Guides

Liz’s Grammar Resource

ADE’s Patreon Community

Episode 272: CM on Children “Liking” Their Books

How do you determine which books are the “right” books for your children? Charlotte Mason said they must LIKE their books, right? Or did she? We explore the nuances of children’s taste and how much a role that should play in our choices of their lesson books in this episode.

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“The children must enjoy their books.” (3/178)

“What manner of book will find its way with upheaving effect into the mind of an intelligent boy or girl? We need not ask what the firl or boy likes. She very often likes the twaddle of goody-goody storybooks, he likes condiments, highly-spiced tales of adventure. We are all capable of liking mental food of a poor quality…” (3/168)

“[T]he happiness of the child is the condition of his progress; that his lessons should be joyous, and that occasions of friction in the schoolroom are greatly to be deprecated.” (1/178, emphasis added)

“Our conception of a child rules our relations towards him. Pour s’amuser is the rule of child-life proper for the ‘oyster’ theory, and most of our children’s books and many of our theories of child-education are based upon this rule. ‘Oh! he’s so happy,’ we say, and are content, believing that if he is happy he will be good; and it is so to a great extent; but in the older days the theory was, if you are good you will be happy; and this is a principle which strikes the keynote of endeavour, and holds good, not only through the childish ‘stage of evolution,’ but for the whole of life, here and hereafter. The child who has learned to ‘endeavour himself’ (as the Prayer Book has it) has learned to live.” (2/254)

“Your opinions about books and other things will very likely be wrong, and you will yourself correct them by and by when you have read more, thought more, know more. Indeed, no wise person, however old, is sure of his opinions.” (4/I/183-84)

“A child has not begun his education until he has acquired the habit of reading to himself, with interest and pleasure, books fully on a level with his intelligence. I am speaking now of his lesson-books, which are all too apt to be written in a style of insufferable twaddle, probably because they are written by persons who have never chanced to meet a child. All who know children know that they do not talk twaddle and do not like it, and prefer that which appeals to their understanding. Their lesson-books should offer matter for their reading, whether aloud or to themselves; therefore they should be written with literary power. As for the matter of these books, let us remember that children can take in ideas and principles, whether the latter be moral or mechanical, as quickly and clearly as we do ourselves (perhaps more so); but detailed processes, lists and summaries, blunt the edge of a child’s delicate mind.” (1/229)

“A corollary of the principle that education is the science of relations, is, that no education seems to be worth the name which has not made children at home in the world of books, and so related them, mind to mind, with thinkers who have dealt with knowledge. We reject epitomes, compilations, and their like, and put into children’s hands books which, long or short, are *living*. Thus it becomes a large part of the teacher’s work to help children to deal with their books; so that the oral lesson and lecture are but small matters in education, and are used chiefly to summarise or to expand or illustrate.” (3/226)

“We are apt to believe that children cannot be interested in the Bible unless its pages be watered down––turned into the slipshod English we prefer to offer them.” (1/247-48)

“We are determined that the children shall love books, therefore we do not interpose ourselves between the book and the child. We read him his *Tanglewood Tales*, and when he is a little older his *Plutarch*, not trying to break up or water down, but leaving the child’s mind to deal with the matter as it can.” (2/231-32)

“The teacher’s part in this regard is to see and feel for himself, and then to rouse his pupils by an appreciative look or word; but to beware how he deadens the impression by a flood of talk. Intellectual sympathy is very stimulating; but we have all been in the case of the little girl who said, ‘Mother, I think I could understand if you did not explain *quite* so much.'” (3/178)

“The real use of naturalists’ books at this stage is to give the child delightful glimpses into the world of wonders he lives in, to reveal the sorts of things to be seen by curious eyes, and fill him with desire to make discoveries for himself.” (1/64)

“This sort of weak literature for the children, both in any story and lesson books, is the result of a reactionary process. Not so long ago the current impression was that the children had little understanding, but prodigious memory for facts; dates, numbers, rules, catechisms of knowledge, much information in small parcels, was supposed to be the fitting material for a child’s education. We have changed all that, and put into the children’s hands lesson-books with pretty pictures and easy talk, almost as good as story-books; but we do not see that, after all, we are but giving the same little pills of knowledge in the form of a weak and copious diluent. Teachers, and even parents, who are careful enough about their children’s diet, are so reckless as to the sort of mental aliment offered to them, that I am exceedingly anxious to secure consideration for this question, of the lessons and literature proper for the little people.” (1/176)

“In their power of giving impulse and stirring emotion is another use of books, the right books; but that is just the question––which are the right books?––a point upon which I should not wish to play Sir Oracle. The ‘hundred best books for the schoolroom’ may be put down on a list, but not by me. I venture to propose one or two principles in the matter of school-books, and shall leave the far more difficult part, the application of those principles, to the reader.” (3/177)

“Children cannot answer questions set on the wrong book; and the difficulty of selection is increased by the fact that what they like in books is no more a guide than what they like in food.” (6/248)

Mystery and Manners, Flannery O’Connor

Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray

Moby Dick, Herman Melville

Arabella Buckley’s Eyes and No Eyes series

Talkbox.mom

2024 ADE @ Home {Virtual Conference}

Episode 269: Jono Kiser on Good and Dangerous Books

Episode 6: Living Books

Episode 7: Recognizing Living Books

Episode 119: Q&A on the Arabella Buckley Books

ADE’s Patreon Community

2024 ADE at HOME Virtual Conference

The fourth annual ADE at Home Conference will be held on February 2 and 3, 2024, but registration closes on February 1, so get your tickets before it’s too late!

Experience 11 demonstration lessons. Each presents an actual school lesson and will equip you to carry out Miss Mason’s method in your home or classroom.
Prepare to be encouraged by 26 experienced speakers. They bring experience from living out Charlotte Mason’s method’s in the country and the city, with many children or just a few. Some homeschool their children, and others teach in a classroom environment.
Choose from a broad range of topics explored through 32 sessions, from Foreign Language lessons to Physical Geography and Homeschooling through Major Transitions as well as Chronic Illness and Burnout. Our speakers will explain the principles and application of Miss Mason’s method related to home and school life. Whether you have little kids running underfoot or a house full of high school students, there is something for each of you.

All of the sessions will be available until May 03, 2024. However, we hope you will take advantage of the many opportunities to gather, socialize, interact, and find new and old friends during the conference. Use the Community Board or schedule Virtual Meetups to discuss the things that matter most to you. Last year we heard from groups who got together to watch. Others rented a hotel room to watch in silence. Still, more of our guests watched when they could grab a free hour here and there, so the live but also available for three months aspect of this conference is a great benefit. Remember, however, that each attendee still needs a ticket if you meet with a group. Besides, you can only watch so many sessions during the event, and you will want the opportunity to enjoy other sessions later.

The Details

DATE: February 2 and 3, 2024. Attendees will have access to all recorded sessions until May 03, 2024.

WHEN: Friday evening 5:00-9:30 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m (EST).

COST: $50 per attendee before January 10, 2024, then $75 until February 1. Patreon members get a 20% discount on a single ticket (check your account).

REGISTRATION: PLEASE NOTE that registration will close the day before the conference (February 1, 2024.)

We hope you can make this opportunity a priority in 2024. February is the time of year we all need a boost and fresh ideas to inspire us. Perhaps a conference registration is a great gift idea for you or someone you love!

Episode 271: Trusting the Method with Melanie Verlage

This season, we are interviewing experienced Charlotte Mason moms, inviting them to tell us how they’ve come to “Trust the Method.” In today’s episode, Melanie Verlage, Canadian mom of four girls tells us about her transition from public school to Charlotte Mason Homeschooling, and the surprising joys she’s witnessed over the last six years.

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