Reading Charlotte Mason

"All intellectual work is done in the hours of morning school, and the afternoons are given to field nature studies, drawing, handicrafts, etc." Charlotte Mason, Towards A Philosophy of Education, page 9

I'm trying to read some more of Charlotte Mason's six volume set. I keep bouncing around. Can't seem to recall which I've read (my retention isn't that great- I need to work on narration!) or which I was going to read. Tonight, since I've been struck again (and again and again and...blah) with insomnia (tired, tired, tired....can't sleep!), I am reading Volume 6. I've read through much of the first few pages (lol is that an oxymoron? 'much' 'few' ?). I am now only on page 9, I believe.

The first sentence I read was the one at the beginning of this post. Hmm, well, I think I'm doing it all wrong then. Our school day doesn't usually go that way. I would love to be 'done' with school in the morning hours and then have the rest follow but...well, my kids need something to do almost all the time. I admit that we are lacking on the field nature studies horribly (my ds has turned his nature journal into a notebook of random ideas for random stories) and I can't handle bugs unless they are in pictures. I'm a weanie, yes, I know.

But maybe there is still hope for me :)

"...We owe it t every child to put him in communication with great minds that he may get at great thoughts; with the minds, that is, of those who have left us great works; and the only vital method of education appears to be that children should read worthy books, many worthy books...We must read in order to know or we do not know by reading." Charlotte Mason, Towards A Philosophy of Education, page 12

Aha...my redeemer? Worthy books. Many worthy books. This is something that we are constantly doing. We may not get out to look at the trees as is described by CM but we do go outside to enjoy it. When we are not doing the things that are necessary for life and other 'required' learning, we are reading: worthy books. I'm constantly adding to our library. Of course some books the kids (and I admittedly) look at with a raised eyebrow. It is mostly because they are different than what is abundant in today's libraries. Quick, twaddle books abound. Ugh, give me something meaty to read (after all aren't books like food for our mind?)! I'm constantly trying to open my mind and my kids' minds to 'worthy books'.

"But, it will be said, reading or hearing various books read, chapter by chapter, and then narrating or writing what has been read or some part of it,--all this is merely memory work. The value of this criticism may be readily tested; will the critic read before turning off his light a leading article from a newspaper, say, or a chapter from Boswell or Jane Austen, or one of Lamb's Essays; then, will he put himself to sleep by narrating silently what he has read. He will not be satisfied with the result but he will find that in the act of narrating every power of his mind comes into play, that points and bearings which he had not observed are brought out; that the whole is visualized and brought into relief in an extraordinary way; in fact, that scene or argument has become a part of his personal experience; he knows, he has assimilated what he has read. This is not memory work. In order to memorise, we repeat over and over a passage or a series of points or names with the aid of such clues as we can invent; we do memorise a string of facts or words, and the new possession serves its purpose for a time, but it is not assimilated; its purpose being served, we know it no more.This is memory work by means of which examinations are passed with credit." Charlotte Mason, Towards A Philosophy of Education, page 16

I often am amazed at how true that is. Perhaps personally I do not employ this practice in myself as I should (I tend to cram and try to memorize for the sake of 'credit') but I have seen the definite benefit in my children. Starting out homeschooling we used a 'boxed' curriculum with fill in the blank work books. I don't know if they can tell you much of what they learned from those workbooks...something may still linger but if you ask about something that they have learned since via the reading and narrating method, you will likely find a detailed response.

Well now that it is past tomorrow and I'm finally to the point of sleep (way past the point of tired though), I will end this post. If for nothing else, I personally feel much better that I am following a CM way of homeschooling. It's not perfect but that is because I'm not perfect and neither are my children (oh, I'm not that naive) but we do well with this way. We will continue to incorporate more and more, I hope, while taking out the other unnecessary bits that we have been holding onto for so long because we are simply used to them.