Curriculum? Check
Supplies? Check
Co-op schedule? Check
What more could you need to start your year? Well, if you could ask Charlotte Mason, you might be surprised by her answer. Of course you can’t ask Charlotte – she lived in the late 1800s to early 1900s! This British educator had a unique approach to education. Her list of 3 essentials for successful education were atmosphere, discipline, and life.
Atmosphere
Charlotte believed that atmosphere makes up one-third of a child’s education. Children learn a much by their surroundings. For example, if they are immersed in a literature-rich environment, you can bet they will be better readers. Charlotte would tell you to take care to build an environment that will enhance and enrich learning.
Discipline
By “Discipline,” Charlotte meant cultivating good habits in your child’s life. She believed this made up another third of education. Taking time to teach how to learn will result in independent, life-long learners.
Life
Because education is a way of life, Charlotte believed that we should give children living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts. For example, Charlotte used “living books,” books written in story form by an author who had a passion for the subject. Spelling was taught from looking at great literature, not from merely memorizing lists.
As with all educational philosophies, everything Charlotte suggests may not be a perfect fit for your family. However, it is beneficial to weigh various approaches to education – to learn from what they offer and come away with an idea that might benefit your family.
One website devoted to all things Charlotte Mason is www.simplycharlottemasson.com. Looking ahead to the new school year, this site offers the following tips (summarized here by permission):
Tip #1: Plan for Variety
“Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time” – Charlotte Mason
To keep learning from becoming stale, offer a variety of subjects that students enjoy. Give them opportunity to explore nature, poetry, art, and handicrafts.
Tip #2: Shop with Purpose
Take careful stock of your goals, legal requirements, personal standards, and the season of your family’s life and shop accordingly for your resources.
One great resource is Global Student Network (www.globalstudentnetwork.com). From this one location, you can choose from six different curricula. They are six of the best online curricula and perfect for customizing your child’s education. GSN is also offering a free android tablet along with registration for a limited time only.
Learning to roll with life’s punches is one of the best lessons we can teach our kids. So even though you have the neat planner all filled out, know this – life happens!
You will have to adjust the learning pace to accommodate the individual needs of your children. There will be times when you have to change your schedule to make allowances for circumstances and life changes. And remember, you can’t force growth according to a set time table so embrace opportunities for growth as they happen.
Great tips based on the thinking of a great educator! We would do well to add “Considering the thoughts of Charlotte Mason” to our back-to-school list!
Copyright © 2013 J. Hoffman / GSN (NV)
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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com