If education is not information, what is it? How do we as teachers feed the whole person’s natural desire to know? Emily, Nicole, and Liz discuss the tools to implement in education, the motto Mason took for her teachers: “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life,” defining, discussing, and providing real life instances of these instruments put into practice.
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4. These principles are limited by the respect due to the personality of children, which must not be encroached upon whether by the direct use of fear or love, suggestion or influence, or by undue play upon any one natural desire. 5. Therefore, we are limited to three educational instruments–the atmosphere of environment, the discipline of habit, and the presentation of living ideas. The P.N.E.U. Motto is: “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life.” (Preface to the Home Education Series)
“The child breathes the atmosphere emanating from his parents; that of the ideas which rule their own lives.” (Parents and Children, pg. 247)
“Parents and teachers should know how to make sensible use of a child’s circumstances (atmosphere) to forward his sound education.” (School Education, pg. 182)
“Attention is hardly even an operation of the mind, but is simply the act by which the whole mental force is applied to the subject in hand…For whatever the natural gifts of the child, it is only in so far as the habit of attention is cultivated in him that he is able to make use of them.” (Home Education, pgs. 145-146)
“A single idea may be a possession so precious in itself, so fruitful, that the parent cannot fitly allow the child’s selection of ideas to be a matter of chance; his lessons should furnish him with such ideas as shall make for his further education.” (Home Education, pg. 174)
“In the early days of a child’s life it makes little apparent difference whether we educate with a notion of filling a receptacle, inscribing a tablet, moulding plastic matter, or nourishing a life, but as a child grows we shall perceive that only those ideas which have fed his life, are taken into his being; all the rest is cast away or is, like sawdust in the system, an impediment and an injury.” (Towards a Philosophy of Education, pgs. 108-109)
“A time-table, written out fairly, so that the child knows what he has to do and how long each lesson is to last.” (Home Education, pg. 142)
“A Child gets through their morning lessons without any sign of weariness.” (Home Education, pg. 142)
“It is only as we recognise our limitations that our work becomes effective: when we see definitely what we are to do, what we can do, and what we cannot do, we set to work with confidence and courage; we have an end in view, and we make our way intelligently towards that end, and a way to an end is method. It rests with parents not only to give their children birth into the life of intelligence and moral power, but to sustain the higher life which they have borne.” (Parents and Children, pg. 33)
If you would like to study along with us, here are some passages from The Home Education Series and other Parent’s Review articles that would be helpful for this episode’s topic. You may also read the series online here, or get the free Kindle version from Fisher Academy.
Home Education, Part V: Lessons as Instruments of Education
Parents and Children, chapters IV, VII, and XXII
School Education, chapter XIV
Towards a Philosophy of Education, chapter VI
Wow. I had a wedding over the weekend and had to wait till today to listen! 😉 This was soooo good! 🙂 There was so much in here that I want to think about more…I'm probably going to listen again 😉 and jot down a few points for further consideration. I really appreciate you posting the Miss Mason quotes that you use. Recently, I was poking around the web and saw a 45 page (!!!) guide to Miss Rumphius. I was like, "oh my goodness". Just read Miss Rumphius!…anyway…the beginning of your talk made me think of that…thanks again. 🙂
Thank you so much for your feedback! Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to make the podcast an excellent resource.
I agree with you–Just READ Miss Rumphius! That is a perfect example of how our modern attitude toward children doesn't respect their personhood by getting in between the child and the book.
-Emily
Whenever I read Mason's words about attention, I cringe: my oldest is very easily distracted unless he's completely absorbed by a thing. Math is the worst. He's super bright mathematically, but unless I sit with him (he's 12 now), he will spend an hour on 20 problems that he could finish in 15-20 minutes if he applied himself. I've tried putting on a timer, keeping him back from play time in the afternoon until his math is done, etc. But nothing consistently works except for me to sit with him and draw his attention back again and again and again. I've tried to not do that because I worry that he's becoming reliant on me, but then we're back to an hour for 20 problems. If he wants to waste his play time doing math, I'm fine with that, but I am concerned about the mental habits he's creating–habits of distraction and not attending. I've read Mason again and again about this, but it hasn't helped me wrap my brain around how to help him insist on his own attention, especially around math. Any ideas you have would be most welcome!
(And thank you for this episode. I love Mason's atmosphere, discipline, life triad, and it was wonderful to hear you unpack it.)
Kimberlee,
This is a great question and you express what many others struggle with. Would you mind our responding fully to this in a Q&A podcast coming up next month? Mason does have practical pointers for this situation.
Liz
I wouldn't mind at all! That would be lovely. Thank you!
What I find interesting is that they went to school 6 days a week and optional Sunday work where we only go 5. Also in CO we only have to go 34 weeks and not 36 like so many others states. Fun to try and figure out terms not divisable by 3. 🙂
So how do you get it all in?
Laurie,
How do we get it all in? The questionable word there is "all," because I'm not sure that it is possible to get "all" in ever, but if you mean all the subjects and books in the time allotted, I find I get it "all in" day by day faithfully putting in the time and consistently touching on many things every day in many subjects. I have never followed the recommendations of the state, and usually school 10 months a year. If I were trying to do it "all" in 34 weeks, I would probably work with 11 week terms, doing exams during the 11th week, or part of it, and adding a day or two each term for those we didn't get to. Short lessons in mornings make it possible to do much, much more than government school six-hour days, five days a week. Sunday lessons were outside of school lessons in Mason's plan. Also, I bet if you do chores and crafts, nature study and reading on most Saturdays, you are probably doing six day weeks more than you think.
Liz
Ha, by All I meant everything CM had scheduled in 6 days. I am looking at the PUS schedule. I did look at the schedule you had on your website and that helped. Thanks
Laurie,
One of the things we've noticed about the sixth day on her schedules is that, for the most part, there are no new subjects or subjects not taught on the other days. Just something to think about.
-Liz
I heard something in this podcast that seemed to speak against memorization through "jingles." On one hand, I understand questioning an early emphasis on memorization, but on the other hand very little can be mastered without memorization (math facts make it possible to do math more simply; we must memorize words to even communicate). And songs clearly help in memorization (try speaking the doxology without singing it). Where do you see this all fitting in with CM?
Heidi,
Good questions. You may hear us address this on an upcoming Q&A, or when we talk about memorization and recitation as a subject. Keep in mind, that memorizing without a connection or some kind of understanding, is treating a child like a parrot, and not a person. Children automatically memorize any jingle or silly thing they hear, but we want to fill their memory bank with meaningful and beautiful things–hence, Scripture, parables, poetry, Shakespeare. Perhaps you can read some of Mason's own delightful stories about the things children memorize that she mentions in volume I, Home Education, pp. 205; and, chap. VII on p. 222. In math, you are correct that an instant recall of math facts is essential, but work to show what those facts mean first is the priority.
-Liz
I have a question. I am struggling with an idea. Do we give a break in between subjects. I have a 8 yr old in 3rd grade. Example. I read for 15 min, then she will narrate, do I then go into math for 15 min or let her have a break maybe to dance or sing, then come back for math. I suppose I answered my own question. I guess a break from the table could be an educational break. One she doesn't recognize as being "school".
Lacey,
The break is the change of subjects. A "change is as good as a break." It is this constant change after short lessons that builds the child's stamina for intellectual effort. If you have to stop a lesson to refocus attention on another subject, don't forget to return to it or your child will learn the habit of getting restless to avoid work.
-Liz