This month’s Charlotte Mason podcast question for us is asked so often in so many forms that the entire episode is devoted to it. Multiple questions are summed up in “Am I failing? What if I’m not doing things perfectly, not doing it all, leaving out subjects, don’t know what I’m doing, can’t figure it all out, am avoiding subjects…should I give up?” Emily, Liz and Nicole share Miss Mason’s counsel, Biblical encouragement, and their own honest experiences.
Listen Now:
“There is no doubt that definite work, on a well-considered programme, with a given object in view, is a clear gain, leading to definiteness of purpose and concentration of effort and attention, the qualities that go to make a successful man.” (5/182)
“It is a wide programme founded on the educational rights of man; wide, but we may not say it is impossible nor may we pick and choose and educate him in this direction but not in that. We may not even make choice between science and the ‘humanities.’ Our part it seems to me is to give a child a vital hold upon as many as possible of those wide relationships proper to him. Shelley offers us the key to education when he speaks of ‘understanding that grows bright gazing on many truths.’ Because the relationships a child is born to are very various, the knowledge we offer him must be various too.” (6/157)
“We may not choose or reject subjects–You will see at a glance, with this Captain Idea of establishing relationships as a guide, the unwisdom of choosing or rejecting this or that subject, as being more or less useful or necessary in view of a child’s future…But we do not know how much we are shutting out from Tommy’s range of thought…” (3/162-163)
“Sometimes, parents have the mistaken notion that the greater the number of subjects the heavier the work; though, in reality, the contrary is the case, unless the hours of study are increased.” (3/286)
“There are always those present with us whom God whispers in the ear, through whom He sends a direct message to the rest. Among these messengers are the great painters who interpret to us some of the meanings of life. To read their messages aright is a thing due from us.” (4/I/102)
“We are waking up to our duties and in proportion as mothers become more highly educated and efficient, they will doubtless feel the more strongly that the education of their children during the first six years of life is an undertaking hardly to be entrusted to any hands but their own. And they will take it up as their profession––that is, with the diligence, regularity, and punctuality which men bestow on their professional labours.” (1/2-3)
“In 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)
Thank you so much! I’ve been wanting to contact you as late regarding our homeschool and how might adjust things. This podcast was helpful. Every one of your podcasts are so very helpful. Thank you so much again.
We are so glad it found a place in your heart today and hit the mark. You keep going. You’re doing a great job.
Thank you. This was timely encouragement.
This was so beautiful. I have been very slow at implementing a full Charlotte Mason approach, mostly out of confusion and distraction. This year I have gotten very close, although I struggle so much with consistency in a schedule. But it is written down, and just trying to follow it seems to help. My youngest is particularly enjoying picture study and Shakespeare. My other son has discovered a love for Vivaldi. Often these are incorporated more as part of our atmosphere than our schedule. This episode has inspired me to try a little harder at citizenship and consistent nature journaling.
We all need this encouragement and are so happy it was helpful.
I really appreciated this podcast. Thank you!
Thank you for taking time to let us know this was helpful to you. We are very thankful.
I was so encouraged by this podcast and really needed it. It’s so easy to feel I am letting my children down with my inadequacies but what a BEAUTIFUL last quote by Miss Mason on the Divine Spirit. How marvelous is our God to use as mere mothers in our children’s education.
Thank you, Danielle. What is so lovely about that quote of Miss
Mason’s is that God delights to use the ordinary–and that is perhaps
good enough reason for us not to “despise the day of small things.”
All those little lessons are mighty seeds.
I had to jump on and comment: I was just reminding my children to make a mental picture of the words in the dictation passage, not merely repeat letters in order, for difficult words. One of my sons piped up, “Just like in picture study! We’re supposed to make a picture in our mind of the picture.” It was exactly what you were discussing in this podcast about how it all holds together :-).
Betsy,
Thank you for that great story!