A few thoughts on Religious Training.

When considering Religious Training for homeschoolers, I got to wondering how and when this goes on in the average home. I realized in our house we don't have a formal time set aside called Daily Religious Training, that would be... um, well. Something anyway. Yet, you may have noticed? There is always a whole lot of training going on... whether we like it or not.

Regardless of whether or not we are aware of it, I believe that because we are humans created in God's image, we are religious, aware or unaware, and are being trained for better or worse from the time we're born. In that sense Religious Training doesn't really start in school years. It starts in Mom and Dad and is an integral part of the family culture even before the kids come. Matter of fact, I believe it's less what we do and more of who we are.

Our kids will sense our religion, what we believe and who we worship, whether we verbally lay it all out or not. We either show reverence toward God or we don't. We love Him or we don't. We serve Him or we don't. We may find that we show more reverence for Science or Nature than we do God. We may love or serve ourselves or some other thing more than God. Not showing reverence or not loving God or not serving Him comes in many different shades. Either way, our kids will know a great deal about our religion, regardless of what we say.

There is much more that could be said about that.

So how would you talk about the Religious Training that happens in your home?
When trying to pinpoint when religious exercise happens in your house, you might consider the following questions:

What place does God have in our home? Do we mention Him throughout the day? In what context? With what attitude? Is He only thought of during mealtime grace or while taking disciplinary action? Do we talk to Him? Alone and with our children? How often? With what attitude?
Do we love Him?

What place does the Bible have in our home? Do we read as a family? In what context? With what attitude? Do our kids see us feeding from it for ourselves? Are we familiar with all its parts? Is it basically seen as a rulebook? Do we understand it and know the stories?
Do we love it?

What holy days does our family recognize? In what ways do we keep them holy?

::
There are many other questions we could probably consider when thinking about this Very Important of Topics.

I didn't make time to post more this month, even though I wanted to very much. I have lots of thoughts. Alas, the demands on my present are more than will allow for much time for writing these days. I hope, however, that we might take some time to ponder the questions mentioned above and earmark a few for future thought and action.

::

To read more and in its proper context, read ch.13 of School Education in its entirety here.

This post is based on thoughts on Chapter 13 in Volume 3, School Education by Charlotte Mason. The topic, Some Unconsidered Aspects of Religious Training, is one option for posts advocated by the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival 2014 Schedule for April. 

If you'd like to read other posts on the subject, be sure to read all the April editions.
If you'd like to share your post with the upcoming carnival, find out how here.
Find links to past CMBCarnivals here.

April CM Blog Carnival Announcement and Invitation!

This coming Monday, the next edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival will be posted! Hopefully, you have already sent in a blog post to be featured in the carnival next week, but if not, you have two days left!

Please join us by submitting a post, or just reading along. Posts are due by 4/7 before 5pm EST. Send the link to your post in an e‐mail to: charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com. *Remember, you are welcome to share an older post (written by you or someone else) that goes along with this month's topic, we'd love to read it again!

As always, we gladly receive all Charlotte Mason inspired blog posts! Bloggers vary widely in their gifts and experiences, which means, we can all learn from each other. We hope you'll share with us!

Below, you will find an optional topic, a thought provoking quote and several ideas for those who need a little writing prompt or who would like some direction for further study. :)

**Announcement**
I completely failed to send out the e-mail announcement for the last CM Blog Carnival!
I did have an-ever-so-slightly-busy week... but still. ;) If you missed the last edition because of my negligence, please don't hesitate another moment, go read it now! :)
**

If you'd like, please feel free to grab the logo for your blog's sidebar or to include in your post.

The optional topic for discussion during the month of April is:

Some Unconsidered Aspects of Religious Training - Chapter 13

Several thought (and blog post) provoking quotes & ideas (read the entire chapter online here):

"It is a very sad fact that many children get their first ideas of God in the nursery, and that these are of a Being on the watch for their transgressions and always ready to chastise." v3,p145

"The importance of reverent attitudes isa little apt to be overlooked in these days. We are, before all things, sincere, and are afraid to insist upon 'mere forms,' feeling it best to leave the child to the natural expression of his own emotions." v3,p141

• Authority in Religious Education & How it Works.
• The Habits of the Religious Life: of Reading the Bible, of Praise, of Sunday-keeping.
• Habit of the Thought of God.
• Reverent Attitudes & Regularity in Devotions
• Inspiring Ideas of the Religious Life.
• The Fatherhood of God, the Kingship of Christ, our Saviour, the Indwelling of the Holy Ghost.

To read more and in its proper context, read ch.13 of School Education in its entirety here.

Please see the CM Blog Carnival Schedule page for a list of dates and topics for the whole year (in progress).

By subscribing to the Carnival Announcement/Reminder list you can stay up-to-date and never miss another carnival. Plus, you'll receive handy dandy monthly ideas & links pertaining to the current topic... for free! ;) oh wait, it's all free! heheh.

Also, please encourage your bloggy AND non‐bloggy friends, who love Charlotte Mason and/or those who are newly interested, to visit the CMBCarnival, the more the merrier!! :)

Pre-requisite to Moral Traning: A Living Example

"A child's whole notion of religion is 'being good.' It is well that he should know that being good is not his whole duty to God, although it is so much of it; that the relationship of love and personal service, which he owes as a child to his Father, as a subject to his King, is even more than the 'being good' which gives our Almighty Father such pleasure in His children." v3 p136

"...that most delicate and beautiful of human possessions, an educated conscience, comes only by teaching with authority and adorning by example." v3 p129

And I don't venture far to say that the only true authority is one that is fleshed out by A Living Example. Authority won't get you very far if you don't practice what you preach.

A rather long, but oh so good illustration from my recent free-reading:

"Thus had Gibbie his first lesson in the only thing worth learning, in that which, to be learned at all, demands the united energy of heart and soul and strength and mind; and from that day he went on learning it. I cannot tell how, or what were the slow stages by which his mind budded and swelled until it burst into the flower of humanity, the knowledge of God. I cannot tell the shape of the door by which the Lord entered into that house, and took everlasting possession of it...

So, teaching him only that which she loved, not that which she had been taught, Janet read to Gibbie of Jesus, talked to him of Jesus, dreamed to him about Jesus; until at length—Gibbie did not think to watch, and knew nothing of the process by which it came about—his whole soul was full of the man, of his doings, of his words, of his thoughts, of his life. Jesus Christ was in him—he was possessed by him. Almost before he knew, he was trying to fashion his life after that of his Master...

Whatever Janet, then, might, perhaps—I do not know—have imagined it her duty to say to Gibbie had she surmised his ignorance, having long ceased to trouble her own head, she had now no inclination to trouble Gibbie's heart with what men call the plan of salvation. It was enough to her to find that he followed her Master. Being in the light she understood the light, and had no need of system, either true or false, to explain it to her. She lived by the word proceeding out of the mouth of God."

Sir Gibbie, George MacDonald. Kindle Edition (Loc 2499-2532).

I cannot recommend Sir Gibbie highly enough. It's my new favorite.
I kinda wanna memorize it.

The following quote from Charlotte Mason, as well as that at the beginning of the post, make me wonder if she might have read Sir Gibbie herself. Either way, I hope you'll be inspired to read it someday. It's so good. :)

"A child cannot have a lasting sense of duty until he is brought into contact with a Supreme Authority, who is the source of law and the pleasing of whom converts duty into joy. In these rather latitudinarian days, there is perhaps no part of religious teaching more important than to train children in the sense of the immediate presence and continual going forth of the supreme Authority." v3 p137

This post is based on thoughts on Chapter 12 in Volume 3, School Education by Charlotte Mason. The topic, Some Unconsidered Aspects of Intellectual Training, is one option for a topic advocated by the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival 2014 Schedule. If you'd like to read other posts on the subject, be sure to read all the March editions.
If you'd like to share your post with the upcoming carnival, find out how here.
Find links to past CMBCarnivals here.

On Intellectual Habits, the Fallibility of Reason and Being Transparent.

When Reason turns us against ourselves

"The reasoning power, acting in a more or less mechanical and involuntary manner, does not necessarily work towards the morally right conclusion." (v3, p117)

Right.

Have you ever experienced this?

"We all know that, entertain a notion that [so and so] is dishonest, that a friend is false, that a dress is unbecoming, and some power within us, unconsciously to us, sets to work to collect evidence and bring irrefragable proof of the position we have chosen to take up." (v3, p117)

This was my Thursday. It might be my tomorrow.
Wait. I'm about to be transparent. Are you ready for this?

This was a day I woke up with lots of 'reasons' to be annoyed, several of which are listed below, not in order of occurrence but by severity of annoyance.

#1
Because of the existence and consistent insistence upon the rule - 'Thou shalt not exit thy room and shall remain quiet, if not speechless, before 7 am', I feel it is reasonable that one might wake up somewhat grumpily before 6 am, to the tune of a six year old neighbor's singing, at the top of her lungs (even if it was Great is Thy Faithfulness), after an awake-til-2am-late-night experience of blissfully picking billions of lice out of somethree's hair.
Tired.
Want.to.sleep.more.
Can't.
Annoying.


#2
To me, it seems perfectly reasonable that I could be annoyed that someone took my running shoes outside and forgot them there overnight. It rained. They were right where whoever left them when I went searching for them, still outside, and FULL of water.
Things can potentially take a LOOOOOONNNNGGGG time to dry here in the humidity...
I don't have an extra pair.
I can't effectively walk on the treadmill in this seventh month of bulging belly in flip flops. Can't.
Yep. more annoying.


#3
Some child bursts into my room (while I am still in bed looking upon the Proverb about how to handle loud early rising neighbors) and presents incriminating evidence re: a teenager. Evidently, Certain-Fifteen-Year-Old has decided to, this very day, break a rule that he has broken weekly for the last two months, for which has been doled out timely, just, and painful consequences every.single.time.
Try to imagine the pattern with me. Infraction. Weeklong restriction. Infraction. Weeklong restriction. Infraction. FOR WEEKS LONG ON END. Today, the cycle continues.
My husband being away, I get to deal with it all.by.my.tired.grumpy.self.
You get it.
Yep. super annoying.

Honestly, I was annoyed. Very. Multiple times.

But.
Do you know what?
In part because of my recent rumination on this subject, but entirely for grace, I was able to quickly detect, even before leaving my bedroom, some fallacies in mine and my son's reasoning and therefore choose me that day whom I would serve.

You see, though there were without a doubt lots of things to be annoyed about, there are always innumerably MORE things to be thankful for. For example, that I have legs and am able to walk; that eventually, the sun will shine again, my shoes will dry, and even if they don't, I can afford another pair or ask my mother-in-law for one ;). And, how thankful I truly am to have a 6 year old daughter, a delightful child (who sings Great is Thy Faithfulness to boot).

Now in the case of the teenager, it was a little more difficult to find the bright side... heheh. Well, seriously, I'm only partly kidding. However, what an immense privilege to talk with him about how the decisions made right.this.very.minute do have an impact on who he is becoming, his character; about the importance of self-government; and how submission to authority now is simply practice for days when he'll have to will himself to obey an Invisible Authority without parents who look over shoulders. He may have said 'Amen' to that.

We got to discuss how we are capable of convincing ourselves using our REASON that certain things, while forbidden, are not that bad... or, it isn't really going to hurt anyone... or, this rule is unreasonable compared to... or, if I can indulge and just not get caught... or, only this one last time. I can stop this habit whenever I decide to... or... whatever.

Sin is sin. Disobedience of authority is disobedience of Authority. We can and naturally will use reason to justify sin, UNLESS we keep in step with the Spirit. The lights came on. The waters broke. I gave an illustration, which I can't remember now, and complimented myself on it; as it was really quite perfect considering. I wished aloud I could have recorded it. He told me, he wished he'd recorded the whole conversation it was all so good.

Phew.
Praise the Lord. PRAISE the Lord.
It's all grace.

In this battle against fallible reasoning, where right thinking may become a matter of life or death, thankfully, we are not left alone. God has graciously given us a Standard of Truth by which we may judge aright, to which we may refer, rather must refer, and that often.

And look what I found today while rummaging around in my commonplace for an appropriate quote. Whoa. Great minds think alike...

"How are we to get this vital knowledge, without which we assuredly perish? - not in some unknown future state, but here and now, a slow paralysis creeps upon us. We have seen that there is but one source of illumination, the Bible itself. It is true that the divine Spirit is a light in every man's soul; but if a lamp is to be kindled, there must be the lamp; and it would seem as if the process followed by the Holy Spirit were to teach us by an arresting illumination, from time to time, of some phrase written in the Bible. Hence, our business is, before all things, to make ourselves acquainted with the text. (v4, p84)

By long, slow study and by quick heart's love we shall learn to discern God, to know in an instant those words which are not of him... (v4, p89)"

And this is the advice I gave myself on the temptation to be 'reasonably' annoyed on Thursday, and that which I subsequently shared with my son for 'truthfully' dealing with the temptation to use faulty reasoning to defend his wrongdoing.

Turn reason right side out.

We have a choice regarding what we will think about.

We can sit and smolder, thinking of all the reasons 'Why I am justifiably annoyed today', which will absolutely not help the situation, even if it feels by far the most reasonable thing at the moment.
Or, we could list all the reasons 'Why I can do this thing and disobey just this once'.
We can defend ourselves with good reasons to act whichever way the wind blows.

OR

"...We turn away our thoughts from beholding evil, the evil in another or the evil suggestion to ourselves; and we do so, not by reasoning the matter out, but just by thinking of something else, some other pleasant or interesting thing belonging for the moment to our lives. For we are so made that there is always with the temptation an easy and natural way of escape."

I can't even tell you what good advice this is. Seriously.

Turn the thoughts.

To Scripture. Listen to an audiobook for 5 minutes. Take a shower. Eat peanut butter toast with limited edition raspberry jelly. Make coffee. Sit and read a visually appealing book with a 6yo Great is Thy Faithfulness aficionado. Search the attic for an old pair of running shoes. Sing a folksong or three and read poems. Make every opportunity to avoid direct speech with teenager until full composure has set in, toast and coffee are digested, etc.

When faced with temptation, think of something else, find something pleasant or interesting (and lawful) to do or think about.

Fallible reasoning can be overcome.

By testing with truth.
By thought turning.
By taking in big gulps of grace.

:)

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

2 Cor.9:5

This post is based on thoughts on the first part of Chapter 11 in Volume 3, School Education by Charlotte Mason. The topic, Some Unconsidered Aspects of Intellectual Training, is one option for posts advocated by the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival 2014 Schedule. If you'd like to read other posts on the subject, be sure to read all the February editions.
If you'd like to share your post with the upcoming carnival, find out how here.
Find links to past CMBCarnivals here.

Sloyd: Warming the Intellect

No, not Slide nor Sled, even if it IS snowing at your house... apparently they got 4" in Portland!?!

Sloyd. 
Incorporating Paper Sloyd as schoolwork provides great warm-up exercises in strengthening intellectual habits all year round (I've tried it!!). Who would have thought? Paper folding! It can also be great fun and spur one on to make some cool stuff.  Read on and you'll see what I mean.

I learned about Sloyd through Charlotte Mason some time back, but never was sufficiently inspired to do more than schedule it until this summer while attending a workshop by my friend BobbyJo in Minnesota. At that time, I had recently been considering it again, though I can't remember why... maybe due to my friend Richele and its relation to Mathematics or maybe convos with yet another friend Tammy? Either way, for better or worse, I resolved to begin our adventures in Paper Folding the subsequent schoolyear (last fall).


Of course, we didn't start during the first term; that would have been So Very Drastic. :) This term however, we started at the very beginning (which is a very good place to start) in Paper Sloyd for Primary Grades. Even for the elder students who have no experience, Sloyd has it's benefits, though we must keep moving in order to keep attention and not insult pride or patience. We started with the basics as presented in this book. Working in order, we've finished the first nine projects over the last several weeks.

My littles have been especially SUPER excited about each project they can make as-is or adapt for gifts for their siblings and friends' special occasions! Two days after creating the envelope, we had a birthday! Not incidentally, that sister received more than one special note wrapped in a handmade envelope/wall hanger this year. :)


All of us have had to work into this new venue. I had to learn to be clear and careful in GIVING instructions. We have all had to work to maintain a friendly and relaxed atmosphere (struggle on, perfectionists!). The kids have had to make an effort not to get overwhelmed or frustrated while listening and concentrating in a group context with various skill levels represented. We have seen great progress in all of these after the first few projects! Yay!

Every project boasts a series of instructions to be followed including drawing lines, cutting, folding, etc. The comeliness of the final product is in direct correlation to how carefully each instruction is carried out. At every point, each step depends upon the previous step being done exactly. Students must pay attention and concentrate all the way through the verbal instructions. They must follow those same instructions thoroughly and accurately or their project will be wrong or turn out looking 'junky'. 


Here's the low down...

• A perfect product is not the immediate goal (though I would be concerned if they cared not at all, but that hasn't been a problem with mine). My main objective is that the students take care to listen, concentrate and follow instructions thoroughly and accurately. If desired, they may later redo a project that they feel turned out poorly because of lack of skill or as a result of some inadvertent mistake (see below).
• Instructions are succinct on purpose. The student has to audibly process the instructions in order to follow through. I repeat the instructions aloud twice (w/ demo for my year one student when there's any potential confusion). Ahead of time, I emphatically encourage them to *think* before asking a question. It's much easier to ask a question than to think. If they can't seem to figure it out, they may wait and watch how someone else interprets the information (though obviously, I'd rather they figure it out for themselves).
• Everyone must respect others' need for concentration and NOT talk during the process unless asking a necessary question. It's also easy to get frustrated and have an outburst upon making a mistake - great for practicing self-control. (I encourage them that this is a learning process, to look for a way to make up for their mistake, and continue if possible. See next point)
• Disallowing re-do's mid-project obliges the student to experience natural consequences (a less than stellar final result). I have given second chances once or twice in order for my littlest to not feel overwhelmedly discouraged. One difficulty is, allowing one student to 'start over' because they're not happy with their cut or have folded wrong, requires the rest of the group to wait while they catch up. Or, I have to keep track of where two different sets are in the instructions line-up. Asking them to carry on (sometimes it's easy to make amends for mistakes by adjusting the measurements of the initial project size by trimming off a mistake), finish the project and re-do it if desired AFTER they know all of the instructions, seems to have been an acceptable consequence in most cases. This might be explained ahead of time to ward off an emotional blow up mid-project.

Teacher Tips: 
Of vital importance for parents and educators → DO: Initiate & Direct, DO NOT: Control or Dominate.

Pre-work reminders...

• Make sure to have materials ready - mine are kept in a basket and collected at the end (scissors, rulers, hole punches, glue sticks, etc.).
• Have everyone clear their space of everything except scissors, ruler and a sharpened pencil.
• Remind everyone that this is a time for listening, concentrating and working quietly. "We want to be quiet so that others can do the same." 
• Remind them that you will be repeating each of the instructions several times. For that reason also, we will listen carefully and think before asking questions. We might wait and see if watching what our neighbor does will help us to understand."
• Remind everyone that this is practice. "It's okay if we make a mistake. We'll do our best and get better with practice. If we do make a mistake, we'll keep going if possible. If it's not possible to fix it, we'll keep listening and following along to all of the instructions until they are finished and we can start over."

We've been talking about this on the AO Forum, check that out here and here.

The optional topic for discussion during February for the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival is: Some Unconsidered Aspects of Intellectual Training. This post is my contribution to that discussion. If you would like to participate, see this post for more information! All CM inspired posts are welcome.

Wanna Share?! 

If you do blog specifically about Paper Sloyd, please come back and link with us so we can see and learn from you!!

CM Blog Carnival Invitation for February (& Ideas for discussion)

Attn: Charlotte Mason bloggers! You're invited! 

Please consider joining us by submitting a post, or just reading along! Submissions are due by 2/10 and 2/24 anytime before 5pm EST. Send the URL of your post in an e-mail to: charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com.

As always, we welcome all Charlotte Mason inspired blog posts! Bloggers vary widely in their gifts and experiences, which means, we can all learn from each other. We hope you'll share with us!

Below, you will find an optional topic, a thought provoking quote (or two) and several ideas for those who need a little writing prompt or who would like some direction for further study. :)

I look forward to reading and sharing!




Feel free to snag the CMBC button for your post! {Link it back here, if you'd like to inform or encourage your readers to share!}
The optional topic for discussion during the month of February is:
Some Unconsidered Aspects of Intellectual Training - Chapter 11

“The intellectual life, like every manner of spiritual life, has but one food whereby it lives and grows––the sustenance of living ideas.” 

Key Points to delve into further.

• Limits of Human Reasoning
  
• Great ideas → best basis of Educational Philosophy
• Intellectual Habits → Come of training, are not in-born. Therefore the development thereof rests primarily w/ parents.

Some Intellectual Habits:
(see chapter for further explanation)

Attention.
Concentration.
Thoroughness.
Intellectual Volition.
Accuracy.
Reflection.
Meditation.

(Quotes taken from Charlotte Mason's School Education, Volume 3)

*Please see the CM Blog Carnival Schedule page for a list of dates and topics for the whole year (in progress). 

**By subscribing to the Carnival Announcement/Reminder list you can stay up-to-date and never miss another carnival. Plus, you'll receive handy-dandy monthly ideas & links pertaining to the topic... for free! ;) oh wait, it's all free! heheh.

***Also, please encourage your bloggy AND non-bloggy friends, who love Charlotte Mason and/or those just getting interested, to visit the CMBCarnival, the more the merrier!! :)

Scheduling :: Finding Your Family Rhythm

It is my hope that through identifying regular life rhythms and learning to move and dance to them with our families, we will improve the quality of atmosphere in our homes. Finding our family's rhythm and beginning to order our days can also help us (and our kids) to form good habits, help us to look at life calmly knowing what comes next (or where to pick up when we get off track), and help us to make the most of our family's precious time.


It's very likely that your family already has a rhythm, it may be fast or slow (it may seem kind of chaotic at first glimpse!) Take a moment to consider, you may realize you already do many things the same way every single day. Your rhythm is influenced by the individuals that make up your family and what you think is important... and we know what we think is important by what we make time for.

Charlotte Mason taught that a big part of education is atmosphere. Our family rhythms influence much of what she would call 'atmosphere': the things we think are important, the way we move from one thing to the next and the way we treat one another in the midst. She also labeled education a discipline... this has to do with forming habits. The habit of orderliness (with our time, especially), is something we are looking to strengthen when we identify, concentrate on, or begin new family rhythms. It is calming to certain personalities to know what comes next. Finding and keeping a rhythm will especially help those kinds of people.

Keep in mind, when making lists or schedules, you don't want to create another guilt-inducer that will scream back at you when it simply doesn't work, something changes, or when for some reason or other you are unable to carry it out. Our goal for finding family rhythms is to come up with a visual reminder based on what we are already doing or things we'd like to add, which should serve as a tool to help us improve the atmosphere of our homes. After taking care of basic needs, we can calmly accomplish the things we've determined are really the most important.

If at any time you notice that following a list or schedule is stressing your family out more than it's helping (after the initial working-out-the-wrinkles stage), you need to remind yourself that all of these are only tools. They are meant to serve us, we should never find ourselves slaves to a schedule (or anything else for that matter). We aren't marionettes, we must find the freedom to move in a way that reflects our individuality!

Why, if we we get ourselves too tied down to a certain way, or try to dance to someone else's tune, that'll take the joy right out of dance! :)
Here's a little printable guide that hopefully will help you to identify, develop and dance to Your Family Rhythm. (Please let me know if you have any trouble downloading).

Daily Rhythms :: Fisher Academy

Thoughts on Education is a Discipline.

Habit Training, or discipline is... 

Taking care to guide our children in good habits to the end that the child is a delight to God, to self and to others.

When we use a GOOD curriculum, if intellectual habits do not develop properly almost on their own, it certainly is done without a great deal of trouble. You just see if it isn't true. Try a few confucian style* lessons out on your kids and afterwards, hand them a couple of living books on China and just see which is easier for them to apply their full attention to.

Let the lessons be of the right sort and children will learn them with delight. The call for strenuousness comes with the necessity of forming habits; but here again we are relieved. The intellectual habits of the good life form themselves in the following out of the due curriculum in the right way.

Some habits that make the way easier in education...

Attention. This is numero uno. Without it, the road is weary, filled with pot-holes and lined with jeering crowds. It is impossible to advance and the way is very unpleasant, until the habit of attention is cultivated.

Fitting and ready expression. Being able to put thoughts into words (spoken or written) is SUCH a valuable skill. Can I just say that twice? The ability to communicate ideas on any given subject, but especially one relevant to the current conversation, is VERY useful.

Obedience. This comes in super handy, when it comes to learning. A student must obey his teacher in order to improve. Must.

Good-will. And this of course makes it all pleasant. Can this be cultivated? A resounding yes. See CM's 5th volume, Formation of Character for more.

Impersonal Outlook. A person who reads widely and becomes familiar with a lot of subjects, is more likely to be a useful citizen. I think this is what is meant by Impersonal Outlook. Here's a contrasting example: Have you ever heard anyone say that North Americans are generally self-absorbed? Well, sad to say, it's probably often true. Too many times, we know nothing about the world, and care only for our local economies and personal comforts. A good education helps eradicate that by developing an appreciation for culture and the world we all live in.

We have lost sight of the fact that habit is to life what rails are to transport cars. It follows that lines of habit must be laid down towards given ends and after careful survey, or the joltings and delays of life become insupportable. More, habit is inevitable. If we fail to ease life by laying down habits of right thinking and right acting, habits of wrong thinking and wrong acting fix themselves of their own accord.

...a certain strenuousness in the formation of good habits is necessary because every such habit is the result of conflict. The bad habit of the easy life is always pleasant and persuasive and to be resisted with pain and effort, but with hope and certainty of success, because in our very structure is the preparation for forming such habits of muscle and mind as we deliberately propose to ourselves.

Habit is like fire, a bad master but an indispensable servant.

'Sow an act,' we are told, 'reap a habit.' 'Sow a habit, reap a character.' But we must go a step further back, we must sow the idea or notion which makes the act worth while.

Some habits that make the way easier for persons...

When we train ourselves to think of others first, many rules of personal and social etiquette suddenly become sensible, palatable, and therefore more easily remembered and practiced.

Consider how laborious life would be were its wheels not greased by habits of cleanliness, neatness, order, courtesy; had we to make the effort of decision about every detail of dressing and eating, coming and going, life would not be worth living.

Seriously. Life. Would. Not. Be. Worth. Living. If we had to think about everything before it got done: roll over in bed, take a breath, open eyes, pump the heart 3 times, breathe again, rub eyes, pump the heart again, breathe, pull back the sheet, breathe, pump heart, pull self to sit up, breathe, stretch, pump... by the time we actually got out of bed and dressed, we'd be exhausted. Okay, so the illustration is not exactly realistic, but seriously, there are so many things we do habitually that make our lives easier. We do them without thinking.

Neatness. Developing neatness demonstrates respect for ourselves and for others.

Order. This is what makes it possible to live with others. In the same way that music is played or sung to time, so that everyone can sing or play along, we cultivate orderly lives in order to be able to coordinate and live harmoniously with others.


*We read Pastor Hsi, in which he details normal lessons for the typical young Chinese scholar. Very intense, immense quantities of memorization, which is attempted daily in a room full of chanting boys all chanting different portions. Um, yeah. Give me some living books, please. :)

This has been another 'thinking out loud' post, along the lines of chapter 6 of CM's Homeschooling Series, Volume 6, Towards a Philosophy of Education.

The Value of Home Base

Q:
With life's constant change and flux and a pulling desire to balance between school work/habits and outside opportunities to see friends & get out of the house, how do you set boundaries? How many activities do you fit in each week, while also managing the full AO curriculum?!

~Anonymous Ambler

A:
Dear Fellow Ambler,
I used to be a very able multi-tasker but I've never been able to figure out how to be out running around all day most days and still get school done! ;) Your question made me think back to when I had a very real struggle with my own priorities and my role as teacher. What follows may or may not apply to your situation, it's just what came to mind as a result of your thoughts and questions. :)

While my kids were still pretty small, I had to come to the painful realization that if we didn't commit several hours (the same time every day) to only do school, we were rarely able to accomplish everything we wanted to do (either the basics or the extras were left behind - this left us always trying to 'catch up'). Before that time, we often spent our school hours in the car, outside, sometimes we took our work on vacation, but this mobile kind of school was always when the kids were pretty young and only for short interim periods. I only had two boys in AOy1&2 in those days, and their schedule was way less demanding. I liked to be going, going, yet still, I found it exhausting! (I am still all for carefully selected outings and/or activities... but when they begin to pull the focus away from family and home life... well, that's another thing)

However, for school, I've found that the commitment of certain limited hours out of every day is a bare minimum at best. If that was all we ever did, it would not be enough to accomplish an education truly based on CM philosophy. A CM education is truly MUCH more. More delightful, more fulfilling, more comprehensive than a couple of hours a day officially 'doing school' could encompass.
Education is a life.

Time is the prime ingredient to a non-rushed, delightful education. The child needs time to be absorbed in nature, to think, to create, to be... This will not happen when rushed around from place to place. And I will risk much to say, I don't think it can happen often even at HOME with a mom always with her own agenda rushing around in the background!

This is a difficult thing. I am not speaking to anyone in particular other than myself. I have a tendency to try to do WAY too many things at once. I used to think I could get lots of other things done while my kids did school. Not true. It is NOT a waste of time to commit all of my attention to my kids while doing certain hours of school (much of which will be spent in 'masterly inactivity')... there will undoubtedly be things that come up for our kids, that if we're doing 'other things', their questions will seem an interruption to our lives. If we make ourselves fully available to them, WE will be less frustrated and THEY will be able to learn in peace and confidence before moving on to other activities.

As for which outside activities we choose, we don't have a hard fast rule.
Here's some things we consider:

• When we feel tired, overwhelmed and harried... often it's because we're trying to do too much. I've found it's easier to add one thing in at a time than to have taken on too much and then to decide where to cut back.
• We like doing as many things together as a family as possible, this automatically rules out lots of activities. One idea that I've had is to organize a youth soccer night at our house, all of us could be involved in some way with that... we shall see once we get our yard in working order.
• Many times 'school-related' activities can be made into fun family activities to which we can invite other families or friends too, ie., nature walks, concerts, art museums, historical reenactments, etc. We usually slot this type of thing in once a week at most, in an afternoon.
• For the things we do as individuals, we have it a little bit simpler here in Peru, as the options are more limited (which I consider a HUGE blessing on the one hand, and extremely frustrating on the other). I have this loose idea that one lesson a week per child would suffice whether that be musical or sport-related. With five, that adds up to something every weekday! Since we've just moved back to the jungle, I have yet to find opportunities for everyone's selected activity (or a substitute). We're currently only integrating one guitar lesson a week. We're still looking for drum, ballet and art lessons. The ideal would be that they would all be scheduled during the same time slot on one of two afternoon/evenings each week.
• If the lesson/activity can't be scheduled in the afternoon, it's next to impossible logistically. One term we had swimming lessons in the morning - but we had the first hour @8am, and all the kids went, so we started school a little later on those days.  
• Activities that are scheduled too late at night on a school night, pretty much get nixed (at least for me and my littlest). This is a personal issue as I am NOT a morning person, and if I'm wiped out it throws our whole day off. Here in Peru as many meetings/gatherings begin after 8pm. As missionaries, this takes wisdom to figure out. I do have to make some exceptions in this point. 

Overall, after years of trying different things, I personally have found I like being home best.
I'm less hurried and life is simpler. Considering our family the primary unit and home the starting place, we can easily then branch out into areas of ministry and of interest as the Lord leads.

PS.
I read this, this morning from Sally Clarkson and my heart sang...

"If a woman chooses to stay at home with her children, she has the opportunity of nursing her baby in the peacefulness of her own home, caressing her precious little one, singing sweet lullabies to comfort and please the child's deepest emotional desires. She can offer them the restfulness of long quiet naps in their own bedrooms. She has time to enrich the home environment with beautiful sights and smells- from the aromas of homemade soup bubbling on the stove to the beautiful pictures in books- and arrange outings that foster budding intellects and awaken curiosity. And she has the flexibility to change her schedule to respond to teachable moments - those times when children's natural curiosity leads them to question and learn."

The Undivided Heart (ch3), Mission of Motherhood, Sally Clarkson

CM Blog Carnival - Education is a Discipline

Friends!
Many of you surely already know that the latest Charlotte Mason blog carnival {Education is a Discipline, vol.1} is up over at Simply Charlotte Mason!  If not, head on over there by clicking here (for some strange reason the blog carnival site seems to be malfunctioning, not displaying the links and widgets properly. Hopefully, they'll get that fixed soon).

I'm so excited, as I'm sure many of you are, to read through all the posts. A special thanks to Sonya for doing us a great favor by hosting this time around! The topic of 'Education is a Discipline' is SO near and dear to my heart!! However, being away at the beach for a week of restful seclusion, I went and got myself so relaxed that I even forgot what day it was!! I realized I hadn't even posted for this edition!  Well, it will be late in coming, but I do plan to post :) 

Do enjoy the carnival and please make sure to add to the conversation by leaving comments on the various posts if you have the time. :) 

The next carnival's theme & suggested (optional) reading are:  

Education is a Life

•  Volume 3, School Education, pgs 152–156
•  Volume 6, A Philosophy of Education, pgs 104–111.

The deadline for post submissions for this carnival is: 5pm on April 4th, 2011
For more info about the carnival and upcoming topics see the CM blog carnival info page.

Habits - the good, the bad and the ugly

When I started thinking of habit training in some semblance of seriousness, the first thing I became aware of were my own habits and how they teach my children without my even knowing it.  Unfortunately by nature, children absorb and imitate it all. The good, the bad AND the ugly.  This is a scary thought.  

"Curious things, habits.  People themselves never know they had them." 

~Agatha Christie

A few habits we can teach or fail to teach pretty much solely by example:

Cheerfulness

Self discipline

Attention

Praise

Prayer

Self control

Thoroughness

Use of time

Reverence

These are just a few that I'm either currently working on, or have worked on recently.  My friend Jeanne brought up one area of weakness in her painfully transparent post that I am sure many of us resonate with.  She made me think about my own habits anew.  This whole area can seem overwhelming... or challenging at best.  I think the study of habits, is a lifelong study that requires acknowledgment of and dependence on the Holy Spirit's role.  For practical purposes, it is in essence the study of a life of holiness.  

When thinking about habit training, I really like the book by Sonya Shafer, Laying Down the Rails.  She consolidates quotes from all 6 of CM's Original Homeschool Series into one book, organized by topic, along with practical illustrations and quotes from other sources including Scripture.  It is available in print or as an e-book, HERE.  It is an excellent resource to continually refer back to.

I like to concentrate on only a few habits at a time, but I still sometimes get overwhelmed by having myself to deal with as well as five children to keep up with. How about you?

What are your thoughts about habit training?  


Are you currently working on any specific habits; your own or your children's?

Some of my other posts on habits...

Habits and the Sinful Nature

Notes on Habit Training

CM on Habits and the Sinful Nature

A Childlight article: Flesh and Blood by Art Middlekauff

Very good. Reconciles the seeming parodox between forming habits as a means of acquiring 'holiness' and sanctification by the work of the Holy Spirit. He quotes extensively and knowledgeably from Charlotte's works.

"Whether invisible prayer or tangible “ruts” in the brain, all of these are from God, to sanctify us, and make us like His Son." ~ quoted from article

Another article: System vs. Method and the Limitations of Habits by Willa

She quotes this from an article in the old Parents' Reviews, from 1902, called Limitations of Theory:

"I believe strongly in the importance of cultivating right habits, and in the power they exert over us; but sometimes I have felt that there was a danger of putting habit almost in the place of God--of thinking that everything can be accomplished by careful training, and that a child can simply, by care and watchful oversight, be turned out a great and good character. Valuable as habit is, it cannot renew the heart, and the mother who trusts entirely to her training is in danger of sad disappointment. It seems to me that those who place too great importance on habit run the risk of leaving God no room to work.

... To change an old saying, we might say, "Habit is a good servant, but a bad master." What is done merely through habit is more or less mechanical, and there is a danger of want of adaptation to surroundings in those who are too much bound by it."

I have noted that quote before, and still have yet to wrap my whole mind around the concept and place of habits. They are SO useful a tool... and yet nothing more than a tool. May habit training alone not become our whole goal and focus.

New FREE CM resources from SCM

Oh my wow. I'm extremely excited about FREE and I am really enjoying learning more and more about Charlotte Mason. SimplyCharlotteMason.com has recently offered 2 free e-books, today, The Swedish Drill Teacher and a week or two ago, Masterly Inactivity (it's still free).

As I write I'm printing off the Swedish Drill one. Over the past week with my older 2 boys gone on a trip with my Beloved, I was able to listen/watch the All-day Charlotte Mason Seminar on DVD. It was not free, but it was really great. I highly recommend this for someone who loves what they've heard about CM methods but maybe is struggling to put them into action in their homeschool. It's pretty practical and the accompanying workbook has some great lists and ideas as well. And if you don't have it already, you can order it with the Laying Down the Rails (an indispensable book on habit training) as a package deal! It goes through all the subjects and Sonya gives ideas of how to teach each subject CM style, plus answers questions. I learned.

You'd think I was getting a commission or something, but nope. I just am really enjoying SCM's resources as I am really digging in to learning more about CM and applying her methods in our homeschool. :)

Have a great day and go download some freebies!
Amy

Notes on Habit Training

Is habit training more for me or for my children?

Anyone who has children will notice sometime that what we do, our children do also, in one form or another. If I were more perfect, I think I would naturally have better children. Of course, we know that we are all sinners. Yet, monkey say, monkey do. No?

Do your kids dawdle? Do you? Do your kids treat each other impatiently? Do you?

Now, I don't know what it's like in your family, but when I started contemplating some of the complaints I have about my kids, I mean really thinking about it, all of a sudden it dawned on me and I started getting a little nervous. I began to realize I too struggle with the same things in some form or other. That's not the worst realization, but the truly horrific was that they probably learned their bad habits from me in the first place!!
Yikes!

So, I started to realize and feel the burden that if I expect my kids to work on forming good habits, I've got to show a little reformation in my life as well.

At this point, I started realizing how important habit training really is, in all of life. No matter how young or old we are, there will always be areas to improve. I think habits are a life-long concern.

Stay posted, more thoughts coming on this whopper of a subject. I cannot say exactly when...someday is as close as I can get :)
Amy

Character/habit training links & resources

Okay, now I'm putting my links up here for this subject for easy access. Habit Training the Charlotte Mason way.

I will attempt to write more about each one later :)

Laying Down the Rails - A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook @ Simply Charlotte Mason

“Laying Down the Rails is useful and practical and worth owning. Parents would do well to have it close by in order to refer to it often. Recognizing how powerful habits are and their potential helpfulness in the home school is the first step. Using this resource is definitely the second. Charlotte Mason had much to say on this valuable topic and this book has captured her vast wisdom and presented it in a friendly and easy to use format. I consider this work to be indispensable and will recommend it to all home schooling parents.”

—Catherine Levison, author of A Charlotte Mason Education, More Charlotte Mason Education, and A Literary Education

Free Habit Training Cards
Character Training Notebooking pages

http://www.characterjournal.com/

Plants Grown Up & Polished Cornerstones
We also use: For Instruction In Righteousness

An article on Habit Training by Catherine Levinson at CharlotteMasonEducation.com

Habits

The last CM blog carnival topic really got me thinking about forming habits lately.

Even though I didn't get to post in time for the carnival, I still plan to post a series on my thoughts about the VERY important topic of habit training. I may even have a guest write a post. cool.

So, stay tuned.

:)
Amy

Big brother

Tonight LooneyTunes (8yob), told my Beloved that he would put the 'babies' to bed. (The last couple nights he has sat in their room next to LittlestBubby's (1 1/2yob) bed, to keep him from climbing out - which he learned how to do just this last week (...grrr). PrettyPinkPrincess always has a hard time at bed time settling in and staying in her bed as well, but when LooneyTunes stays in there she's just fine, of course.) Anyway... He sat in there and told them a story about 'when he was little' and then prayed for them. Precious. ...then told them a few more stories... scary ones, as he told me a little later. ...well he's still learning, besides, he has a few years before he has to be the one to get up with nightmares ;) Amy

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by drewsfamilytx (64.234.0.103)

Awww...that is so totally sweet! Story and prayers...that is something that Princess and Littlest will remember when they're older. *sigh* Sounds like you've got some great kiddos (and room for more, of course!). My almost 7yo loves to help out. He was the one that was talking to Tank last night...trying to comfort him about his odd fears of junior camp...a camp that he initially cried about because he couldn't go to (too young) and then because *I* wouldn't be camping with him. And it's at least 3 years before he's allowed to go. Sweet but silly, huh? Have a great night and get some rest! You need it, in "your condition" hehehee... ;-) Love, Marsha

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Titus2woman (4.152.75.17)

How precious! (((((HUGS))))) sandi

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by CTdittmar (24.145.215.42)

That is so cute. I love it when my oldest offers to tuck in or put one down for a nap. It's neat to see their affection for each other. I think homeschooling really fosters that. Christa

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - HAMMY IS SOOOOO PROUD!!

Posted by Hammy (66.93.38.10)

Good job, Looney Tunes!! You are growing up very fast! Mom will need your help more and more. Being a good example to the younger kids is a HUGE help! Follow THE Leader!! Hugs-n-smooches, Hammy

Thursday, June 29, 2006 - LooneyTunes

Posted by dad (66.93.38.148)

Way to go LooneyTunes. Being first born has a few negitives but overall I think its the best position to be in. I love to see the sensitive side to my grands. WOW so cool. Can't wait to see you all soon !