lost post
Welllll... after spending about 1/2 hour on a post for here I went to publish it and my computer messed up. Aghhhh! Needless to say you will not see that one but thought I'd just give the jist of what I had posted.
I have lately been reading Charlotte Mason's A Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 in the Original Home Schooling Series along with the CMSeries yahoo group. In reading Book II Theory Applied Chapter 1 A Liberal Education in Elementary Schools (pages 235-249) I came across a few quotes that made me stop and think.
Miss Mason states, " ... in the nature of things the teacher has a prophetic power of appeal and inspiration, that his part is not the weariful task of spoon-feeding with pap-meat, but the delightful commerce of equal minds where he is the part of guide, philosopher and friend. The friction of wills which makes school work harassing ceases to a surprising degree when we deal with the children, mind to mind, through the medium of knowledge."
I need to remember this when I am confronting a more than reluctant student this year. I have unfortunately been guilty of so called "spoon-feeding" and the results are usually not what I anticipate. No wonder. As Miss Mason reminds us, "Put the 'little minds' of children out of your thooughts. Children have just as big minds as we have." (from A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola) Things would no doubt go alot smoother if I took this view. I have seen this so when we are birding. We are "mind to mind". Actually his is a little farther ahead. Shoot alot farther ahead. I do not "spoon-feed" him on this subject because of the simple fact that he is wayyy ahead in the knowledge dept in this field than I am. So I look at him as "mind to mind" and we work well together. No fuss and tuss, just alot of really excited learning going on for both of us. I need to apply this to other things we study.
I like how she describes children as "... born persons - This is the first article of the educational credo which I am concerned to advance; this implies that they come to us with power of attention, avidity for knowledge, clearness of thought, nice discrimination in books even before they can read, and the power of dealing with many subjects." Both parent and child when engaged in this thing we call homeschooling need to remember perhaps the most important part of all this is respect for each other.
She later reminds us, "He really is capable of much more than he gets credit for, but we go the wrong way about getting his capable mind to action. We err when we allow our admirable teaching to intervene between children and the knowledge their minds demand. The desire for knowledge (curiosity) is the chief agent in education."
Something else that I need to keep in the front of my thoughts. I am not Josh's chief agent in this journey. His own curiosity is the true foundation on which to build this wonder of knowledge. This makes so much sense as I want him to "own" his education.
One last thing that spoke to me was her statement, "One thing at any rate we know with certainty, that no teaching, no information becomes knowledge to any of us until the individual maind has acted upon it, translated it, transformed, absorbed it, to reappear ... in forms of vitality. Therefore, teaching talk and tale, however lucid and fascinating, effect nothing until self-activity be set up; that is, self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer lain on the surface of a child's nature." Again here is what I feel is so important. This is JOSH'S education, not mine. He is a different person than I am and I need to recognize and honor that.
I have lately been reading Charlotte Mason's A Philosophy of Education Vol. 6 in the Original Home Schooling Series along with the CMSeries yahoo group. In reading Book II Theory Applied Chapter 1 A Liberal Education in Elementary Schools (pages 235-249) I came across a few quotes that made me stop and think.
Miss Mason states, " ... in the nature of things the teacher has a prophetic power of appeal and inspiration, that his part is not the weariful task of spoon-feeding with pap-meat, but the delightful commerce of equal minds where he is the part of guide, philosopher and friend. The friction of wills which makes school work harassing ceases to a surprising degree when we deal with the children, mind to mind, through the medium of knowledge."
I need to remember this when I am confronting a more than reluctant student this year. I have unfortunately been guilty of so called "spoon-feeding" and the results are usually not what I anticipate. No wonder. As Miss Mason reminds us, "Put the 'little minds' of children out of your thooughts. Children have just as big minds as we have." (from A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola) Things would no doubt go alot smoother if I took this view. I have seen this so when we are birding. We are "mind to mind". Actually his is a little farther ahead. Shoot alot farther ahead. I do not "spoon-feed" him on this subject because of the simple fact that he is wayyy ahead in the knowledge dept in this field than I am. So I look at him as "mind to mind" and we work well together. No fuss and tuss, just alot of really excited learning going on for both of us. I need to apply this to other things we study.
I like how she describes children as "... born persons - This is the first article of the educational credo which I am concerned to advance; this implies that they come to us with power of attention, avidity for knowledge, clearness of thought, nice discrimination in books even before they can read, and the power of dealing with many subjects." Both parent and child when engaged in this thing we call homeschooling need to remember perhaps the most important part of all this is respect for each other.
She later reminds us, "He really is capable of much more than he gets credit for, but we go the wrong way about getting his capable mind to action. We err when we allow our admirable teaching to intervene between children and the knowledge their minds demand. The desire for knowledge (curiosity) is the chief agent in education."
Something else that I need to keep in the front of my thoughts. I am not Josh's chief agent in this journey. His own curiosity is the true foundation on which to build this wonder of knowledge. This makes so much sense as I want him to "own" his education.
One last thing that spoke to me was her statement, "One thing at any rate we know with certainty, that no teaching, no information becomes knowledge to any of us until the individual maind has acted upon it, translated it, transformed, absorbed it, to reappear ... in forms of vitality. Therefore, teaching talk and tale, however lucid and fascinating, effect nothing until self-activity be set up; that is, self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer lain on the surface of a child's nature." Again here is what I feel is so important. This is JOSH'S education, not mine. He is a different person than I am and I need to recognize and honor that.
2 Comments:
I love Charlotte Mason. Every time I pick it up, I gain something else. I struggle, perhaps out of some unconscious guilt from my own public education, to take over with my ideas instead of listening to theirs. My son's learning style is very similar to mine, so we don't clash often. But I sometimes slight my daughter. How many times has my DD asked to do chemistry experiments and I ignored it? To go on nature hikes, but I had too many errands?
CM always speaks our for her delight!
Charlotte Mason is such a source of inspiration. But for me, she is also a source of puzzlement. Sometimes I read her and I come away with an unschooling perspective (much like your post implies) and sometimes i read her and I think-copywork, dictation, narration, read aloud, art study-all so teacher intensive!
The challenge for me is to find the balance that works for our family. When to teach, when to guide, and when to step back and let learning happen. What makes it such a circus act is that the point of balance isn't static! It's always changing-day to day, subject to subject,child to child. My balancing act is less like a tight rope and more like a log rolling in a river! (here I go with my nature analogies again!) But it's quite a ride!
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