Teaching children to pray scripture

I am going to keep the person who developed this anonymous until he asks me to do otherwise, but below is a portion of a paper on lectio divina he has written.
His advice is sound, and several of us have been using it for some time with great success in our homeschools.  In our homeschool, we use these techniques in place of simple narration for our bible reading each day.
Please comment with any feedback after you try this with your children to let him know how it goes and what you would change.

Incorporating Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer into a Curriculum
Depending on the age and the time that one is able to dedicate to Lectio Divina, I would
recommend anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes for one session. The first objection a person might raise is that children of any age are not able to spend lengthy time in silence, and this objection is very valid. Thus, to accommodate children, a variety of different adaptions should be used.
First, I have found that incorporating writing and journaling into Lectio Divina is very helpful.
The best way to do this is by having the students write their meditation. This can take from 5 to 10
minutes. The important thing is that students should be directed to write their meditation to Jesus as if he was present (mindful of mentioning that Jesus is, in fact, always present).
Second, incorporating opportunities for students to share what they have written and/ or
meditated on. What is important for this kind of tool is that teachers should avoid evaluating or analyzing what students share. In using this tool, I have never found a student who shared something erroneous, blasphemous, or something that might cause concern. If this happens, I would suggest that a teacher gently correct the error, but mindful that the goal is to foster in the student a dialogue with God. In offering feedback, the teacher should limit what they say to simple affirmations. The teacher should be mindful that often the most profound meditations are the simplest.
For example, a student might meditate on Jesus’ love for them. They might say that they imagine
Jesus telling them how much he loves them, and they in turn respond by telling him how much they love him. On the surface this may not seem interesting, but for prayer this can be huge. See the previous discussion on value of simplicity and the theological virtues. But I should also add a caution. Children are often very sensitive to adult’s expectations. The goal is simply to affirm when students are communicating with God (no matter how imperfect it may seem).
Also, a teacher should never force a student to share what they wrote.

A lesson using Lectio Divina might follow one of the following formats:

1) Extended Session (20-45 minutes)
a) Introduction, explanation, and lectio (10-15 minutes)
b) Meditation, students pick a word, phrase, or image and write a meditation (10 -25
minutes)
Afterwards, student can share what they wrote.
c) Contemplation (1-2 minutes, maybe more in some circumstances)
You can have either silence or classical music playing. Students should be
encouraged to “talk with Jesus about what they wrote.” Also, as to avoid distractions,
students should close their eyes.
d) Oratio (1 minute) The teacher can close with a brief spontaneous, vocal prayer and a
formal prayer with the students such as a Glory be, Hail Mary, or other appropriate
prayers.

2) Short session (5-10 minutes, to be used at the beginning or end of class)
a) Read the passage and have students pick a word, phrase or image (1-2 minutes).
b) Ask a couple of students to share what they picked (1-2 minutes)
c) Then a brief silence (1 minute) and then a vocal prayer to end (1 minute).
The short form could be used throughout the day as a focus activity to begin class.

Pope's Note to Chief Rabbi of Rome for Feast of Passover

VATICAN CITY, March 25, 2013 (Zenit.org) - Here is a translation of the note that Pope Francis sent to the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo di Segni, for the feast of Passover, which starts today at sundown.

The Holy Father met Rabbi di Segni on March 20, during his audience with delegations from other Christian confessions and non-Christian religions.

* * *

A few days on from our meeting, and with renewed gratitude for your having desired to honor the celebration of the beginning of my ministry with your presence and that of other distinguished members of the Jewish community, I take great pleasure in extending my warmest best wishes to you and Rome's entire Jewish community on the occasion of the Great Feast of Pesach. May the Almighty, who freed His people from slavery in Egypt to guide them to the Promised Land, continue to deliver you from all evil and to accompany you with His blessing. I ask you to pray for me, as I assure you of my prayers for you, confident that we can deepen [our] ties of mutual esteem and friendship. - FRANCIS

Review: On the Shores of the Great Sea

On the Shores of the Great Sea by M.B. Synge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I substituted this book-- which is the first in a series of five world history books-- for some other recommended history spines in both AO and CWH for our little homeschool. It could be categorized as a living history book.

We LOVE it!

The kids look forward to reading it every week (they are 6 and 5) and I am finding it so good I don't want to put it down.
Mostly dealing with the history of the peoples around the Mediterranean, this work tells ancient history in a way that is both fascinating and inspiring.... just by reading and narrating my kids and I are retaining historical facts and figures, inspired to learn more, and enjoying lots of historical play and conversation.

Highly recommend the entire series. This book says it is for ages 9 & up, but children who have been exposed to good literature from the beginning will have no problems understanding it, even at a very young age.



View all my reviews

Dawn

LY hence, shadows, that do keep
Watchful sorrows charm'd in sleep!
Tho' the eyes be overtaken,
Yet the heart doth ever waken
Thoughts chain'd up in busy snares
Of continual woes and cares:
Love and griefs are so exprest
As they rather sigh than rest.
Fly hence, shadows, that do keep
Watchful sorrows charm'd in sleep!

--  John Ford (1586-1639)

Nourishing Ideas

I'm probably the last to know, but I've just discovered the Weston A Price foundation.

Wanted to post here for those who don't know, some of the best and most solid nutritional dos and don'ts I think I have ever read, which come from their website. We are a modified paleo / mediteranean diet family for this very reason, and I love that there are like-minded people out there! These are many of the foods and methods on which I grew up... and I KNOW my mom was on to something. ;)

DO:

1. Eat whole, natural foods.
2. Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do.
3. Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs.
4. Eat whole, naturally-produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as whole yogurt, cultured butter, whole cheeses and fresh and sour cream.
5. Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame and flax oil and the tropical oils—coconut and palm.
6. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups, or lightly steamed.
7. Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients.
8. Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
9. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
10. Use herb teas and coffee substitutes in moderation.
11. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
12. Use unrefined Celtic sea salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
13. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller expressed flax oil.
14. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
15. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
16. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
17. Use only natural supplements.
18. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
19. Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
20. Practice forgiveness.

DO NOT:

1. Don't eat commercially processed foods such as cookies, cakes, crackers, TV dinners, soft drinks, packaged sauce mixes, etc.
2. Avoid all refined sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup.
3. Avoid white flour, white flour products and white rice.
4. Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils.
5. Avoid all vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola or cottonseed.
6. Do not use polyunsaturated oils for cooking, sauteing or baking.
7. Avoid fried foods.
8. Do not practice veganism; animal products provide vital nutrients not found in plant foods.
9. Avoid products containing protein powders.
10. Avoid pasteurized milk; do not consume lowfat milk, skim milk, powdered milk or imitation milk products.
11. Avoid battery-produced eggs and factory-farmed meats.
12. Avoid highly processed luncheon meats and sausage containing MSG and other additives.
13. Avoid rancid and improperly prepared seeds, nuts and grains found in granolas, quick rise breads and extruded breakfast cereals, as they block mineral absorption and cause intestinal distress.
14. Avoid canned, sprayed, waxed, bioengineered or irradiated fruits and vegetables.
15. Avoid artificial food additives, especially MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and aspartame, which are neurotoxins. Most soups, sauce and broth mixes and commercial condiments contain MSG, even if not so labeled.
16. Avoid caffeine-containing beverages such as coffee, tea and soft drinks. Avoid chocolate.
17. Avoid aluminum-containing foods such as commercial salt, baking powder and antacids. Do not use aluminum cookware or aluminum-containing deodorants.
18. Do not drink fluoridated water.
19. Avoid synthetic vitamins and foods containing them.
20. Do not drink distilled liquors.
21. Do not use a microwave oven.

The Cottager to her Infant

THE days are cold, the nights are long,
The north-wind sings a doleful song;
Then hush again upon my breast;
All merry things are now at rest,
Save thee, my pretty Love!

The kitten sleeps upon the hearth,
The crickets long have ceased their mirth;
There's nothing stirring in the house
Save one 'wee', hungry, nibbling mouse,
Then why so busy thou?

Nay! start not at that sparkling light;
'Tis but the moon that shines so bright
On the window pane bedropped with rain:
Then, little Darling! sleep again,
And wake when it is day.

--Dorothy Wordsworth (1771-1855)

Of Seders and Sancto

I had promised myself that I wouldn't rant on here--- well, at least not rant when furious-- about things that pass through my facebook feed anymore, but this little gem was too good to let go. Also it's Thursday, so it must be time for theology Thursdays. So, here goes...

Years ago, frustrated by the lack of solid preaching to be found readily available in the Catholic-sphere, I was told to check out a website called audiosancto.
It consists of anonymous homilies posted regularly on different topics.

You see, as a protestant, I had become quite accustomed to being preached to.... In fact, I had become used to doing most things with a sermon going in the background. I was mystified by this percieved lack of preaching in the Catholic Church. (I figured out later that I had access to history's BEST preaching 24/7 as a Catholic, and also that there was something to be said for reading instead of getting emotionally manipulated or hollered at. But... that's another story.)

So anyways, in search of some hard core down-home  pa-REACHin' I gave audiosancto a whirl.
It was OK! There was some good stuff! It wasn't like--- edge of my seat, blow-my-mind, hug-my-Bible good, but it was good.
It wasn't great, though, and after a while I lost interest, and moved on.

Until today, when a friend I deeply love sent me a seasonally-relevant homily to check out, knowing that it would touch a nerve, and possibly that it would keep me from holding a passover seder this year, which I'm pretty sure would make his day.

You see, the homily was called: "Seder Meals Violate the 1st Commandment."
Yep, you heard me right.

Now, my friend sent this to me in the same way that somebody shoves an elbow in their good friend's ribcage.... because he knows I'm a lover of all things Jew-y, and it drives him a little bit nuts.

He knows that every Friday night in my house there is Shabbat goodness to be had and that every year my kids build some Sukkahs and that apples and honey pass through their lips with wishes for a good new start. Yes, it's true, we start and end each day with the Shema and my kids probably know the dreidel song better than the words to the Stabat Mater. All true! But that doesn't make this family any less Catholic, and it certainly doesn't--- as the priest who posted this little piece of work claims--- put us in a state of mortal sin. Now let me tell you why.

Unlike in a lot of Christian homes where random Jewishness abounds--- there is no theological weirdness here. We don't think we "need" to do these things, Hebrew or not,  and we acknowledge that we just want to. We want to because we love the Jews, because we are grateful for what they have brought to the table, because if we do not, their identity-- the things which make them Jewish-- will vanish from the earth. And with it the deepest of our roots, for our Bible says that Salvation is from the Jews.(John 4:22)

Most importantly, we understand full well that the Sacrifice of the Mass is for us what the passover was created to prepare us for. Because we know, believe, and understand that Jesus is The Christ, the Messiah, the promised One.

The Jews don't believe that. They don't understand it. And many of them have studied the question themselves and reject it with all their might. This difference is fundamental-- it's what makes the wide divide between us.

Now before I go any further, I encourage you to listen to the homily. Because there is a chance-- and it's a big one--- that you might be the kind of person he is talking to. In fact, in a sense, I'm glad he said what he did because I meet these people every day:

"OH, you're holding a Seder??! That is SO COOL! I've been wanting to do this to learn all about the Jewish roots of our faith!"

I hear that all the time. And I want to tell people right away: If you want to learn about the Jewish roots of our faith, you don't START with the Seder. You go to mass. That's where you begin to wrap your idea around the fact that our faith lives and breathes its Judaic roots. More importantly, it isn't until you are completely immersed in your Christian faith and in divine liturgy that you can go to a Jewish service and have any kind of a revelatory experience about the identity of Jesus Christ. If you go for the Judaism without first grounding yourself in your Catholicism, you've not only missed the mark but you're far more likely to go off the deep end and into the crazy place.

You know the place--- Where people who aren't Jewish are carrying themselves around on makeshift thrones holding weird, garishly decorated Torah scrolls and dancing allegedly Davidic dances brandishing tambourines, gyrating in frantic circles while a large screen flashes pictures of lions interspersed with poorly translated Hebrew "worship songs."

May you be spared the experience! Which, incidentally, would horrify any self-respecting Jew.

For that reason, this priest is right on-- in every single sense.
Except for one.... that he completely omits the group of people my family falls into: those who understand everthing he is saying, and still do it. And why?

For what reason could he possibly omit the category of people my family falls into other than to make some sort of all-encompassing statement about the Jews and those who pay special attention to their rites and spirituality? After all, there is a long running current of anti-Jewish sentiment flowing through most rad-trad circles.  Now, I'm not going to go so far as to call this guy an anti-semite, but I think my husband says it best:

It's full of great stuff. BUT... it's a strawman. It would not be a strawman IF he had not seemingly intentionally failed to address the real, actual reason why we are told to participate in Seders by the bishops. I just want to restate that virtually everything he said is right. It's not so much error in what was said; it's error by omission. And here is the fine point of it: There is absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating a Seder, not even ecumenically so with Jews in a synagogue, IF we do so as a commemoration of God's plan of salvation for us (acknowledging Jesus Christ) and NOT as an actual practice of the law requiring all the implicit and explicit affirmations he spoke of (in which case everything he warned about would be the case.)

 You see, the US Bishops have addressed this issue very clearly.

Precisely because there are all sorts of crazinesses going on out there around Passover, this issue needs to be addressed. But not the way he has done it, because he has-- in my view-- done a great disservice to his Catholic faith by condemning the practice outright.

You see, the Seder has the potential to be one of those unifying, Holy Spirit things that really blows minds open and fills them up with Truth with a capital T. That's one of the reasons I hold one each year and also try to help anyone around me with a little bit of interest do the same in their own homes. It is a mind boggling experience. But precisely because of this potential, Satan has been hard at work over the years turning this issue into a nice, big, chaotic mess.

I first got a taste of this question a few years ago, when a friend of mine was telling me -- a recent revert-- about how she observed the triduum each year. She told me that her family held a seder meal every Holy Thursday, but they purposely avoided many of the rituals inherent in the actual Passover Seder, precisely because they were concerned that they were imitating the mass in their homes.
Their seder meal was more like a regular Sunday dinner with a really long prayer in the beginning.

Over the years, I've also interacted with many Messianics and Protestants and even Catholics who, conversely, fully embrace the ritual as it is written for the Jews, enthusiastically seder-ing away regardless of its' connections to the liturgy of the Eucharist, with one pretty big twist: They acknowledge Jesus Christ by name as Messiah and Lord in additional prayers they've made up to incorporate into the Seder.

I've tried it both ways, and I'm here to tell you that neither method ever left me as fulfilled as simply participating in a Seder with friends and family as it is celebrated by Jews (not "Messianic" Jews) throughout the world.

In accordance with the statement put out by the US Bishops which you have heard me quote many times before, "baptizing" the Passover Seder by adding in little Christianisms throughout completely misses the point of this exercise.

Indeed, it is both an insult to the Jews, whose rites these are, and to the Catholic Church, who has her own rites, to make things up that add to the Seder in order to bring Jesus into it more fully.

Instead, the Bishops recommend, and I agree, that you attend or hold a seder meal AS IS, written for the Jews, by the Jews, and TO the Jews. In fact, that you do so with the Jews, whenever possible.
They discourage parishes from holding seder meals and in that same vein discourage individuals from doing so outside of the context which I've just provided. And rightly so.....for all the reasons expressed in this audiosancto homily.

But just to be clear, don't let this priest, or anyone, discourage you from participating in a Seder meal this Pesach. Do it for the right reasons, and do it respectfully--- with respect for Salvation History as it was written and preserved by the Church and by the witness of the Jewish presence in the world, with respect for the Church who taught it to you, but most importantly, with respect for the Jews, to whom belongs this divine right and responsibility of being a sign in the world that God is one, blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.

Also, for those of us involved in the movement. under the mentorship of the Holy Spirit and mediated by Archbishop Raymond Burke, to fight for the cause of the Jews within the Church who desire to maintain their identity as the means by which they preserve their most sacred of cultures, it is doubly important that the work of the Association of Hebrew Catholics to discuss these very topics continue on with the full support of the whole Church, to include the priests who speak on audiosancto. For that reason above all others, I have to condemn this homily and publicly speak out against it.

Those priests who desire to speak on this subject, especially now as the Holy Spirit is beginning to gather Jews, Christians of all denominations, Messianics, etc under the banner of the Church and with the election of our new and most humble and holy of Popes, need to maintain a far more docile and sensitive stance on this issue than this homily exhibits. Do not forget what my beloved Pope Benedict XVI said: "Whenever you encounter Jesus Christ, you encounter Judaism"

When he said that, he  meant Judaism-- not quasi-protestant charismatic Jewish-flavored evangelicalism.

Do not be confused-- Jesus Christ was a Jew -- a Jew who we believe was the Son of God-- who established a Church, and whose Church still stands today, endowed with all the rights and authority and responsibilities He Himself gave to it. That Church has it's own rites because it has a new covenant, but to remember the old covenant is a wise and beautiful thing, especially when we can, in doing so, acknowledge and celebrate with the people who God Himself has chosen to be a sign and a wonder and a warning to the entire world.

To encounter Judaism, one must place oneself in the midst of these people, the Jews, and to see who they are in their own words, and to hear their cries for justice and a future and a hope in their own words, and to hear them remember, in their own words, God's great gifts to their people. No where is this better expressed than through Jewish rites and rituals and prayers. There is no sin in standing alongside these Jews in sacred remembrance, allowing them their own words and their own feelings.

The sin involved in participating in a Seder, for a Catholic, is simple... and the types of Seders our Bishops and this sermon seek to warn us against are filled to the brim with temptations to sin in the following ways.

1. Do not commit idolatry. Whether you are a Jew or a Catholic, this rule is simple--- God is One, and He alone is God. When people begin to make idols out of rites, rituals, or the Jewish people themselves, they sin.

2. Do not cause another to sin. Whether you are a Jew or a Catholic, this rule is also simple. We are called to be instruments of healing and reconciliation in this world. Do not cause undue offense to the people present at your Seder, and avoid every semblance of offense to those who do not understand why you are commemorating the passover. If you are a Catholic, do not offend the Jews by changing or altering their rite. Do not offend other Catholics by forcing them to understand or participate. 

3. Remain faithful to the deposit of faith. If you are Jew, your conscience dictates that this deposit ended with the Old Testament and we Catholics respect your freedom of religious conscience. If you are a Catholic, you have been given the established Church as guide through the Holy Spirit. Examine clearly your reasons for participation, the method you choose to participate, and take care that your participation does not supercede the Rites of Divine Liturgy established by your Church so that your participation in the new covenant is the highest form of your worship and the focal point of your spirituality.

Outside of those three things, my greatest hope is that you will indeed take the time to at least learn about the Passover and not fear it, as this talk would have you do, and not feel haughty and prideful about your need not to celebrate it, as this talk would have you do.
Instead, my greatest hope is that you would remember it...
For you were once slaves, and now you are free.

So, chag Pesach sameach, my dear Catholics and my dear Jews, and l'chaim!
May the end of lent bring you peace in the hope of the resurrection!

The Barefoot Boy

Blessings on thee, little man,
Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan!
With thy turned-up pantaloons,
And thy merry whistled tunes;
With thy red lip, redder still
Kissed by strawberries on the hill;
With the sunshine on thy face,
Through thy torn brim’s jaunty grace;
From my heart I give thee joy,—
I was once a barefoot boy!
Prince thou art,—the grown-up man
Only is republican.
Let the million-dollared ride!
Barefoot, trudging at his side,
Thou hast more than he can buy
In the reach of ear and eye,—
Outward sunshine, inward joy:
Blessings on thee, barefoot boy!

Oh for boyhood’s painless play,
Sleep that wakes in laughing day,
Health that mocks the doctor’s rules,
Knowledge never learned of schools,
Of the wild bee’s morning chase,
Of the wild-flower’s time and place,
Flight of fowl and habitude
Of the tenants of the wood;
How the tortoise bears his shell,
How the woodchuck digs his cell,
And the ground-mole sinks his well;
How the robin feeds her young,
How the oriole’s nest is hung;
Where the whitest lilies blow,
Where the freshest berries grow,
Where the ground-nut trails its vine,
Where the wood-grape’s clusters shine;
Of the black wasp’s cunning way,
Mason of his walls of clay,
And the architectural plans
Of gray hornet artisans!
For, eschewing books and tasks,
Nature answers all he asks;
Hand in hand with her he walks,
Face to face with her he talks,
Part and parcel of her joy,—
Blessings on the barefoot boy!

Oh for boyhood’s time of June,
Crowding years in one brief moon,
When all things I heard or saw,
Me, their master, waited for.
I was rich in flowers and trees,
Humming-birds and honey-bees;
For my sport the squirrel played,
Plied the snouted mole his spade;
For my taste the blackberry cone
Purpled over hedge and stone;
Laughed the brook for my delight
Through the day and through the night,
Whispering at the garden wall,
Talked with me from fall to fall;
Mine the sand-rimmed pickerel pond,
Mine the walnut slopes beyond,
Mine, on bending orchard trees,
Apples of Hesperides!
Still as my horizon grew,
Larger grew my riches too;
All the world I saw or knew
Seemed a complex Chinese toy,
Fashioned for a barefoot boy!

Oh for festal dainties spread,
Like my bowl of milk and bread;
Pewter spoon and bowl of wood,
On the door-stone, gray and rude!
O’er me, like a regal tent,
Cloudy-ribbed, the sunset bent,
Purple-curtained, fringed with gold,
Looped in many a wind-swung fold;
While for music came the play
Of the pied frogs’ orchestra;
And, to light the noisy choir,
Lit the fly his lamp of fire.
I was monarch: pomp and joy
Waited on the barefoot boy!

Cheerily, then, my little man,
Live and laugh, as boyhood can!
Though the flinty slopes be hard,
Stubble-speared the new-mown sward,
Every morn shall lead thee through
Fresh baptisms of the dew;
Every evening from thy feet
Shall the cool wind kiss the heat:
All too soon these feet must hide
In the prison cells of pride,
Lose the freedom of the sod,
Like a colt’s for work be shod,
Made to tread the mills of toil,
Up and down in ceaseless moil:
Happy if their track be found
Never on forbidden ground;
Happy if they sink not in
Quick and treacherous sands of sin.
Ah! that thou couldst know thy joy,
Ere it passes, barefoot boy!

JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

The Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

A note to those of you buying on Amazon

From Ambleside:

From what we can tell, ANY and every version of the CM Series for sale at amazon (except the original with the pink/red cover) has been taken from the AO website, complete with AO's formatting and added footnotes. Please do not support these opportunists as they are making money from what many volunteers worked hours to provide as a gift to the CM community. "Just because AO makes material available free on their website does not mean that others are free to take it and use it for their own profit."

Addressing some of the myths about a CM education

I recently came across this post on a friend's blog.
Essentially, it attempted to do the Catholic would-be homeschooling community a service by providing a break-down  of different homeschooling methods. It was a nice post and a good idea.

I have to strongly disagree, however, with the way the information was presented when it comes to Charlotte Mason, and I decided to blog about it not because I am upset with the post, but rather because it was the fourth or fifth time this week alone that I read the same type of misrepresentation of Charlotte Mason's methods, and I think that CM deserves to be adequately represented. I don't know that I'm qualified to do that, but I'm going to give it a try just the same.

First, a word about the different approaches to homeschooling. (Incidentally, I don't think you can put things into boxes all this easily, but I'm going to do this just for the sake of clarity.) It goes without saying that we are talking about education, here, and that "education" is by far one of the hardest things to nail down. We know it when we see it, right? There are many voices who have, in the Great Conversation, provided food for thought in the banquet halls of "education." So because it's such a slippery term, let's just assume that what is meant here is the assimilation of ideas that provide a framework for knowledge and understanding... perhaps for wisdom.

Charlotte herself had something to say about what Education was. You may have heard it before:

Education is a discipline, an atmosphere, and a life.

TRADITIONAL is actually NOT traditional. It is what homeschoolers call other homeschoolers who teach like they do in regular public schools (which haven't been around very long.) Traditional homeschool families often use workbooks and textbooks and have regular days that resemble regular school in most ways. The material in the textbooks and workbooks may be different from the material taught in public schools because it may contain religious content, for example, but to a traditional homeschool family, the general idea is that the parent teaches from a textbook and the student does work at their seat involving writing and reading and testing for comprehension and mastery. These students can often work completely independently with very minimal supervision, which is an advantage for parents looking for that quality in their homeschool. Most families who begin homeschooling will begin with this style of schooling, not realizing the other available options.

UNSCHOOLING is basically the idea of a child-led education. In unschooling, parents don't select textbooks and workbooks but instead take advantage of learning opportunities all around them to teach. Unschooling tends to be very relaxed in atmosphere and tends to be embraced by families with more artistic goals.

CLASSICAL has a wide range of meanings but essentially ends up meaning a liberal arts education as delivered by the ancients, specifically the Greeks and Romans, and also by Catholics. It typically involves a lot of memorization and fact learning, builds on itself, and is heavily academic, particularly in the areas of language, artihmetic, science, music, and philosophy. The classical method is heavily individual, and students do not work together on very much. It tends to be more hands-on than the traditional approach for the parent but students can still work mostly independently. Most Catholic material available which comes from the parochial schools of the 40s and 50s is classical in nature, and most of the Catholic homeschools out there to enroll in are classical (except Seton and CHC.)

UNIT STUDY method is in essence the selecting of subject matter and content based around an idea (usually a historical period, for example) in all academic areas. For a unit study approach, a family might use math books, science books, history books, art, music, literature and poetry etc all based on
a particular geographic location or time period. In the Unit Study method, each child will typically have work to do at his/ her own level but on the same subject as his/her brothers and sisters.

SCHOOLHOUSE method is what I call families who decide to do things as they did in the old one-room schoolhouses across north america. There is heavy emphasis on the three R's and religion, most families use old textbooks designed for these environments, and school is conducted with all age groups working together. This method is often called the "bus" method because the teacher will teach the large group of students and each student will "get off the bus" at their own level, going on to work independently.

ONLINE SCHOOLING is a relatively new concept-- students are taught by professional teachers via webcasts or recorded videos, and do the majority of their schoolwork on the computer. These schools normally utilize traditional methods, but not all. There are some exceptions. One appeal here for some people is that a teacher, and not the parent who feels inadequate in some way for that particular subject, can teach the subject directly to the student, just like in regular school. Again, students can work alone and require little assistance.

LITERATURE BASED schooling means that the students use good books of a literary nature to present information instead of textbooks and activities. This method is often used in combination with one of the other methods-- namely, Classical OR Unit Study.

ECCLECTIC means that a family picks and chooses from different methods what they like.

There are a few educational philosophies out there built on the ideas of famous educators that have gone past. Some of these include Waldorf, Thomas Jefferson, Maria Montessori, and Charlotte Mason. They are named after their creators, but most of their followers would just say that they are providing an education. In the case of Charlotte Mason, for example, I call what I'm giving my kids a living education.
Adherents of these philosophies typically band together in communities and re-purpose their entire homeschools in accordance with the ideas of the educator who founded them. I went to a waldorf pre-school, for example, and everything we did was recommended by the Waldorf method. Some people are really drawn to a few different people's educational ideas, but in reality, these methods often oppose each other in some places and purists are the only ones who are really following through with these types of educational philosophies and seeing the results promised by their founders. Charlotte Mason, then, is one such person-- a victorian era educator with ideas about education. Her ideas were so good, though, that she completely changed the face of education in Europe and here in America among homeschoolers who adhere to her methodology.

Philosophies are often rooted in religious beliefs, and shaped by them. These styles of homeschools are no different. Waldorf has some eccentric spiritual beliefs that put off some Christians, Montessori was a Catholic in name and practice but perhaps missed a few chapters in her catechism on the duty of parents to educate (Can you tell I think she was too child-led and soft? :P) and Charlotte Mason was a life-long member of the Church of England... something which puts off many Catholics but shouldn't, since Anglicans are notoriously more "Catholic" in their thinking than actual Catholics most of the time, these days anyways. (Zing!)

So now a word about Charlotte Mason's methods-- what they are and in some way, what they aren't.

Charlotte Mason IS Classical. It's a liberal arts education. In no way do we have to set up these little camps. For years before I actually started schooling I agonized over whether we were a "Charlotte Mason" family or a "Classical" family or a "Good Books" family. It seems so silly, looking back, because CM is all that and more. I think in my nervousness about approaching homeschooling, I felt the need to identify with other people. Ironically, using CM's methods have isolated us from other homeschoolers in some sense, but the tradeoff has been better family bonding and a delightful experience of education, which I would venture to say is rare judging by the endless facebook posts in my news feed about how hard schooling is for parents and students alike--- what drudgery. Not for us!

Charlotte Mason IS complete. CM students will be adequately prepared for whatever challenges face them, whether it be college or real world work. It is rigorous and academic. Children, for example, who use the Ambleside Online curriculum or who attend one of the new Ambleside schools will find themselves reading WAY above grade level quickly and well, and will have an ease associated with learning and study that very few children will enjoy.

Charlotte Mason IS religious. Although some secular families attempt to use CM's ideas without incorporating her belief in God, she absolutely intended for Children to know, learn about, understand and connect with their creator through her methods. Regardless of whether your family is protestant or Catholic, CM's ideas will enhance your child's religious education, and do so in a way that creates inner growth. In fact, CM parents who study her ideas and implement them are making spiritual progress and growing in their faith. CM parents are discipling their children. How many parents can say that?

Charlotte Mason IS artistic. Students will practice and learn the arts and learn them well. Students will enjoy a freedom of expression at appropriate moments and will be familiar with various artistic expressions and will sharpen their abilities to practice and appreciate the arts.

Charlotte Mason IS math and science heavy. Charlotte used good books as VEHICLES to deliver ideas to children, but her students were exceptionally "gifted" in all areas, even in math and science. Many children who grew up on a CM diet grew to be excellent mathematicians and scientists.

Charlotte Mason IS Character training. Her revolutionary ideas about character building and habits influenced everyone, including the scouting programs your children enjoy today. Morality, strong character-building and exemplary citizenship  were her specialty, and CM parents who adhere to her principles enjoy children who become wonderful people to be around, even at an early age.

Charlotte Mason IS practical. Where many homeschoolers are beginning to stay away from college preparation and prefer to focus on practical living skills, farming, or other types of work-experiences, CM students do academic work in the mornings and are given beautiful afternoons in which to work on handicrafts and real life skills. This prepares them for real life in a way no other homeschooling methods can because they are participating in it right from the start.

Charlotte Mason IS alive. When you hear the term "living books," you think yay, sounds great! And you are right. It IS great. True, one of the things that defines a CM education is that we use only the best and most interesting and well-written books. However, the books aren't what makes CMing a living education.... it's the books AND the methods, a whole system, that makes the magic happen. I hear a lot of people say (and I used to say) that they take some things from CM. One of the first things they take is the idea of living books, because who can argue with that? But in order for CM students to truly come alive, they must not only have thrilling books but high quality books using the best language. they must not only read these books but read them with the habit of attention. They must not only read them but narrate them, and well. They must not only narrate them but read them slowly, and only once, building a relationship with them over time.  It is the combination of methods that makes CM "alive."

Charlotte Mason IS computer based to some degree and if you want it to be. There are loads of good books available on the internet and many people -- including myself-- take advantage of some of them. However, for those of us who, like me, desire to see their kids running and playing and AWAY from the screen, it's nice to know that we don't have to get on there at all if we don't want to. Yay!

Charlotte Mason IS freeeeee! I mean, you know, I'm building a library that my family members swear is making them question my sanity, and ohhh, the books I could buy! But I don't have to. There are libraries on every street corner and literally dozens of free CM-based curriculum choices available on the internets for those who don't feel like doing the research and making up their own. Yay! In fact, if a curriculum provider is charging an exorbitant amount of money to use their stuff, they probably aren't all that committed to pursuing Charlotte's dream-- she was a philanthropist who desired to see a free and wonderful education for ALL people.

Charlotte Mason IS delightful. I've never used the word delightful so much as I have since beginning our homeschooling journey. It's almost funny. Planning school is not a chore but a delight. Sitting down with my children is not horrific but delightful. Doing the work is not drudgery but delightful. What a glorious way to spend a lifetime! Most people who opt for unschooling do so to bring the joy back into their days. However, contrary to what you may have heard people say, Charlotte Mason is NOT child-led. There is nothing soft about CM's methods, although they are "gentle" to some degree. and there is nothing that says that a CM family will EVER just sit around doing art. Even in art, Charlotte taught her students a method before setting them loose to paint. She understood one of the most important things about life: it's all about TRUTH and BEAUTY, which comes from discipline and hard work and imagination and goodness.

Charlotte Mason IS international. Unlike many other methods, which are relatively America-centric in their implementation, CM students can learn in pretty much any environment-- it works as well for settlers and country dwellers as for big city families, missionary families, families who travel regularly.... anybody! Further, because Charlotte's students read in many languages, it provides a living education based on good books in their original languages! What an achievable gift to all people, and a force for peace in the world.

Charlotte Mason IS family-oriented. Like most one-room schoolhouses of days gone past and homes before that, CM understood that it was good for families to be together and that learning didn't have to be this complex process. CM is very parent-involved and parent-directed, but also very respectful of the human dignity and personhood of the student, and therefore enjoyable for the whole family, making it a blessing all around.

Charlotte Mason IS simple. Many people see the long list of achievements CM students are doing each week and think: NO WAY, that's too complicated for us. On the contrary, CM's methods enable the homeschooling experience to be as streamlined and simple as possible. It is enjoyable, fast, and fascinating. Those of us who have tried it know we will never go back- and if we do, we probably didn't try it as described by Charlotte herself.

Charlotte Mason IS scientifically-proven. Her ideas about health, habits, books to read, and methods have been proven in brain science time and time again. Every step of the way, you will discover that doing what she suggests will literally improve the way you use your brain, and that these things are as true for children as they are for adults. In every way, from her ideas about clothing and fresh air and nutrition to her ideas about reading the KJV and Shakespeare, CM is proven healthy!

So now that you know what it IS, spend some time studying other methods to learn what it ISN'T.

It isn't really possible for people to have one foot in and one foot out-- her method is all-inclusive and is designed to be implemented in its entirety. Also contrary to popular belief, it isn't by reading about Charlotte's ideas that we come to implement them best. It is by reading her actual ideas... As written in her own words. 

My hope is that by posting this, I can dispel some of the myths out there rotating about what a CM education looks like in contrast to other types of educations.
Growing up, I attended a traditional French school that used SOME textbooks. However, it was in all ways very CM -style... .and I loved everything about it. Most French public schooling is this way because Charlotte herself was influenced by-- and in turn influenced-- French educators. No one of note in the French education department knows much of anything about her, and yet her ideas and methods are all over the public schools. I find that beautiful and amazing. This occurs naturally with many people, including homeschoolers, because her ideas are simply good. Which is why it was important to me to share what a CM education IS with all of you!

What should we use for writing prompts?

A dear friend asked her fellow homeschool moms and teachers this morning for some good writing prompts to help her son develop a strong writing ability, since he was so good at telling stories with pictures.

I know what she means... I'm constantly thinking that since my children can express their interest in a story through pictures, making what we call a narration map (see photo for one about Caligula and the Britons) as a segway to oral narration, that they should be able to compose on paper as well. As a writer, it's a skill I want them learning.

Charlotte Mason taught that Oral narration was the best possible preparation for written narration. In fact, she did not even begin written narration til much later, in 4th grade. And even then, she began it very gently.

I gave my friend the response I am posting below, and I thought it would be good to post it here as well, for the curious.

My CM response comes from this comment:

"In reply to MJ, my eldest is 10 and I do not use a formal writing program with her. If it makes any difference, I am a writer.
IMO, oral narration is an absolutely wonderful and sound foundation for writing. I've seen my children's storytelling skills improve with narration practice, and I know their spoken-language skills will translate into good writing skills later. And, I am convinced that reading good literature provides the taste and ear for good writing.
I focus on good books and oral narrations for our writing lessons in these early years. Telling an interesting story in a coherent way is much more important to me than knowing the parts of speech or writing a 3-point paragraph at the elementary age.
I also think that nature journals and making observations in nature and in daily life lead to good writing later. The ability to concentrate, notice details, make connections, know historical references...all the good things that are covered in the early years of a CM education that don't seem to have anything to do with writing will provide rich fodder for later writing.
It's okay, imo, to build the habits of observation and narration now in the early years with the confidence that these skills will lead to way to strong writing skills later. The technical lessons of writing will fall into place later when they are needed.
And it's also okay to introduce formal writing early if it suits you and your family. I respect other parents who use writing programs with elementary-age children, but I don't personally see the need for technical writing lessons at this age, unless the child is asking for them."

http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/confused-about-the-writing-in-scm

You can also try something Miss Mason did with older children. Around once a week she would give them a composition assignment on a book from which they had already narrated. This need not be difficult--'tell me something about the character of the oldest brother in Swallows and Amazons," or "describe a room in Laura Ingalls Wilder's house," or "tell me something you might have done if you lived in King Arthur's time." It could be oral.

http://www.amblesideonline.org/Narration.shtml

Hope it helps!

When husbands won't lead.

An old pastor of mine used to say: "you can't follow a parked car."
It's true-- leaders need to be going somewhere.
He gave me this advice in the context of preparing for marriage, as I went about my way looking for "the one" that God would give me. He warned me to stay away from those parked cars, and to pray for one who was moving. Fast. Towards Godliness, he told me, and not destruction.
I took that advice. In fact, I might have taken it too well. The man I married in the end is such a strong leader I have a hard time keeping up!! But don't think that means I have it easy-- men with naturally commanding personalities have their own challenges. ;)

One of the most common questions I hear wives discuss is the question of what to do when men won't lead. We understand our role relatively well. We believe we are willing, and we wait for opportunities to provide our helpful role. And we wait. And we wait. And we wait! If that sounds like you-- know that you are not alone. Women everywhere are sitting and praying and waiting for their husbands to take charge.

In my experience, that's where the trouble starts. You see, most of the time when I've been in this situation, I have waited, and waited, and waited. And grown impatient. And frustrated. Bitterness and resentment and --gasp-- disrespect have begun to rear their head. And yet: here's the kicker. He actually HAS been leading. Just not where I want to follow. He is giving me clear directions and distinct signs. He is doing things in a way that could not be more obvious. And yet I miss it, because I'm so focused on him leading me where I want to go that I miss his actual leadership-- and then blame him, pretending like he isn't going anywhere "good," or anywhere at all. Ahhh, sin.

Now, there are husbands who won't lead in any area--- they won't work, or won't make decisions, and they struggle. And these issues are more common than they should be. And I believe that any of us wives, even those of us with strong leadership-oriented husbands, have times when we experience this because-- guess what--- we married sinners. And sinners sin, and from time to time, they struggle. The nature of our culture and the messages out there in the secular world given to men ensure that men will battle in their minds with their vocation to lead. Apathy is a plague in our society, and the reasons for it should be glaringly obvious to any Christian. Real progress in any domain takes hard work, and we've all heard the old adage: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

A husband going through this kind of imitation-husbandry, when he plays the part of a husband but doesn't actually do the work it takes to provide for, protect, and serve his family needs encouragement and inspiration to step back into the fight. (or into it for the first time.) The film Courageous is a resource that addresses this in a beautiful way, and if you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend that you watch it. Don't be sneaky and try to get your husband to watch it when he doesn't want to. Watch it yourself, maybe watch it with your kids, and ask yourself what it will take to get your particular man motivated. Then pray, and get ready for your miracle. It won't be the first-- God is able to help your husband. Ask the Holy Spirit for advice in this area. Read your Bible for inspiration.

These struggles can be frustrating, but there is one area a man often won't lead that really tends to crush his Christian wife... That area is in spirituality. Almost every Christian woman I know either has-- or wants very much-- a man who does a few simple things. They are:

1. Lead the family in morning and evening devotions
2. Attend church and worship with the family
3. Have a regular habit of prayer and bible study

I would probably add a fourth-- every woman I know wants a man who has strong moral character. A man who is trying to improve himself and to seek God's will for himself and his family.

In fact, let's start in reverse. A man who is trying to improve himself and seek God's will -- is a man with a relationship with God. But that relationship, if it is real, will bear fruit in the form of religious habits which keep him disciplined and in spiritual shape. these will naturally spill out into his family. We all know how important these habits are for ourselves. We desire to see our husbands doing them, and doing them MORE than ourselves.

I will go so far as to say that a man who externally-- through his job or status, adherence to a religious affiliation, partnerships with Christian men, whatever-- "acts" like a Christian but does not lead his family in their faith is in sin. But I will also go so far as to say that a woman who does not look for, notice, and actively follow her husband's cues, as subtle as they might be, in this area, is also in sin. In other words-- get that plank outta your own eye first.

In the end, though, a man should be leading his family, starting with himself,  a wife should be an inspiring and good-bearing helpmeet, and a Christian family should have a strong and vibrant faith life.

So what if that's not what you have? 

A few things I've noticed about my own marriage in this area. Because yes, even my Mr. Command-Man (to use a term coined by Debi Pearl in Created to be His Helpmeet) sometimes struggles in leading his family spiritually, and sometimes I struggle in following his spiritual leadership.

Consider his spiritual background.
My husband comes from a long line of hypocrites. In his family life growing up, everyone called themselves Christians, poopooed all non-Christians, spoke Christian-ese, and went to Church religiously. BUT they argued and yelled the whole way to church, never had family devotions, ripped out and threw away every religious article that interested their kids that wasn't in line with their fundamentalist mindset, talked one way and acted another, got divorced, got remarried, got divorced, over and over to different people, beat their kids on the way to bible study,  abandoned their kids when they were most in need, etc. Whenever my husband's dad sat down to read the Bible, an argument would break out. By some miracle, through Grace alone-- he came out of that a Christian. But can you imagine the feelings he has associated with "religious" behavior?

Now your husband may not have had the same experiences, but consider his background when you are looking at the issue. What feelings and ideas might he associate with the types of activities you are hoping to see? How can you help him to change those and should you? Does he get a better sense of things by association with other families? By praying through and for healing in family relationships that were broken by this type of behavior? By attending a faith sharing group where these types of things are addressed? By reading a good book? Whatever it might be, there is an answer here. Somewhere, some how, he has negative associations with family devotions, because it's not like he hasn't heard about them.

Or perhaps he has NO concept of family devotions. His family didn't have them growing up and he wouldn't even know where to start or what it means. Perhaps he thinks its corny or artificial and would rather just "be good and do good." Exposure to the concept or idea, or simply starting some with your children and allowing him the freedom to participate as he desires without judging him or holding him accountable will certainly encourage him. God Himself holds your husband accountable for his behavior and habits around his wife and around his children. He doesn't need a harpie flying around reminding him of his shortcomings. He needs to see his wife and kids enjoying family devotions and to think--- I need that. I want to be a part of that.It is God's KINDNESS that leads us to repentance. (Romans 2:4)

Consider his manhood.
My husband is a man of action. One thing he cannot stand is what he calls "having a committee." This is what he says when he sees me start to sit down and plan and structure how to do every little thing from grocery shopping to family devotions to family events. He thinks much time is wasted on the planning part that could be more efficiently used in the doing part-- not that planning is bad, but that OVER planning, over thinking, over discussing, etc is a female-ish activity that needs squelching in his environment. While there are some areas I think these activities are useful, it is true that in the past, he has often exposed my weakness of overplanning and underacting. I like to think about and idealize events, activities and relationships, but not to do the hard work that it takes to make them happen. This is something I've been working on, with some degree of success, for years.

As a man, he takes everything seriously and means what he says. When he speaks, there are clues and points in there for me to pick up on. I need to listen. He doesn't like to repeat himself. And when he acts, he has thought it out, even if I haven't seen the process or it wasn't done the way I would have done it.

In other words-- and this is MY family, yours might be different-- there is no need to have a committee about everything. Instead, we go by his motto: "do good. be good."
My husband is a man, like all men he DOES express himself, albeit in a way that is different to what I'm accustomed to. Instead of doubting him or myself or falling prey to my emotions or ideas, I can listen to what he is saying. He means what he says.

Another thing he has often pointed out to me when I have lamented his "lack of leadership" in the spiritual area is that women are more emotionally driven than men. Call it a stereotype if you will, I call it a reality. We speak different languages.
Which then means that when I pray and speak to God, I give and receive a certain amount of emotional  communication. My praise and worship is filled with language that evokes particular feelings and emotions. My supplications are wrought with words that imply deep, longing needs. I cry and laugh and raise my hands and stomp my feet. That is me being real with God. And I am often thinking he isn't being real with God himself--- or that I don't see him "enjoying" the same type of relationship with God as I have. It has bothered me in the past.

When my husband speaks to God-- He is speaking to His heavenly father. And just as between fathers and sons deep exchanges are possible with a few respectful words, that is HIM being real with God. When I desire long, lengthy bible studies where we get to talk about how a passage makes us feel, and instead he gives me a brief, stern lecture on how a passage should have changed my life... I've learned to be filled with gratitude. Change, after all, is the point. Not good feelings. All the fun bible study ideas and bibley activities in the world aren't worth a dang if they don't change us.If my husband is a man of few words, who means what he says, he is going to bring the change and leave the ooey gooey behind. And I married him, so I accept that. In fact, over time I have come to very much appreciate and be grateful for his lack of sugar coating things. I can always count on him to tell me the truth in any situation. That is a blessing to me.

And lest you think I'm suggesting that a lack of compassion is a good thing, consider that a real man often is moved specifically BY his compassion. We, the "weaker sex" are so easily swayed this way and that and in so much need of their stability and solid framework.

Consider his precedent.
My husband says that great men almost always have rotten sons. This is something he prays about and guards against... because he desires BOTH to be a great man of God and to raise great men of God. We've seen the precedent throughout history-- through the PK (pastor's kids) phenomenon, for example, or through the sad heritage of the great men's sons who have paraded through our history books.
One thing we have noticed is that when men become pre-occupied with their OWN greatneess, it's a slippery slope downwards. My husband loves ash wednesday, when the priest traces an ashy cross on his forehead and tells him that he is dust, and to dust he shall return. Pride is often our greatest downfall, both  for husbands and wives. Even for parents-- as it prevents us from hearing our children and building a relationship with them and instead causes rifts and deep wounds. He believes that the most important thing a man can do is embrace his God-given vocation: the three part triangle which has for points his marriage, his fatherhood, and his work. If he is a man who has begun to make progress in the area of leadership where he hadn't been before, or whose wife is FINALLY beginning to make attempts to follow his leadership, it is clear that pride is the next enemy to overcome.

My husband says that when men have uninspired wives at home, they often come home and find their wives and children draining-- so they begin to "hide" themselves in the greatness of their work. This is why when I'm tired and in a bad mood-- my husband will spend hours upstairs writing a deep blog or a poem or parts of his book or something. But when husbands have gentle, meek, peaceful and happy wives, they find they enjoy their wives and children and become filled with joy in their primary vocation-- that of father and husband. Of course, he says, men must embrace their primary vocation first in order to achieve eternal success at their work. But, he says, it is a true test of manhood to embrace the primary vocation of husband and father when there is no one willing to be led and no joy or warmth to be found in the home.

Throughout history, it has been the traditional way that men lead and women follow. Only very recently have we women been given the freedom to say: "let's do it like this" uninvited. My best advice to you is not to abuse this privilege-- but instead to pray and ask God to make you the kind of women who would make our foremothers proud.

Some practical tips.
What, then, can we DO about this feeling that our husband is not leading?

1. Pray. Fervently.
2. Go to confession. Search your heart for places you have sinned and have not followed joyfully when he HAS been guiding you somewhere.
3. Delight in him. One of the things all happy wives have in common is the ability to overlook their husband's faults and to speak and believe only those qualities which make him ideally suited for HER. Disrespect is the opposite of delight. Find within you the grace you've already been given through the sacrament of holy matrimony to trust God fully and with abandon for your welfare, and delight in your husband.
4. Do not neglect the responsibility to teach your children. But ALWAYS use respectful words with your children about their father's leadership in this area. Even if all he does is bless them once before bed, be grateful and tell your kids so.
5. Look for ways he IS leading and follow him. Even-- especially-- if these are places you are uncomfortable going out of your own idea. One example is that my husband has created a culture of prayer in my family that is FAR more formal than what I had envisioned. And yet I see such growth in my children and in my self as a result of these formal prayer settings. I am very grateful for them.
6. Stop trying to turn him into someone/something he is not, and instead look for the wonderful things that make him unique and good.
7. Take some tips from Charlotte Mason and remember that habit is ten natures. Both for yourself, for your children, and for your husband, cultivate good and fruitful habits that build character and encourage each other in them.
8. Remember that what you say -- but more importantly, what you DO-- greatly influences your husband. That alone should give you a plan of action where you have been failing.
9. Speak his language. Many husbands are able to relax and focus more when their wives are attentive to their needs... be they sexual, emotional, or a need for cleanliness, order, or a good attitude.
10. Above all, trust God.

A day in the life when things aren't perfect

I just wrote a day in the life post over at my other Catholic Daily blog for those interested.... it's about what a day looks like when everything is NOT perfect. ;)

For some reason it may have a hard time redirecting you, so if you need, c&p this link:
http://catholicdaily.net/tracesofheaven/2013/03/02/a-day-in-the-life/
Enjoy.

Some tips on scheduling AO in the early years

For those of you considering Ambleside Online or Mater Amabilis for the next school year, here are some suggestions for scheduling that have helped make things easier for us. Like us, many of you will have several small children to work with at once, and the idea can be daunting.

To give you an idea, this year, we combined AOY1/ MA 1B for my oldest with Connecting With History I for my "kindergardener."  I also have a "pre-school age" daughter, and an infant. Despite all this, keeping everybody happy was suprisingly simple because we followed Charlotte Mason's advice and simple biblical instruction about parenting.

My first piece of advice in scheduling is to begin habit training very early. Charlotte Mason suggested that it was possible-- and I believe this with all my heart-- to begin training a child in good habits even in infancy. Creating a culture of love, prayer, discipline, and hard work begins at the breast and continues throughout the child's life, and no where is it more evident to me that we can help children to learn good habits from the beginning than when I hear how many mothers out there struggle with keeping a two year old occupied while his or her siblings "do school." When a child is secure and payed attention to, and has been given clear boundaries in a loving but firm way, he grows to be an easy child to be around.

I have always had toddlers who would happily sit for 30 mins at a time with one activity and then happily switch to another half hour of another activity, entertaining themselves as we went, all the way until lunch time. My children have always been trained to play alone as well as with others and to happily occupy themselves and pay close attention to the things they are playing with. We rarely use the television as a babysitting tool because we don't have to. This works! And after this problem-- the "What To Do With The Little Ones" question-- is answered, scheduling becomes a breeze!

My second piece of advice is to closely adhere to what Charlotte herself says about scheduling: keep lessons short, leave the afternoons free for handicrafts, lifeskills, and play, send the mother out to play from time to time, and take lots of outdoor time when you are able.

That being said, you still need to get an idea of the logistics of using the Ambleside Curriculum. These will look different in EVERY family, but for some, here is how it will work. In AOY1-3, the mother (or father) is doing the majority of the reading, and aloud. As Y3 comes to a close, the goal is to have transitioned the child to reading their work on their own, but this doesn't happen overnight, and especially in years 1 and 2, the parent has a big job. I've been told it will get easier, but to be honest, I will probably miss these days--- I LOVE the one-on-one time I get with each child.

Other AO moms much more experienced than I have said that they enjoyed keeping their children in separate years, and that despite the large family aspect, their kids and homeschools have been in thriving mode doing so. In other words, don't panic and shove all your kids together in the same year just because you don't know how you will do it all. You will. And it will work.

I got my basic outline for our weekly schedule from one of my favorite blogs: The Fisher Academy (another missionary AO family) It works for us because we have the time. Other families do ALL the AO reading in a couple days and leave the rest of the week open, or spread it out over the seven days. It just depends. The way we do it is based on a five day work week.

It looks like this:

MONDAYS we do Science & Natural History
TUESDAYS we do Literature, Poetry & Shakespeare
WEDNESDAYS we do Geography & Travel
THURSDAYS we do Salvation History
FRIDAYS we do Fine Arts & Philosophy

In addition.... Saturdays, we do Torah Study and Plutarch, Sundays we emphasize Gospel Study and Good Works.

Also in addition, also this won't apply to many of you, we do Connecting With History. This means we do one unit every four weeks or so... and have different activities emphasized each of those weeks. To keep things straight, I assign my CWH units like this:

WEEK A: Consider & Overview
WEEK B: Notebook & Explore
WEEK C: Notebook & Explore
WEEK D: Wrap up & Present.

When I go through the AO booklist, all I have to keep straight is what is due to be read that particular week, any additional books I've assigned, and which week of which unit CWH we are in. Sounds like a lot, but as you'll see, it gets easier. In fact, one of my favorite things about AO is that I don't have to waste time thinking about things that don't matter all that much (like schedules) and instead can spend my time thinking about the great ideas presented, just like my kids.

As an example, let's work with AO first, and then I'll show you how I add in CWH.

let's take Week 18 of AOY1.

for Week 18
Bible: 1 Kings 18:20-39 (Elijah and the prophets of Baal)
An Island Story: chapter 11 "The Story of How the Giant's Dance was Brought to Britain"
Fifty Famous Stories Retold: "George Washington and his Hatchet"; and "Doctor Goldsmith" (1774)
Burgess's Bird Book: choose one chapter based on geographic region and season
Aesop's Fables: "The Lion, the Bear and the Fox" (pg. 37 in the Milo Winter version) and "The Hares and the Frogs" (pg. 39 in the Milo Winter version)
Trial and Triumph: chapter 5 "Ambrose Bishop of Milan" (339-397 AD)
A.A. Milne: a poem a day
Blue Fairy Book: "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" (A wicked Magician and his wicked Brother are killed) OR "Why the Sea is Salt" (a greedy man tells his brother to go the Dead; a ship sinks and all perish)
Paddle to the Sea: chapter 14

If I were just doing AO, each child would be doing arithmetic, hearing a poem, doing phonics, reading, and writing (via copywork), foreign language, as well as some memory work and catechism first. Let's say that goes from 9-10:30. (Short lesson, remember?) Then from 10:30 to 12, we would do whatever was assigned from the AO schedule that day.

In other words, by the time 10:30 rolls around, it's time to do the following (and this is where the magic happens!)

MONDAY-- nature study and Burgess Bird Book
TUESDAY-- Aesop and Blue Fairy Book
WEDNESDAY-Paddle to the Sea and a map drill based on the next day's work, Bible
THURSDAY-An Island Story and Fifty Famous Stories retold, Trial and Triumph

In the beginning, you don't need to require a narration of EVERY story, but do require it of a few.

Now, if you want to add in some other readings, like a recommended free read, for example, you would assign those where you aren't too busy. Let's say I want to add Little House in the Big Woods and Little Therese to the mix--- I would assign Little Therese in the place of our regular catechism study twice a week (say tues and thurs) because it's a living book that teaches Catechism. Then I would add in Little House as a bedtime read aloud on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (where the read alouds are sparse)

There you go! Done by twelve.

Now, you'd still be missing some elements. Charlotte Mason did music study, taught an instrument and  did picture study, shakespeare, etc.

I do those on Fridays, and spread the instruments and songs out over the work week.
For example, we study music and art theory on Fridays, but we will study our month's hymn by just singing it every morning during devotions til it is memorized. I've added a geography course Mason herself wrote, and we do a lesson a week from it on wednesdays.

The most important thing we do is center our work day around two key periods: Morning and Evening Prayer.
In the mornings, we pray together and then study catechism (or read a living book about the saints or church history). In the evenings, we read a bible story together and then discuss it. Then we say night prayer before bed.

 In the end, I'm always amazed at how much we have accomplished in so short a time.
I do try to capitalize on mealtimes, when my kids are naturally more inclined to be attentive. At that time, I do read to them as much as possible, or take advantage of other thinking moments--like a drive in the car, to listen to a music selection or poem... even an audiobook. In theory, we can do AO from our vehicle, and don't need papers and pencils at all at this stage. :)
In practice, we don't do that much. I like holding books and reading them, and we don't get out of the house much except into nature. As you plan your CM education, you will find that you will be planning nature time as often as humanly possible. One other tip I have for scheduling is to carefully select your "other" non-AO curriculum carefully... using a complicated math program that takes an hour to complete each day isn't going to help you meet your goal of short lessons and being done by noon!

Now, for the adventurous, here is how I add CWH to our AO routine.

WEEK A: Introductory week.

I add the discussion questions to our dinner table conversation in a casual manner the first night. Then I add the introductory reading from the Bible or Spine (What CWH calls the Core) to the first week's Catechism or Bible reading time (we do Catechism study in the morning and bible study at night). I also use this time to do memory work with the suggested poems and bible passages from CWH. I take the vocabulary words from CWH and teach them in a casual manner during reading time.

WEEKS B and C: Notebook & Explore.

I usually continue with the poem and scripture memory, and add in the non-core CWH subjects. This usually involves some reading assignments for the kids, and making some entries into our book of centuries. It can also involve movies, projects etc. If so, there is always time to do the movies or projects at night on the weekends or in place of a handicraft one afternoon or something, and as far as the reading goes, we will often do the additional reading as naptime begins or at bedtime. If there is a LOT of reading to do, we don't do the AO free reads that week, instead reserving them for the summertime when CWH will not be in use. Also, we don't do CWH on thursdays, when AO's history is thick and takes up a lot of the day.
On Wednesdays, we do map drills out of CWH during these weeks. We also do any geography or travel reading from CWH on that day instead of paddle to the sea, which my oldest doesn't like much.

WEEK D: Wrap up & Presentation

If there is any reading left to do, I assign it as above til it is complete. Then I pick a day, usually a Saturday, to present in whatever way the kids decide to present the unit that month. One more thing: I don't combine AO history with CWH anymore. Charlotte herself said it was better for kids to make their own connections, and using the Book of Centuries helps them to place events in history. So I just go through one volume of CWH per year as a family, and then do individual AO readings for each kid. It works great!

That's it! Sounds really complicated and scary, I know, but when you have done it a few times you will be amazed-- as I was-- by the simplicity of this system. Of course, this is only what works for my family. Many of you will find innovative ways to use the AO curriculum without coming close to the style or structure we use here.

If this helped you, pass it around! And let me know if you find a way to improve on my combination AO/CWH scheduling. I'm always thinking about ways to simplify this process.