Last summer I wrote about how we left the school district in the midst of the crisis to homeschool independently. So how did it go? Like the characters in one of our favorite books—“The Hobbit,” we embarked on an unexpected journey with many unknowns before us. As in the story, we too found handsome rewards.
Julia learned a breadth and depth of subjects unlike anything I could have imagined. We read more books than in any other year. Beautiful books. Native American history. World explorers and early American history. Latin. Poems, so many poems. Geography. Stars and planets. Shakespeare tales and literature. Math. Artist and composer study. Nature study. Watercolor painting.
Homeschool felt like a respite from everything that made us sad this past year. It’s thrilling to think that we may all finally be on a path back to normalcy. And yet I wonder how I will feel in that new normal because I feel forever changed by the past year. Our experience with education is a big part of that.
Once I knew we wanted to homeschool I started reading books about education philosophies and curricula. I kept coming back to one and it’s how we homeschool. We use the Charlotte Mason teaching philosophy. She was a British teacher from the late 1800s who was far ahead of her time. Here are some guiding principles and important details:
Children deserve a high quality, varied, and beautiful education.
We study a wide array of subjects.
Each subject is taught through short lessons… each about 20 minutes including narration.
Some subjects are daily, others vary over the course of the week.
We use high quality books with great literary value, with compelling stories and ideas.
A child learns through narration (e.g. after each reading/lesson)
Other things we do regularly: copywork, recitation, and prepared dictation.
Our 8-year-old’s school day consists of about 2.5 hours of focused learning time.
Our afternoons include outside time, free play, quiet reading time, etc.
Our homeschool is enriching and beautiful. But even with a good plan and schedule, it can be challenging. Some days I feel like I’m doing great as a mom/teacher and other days end up being lessons (for me.) But there’s a beauty to those rhythms too. Because this is our life. Learning is a part of our family but so are love, kindness, togetherness, and wellbeing. Sometimes the best thing to do is set aside our books and spend the day outside. Sometimes that feeds the spirit and mind just as much. I am thankful for every joy and moment spent with these little ones I love so much.
If you’re interested in learning more about this philosophy of education, I highly recommend these excellent resources: A Delectable Education podcast, the book “Know and Tell” by Karen Glass, and Charlotte Mason’s own volumes, of course.
I also find it useful to learn about contemporary issues in education, e.g. “The Knowledge Gap” by Natalie Wexler. While it’s about present-day public education, it helped me understand the benefits of a content-rich curriculum and systemic phonics instruction.
