Yes; we are back from a wonderful week with Charlotte Mason friends, full of things to tell about this year's conference and dreaming of plans for the next one. I don't think I can remember ever meeting so many people with whom we had so much in common. From what others have told me, I think the same was true for most of us.
Some of the teens, on the last day
For our family the CM week began a few days before the actual conference, because our mother went early to work on business (which I will let her explain or not as she chooses). Zacharias and I dropped her off and then we had a small adventure, taking a road trip on our own for the first time (and driving in city traffic to boot! yay...). We stayed for a couple days at the house of some friends who live not far from Boiling Springs. I met the eldest daughter at last year's conference, but for the rest of us it was our first meeting; and I make bold to say that we got on well. Honestly, what else could I say when the first evening we found ourselves discussing the various properties of iocaine powder and its effects when combined with the water from Tuck Everlasting (a question which still remains unresolved), and then stayed up--well--later than I wish to say--playing folksongs in an impromptu band comprising a piano, two violins, a guitar, a drum, and several singers? I do not wish, however, to give the impression that our whole time was spent in dissipation. Being Chief Planners and Co-Conspirators of the CLUSA Conference Teen Activities, we were obliged to spend the rest of the visit in serious matters such as Regency dances and music practice and Tolkien readings.
The conference lasts four days, Wednesday through Saturday. Each day there are plenary sessions (which the whole conference is meant to attend), workshops on specific topics, book discussions, and free time for meals or reflection. When we planned the teen activities this year we tried to keep the plenary sessions open so that the teens could attend them. I wanted to keep the teens involved in the main conference as much as possible. The stuff we did on our own was mostly for fun, and it was good for all of us to meet and hang out with like-minded peers. But we are the rising generation of Charlotte Mason students and teachers. I think the CLUSA conference is a great opportunity for the teens, most of whom have been raised on CM, to learn about her ideas from experienced teachers and thinkers and writers. It is a chance for us to learn more about Charlotte Mason's philosophy, so that we can understand why we were raised as we have been, and why CM education is still important for us even as we're graduating and going out into the world. To some extent, I hope that this year's conference did that.
On Thursday I attended an excellent lecture called "The Life and Work of Charlotte Mason," about the history of educational theory and where CM fits into it. I think my mom is going to blog about it, but I might post my own notes as well. After the lecture, two of the teens, along with some CM teachers, were on the panel for the workshop "Exploring CM for the High School Student." Thursday afternoon we had a Jane Austen discussion over tea and cakes, hosted by the local coffee shop. Later that day we attended a lecture "On Time," which was about living life deeply instead of just by a schedule. That evening I went to a plenary lecture about CM's life, specifically the period when she was forming her ideas about education, writing her first books, and founding the PNEU. Afterwards one of the music professors from Gardner-Webb gave a concert/lecture about counterpoint in Bach. (I got to play the harpsichord when she was finished!) That night the teens went to a book discussion about Tolkien's short story Leaf by Niggle.
On Friday two of the teens led matins at 8:00am. I mention the time because it seems extremely early when you've only had 4 hours of sleep. Yes... *cough* well... after matins we went back to our rooms and acted out some scenes from Shakespeare, and then took a traveling production of Pyramus and Thisbe to one of the moms who was alone in her room. Friday afternoon we had a LotR discussion, led by a professor from Gardner-Webb; I've heard some say that discussion was the highlight of the conference. After that we rushed to find music and a CD player for our Regency dance lesson, which went well but took longer than we thought it would. We took a break for dinner and then returned in costume for a ball. Dancing Elizabeth and Darcy's dance from the A&E Pride and Prejudice was another highlight of the week. After the ball we changed out of costume--or not--and went to the Broad River Greenway for a walk in the woods. (The conference does this every year; usually there are trail guides, live music, and an astronomer with a telescope.) That night, after we got back from the Greenway, we met in one of the apartments and read Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allen Poe.
On Saturday we spent most of the morning packing. Two of the teens performed a piece of music from Swan Lake before the last plenary session, which was about CM's perspective on parenting as discussed in her book Parents and Children. After that we finished packing, ate an improvised lunch, had one last lingering meeting at the local ice cream parlor (see the picture!), and then left and went our separate ways. Some of our friends (who live in Oklahoma) came home with us and stayed a couple of days. Next week we will again be having visitors, as two members of the family with which Zacharias and I stayed will be coming to stay with us. For the moment, however, everyone has gone home, the conference feels quite ended, and as time permits I will be blogging my report of it.
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