CLUSA-AOU 2009 Conference Report

On the first evening of this year's ChildLightUSA Charlotte Mason conference, a half-dozen nervous teens found their way into a rather intimidating board room at Gardner-Webb University. Their numbers did not even begin to fill the space. They gathered around one end of the table, settled into the large mahogany-and-leather chairs, and cautiously made small-talk. This was the inauspicious beginning of the first annual ChildLightUSA-AmblesideOnline Unlimited Conference.

The plans for this year's teen conference began almost as soon as last year's conference ended. At last year's conference three of us teens met, and we hit it off so well that we decided we needed to get other Ambleside high-schoolers and college students involved and have our own mini-conference. When we went home that summer we started an internet forum for Ambleside students and grads called AO Unlimited, and the conference plans grew as we talked with the other AO students there. We tossed around ideas for sessions and decided what we wanted to do the most. By the time summer came we had a schedule of events, and ChildLight graciously worked with us to reserve rooms and time slots. That was how a group of Ambleside students found themselves in a specially reserved room at this year's conference, meeting—many of us—for the first time.

Later that first night, after the opening plenary session was over, five of the teens sat down together in the fireside lounge and chatted for a couple of hours. It didn't take long to find out that we had a lot in common. Conversation came easily: we talked about Pride and Prejudice, Star Trek, homeschooling, Narnia, eschatology, and everything in between. (And every combination thereof. Just what were Mr. Darcy's views on the End Times, for instance?) After that we weren't so shy, so we went back to our shared apartment and played Beatles Monopoly until the wee hours of the morning.

It was so uplifting and downright fun to find so many like-minded people my own age there. I laughed harder and longer than I had for a long time. It's something special when you meet people that you click with in an hour. Sometimes when we're by ourselves surrounded by teens who go to a public high school it can be hard to find good friends who are so much like you. This conference has been the highlight of my year, and some other teens said the same. I have so many plans for next year, and can hardly wait to see my friends again!

- Hannah, 18

On Thursday, after the morning lecture, two of the teens joined some CM teachers on the panel for the workshop "Exploring CM for the High School Student." A lot of the discussion focused on how to continue learning by CM principles in college. We talked about nurturing relationships with our studies; finding life in dry textbooks; taking the initiative to go on field trips to nearby museums and fairs and rallies; finding other active minds to discuss with after class; and even finding alternatives to traditional college. It seemed helpful for the moms and teachers there to hear about the experiences of CM graduates. I know we enjoyed sharing with them and discussing how to carry CM's methods into the upper years and beyond.

Thursday afternoon, the teens had a Jane Austen discussion over tea and cakes, hosted by the Broad River Coffee Company across the street from the campus. We spent a good two hours talking about Austen's characters and couples. Why do her pairings work? Which seems like the most unlikely couple? What is the difference between a Brandon and a Willougby—and how can you tell them apart? We also talked about what it's like for a guy reading Austen: guys identify more with the heroes, even though Austen gives so little of their perspective in the books. (Guys can still identify with the heroines, but we identify with their personalities rather than their roles.)

Later on Thursday we attended the Eve Andersen Tea lecture, "On Time," about living life deeply instead of just by a schedule. That evening, we stood on the balcony of our apartment and watched a thunderstorm. As the rain flooded the parking lot and dripped off the balcony, we sang songs about the weather and talked of this and that. That night we went to the book discussion about Tolkien's short story Leaf by Niggle, led by Gardner-Webb's own professor Christopher Keene.

I don't think I can remember ever meeting so many people with whom we had so much in common. It was good for all of us to meet and hang out with like-minded peers. ...The CLUSA conference is a great opportunity for us 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.

- Tim, 18

On Friday two of the teens led matins at 8:00 a.m.. I mention the time because it seems extremely early when you've only had 4 hours of sleep. (But we have things to do at 3:00 in the morning--like watching The Hunt for Gollum and eating popcorn!) 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 our moms who was alone in her room. I do not profess to be any judge, myself, but she thought it quite entertaining. This may have had something to do with our switching characters: the girl played Pyramus, the guy played Thisbe, and hilarity ensued.

Friday afternoon we had a Lord of the Rings discussion, led by Professor Keene. I heard some say that that discussion was the highlight of the conference. Professor Keene had prepared a list of questions to ask everyone—favorite character, favorite moment in the story, things like that—and went around the circle giving everyone a chance to answer. The questions provoked a lot of good discussion: some of the things we talked about were the differences between the races; the burden of immortality; the differences between characters, especially from books to movies; the appeal of Rivendell; and the importance of certain elements in the story, such as the Scouring of the Shire. It was the sort of discussion you seldom get to have at home except maybe with a friend or two who shares your obsession, whereas here we had a full turnout of nearly a dozen teens. After we finished our LotR discussion, Professor Keene gave us a tour of the theater department and showed us some prosthetics he was making, including some rather graphic but very cool wound applications.

I had a great time at the teen conference. I felt the events were organized and there was a good amount of them to participate in.

- David, 16

After that we rushed to find music and a CD player for our Regency dance lesson. The lesson went well: we had half a dozen couples and learned two dances, including Mr. Beveridge's Maggot which they danced in the A&E Pride and Prejudice. However, the lesson took longer than we thought it would, so we had less than an hour afterwards to eat dinner and change into costume before we returned for a Regency Ball. Dancing Elizabeth and Darcy's dance at the ball was another highlight of the conference. Hannah, 18, wrote this about the ball:

It reminded me of the experience of 'Prom' that public schooled high schoolers have their senior year. I had seen my sister dress up like a glamor girl for her prom, and seen her take pictures with her boyfriend, and imagined (like Cinderella in her kitchen) what it must have been like. It was Brittani's senior year too, and she had never had a prom either. I imagine a lot of Charlotte Mason teens don't. That's probably a good thing, but the importance the culture attaches to it was felt even in our separation from the culture. That is why the ball was so important to me. For that one night, I got to dance real dances with real gentlemen, and feel like the princess all girls read about when they're growing up. We had so much fun at that ball that it has been absolutely decided to make it an annual event.

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.) Our walk in the woods that night proved to be the scene of some lively plotting which spawned yet another project: a film adaptation / parody of Northanger Abbey which is now halfway through production. (Which just goes to show that you can't be too careful at these conferences. You never know what brilliant or crazy ideas you might be inspired to turn into reality.)

The Charlotte Mason Conference was, for me, a wonderful chance to connect with other similar-thinking teens. For the first time in my life I was perfectly able to chat about Jane Austen, Tolkien, current politics and events, all with people my own age! And when I wasn't being stimulated by the company of my peers, I was able to be instructed on a variety of subjects by fascinating speakers. Everywhere there was a great medley of people to discuss ideas and theories with. It has inspired me to once again look on school as a wonderful opportunity and chance for knowledge, rather than as something that must be done. Overall it was a very worthwhile and very enjoyable experience—I will certainly be returning next year.

- Kaley, 16

That night, after we got back from the Greenway, we met in one of the apartments and read Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allen Poe. Despite the fact that we read The Adventure of the Speckled Band and The Black Cat, two of the scariest stories ever written, this was actually a lovely evening. We snacked and rambled and read in character voices till deep into the night. No nightmares were reported.

That was our last official meeting. Saturday morning, before the last plenary session, two of the teens performed a piece of music from Swan Lake. Saturday afternoon, before everyone headed their separate ways, our apartment crew—the six of us and our families—met for a last farewell at the local ice cream parlour (hence the picture at the beginning). Indubitably, this conference was a wonderful experience for us all. We made new friends, got to know old friends better, and got to enjoy our favorite things with people who shared our interests. And I, for one, can't wait till next year!

Note: The ChildLightUSA Conference took place in June 2009. The first draft of this report was written right after the conference, but it has been stuck in draft for several months waiting to be published. My apologies to the contributors.

CM Conference Notes: The Relational Paradigm of Christianity

[These are my notes from a two-part lecture by Jason Fletcher about moving to a model for life that's based on relationships rather than self-service or capitalism - Tim]


The Relational Paradigm of Christianity: Part 1

Social isolation is growing. A quarter of the people in the US say that they have no one to confide in. Because people are busier, because people move more, because of TV, and because of a strongly individualistic worldview, society is becoming more fragmented. We can call this the "I World". Studies show that materialism is also a problem: our GDP is increasing steadily, but happiness with life hasn't changed.

So we need a new paradigm. It's the quality of our relationships that determines our happiness, and Christianity is a relational religion.


1. Christianity is a relational religion

Christianity is unique in that it sees God as a triune being with relationship built in. Taking that further, we could say that an isolated person is an oxymoron--true personhood can only exist in a relationship. We have needs that can only be met by relationships. But only in the Trinity do we see a relationship in which each individual's needs are met perfectly. Good relationships (including the Trinity) are others-centered. Sin is a failure of relationships. It is becoming less than a full person.


2. The Nature of a Good Relationship

Christianity promises that in the end we shall have perfect relationships with God and men. But in the meantime we are becoming more Christ-like. (See Micah 6:8.) Matthew 22:32-40, "Love the Lord...love thy neighbor." This is what Christianity is all about. God wants us to culture good relationships.

Good relationships have two things: relational values and relational conditions. (Keeping in mind that all relationships are imperfect.) Relational values, taken from a study of the Old Testament, include steadfast love (which could also be called loyalty or compassion); righteousness, which means fulfilling the duties of a specific relationship; justice, seeking to right wrongs; faithfulness and truthfulness (in Hebrew the two words are almost interchangeable); mercy, compassion; forgiveness; and generosity (which is linked to loyalty, but goes beyond it).

There are five relational conditions (gleaned from Old Testament law). 1) Directness. Face-to-face encounters and communication. This is important because we communicate so much non-verbally. Emails, phone calls, letters, etc. lose that part of communication. They are also focused on information rather than interaction. Directness means close and attentive presence. 2) Continuity: the amount of time we invest in relationships (including our relationship with God). We can think of a 24-hour period like a box: you can squish it one way and make it long but thin; or you can squish it the other way, which will make it cover less but will make it deeper. "Quality time" isn't as important as simple quantity time. 3) Multiplexity: the depth of knowledge we have about the other in a relationship. The number of contexts we know a person in. We should avoid one-dimensional relationships. 4) Parity: managing differences in power between people in the relationship. The proper use of authority (not to be confused with equality). 5) Commonality, purpose. A relationship is strengthened by a shared vision or shared interests.

Good relationships have all of the qualities described above.

Charlotte Mason taught that children should be treated as human beings, full persons in their own right. The teacher is a mentor in the student's quest for knowledge. There is a relationship between the teacher and the child. There is also a relationship between the student and the ideas. Because relationships are so pivotal--to education as well as to being and knowing--the character of the teacher is extremely important.


3. Relational Agenda: the explanatory power of the relational perspective.

(Part 2: A Christian Perspective on the Environment)

The wider realm of relationships. Social action (immediate aid) and social reform (changing laws, addressing causes rather than symptoms). The vision is not capitalism but relationism. Any judgment of an act must measure its wider relational impact.

Jesus said, "Love God, love neighbor," not "love earth". Our "relationship" with earth is distinct from person-to-person relationships. But there are several reasons why we should care about (for) the earth. 1) Because God does. 2) Because He has told us to (Genesis 3:15). 3) Because we have dominion over the earth as God's representatives. We are to be servant-kings (shepherd-kings) like Him. 4) Because we are connected to and dependent upon the earth. Even Man's name, "Adam," comes from the word "earth". The failure to care for creation is a failure of love. When we harm the environment we harm our neighbors through it, and our relations that extend into the future. 5) Because God has promised to restore creation as part of His salvation plan. And we, as Christians, should proclaim and demonstrate redemption in all its forms.

Two ways to care for the earth: rest and roots. Rest: keeping the Sabbath as God did. The need for rest is built into creation. Land produces best when it has fallow years. So we should limit our take, not squeezing every last drop out of the earth. We're supposed to take a shared day off; only in this way does a day of rest do what it's supposed to do for our relationships. Roots. (See Leviticus 25, about the Year of Jubilee.) In ancient Israel the outright purchase of land was forbidden. And every fifty years all leases ended and the land was returned to its original family. This created a connection with the land, because the same family kept the same land, and also a connection within families, because members of a family lived near each other. As communities weaken, our reliance upon centralized government increases. (There was also a ban on usury in ancient Israel, which helped to prevent a sharp class distinction from arising.)

Further research: www.jubilee-centre.org and www.relationshipsfoundation.org

One More Conference Thought: Habit

This was typed at the bottom of a page of discussion questions for people to consider during scheduled group "processing" sessions. I think I've heard this from Karen Glass before, but this is the first time I've seen it in print. I'd love to hear any and all thoughts on this.

In a letter written towards the end of her life to Henrietta Franklin in the fall of 1922, Charlotte Mason said:

"What a time you had among the Alpine flowers! I know something of the joy of it, for many years ago before you were born or thought of, I spent some early spring weeks at the Kaltbad (Rigi) with some friends. After forty years I see and smell and luxuriate - but I did not see the Soldanella . . . Science has done nothing to confirm the "rut" theory in all these years, and Brother Body seems to me much the inferior partner. I think all that I have written is still true but I would emphasize habit and so on less. Child mind - no, because a child has as much mind as the rest of us."
(Typed by Elsie Kitching)

In the above letter, written towards the end of Mason's life, she de-emphasizes habit and emphasizes the child mind. Share your thoughts about how habit formation fits within a rational paradigm.

CM Conference Notes: Piquing Interest in the Arts

Lori Lawing gave this talk, and this is another one that I listened to without taking notes. There are some notes in the handout, though, and there was something that struck me that I wanted to remember. Since I can't say it any better than she did in her hand-out, I'll use her quotes.

Lori used the modern paraphrase of CM's Series, which was a first - it's the first time I've ever heard it quoted out loud, and I kept expecting to hear something off in the translation, or a typo said out loud. But it sounded fine (although I think I found a place where I need to add a comma . . .)

Lori said that CM wanted us to pique children's interest in the aesthetics of art, music and poetry. Those things move us "because they present truth and goodness in a context of universal beauty." Art isn't always beautiful, and it sometimes displays the effects of sin. But great art "can be beautiful even when it presents some aspect of the fall. As Christians, we see glimpses of paradise even in our fallen world. We have hope that our Redeemer is returning to restore all of creation back to the paradise that was lost . . . God's Word has a story to tell, a story of Redemption through the blood of His Son. That is the grand story of redemption. In a smaller yet still significant way, the aesthetics can portray stories of the hope of redemption in this fallen world."

Sometimes the question comes up, "What makes great art great? And who decides?" I think that the answer has something to do with what Lori is saying about the redemption story, although I haven't got it quite clear in my mind.

Then Lori showed us an example of art (Domenico Ghirlandaio's Old Man and His Grandson), music (Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition; she showed the corresponding pictures as the music was playing) and poetry (Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Lessons from the Gorse) to illustrate how the beauty of redemption comes through in the aesthetics. See if you can see redemption illustrated in the examples.

Lessons from the Gorse

Mountain gorses, ever-golden,
Cankered not the whole year long!
Do ye teach us to be strong,
Howsoever pricked and holden,
Like your thorny blooms, and so
Trodden on by rain and snow,
Up the hill-side of this life, as bleak as where ye grow?

Mountain blossoms, shining blossoms,
Do ye teach us to be glad
When no summer can be had,
Blooming in our inward bosoms?
Ye whom God preserveth still,
Set as lights upon a hill,
Tokens to the wintry earth that Beauty liveth still!

Mountain gorses, do ye teach us
From that academic chair
Canopied with azure air,
That the wisest word man reaches
Is the humblest he can speak?
Ye, who live on mountain peak,
Yet live low along the ground, beside the grasses meek!

Mountain gorses, since Linnaeus
Knelt beside you on the sod,
For your beauty thanking God, -
For your teaching, ye should see us
Bowing in prostration new!
Whence arisen, - if one or two
Drops be on our cheeks - O world, they are not tears but dew.

E. B. Browning


(This is the last of my notes, although Tim has one to post; a complete list of conference posts is here.)

CM Conference Notes: Science of Relations vs. Examinable Content

John Thorley's first session was a talk about Charlotte Mason's early years as a teacher, with a few people reading letters from the time period from and to CM (Deani Van Pelt read the letters that CM wrote.) That was fascinating, but I listened to that session without taking notes. So, if that sounds interesting, you should watch the childlightusa.org website, as they will probably be making CD's or audio available.

These notes are from his second session. John Thorley lives in England and has was the Principal of the Charlotte Mason College at Ambleside. When I met him three years ago, he was working part-time at the Armitt Museum, which houses CM's library of letters and books.

Two movies, the Dead Poets Society, and History Boys, illustrate the debate in education, pitting a charismatic teacher against the educational establishment. The public is aware of this debate, and when it comes to movies, they sympathize with the teacher (but when it comes down to it, most parents are only concerned with test scores). In England, the public is rebelling against the testing system (England has mandated tests at age 7, 11 and 14). The debate is against policies that include testing, and the thinking behind that approach to education. CM is child-focused, but this kind of system is about government control. Can there be a symbiosis where both exist together?

Education is the Science of Relations. A child has natural relationships with a number of things, so we give him lots of things to help him make valid as many of his potential interests as possible by exposing them to him. Knowledge isn't data, knowledge is our relationship with the world. All that there is, all that there was, all that will ever be - that's what should be included in our curriculum. That's a concept that's dynamic, not static. Children aren't vessels to be filled, but beings who will develop relationships with the world. Every child is entitled to a full curriculum. Math shouldn't be the focus of a curriculum, science shouldn't be the focus; the child should be the focus of the curriculum. Children need to be actively involved in making knowledge 'their own.' (Children can't learn passively; that's why lectures and TV don't teach well. The child's mind needs to be engaged and participating. That's why narration is part of the CM method.)

1967 - the Plowden Report on primary schools said that education was good, especially in the early years. It said that the style of educational system was working very well, and was providing a full, comprehensive education. By the 1970's, reaction against child-centered education resulted in Black Paper studies, which reported that standards were slipping and recommended a focus on the 3R's. In our era of discoveries, they said, science and technology need more focus and kids need to be better at math. Thus, school was extended from age 14 to 16 to teach more science and math. This movement has progressed as society gets more technical. Trends in government policy that started innocently enough took on a life of their own and snowballed, becoming interlinked as one policy led to another. But all of them are based on questionable theories.

1987 - there were nine subjects in England's national curriculum, and specified methods saying how they were to be taught. In this new policy, curriculum would be reviewed and updated regularly. With the advent of a national curriculum, there was no more educational freedom. As a new policy, parents were given the option of choice to decide where their children attended school. (The truth is, parents had always been able to choose before.) This sounds good in theory, because nobody will choose to go to a bad school, so bad schools will close while good schools flourish. But in practice, people who live in small, rural towns have only one school to choose from unless they want to move or commute long distances to have city school options. And how can a parent know which school is better? So - new policy - it was decided that schools needed to have a Standard Attainment Test (SAT) so that parents could make choices based on objective test scores. League tables published scores and rated schools based on those scores. A new policy determined that math, science and English comprehension would be tested. These six-hour tests would need to be easy to grade, so they needed to be objective: fill-in-the-blank. SAT's required that certain skills (the testable ones) should be taught since skills, not knowledge, would be tested. Geography, history, culture are neglected.

This new system had undesirable results. Narrow tests mean that school teach narrow "skills" and leave no time for anything besides English, math and science. Now the government wants all schools to adopt a "synthetic phonics" program which improves individual word recognition without helping comprehension or writing. They don't understand that phonics isn't a magic pill to teach reading.

Does all of this help parents to make a school choice? Schools that have special needs children might be great schools, but they will test badly because the special needs students will bring the score average down. Small schools suffer when results are averaged out, because one child's low score carries more weight. Parents can't even make sense of the SAT results. So why is it still used? And what would happen if a small school tested well and then suddenly had a bunch of new students enrolling? What if small village schools decline and die? Where will village children go to get educated?

The fact is, even with new, scientific improvements, test results for reading are the same as they were in 1957. But today's children are stressed and labelled based on their test scores at age 7. The system of testing is expensive - 50,000 pounds per school per year. An entire industry (the test writers) lobby for more tests. But children don't benefit from these tests or from more government control.

Scotland doesn't do SAT's, and their students do better on tests than British children. Wales rebelled against the testing system and doesn't do them.

But schools do need to be accountable. If SAT's aren't the way to be sure that students are learning, then how do we show that schools are doing their job? Can Charlotte Mason's vision be combined with public accountability?

Maybe existing policies could be used, but according to methods that teachers approved of.

Governments have a right to know that a broad curriculum is being offered, and that the quality of teaching is good. Perhaps a national curriculum could have guidelines that are reviewed, with teachers involved in the reviewing process. Teaching inspectors need to be experienced teachers themselves who are specially trained to recognize good teaching even when it differs from their own style. They should be allowed to offer advice to help teachers teach better. Test results shouldn't be publicly published; schools should be the ones to publicize their scores along with explanations about any extenuating circumstances that might have affected their results. Tests should be brand new every year. Schools should have a broad curriculum, and then test themselves against national standards. Then schools would be able to experiment with different teaching methods and find something that works.

(complete list of conference posts here.)

CM Conference Notes: Behaviorism vs Relational Parenting

Jack Beckman led this book study, based on Unconditional Parenting: Moving From Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn. Now that I've realized that the theme of the conference was "Moving from Rewards to Relationships," I understand how this book fits in with the conference, but I want to finish the book (I only got through chapter five; time ran out) and look up some Charlotte Mason quotes to see if I can draw any conclusions, as this might mean that CM has more to say about parenting methods than I thought - I assumed that she didn't really say much about discipline beyond habit-training and establishing parental authority, but I want to think about that before I post anything.

Not much of a post, I know. I was going to post my notes from Jason Fletcher's talk about Relational Religion, but Tim's notes are thorough enough that I asked him to post his instead.

(complete list of conference posts here.)

CM Conference Notes: Learning to Fledge

Learning to Fledge: Masterly Inactivity in the High School Years by Beth Pinckney

This was timely because this is my week to submit a post to the ChildlightUSA blog, and my post dealt with the same age group.

Beth made a point to say that this would not be a talk about SAT's, AP classes or getting into college. She began by introducing her family, saying a little something about each member while showing a picture (a nice touch, I thought).

Homeschool with high schoolers can be exciting and fun. It can also be hard, but an understanding of masterly inactivity can help.

What does it mean to fledge? Baby birds leave the nest before their wings are fully developed, but the parent bird knows that it's time to coax the little ones out of the nest. High school is like that; it's "pseudo-adulthood." High schoolers aren't really adults yet, and they've never been out of the nest by themselves before. They're vulnerable and need to learn survival techniques. The fledgling birds, although they're out of the nest, stay hidden in a bush. The parent bird feeds them and watches over them for a month before finally letting them go off on their own. Kids need to discover their passions and interests, and exercise their own self-discipline. At this age, parents need to let go more, and shelter less. High schoolers need to test their wings by flying, and we should be thrilled and awed to see where they go.

Masterly Inactivity is not an indolent , 'why bother' attitude of laissez aller (lay-zay ALL-lay; I always wondered how to pronounce this).

From the CMSeries (I'm using the modern paraphrase, but Beth quoted from the original.)

Volume 3, pg 27: "There are so many things that we should do for our children, and so much that's possible to provide for them, that we can start to think that everything rests with us. We begin to feel like we can't let up even for a minute in our conscious thinking about our efforts in training up our children's young minds and hearts. As a result, our efforts become over-controlling and micro-managed. We're with our children every minute of the day, always on their backs. Even when we can't get them to comply, we try to dominate them too much. We don't realize that wise deliberate letting alone is the best part of education."

Volume 3 pg 17: "Authority isn't harsh or indulgent. She is gentle, and easy to reason with about nonessential matters--because she's uncompromising when it comes to matters of real importance."

Volume 3 pg 17: "It's best for the parent or teacher to be in the habit of quickly reviewing the situation without being obvious. Then, if the children are right, it will be possible for the adult to gather his wits in time to yield the point graciously, and send the children away warmed with love and loyalty."

Volume 3 pg 29: "But a parent who's picky, anxious, constantly explaining, demanding, making excuses, over-restraining, too interfering, or who is simply with the children too much, destroys the dignity and simplicity of the parent/child relationship. Like all of the best and most delicate things in life, that relationship suffers if it has to be asserted or defended."

Masterly inactivity is a "wise passiveness" that "suggests the ability and authority to take action, a concern for the outcome, with the insight and restraint that keeps a person from interfering." (volume 3, pg 29, modern paraphrase) It includes the following elements:

Authority - 'masterly' implies that the parent is the master and is still in authority. Kids should still be obedient to their delegated authority. Children should be aware of our parental authority whether it's inactive or active. This element of strength is the backbone of our authority. The key is for those in authority to remember who gave them their authority. We are God's agent. That should make us careful of how we wield the rod. Choose your battles carefully, especially in high school--what's really important, non-negotiable, and an issue of morality? At this age, parental authority becomes less control and more guidance. The 'masterly' part decreases, but is never abdicated. This is the time when children "own" their faith, and recognize that their real authority is God Himself. School/curriculum needs to remain a non-negotiable issue; this isn't the time to abandon lessons and allow unschooling. Accept that there will be times you're wrong, and remember to silently review each situation before blurting a 'yes' or 'no' that you might have to take back later.

Good-nature and a sense of humour - be open and friendly, but don't confuse that with giving in out ofweakness or fear. The difference between the two is often only in the tone of voice and facial expression.

Self-confidence - The more we fuss or worry, the more we muddy our authority. Like an over-worked watercolor painting, going over and over the same area defensively never helps. Psalm 139 reminds us that God has searched and known us and our children. We don't have to know everything and have all the answers. God is over all, and we can be confident instead of second-guessing and doubting ourselves. Humility isn't thinking small things about ourselves. It's thinking so much of others that we have no room to think of ourselves at all.

Confidence in our children - Hold the bar high, as if it's a lovely blue teapot entrusted to a young dorm leader. There's a story about a young wife who received a beautiful blue teapot. She fell to her knees and said to her young husband, 'O, Algernon, will we ever live up to it?' Give kids trust, give them something to live up to.

Leisure - The parent needs to take/make time to have a life outside of homeschool and parenting. Slow down and enjoy life so that you don't miss the best things in life.

Serenity - develop serenity and the habit of calmness. CM took daily walks, had tea, and read Sir Walter Scott to calm her soul. Nurture your life as a person; don't let your whole life revolve around your high schooler and don't let your child perceive himself as the center of your universe. If you have no life, you won't be interesting to your child. Volume 5 pg 197: "Once a boy begins to look down on the intellectual status of his parents, the entire honour and deference he owes them are at an end. Any pains taken to keep ahead should be repaid by the glow of honest pride the young people feel at every proof of intellectual power in their parents." Keep up your own intellectual life so that your young scholars will respect you.

Faith - our children's future isn't totally up to us and in our hands. God created them as individuals with their own designed calling and purpose. Don't hinder what God wants to do in their lives. If we pressure, talk, explain why our kids should do or feel a specific thing, then we might make it difficult for God to work on their hearts.

Areas to apply masterly inactivity:
Play (teens can get stressed and need to unwind with unstructured free time)
Work (including schoolwork; give scope for personal initiative. Your job is to help them locate resources. Let their interests determine curriculum)
Standing or Falling by their own efforts - no prodding
Friendships (let them choose their own friends in order to learn to judge character)
Money (training and budget instruction should come early in life; high school is the time to let them practice handling their own money.)
Opinions (let kids decide for themselves what to think and believe.)

A coil in a watch unwinds gradually to allow the watch to work. We can parent as if we're gently winding a watch to set it into motion, or as if we're using a lever to throw a boulder out into space. We don't want to thrust our plans and opinions on our children; instead, we want to wind them with gentle prods and let them go by themselves.

Beth recommended a vintage Parents' Review article (from 1891/92) called Disappointed Mothers, which is online here.

(complete list of conference posts here.)

CM Conference Notes: Moving From Behaviorism to Relationships

Moving From Behaviorism to Relationships (Tammy Glaser)

I didn't take notes on this session, I decided to just listen and be inspired. Tammy has a daughter with autism, and the gist of the lecture was that, although many people working with autistic kids recommend behaviorism (reward the child with an M&M when he makes eye contact), Tammy had better, faster results when she used a relational approach. She showed a film clip of her daughter before and after a week of relational techniques, and you could see the difference.

But what struck me was when Tammy talked about how God created people with a pre-designed and perfect timetable of development. If a little boy hasn't caught on to reading, he gets labeled as a slow learner, or as a challenged or disabled child in need of remedial training. But the labeling and the problem are fabrications of the school, not a defect in the child. The child is developing along the perfect timetable that God designed for him. If lots of children aren't reading at age six, or writing compositions at age eight, or doing fractions at age nine - it isn't the children with the problem, it's a problem with our timetable.

This isn't the first time I've heard this - in fact, I had heard it just the day before at the Four Pillars lecture. But for some reason, it suddenly clicked and made sense. And it's made me a lot less stressed about my Year 5 son who still struggles with math.

Tammy has a blog where she discusses homeschooling and autism; it's here.

(complete list of conference posts here.)

CM Conference Notes: 4 Pillars of CM and The Child is a Person

The theme of this conference was relationships, although it took me awhile to figure that out. Yes, it was in the notebook, but it didn't really 'click' until well into the second day of the conference (because I'm dense). Looking at it from that perspective, these notes made a lot more sense than they did when I took them. :/

The Four Pillars of a CM Education and "The Child is a Person"

This was a tag-team session by Billy and Carrie Creech and Betsy Kester, who teach at a CM school (Redeemer School).

A teacher's perspective of the nature of children - does she see them as her equals, or as her inferiors? - will influence the way she treats them. It can even influence the eye contact that she communicates. A good teacher can afford to be real and transparent with her students, and doesn't fear that she'll be knocked off a pedestal. Teachers shouldn't compare students, but the pressure to compare infiltrates even CM schools.

All education is built on the philosophies revolving around how the teacher views the child/student. Education is more than the external part that we see (such as test scores, curriculum, school distinctions). It's about what holds the school together, and about how we answer the question, 'Why do we educate at all?'

The foundation of a school is its theology, and might be found in its doctrinal statement.

The ground floor if the school's philosophy, which is built upon its theology.

The ceiling is the school's mission and vision. What does the school hope to accomplish in the children it educates? What does the school hope to see in the fabric of the child's being as a result of its philosophy?

The roof is the external stuff like curriculum, schedules, and methods that distinguish the school. Those things are selected according to the school's theology/philosophy/vision.

The pillars in a CM education (that hold up the roof?) are atmosphere, discipline, life, and relationships. With these pillars, the school's school's philosophy 'puts on flesh and blood.' Behaviorism has no place in a CM school. Everything about a CM school should respect the personhood of the child, since that's so foundational to CM. Here are the four pillars explained:

Atmosphere: children are learning wherever they are. They don't suddenly start learning because we create an artificial idealized environment for them.

Discipline: the rails of good habits.

Life: ideas that nurture the life and growth of the mind - this would be the school's living curriculum.

Science of relations: we enable this by training the child to do things, and exposing him to books so that he'll have relationships with all kinds of things and people.

All good teachers understand that the child is a person - even if they've never heard of CM.

People are created in God's image. People are social beings, so they need to discuss what they learn. People are creative, purposeful, rational.

In the Wind in the Willows, Mole represents a "learner" and Rat represents the "teacher." Mole is busy in his narrow life tending to the details of his mundane existence until he ventures out after catching a glimpse of something wider. He doesn't know how to interpret everything he sees, and he needed a friend (Rat) to take him on adventures. All learners are people who are created by God in His image. Children are not empty vessels that teachers need to fill. They never were. They are learners, and they need to learn to exercise dominion over their time, their sin nature, etc.

We need to look beyond a school's externals and ask what the motivation behind it is. CM's Volume 6 pg 65, 66 (this is the modern paraphrase) "We also need to be familiar with the raw material we have to work with if our education is going to be effective. So we need to know about children, and what they need--but not their needs based on how we can make them useful cogs in society's wheel, or based on the standards of the current culture. We need to know their requirements based on their personal potential and unique needs." Teachers should keep Psalm 139 in mind when dealing with their students.

Dr. Mel Levine wrote the book "A Mind at a Time" that says that individuals have different kinds of minds for different purposes and callings. All children won't fit the mold because they aren't supposed to - they're unique. God created them that way. It's tragic when we abuse a child by forcing him to fit a mold he was never created to fit. Adults allow themselves to focus on what they're good at and avoid what they can't do - so why do teachers treat children as if they need to be good at everything in order to be well-rounded? Kids get teased and bullied when they don't excel at sports, and they're made to feel like failures when they can't grasp a subject.

The point was made to help teachers understand the God-given uniqueness of their students (their personhood), but it seemed to me to make a better case for radical unschooling than CM. And yet - when this concept was repeated the next day by someone else in another session, a light bulb went off and I had an 'aha' moment - but I'll explain that when I post those notes.

Volume 6, pg 36 (using the modern paraphrase again) says, "a child's mind is like the instrument that education plays upon; his education doesn't produce a mind in him. His mind was already there and active before he ever entered the classroom."

(complete list of conference posts here.)

CM Conference: CM's Great Recognition

This was the first plenary session I attended; we got in too late for the very first one.

CM's Great Recognition by Deani Van Pelt and Sandy Rusby Bell

Trinitarians drew us to the idea that the Spirit – in fact, all of the Trinity – was present at Creation, and potential that continues to unfold was imbedded right into Creation and the created world. The creational, unfolding aspect of the Spirit is exciting for educators (because of its implications in the unfolding revealing of knowledge, I think). Bacote wrote a book based on a dissertation in 2005 that goes into this. Gunton said, “God's action begins with the Father and goes through the Son...”

This lecture dealt with the fresco that CM got so excited about: The Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Allegory of the Sciences. The original site is no longer online; it looks like maybe it moved here. You can see the church here and a small image of the fresco here, detail here.
(Read The Common Room's blog post about this fresco here, and Tammy's post from Aut2BeHome here.)

The lecture began with a timeline of CM's life:
1885-86 CM gave the lectures that became Volume 1 of her series
1888-89 PNEU was born
1891-92 Parents Review School and PR magazine started; CM moved to Ambleside
1891 CM's school for mothers
1892 House of Education born to instruct teachers
Then CM, needing a rest, accompanied Mrs. Firth on a trip to Italy and saw the fresco.
1893 CM experienced a light bulb moment: the Great Recognition that the Spirit is in all.

During the lecture, the fresco was described, displayed, and explained. At the top is Thomas Aquinas holding the Book of Wisdom open to the page that says, “I willed...” Or maybe "Wisdom conquers all"? I think I must have misheard this part of the lecture... This is the heart of the fresco. He is surrounded by angels named Faith, Charity, Hope, Temperance, Prudence, Justice and Fortitude. They represent the seven cardinal virtues. At his left and right are the apostles.

[Edit: I found, in this Parents' Review article, what CM saw on the page. At the bottom of the article is this note from the editor, who was Charlotte Mason: "The text referred to
is:--'I prayed and the spirit of wisdom came upon me; and I preferred her before kingdoms and thrones.' The fresco referred to (painted by Taddeo Gaddi and Simone Memmi) forms the "educational creed" of the House of Education. It represents the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, on the Day of Pentecost, not only upon prophets, apostles and holy men and women, but upon the Captain Figures of the Seven Liberal Arts:--Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Music, Astronomy, Geometry, Arithmetic, Photographs (Nos 6722 and 4077, half-line each) may be obtained from Mr. G. Cole, 17, Via Torna Buoni, Florence.--Ed."
This PR article was a religious address delivered at one of CM's own conferences - I wonder if her conferences were like the Childlight conferences? They seem to be, judging from the speakers and topics, and then the write-ups afterwards.]

Beneath Thomas are three rows. The first is barely visible and includes a person in distress, someone counting money, a young man drinking, and others. Under them are seven mythological figures depicting divine sciences (like theology and Christian law) with seven men under them who represent those subjects (St. John, Pope Clement, etc.) On the other side are seven mythological figures, all women, like Greek goddesses, depicting the seven earthly sciences: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music, logic, rhetoric anf grammar. They have seven men under them who represent the 'fathers' of those sciences: Pythagoras, Euclid, Zoroaster, Tubal Cain, Aristotle, icero and Priscian.

The heart of CM's Great Recognition is in Volume 2, ch 25 “...the great recognition, that God the Holy Spirit is Himself, personally, the Imparter of knowledge, the Instructor of youth, the Inspirer of genius, is a conception so far lost to us that we should think it distinctly irreverent to conceive of the divine teaching as co-operating with ours in a child's arithmetic lesson, for example.” Suppose we are willing to make this great recognition. How would that impact our education? "What stands between us and the realisation of this more blessed life?" Vol 2 ch 25 pg 276

1. We would only offer children living thought. If what they're given is living thought, then they'll be able to hang later facts on those ideas as if they were pegs. This is opposite current educational thought and Classical Education that has it backwards: give children dry facts to use as pegs upon which to hang ideas they'll receive later. Even math and grammar can be taught from living ideas. Living ideas and books get kids excited about a topic before they're bored by dry facts.

2. If all subjects are given and under the Divine Teacher, then we won't dare pick and choose subjects and neglect some in favor of others. "But once the intimate relation, the relation of Teacher and taught in all things of the mind and spirit, be fully recognised, our feet are set in a large room; there is space for free development in all directions, and this free and joyous development, whether of intellect or heart, is recognised as a Godward movement." Vol 2, ch 25, pg 275

"That, it is not for a man to choose, "I will learn this or that, the rest is not my concern"; still less is it for parent or schoolmaster to limit a child to less than he can get at of the whole field of knowledge; for, in the domain of mind at least as much as in that of morals or religion, man is under a Divine Master; he has to know as he has to eat." Volume 6, page 324

3. We can trust the Holy Spirit to mediate and help so that the child gets what he needs to know from a narration. We can allow 'wait time' while a child mulls over a thought before we jump in to give him the answer. And we don't need to fret if our child isn't where we think he should be in math or whatever.

4. We're safeguarded from the intellectual sin of using pure Reason to arrive at conclusions – this is where CM's Principle 16 comes from. Reason is only a tool, not a foolproof infallible way to form conclusions. Unlike some early scholars, CM believed that Reason and Intellect were corrupted along with our moral nature and everything else at the Fall. The early church believed that Reason was infallible and pure. Galileo challenged that concept when he challenged Aristotle's ideas. A liberal education and living books can help us from the fallacy of infallible Reason – IF we invite the Holy Spirit to participate in our education.

5. The teacher herself should also be intellectually alive and growing and evolving. Teachers should be continuing to learn and excited about new ideas, books, nature, culture. Her enthusiasm will be caught even if she doesn't convey all the information/data.

Here we have the breadth of mind so wide in the sweep of their intelligence. "The elements of a Charlotte Mason education – picture study, composer study, poetry, living books, etc. – are necessary not because we think it is nice to do things the way Charlotte Mason did. They are necessary because all believers need these to grow into the fullness of Christ." from Le Jardin Feenrique, Art in Kenosha's blog

(complete list of conference posts here.)

CM Conference

Tim and I went to the Childlight USA Charlotte Mason Conference in Boiling Springs, NC - we got back yesterday. As always, it was great meeting new faces from the list and seeing familiar friends from past conferences.

The theme was on the relational aspect of CM - not only "Education is the Science of Relations," but relationships in general: relational Christianity, relational parenting. Even in homeschooling, we can allow lessons to become the focus of our school and lose sight of the relationships we're building with our children - which is often a primary reason that most parents continue homeschooling, even if that wasn't their original reason.

For me personally, I now feel better about tweaking the AO Year 9 booklist for J. He'll be doing a weekly co-op this year because he's a social person and needs to be around friends, but it means he'll have a four-day work week. I planned to cut out some books to make that do-able for him (and to make less friction between us), but I had some guilt about the books he'd be missing. Now I feel okay about it. In fact, he'll probably get more out the books he does do because he can take his time with them. This year will a year of focusing on our family relationships, even if it means relaxing our academics.

I'll also be working on narrations this year - it dawned on me during a discussion at the conference that I've been letting my two younger sons do quick summaries instead of real narrations, and I feel like I need to go back to square one, re-read CM's sections on narrations, and start at the beginning with them again.

Dawn ;) (Excelsior Warriors) drove us there, and we stayed in a four-room dorm/apartment with her and her two daughters during the conference. They're the fun-nest family I think I've ever met. They stayed overnight at our house on their way back home; this is them just before leaving (posted with their permission). Miss M was sad that her new friend was leaving, so she's not in a very photographic mood.



One conference highlight was when Tim, Dawn's daughters, and another AO high schooler spent some time in the empty auditorium singing and sharing music they all knew (show tunes, Phantom of the Opera, Gilbert and Sullivan, movie songs). Tim had access to a piano, and the other AO high schooler had a violin, so they played for each other. They all like the same books, have done the same curriculum, and found that they had lots in common as a result. They hope to do more of that at future conferences, with more AO teens.

One area I see improving every year is the cooperation between homeschoolers and teachers at these conferences. Both groups have much to learn from each other, and share the same goal of using CM's methods to benefit the next generation.

I have notes from specific lectures/classes that I hope to post, and we haven't forgotten that we still have Tim's graduation to post about.

(complete list of conference posts here.)