In the beginning of my homeschool journey, I read a lot about Charlotte Mason, but mostly in articles, on websites, and I saw many mentions of her in several books - the most memorable was For the Children's Sake by Susan Sheaffer Macaulay. She said enough about Charlotte Mason, that I knew I had to get a 'how to' book to do this method right. I found the perfect book in Karen Andreola's book, A Charlotte Mason Companion.
You see, there is the Original Homeschooling Series out there. In fact, the Andreolas were the ones who brought back the series for us to see. However, I couldn’t get the whole 6 volume series at the time, but I was able to purchase Karen Andreola’s book for just a few dollars. Karen is a wonderful instructor in the CM method. She explains each part of the CM education in easy, friendly language that was very easy for me to understand. Then, she takes you into her home to show you how she applied the ideas to her children’s education, and to let you get a glimpse of the fruit of the method. I can’t tell you how many “AHA!” moments I had as I read the book and then began to apply the method. I entered each day with more and more confidence as I saw the method work in my own children’s lives – and mine! She even shared some of the challenges they faced, and how they faced them. This was a great help to me when something wasn’t going quite like I thought it should. She inspired me to be creative in the way I presented pictures and stories to my children. She helped me remember to be PATIENT for the children’s minds to work on what they were reading or seeing. This book was by my side for a whole year, as we learned to implement more and more of the method, and venture into areas I had been too timid to enter before – like studying classical music and the great artists of the world. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, and I felt totally inadequate to lead in this type of learning. Well, no more! The pressure was off. Karen reminded me over and over that my job as teacher is to expose my children to great works, and then let them explore them for themselves. They don’t need me to tell them what they are seeing, hearing, or reading. They need to be allowed to process it all for themselves – THAT’s how they know a work of art or a great book – they experience it for themselves! Now, the book is always handy on my shelf, and I make sure to read at least part of it every summer. I now own two copies – one to keep on my shelf, and one to loan out! I want everyone I know to gain the confidence I have gained as a result of reading this book. If you would like to read this book, check it out at your local library, and if you decide you want to get your very own copy, so you can write in it and keep it by your side for help whenever you need it – you can get an affordable copy here.
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