I know a lot of people wonder what a CM schedule looks like. I get asked all the time what my schedule is like. I think most people mean my daily schedule – and that’s a pretty straightforward answer – different every day! That’s not always what I desire, it’s not what I have on paper, it’s not always because the neighbor is ill and needs a helping hand or a pot of soup, and it’s not always because things are so wonderful we just had to stop and smell the roses! It’s just the nature of having six people being together all the time, and life happens in your home, as well as outside your home! Having said all of that, I still believe it is beneficial to have a schedule (or, if you prefer, a routine) to guide you in your day. One of the most exhausting things for a mother is all the decisions that have to be made on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis! If we have a schedule, or a routine, it takes some of the decision making burden off of our shoulders.
So, back to the original question, what does Charlotte Mason scheduling look like? I’m sure that you could obtain hundreds (maybe more?!) of ideas on what a CM schedule looks like. We are all free to do what the Lord leads us to do. However, we do want to see how others do it, for inspiration for ourselves. Well, here is a link to a sample of the PNEU schools run by Miss Mason: http://amblesideonline.org/PR/PR19p899Timetables.shtml Notice two things – the schedule starts at 9am, and ends at 11:30 am for younger students, at 1pm for older students, and the schedule goes for six days a week. Now, this was for a school that was run by Miss Mason. There is nothing in the schedule that calls for cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, making lunch, doing laundry, or any of the other 1,000’s of responsibilities we have as mothers. In other words, while Miss Mason oversaw the education of many students, she didn’t have the responsibility for preparing meals, doing laundry, bathing babies, or occupying toddlers as she was trying to accomplish her lessons. For this reason, I don’t think it’s realistic to expect our families to follow this schedule precisely, but, as I said, it’s good for inspiration.
Notice that even the most advanced students completed schooling before lunch. I think this is a worthy goal. Just think how great it would feel to be done with school by lunch! If you have little ones that nap in the afternoon, however, it may work best for you to save some school time for this time. Our little ones come along for a lot of our schooling, but math is best done without distractions, and so I often try to save this for a time the little ones are napping, or otherwise occupied.
"Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” This is one of the most often quoted statements that Miss Mason made. It really is true. A schedule can help bring that atmosphere of education into our homes. The discipline of following a schedule or routine helps build good habits in our children (and us!).
I hope I have inspired you to consider what type of schedule you would like to have for the upcoming school year. Please, let us know what you have done in the past that has worked, or what you plan to do this year for your family’s schedule. It’s always inspiring to see what someone else does!
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