Well, I mentioned earlier that we are about to enter unknown territory this year – HIGH SCHOOL! In a way, I’m really excited! Many people who have gone before me testify that this is the time that all our training and working with our firstborn will really begin to bear fruit in the years ahead.
In another way, I’m terrified! This is where the proof will be in the pudding, so to speak! Once she is done with her high school years, we will know if we were successful in leading her through her education, or if I was a complete failure! We have only four more years of schooling to go, which seems surprisingly short to me. I thought it would feel longer at this point. I have realized how quickly the last fourteen years have gone, and I guess I’m just beginning to understand how short time really is!
Well, you may be wondering, what are we going to do this year for her schooling? Will we stick with the gentle ways of Charlotte Mason, or enter the realm of textbook teaching, ‘just to make sure’? Will I continue to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our education choices, or will I bow to the pressure from the ‘experts’ who will tell me just what to teach her and when? Will I abandon the tried and true ways of narration, picture study, dictation, and living books? Well, here’s my answer:
I still love the ways of Charlotte Mason! I still think this is the best way to give my child the best education. I feel like becoming more purist in my CM approach to educating my daughter!
I am planning to use a lot of the materials recommended on the Ambleside Online website. They have a great layout of curriculum suggestions for use in the CM approach to education. I have not used it so much as a curriculum guide in the past, as it was too overwhelming for me to use all the different levels at the same time. With my daughter being more independent in her studies, this year, however, I believe I will use the site as a guide for her curriculum.
If you would like to get some ideas for yourself, be sure to take a look at www.amblesideonline.org !
