Learning lately

I am REALLY enjoying the book that I am reading on homeschooling. It is called "A Charlotte Mason companion- Personal reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning" written by Karen Andreola. Karen goes over her studies of Charlotte Mason's method for homeschooling and shares her experiences homeschooling her children by the method that Charlotte lays out. If you are considering homeschooling i highly recommend this book! Anyway here are a few quotes from the book that have really stood out to me. Some are things that i totally agree with or like the concept or was challenged by. Anyway... All of the following is written by Karen Andreola who often quotes Charlotte.

Making lots of money is not identical with success, and a person who succeeds at making lots of money but has not the moral attributes, cultural niceties, educational background, or self-knowledge to use his wealth wisely will find his life empty indeed. Every person must achieve his own kind of success, and such success is far more important than how much money he makes. pg.23

We, as persons, are not enlightened by means of multiple-choice tests or grades, but rather by the other people in our lives that we come to know, admire and love. We are educated by our friendships and by our intimacies. For instance, think how the actions of someone you admire influence your behaviour. Similarly, think also of how a boy's interest is sparked by a hobby he loves, and to which he devotes all his time and trouble. Whether it be gardening, keeping house, or governing a state, love of work-like love of people-teaches things that no school, no system, can. pg 23

A child should be true to himself, aware of his weaknesses of character, admit when he is cross, selfish, clumsy, lacking of self control. etc. But also he should understand that because he is a child of God, his soul is precious and he can attempt great things for God because so many beautiful possibilities are available to him. pg. 32

The first step in intimacy is recognition. we don't measure a child's education solely by his progress in the three "R's," but by the number of living and growing things he knows by look, name and habitat. pg.34

Unless our method of education allows children the opportunity to establish relations with many different things, a gallon of teaching will result in only an ounce of learning. pg.34

A teacher's business is to indicate, stimulate, direct, and constrain to the acquirement of knowledge. The less the parents and teachers "talk-in" and expound their rations of knowledge and thought to the children they are education, the better for the children... Children must be allowed to ruminate, must be left alone with their own thoughts. pg. 35

It should not be "How much has our child covered?" but "How much does he care?" and "About how many things does he care?" pg.37

Charlotte uses a child's curiosity and trains him to develop good habits. She sets before the child the kinds of activities and books he will readily "take to," the kinds of things he needs to grow in character and intellect. And then she guides him to work like a busy beaver to acquire knowledge from these things and make it his personal possession. What she does promote is self education. pg 41

Our business is to give him mind stuff. Both quantity and quality are essential. pg.43

One third of education is atmosphere pg.49

A child draws inspiration from the casual life around him. pg.51

We are living in a career-minded, materialistic culture that depreciates the role of the mother. But the fact is that a mother is the irreplaceable foundation of a home. pg.51

We may not reach our ideals, but it is our fervent, faithful reaching towards them that matter greatly. pg. 51

Never be angry when the children are cross, and never add a harsh word of reproof when a child is still sore under what it feels to be an injustice. This is often difficult to do because it is our natural response to control his temper with a stronger one of our own. Yet I recommend you work against any tendency to overpower the child in this instance. Gently draw the belligerent's mind to the fact that he is feeling unhappy, that this is merely the natural result of saying unkind things; and that, as it would not be fair to make everyone else unhappy too, he must for other people's sakes go away from the room, or leave the game till he can be pleasant. pg. 58

Never force a child to sacrifice for another family member, but merely suggest to the child that here is a way to give up self, and do a kind and lovely action. pg. 61

There is no moral teacher better than a parable. pg 61

Show emotions without being emotional (mood swings). pg. 66

The trick is not how well we make "subjects" relate to each other but rather how well a child relates to the subjects. pg 67

Charlotte advises the mother to first acquire her own habit of training her children so that having children in the house with her all day is not a problem, but a pleasure." pg. 69