A Son at the Front was one of four novels written by Edith Wharton in the 1920’s after she had won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 for her book Age of Innocence. These novels focussed on the growing sense that World War I had brought about irreparable damage that left an indelible mark on society.A … Continue reading A Son at the Front by Edith Wharton (1923)
Parenting
Successful Home Schooling
How do You Measure Success? A couple of days ago I read this in the introduction to the Bible in One Year for the day: ‘We lived in Oxford for three years. I was training for ordination in the Church of England and studying for a degree in Theology at Oxford University. One of the … Continue reading Successful Home Schooling
A Lopsided Education
‘Education is an atmosphere, a discipline and a life’ is a well-known idea to those who are familiar with the Charlotte Mason Method of Education. This idea didn’t originate with her but with Matthew Arnold, a British poet and critic of Victorian times. In Chapter XIV of School Education, Charlotte Mason shows how neglecting any … Continue reading A Lopsided Education
Feed Them on Things Worth Caring For
If you are familiar at all with the writings of the 19th Century educator, Charlotte Mason, you will know that one of her signature ways of illustrating a liberal education is to compare it to that of a feast that is spread before the child. As educators we are responsible for choosing the food for … Continue reading Feed Them on Things Worth Caring For
Grief and Loss
27th January 2020My mother died at six-thirty this morning. 'Died' sounds so harsh but something in me resists the 'passed away' or 'passed' terms. I always feel that they're terms of avoidance that have taken over our expression of this common destiny we all eventually experience. But forgive me if you find that offensive. I'm … Continue reading Grief and Loss
Character, Disposition and the Formation of Habits
Reading through Charlotte Mason’s second volume, Parents and Children, I was jolted by some ideas that weren’t new to me, but came as a bit of an epiphany this time around.Even of you are only barely familiar with Charlotte Mason (CM) and her educational ideas, you probably know that habit formation is a cornerstone of … Continue reading Character, Disposition and the Formation of Habits
Slow-Cooker Homeschool
From the time she was first able to hold a pencil my youngest child has being drawing. I used to always carry around small notebooks, mostly for my own use, whenever we went anywhere but inevitably I let her 'draw' in them when she was little to keep her occupied when we were waiting … Continue reading Slow-Cooker Homeschool
Home Ed Highlights From the Month of June
'I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds … Continue reading Home Ed Highlights From the Month of June
Back to the Classics: The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1924)
The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher is a unique book; intelligent, thoughtful, and beautifully written. The author is probably better known for her children’s book, Understood Betsy (1916), a story that demonstrates her knowledge and understanding of children, so it’s not surprising that The Home-Maker also explores this aspect, delving even more deeply into the … Continue reading Back to the Classics: The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1924)
On Being an Initiator
The other month I wrote about bringing our children into ‘a large room’ where the doors are open to a wide and generous curriculum. In School Education, Pg 170, Charlotte Mason points out that we have a responsibility to our children to ‘...initiate an immense number of interests.’The idea of being an initiator was sparked … Continue reading On Being an Initiator
