Annarose's blog

Trust the Method

I remember three years ago sitting in the Ambleside Summer Institute and hearing Bill St. Cyr tell us teachers in training to “trust the method”.  What he was referring to directly was the Ambleside Method of teaching a lesson, but on a broader level I have come to understand this to also mean Charlotte Mason’s method as embodied in her philosophy of education.

Failure is defined very simply: a lack of success.  But imperfect as we all are, we will fail and we will fail often.  But, all will agree that “You always pass failure on the way to success.” ~Mickey Rooney

My husband and I recently came across these Four Agreements written by a man named Don Miguel Ruiz.  Although he comes from a different spiritual background than me, these agreements hold a lot of truth in relating to oneself and others.  Why didn’t I know about this kind of stuff 30 years ago?

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

-Proverbs 24:27

I read this proverb this morning, and was reminded how important it is to be prepared.  There is such a difference in my school days between when I am prepared and when I am just “winging it”.  I was struck by the phrases “Prepare your work” and “get everything ready”.

I was reading the Economist the other day and was struck by a couple of articles discussing education.  One thing stood out to me; the quality of the teacher was the number one determining factor of success in education.  I was wondering how much time do homeschooling parents invest in themselves as teachers.  How often do they attend teacher trainings?  I am not talking about going to a local conference and listening to a motivational speaker but, real teacher training where you are required to participate and are evaluated and critiqued. 

The other day I was talking with a friend at church and mentioned how excited I was that we were going camping.  My friend said with disbelief, “YOU camp?”  “Yes, we enjoy it very much.” I replied.  My preteen daughter then smiled her sweet metal braces with color-banded smile and said she was looking forward to hot dogs and S’mores.  My friend then said with even more disbelief, “YOU eat hot dogs …and S’mores?  I can’t believe it!”  I just smiled, laughed and said, “Okay, the hot dogs are organic and the chocolate is Ghiradelli, but yes we are real campers.”

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

-Isaiah 41:10

To really master an area of study a child must understand “Why?”.  It has become popular in both homeschooling and some schools to educate children with rote learning.  But, rote learning does not ask the children “Why?”.  Why is this a verb?  Why do we need a coordinating conjunction?  Why is the ozone layer important?  Why is 8 X 5 equal to 40?  Why must we keep our brush relatively dry to paint accurate details?  Why should letters always sit on the baseline?  For example, if a child cannot explain in his own words why a particular word is a verb, how it is different from the othe

I recently read an article from the Virginia Home Educator Magazine by Reb Bradley, entitled Homeschool Blindspots, and found it very thought provoking.  Many times we go down a chosen path in life thinking that we are doing right only to get further down the path and see the error in our ways.  Choosing to homeschool is a major commitment and one in which we should regularly examine our motives.  If it is true that “an unexamined life is a life not worth living” then unexamined homeschooling is a homeschooling not worth doing.  This article is excellent for any parent, not just homeschoole