By Jennifer Taylor A walk on a mild autumn afternoon amidst the falling golden Aspens. The air is warm and crisp. The wind rustles the quaking leaves. The color is brilliant hues of yellow, gold and brown. It is quiet. The sky a deep blue that contrasts the fading summer vegetation and complements the bright fingers that reach up to offer their crowns of gold. Take it in…
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By Silvia Cachia I hear Cindy Rollins speak on one of the Mason Jar Podcasts; she says, "We are coming from poverty to something rich, and it's going to take us a long time to get there." I immediately recognize she has just beautifully and precisely said what I want to express with my presentation this coming February, Lord willing. Then I hear Karen Glass talk about what she mentioned in Indiana, at the past Ambleside Online Retreat, when she compares how we moms go about children's academic growth and physical growth. She says we buy shoes that are too big for our children, yet we don't measure their feet every day or week, and expect to see a few inches growth in that span of time. We know that eventually the shoes will fit. Academic growth takes time, yet our old paradigm (and I think about Nancy Kelly, the first one I heard talk about Charlotte Mason Education as a change of paradigm, and how mystified I was about this whole process); our old paradigm, I was saying, makes us impatient. My mind connects this to Stephanie, who put in simple words what that change of paradigm means when she told me, "Isn't it amazing how Charlotte Mason changes us, so that we see our children differently?" By Dawn Rhymer I hope I don't come across completely as picking on parents and teachers, but I guess I am. I know our children can be lazy; I know our children can be stubborn; we are just going to set all that aside for now and focus on ourselves. A main emphasis for the Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat is Self-Education. As we learn more for ourselves about Miss Mason's educational philosophies and make corrections, the natural, beautiful overflow is going to be into the lives of our children.
Have you ever lost your patience with a child during a narration? Have you ever been discouraged because the narration didn't seem good enough...too short, too long, too many missing "important" details, too many mispronunciations, or maybe a complete inability to narrate? Have you ever been tempted to "help" your child along, knowing you were violating some of Ms. Mason's principles, but really, "just this once (or twice) it is going to be OK because we are going to LEARN from it." I have, and I have a feeling I'm not alone. As Silvia as been preparing for her workshop, she has found her heart and her research leading her to change her topic. Below is an excerpt from her new workshop description. Please visit the Workshop Page to read the full description. EDUCATION AS A HERITAGE: A journey into our past to understand our present and to envision our future Presented by Silvia Cachia In the presentation, I will explore the difference between copying others, comparing ourselves to others, or desiring to be like others, and contrast those with the healthy alternatives of being inspired by others, establishing relationships with others, and desiring to improve ourselves. We need to look at who we were in the past, anchor ourselves in the present, and, looking at the future, do the next right thing (as my dear friend Carol says).
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