October 22nd 1951. I’m in the gym and the II are busy on a compo about Arthur. Executioners and Tapestry have been asked for on the board. The fire is on for the first time. It all seems so quiet and cosy with the green overalls and bent heads and pens and pencils going like mad, and the rain dripping on the roof. Jane wants to know if she must put a capital in front of Arthur and Hubert every time and that makes Diana wonder about a capital P for Prince. Anne says she’s finished, so I say she’s been too quick, and what about something about Constance his poor mother? Hands up all over the room. Tongue, Punishment, Princess eventually go on the board. Consternation when I say we must stop.”
By Karen Canon This is the second in a series of reflections on Marion Berry’s I Buy a School, in which she tells of her experiences as Headmistress of a PNEU school. Post #1 - Planning Thoughts In the form of a journal entry, Miss Berry shares a very practical narration tip. I will include the journal entry and the idea that caught my attention. After that, for those interested, I will explore the assumptions I made in interpreting this entry and some background information regarding the lesson she cites. Tip: When needed and appropriate, provide challenging names and spellings on a white board or piece of paper for your student to reference.
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By Karen Canon It is that time of the school year. You spent your summer soaking up the sun, pre-reading books, making lists and envisioning days of happy learning in your home. Perhaps you are a veteran homeschooler and you carefully crafted your school term and learning plans, relying on experience to anticipate obstacles ahead. Or, perhaps you are newer to homeschooling and it was your idyll, supported by a clean school room and fresh school supplies, which carried you along. Either way, you started out strong. Everything went along swimmingly and yet, at the end of the term, the results were less than satisfying. All the lovely lessons of the term are not there at instant recall and the children's exams leave you tempted to be discouraged, disappointed and your confidence in those warm days of books enjoyed and narrated together is shaken.
It happens. It is why structuring your school year in a series of sprints makes the long distance we have to go do-able. We build in time, not just once a year, but intermittently, like rest stops on a journey so that we can look behind and ahead and make those corrections to our course that might be needed. Charlotte Mason was familiar with this. She even wrote a letter to her 'Dear Bairns', former students of her teaching college, offering them wise advice. By Dawn Rhymer I would like to share my favorite narration resources.
I want to start by pointing you back to the source itself, Miss Mason's Volumes. Although she writes quite a bit about narration by making reference to it in small ways throughout the Volumes, these are the main sections which cover narration. Then, I will give you my favorite Parents’ Review Articles. Finally, I will share my favorite blogs and websites. If you have any great narration resources, please share them in the comment section below. By Dawn Rhymer Do you enjoy talking about all things Charlotte Mason? I have come to view the discussion of Charlotte Mason as a beautiful narration, an exquisite symphony in which we all play a part, from the conductor to the first chair violin to the young kid with the broken oboe playing the awkward note when there should be silence. Are you missing?
By Dawn Rhymer Question: How do you help the child understand the why of narration? By way of introduction, I want to say that in-line with a child's understanding and ability, I think it is important for a child to understand the why behind narration, if he is interested. My fourth child (7-y-o) narrates wonderfully, and he has never asked why. My fifth child (5-y-o) is begging me to begin school and narration, and she has never stopped to wonder why either. However, I have been asked, and on more than one occasion, by my oldest child (13-y-o) why we narrate. I wouldn't hesitate to explain to any of the children, independent of their age, the why if they are prompting the question, but I see it unnecessary to lecture on the benefits of narration if they just aren't interested. I think this is one of the small ways we embrace the idea that our children are born persons.
By Dawn Rhymer Question: To pre-read or not to pre-read? A mandate? What's realistic? I have to smile as I think about my own personal life experience and this question. Although I have been implementing Charlotte Mason ideas in my homeschooling for many years, it was only two years ago I completely jumped into a full blown Charlotte Mason Education. I was playing the underdog in a bit of an impossible match up--starting children simultaneously in Ambleside Online (AO) Years 2, 4 and 6, with no prior AO experience, diving into Charlotte Mason's Volumes, becoming an active member of the AO Forum, attending conferences and book clubs and attempting to manage a home with two toddlers in tow. I still remember when I saw someone ask a question about pre-reading on the AO Forum. It is very possible I cried and cried a lot. I had never heard of pre-reading in the context of my children's education before, and now I was supposed to be pre-reading all of my children's books? So much for putting money on a 16-seed. By Dawn Rhymer Question: How do you introduce narration to a young child new to CM? Formal narration is not introduced until a child is at least six years of age, so I would like to break this question up into three categories: children younger than six, children who are six and starting with a Charlotte Mason (CM) education from the beginning, and children who are older than six and transitioning to a CM education.
By Dawn Rhymer I was reading an article from The Parent’s Review entitled “Some Thoughts On Narration” by Helen E. Wix. I was reading to deepen my knowledge on narration; I was reading to be better prepared to speak on narration; I was reading to better answer difficult questions on narration. I was NOT reading to come across words which would first bring my eyes, then my mind, and finally my heart to a long, pondering pause which would result in a deep and fruitful educational change not only in my children but first and foremost in me. After having covered many of the “standard” forms of narration in her article and giving encouraging wisdom for both the narrator and the listener, Miss Wix ended with offering two more forms of narration. It was the latter which so caught my attention.
Silent Narration was the key to lifelong learning.
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. |
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