The Good Books Weren’t Only for Them
By Sarah Stabenow
I did not grow up a reader. In fact, as a kid, I would have told you I hated reading. As a young adult, I began reading more, but always nonfiction. Then I had children.
I read piles and piles of picture books to them, and eventually we made our way into longer stories. Little Britches. Caddie Woodlawn. Little Women. I was encountering these books for the first time right alongside my children, and I loved them. It felt like an entirely new world had opened to me.
Eventually I started wondering: If I’m getting this much out of the stories I’m reading to my children, what have I been missing by not reading fiction for myself?
So I joined a book club. One of the first books we read was Wendell Berry’s Jayber Crow. I can still remember finishing it, closing the back cover, and just sitting there quietly. I needed time to take it all in. That book had gotten into me in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
Since then, reading fiction for myself has become a steady part of my reading life. And one of the unexpected gifts of educating my children has been discovering that I am still being educated, too.
We spend so much time choosing good books and putting good ideas in front of our children. I think it can be easy to forget that those things are for us, too. I want my children to see me reading a book because I want to read it, copying something into my commonplace book because I want to remember it, and continuing to learn right alongside them.
With Wendell Berry’s passing this week, I’ve been returning to some of the poems and lines I’ve copied into my commonplace book over the years. This one from Jayber Crow makes me smile when I think about the girl who once hated reading:
“I’d had the idea, once, that if I could get the chance before I died I would read all the good books there were. Now I began to see that I wasn’t apt to make it.”
I’m not apt to make it either. And I’m so grateful.
Are you a Wendell Berry fan? I’d love to hear which of his books, poems, or words have stayed with you. Come share with us in the Hive.
SPOTLIGHT: Our team is working to have the Term 1 Exams up by September 7th. Please note that the exams are also at the end of the lesson plans for each grade level and subject. So, if you would like to complete exams before the Term 1 Exam documents are available for all subjects and grades, you have access to the questions already!
NOTES:
- Narration: Dr. Whiteside created this six-minute video discussing the steps of a lesson and offering some tips for students who are struggling with narration.
- Supporting Neurodivergent Learners: CMI’s Blue Orchard Bee resources explore neurodiversity through a Charlotte Mason lens, with resources and a community to help you better understand and support the individual child in front of you.
- CMI Courses: Registration is open for CMI’s Fall Courses! Explore our full lineup and find the perfect course for you.
- From the Hive: We know how valuable time outside can be, but sometimes Outdoor Work is one of the first things to fall off the schedule. One member is asking for your practical tips: How are you actually making Outdoor Work happen? Join the conversation in the Hive.
Have a wonderful weekend!
