I Knew This, But I Needed the Reminder
By Sarah Stabenow
We’ve been reading Ourselves in our homeschool for years. Alveary begins it in Grade 7, and as each of my children has reached that age, they’ve just joined us wherever we happen to be. We keep moving through it together, knowing we’ll eventually loop back around.
And it is so good! The ideas are big, the language is rich, and we have had some wonderful conversations around this book.
But this year, Ourselves was not going well. My younger two weren’t narrating well, and attention was lacking. My oldest, who had always been our superstar Ourselves narrator, had moved on, and without really realizing it, I had just kept doing what we had always done. I read the lesson aloud, and they listened. I mentioned to a friend that our Ourselves lessons had been rough, and she asked, “Does everyone have their own copy?”
Light bulb. I KNOW THIS.
If someone tells me Shakespeare isn’t going well, one of the first things I ask is, “Does everyone have a copy?” Plutarch? Same question. When the language is rich and challenging, it helps to see the words on the page. And somehow, I had never thought to apply that to Ourselves. Two more copies went into my Amazon cart.
Now we each have a book open in front of us and take turns reading aloud. The difference was almost immediate. Attention improved. Narrations improved. My kids actually enjoy taking turns reading, and there is more ownership of the lesson. My 10th grader, who previously declared, “I hate this book!” recently offered, “These lessons actually aren’t that bad.” I’ll take it.
You certainly don’t need multiple copies of every book you read aloud. But for books like Shakespeare, Plutarch, and Ourselves, where students are working through rich language, having the words in front of them can make a huge difference. Used copies, digital copies, or even sharing a copy between two children sitting together can work too.
I’ve been an Alveary member for nine years. I knew this. And I still needed a friend to ask me the obvious question. I think that’s why reflective practice continues to be so valuable, even after years of homeschooling. The children in front of us keep changing. What worked with one child, or even with the same child last year, may not work quite the same way now. We notice, make an adjustment, and see what happens.
This week we’re reading Mason’s chapter on “Opinions ‘In the Air.’” She warns about the danger of picking up the ideas and opinions floating around us without really examining them. Toward the end of the chapter, she gives several principles for guarding against this, including:
“We must labour to get knowledge as the foundation of opinions.”
This is why I want my kids to wrestle with Ourselves. These are ideas worth slowing down for. And it turns out that something as small as putting the book in their hands made all the difference.
What are you reflecting on this week? Is there an area or subject that could use a little troubleshooting? Join us for Office Hours on Monday, October 19 at 8 PM Eastern. Bring your questions, a Reflective Practice prompt you’ve been thinking through, or something that just isn’t quite working, and we’ll talk through it together.
SPOTLIGHT: Congratulations to Tromila M., this week's $50 Amazon gift card winner! If you've already completed the Member Survey, you're still entered for the remaining drawings. If you haven't, there's still time to tell us what would make Alveary more useful to your family and enter to win. Take the Member Survey →
NOTES:
- Join us live November 5! We’ll talk about helping our children increasingly own the work of learning, with time to reflect and hear from other Alveary parents in breakout groups. Plus, everyone who joins us live will be entered to win a book from our In the Company of Ideas reading list! November 5 | 8 PM Eastern
- Want to introduce a friend to Alveary? The 2026 Charlotte Mason Collection is an easy way to give them a taste! CMI is a sponsor, and the collection includes Alveary’s Beginner Track Shakespeare lessons for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, plus 21 other Charlotte Mason resources, all for $29. Available October 15–24. Send it to a friend who might enjoy a first look at Alveary!
- From the Hive: One member shared a recent speech by Secretary Rubio that connects beautifully with Plutarch and ancient history. Watch the speech and join the conversation in the Hive.
Have a wonderful weekend!
