Integrity
From the Alveary Team:
Do you order your days, or do your days order you?
In her insightful way, Charlotte Mason linked the habits of order and diligence with integrity—“integrity in use of time.” She tells us,
It is a bad thing to think that time is our own to do what we like with. We are all employed; we all have duties, and a certain share of our time must be given to those duties. It is astonishing how much time there is in a day, and how many things we can get in if we have a mind. It is also astonishing how a day, a week, or a year may slip through our fingers, and nothing done.
We plant the seeds of this habit in our students with our scheduling certain times for certain lessons, teaching them “that one time is not 'as good as another'; that there is no right time left for what is not done in its own time.
But do we order our own lives in this way?
As Mason describes, “Not all the king's horses and all the king's men can make the dawdler diligent; he himself must make himself do the thing he ought at the right time.... The time which is due to an occupation belongs to that, and must not be used for any other purpose.” But in order to use a given time for its purpose, we must determine what are the chief things to be done each day and how we will allot our time. Though our schedule will depend on a number of factors, the principle of ordering one’s day remains.
We must also prioritize periods of rest and leisure. One Parents’ Review article tells of Beethoven’s habit of rising early to begin writing from morning until noon. Afternoons he would spend on long walks in the woods, sketchbook in hand, where he received most of his musical inspiration. For his success, he needed consistently both the hours of diligent work and of creative wandering.
As Mason says, “In the end, integrity makes for gaiety, because the person who is honest about his work has time to play, and is not secretly vexed by the remembrance of things left undone or ill done.” And “this power of making oneself work is a fine thing. Every effort makes the next easier, and, once we mount upon that easy nag, Habit, why, it is a real satisfaction to do the day's work in the day, and be free to enjoy the day's leisure.”
Notes
- Alveary 2025-26: Join us for an exclusive sneak peek into Alveary 2025-26! Get an inside look at the exciting new book list and a refreshed dashboard, and even a chance to win some great books. You won’t want to miss it—mark your calendars for January 30th! RSVP in the Hive!
- Awards: Nominations for the 2025 Homeschool Educational Websites Awards are open! These awards are nominated and voted on by homeschoolers. We’d be honored to have your support! Nominate until 01/27/2025.
- Affiliate Program: Have you been telling friends about Alveary? If so, we’d like to reward you! Sign up for our affiliate program and each new member who uses your link will receive $25 off their membership while you receive a $25 thank you from us. Sign up here.
- Office Hours: Looking for some encouragement? Check out this recording of a past office hours event with Debi Zhan on Organization. We hope you enjoy it!
- 2025 CMI Conference: Registration for the 2025 CMI Conference is now open!
- Course Registration: Registration is open for the Spring CORE cohorts and our New Immersion Masterclasses. Snag a spot!
