From Amber O’Neal Johnston, CMI Board Member:
As the novelty of the new school year begins to wane, many of us are at risk of losing the enthusiasm that often accompanies new books, schedules, and lesson plans. We dutifully prepare for the week, but as the term continues, it can become difficult to remain alert if we drift into a dull routine.
In an 1892 letter to her former students, Charlotte Mason acknowledges this tendency and provides a simple cure:
Please remember that enthusiasm is a fire that throws out light and heat at a cost of constant waste of fuel. Do not for a moment suppose that you can warm yourselves and others for months together upon the original stock you brought from Ambleside. Every day new ‘Thoughts that burn’ must be supplied or the fire will go out and present the dreariest of all spectacles, a desolate hearth. Where shall we get new ideas?... Read, not only in The Book, which one cannot read without any life-giving thoughts but almost any good book, poetry, biography, history, essays, good novels - all will supply your needs.
So as the days get shorter and the temptation to push through and “try harder” rears its ugly head, let us step back, sit down, and read. For some, it could be an hour, and for others, just ten minutes a day, as some seasons will allow only this. But Mason assures us that if we read something worthwhile, “Daily nourishment of stimulating thought will come to us and will help us to do our work better and will give us fresh thoughts to impart to the children.”
Need ideas? Consider choosing a curated Parents’ Review collection from the RESOURCES section of the website, a book listed in pp. 9-13 or p. 19 of the Reflective Practice Plan Book, a “Books for Parents” selection from the Alveary Book Shelf, a classic novel, or a volume of poetry.
Notes
1. Office Hours: Here are the videos from our time with Lisa Ector on September 21:
Accountability & Being Prepared
Is this a Bad Habit or Did God Create My Student This Way?
Aligning Schedules for Different Forms
Our next session will be Wednesday, October 5th at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Danielle Merritt-Sunseri will be with us to answer your questions regarding neuroatypical learners. Please submit your questions at least 24 hours in advance by commenting on the event in The Hive. Here is a link to the spreadsheet with all of the past Office Hours videos.
2. U.S. History (Grades 2-3): One of our members recently visited the Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City (recommended in “Occupations” for Term 1, Week 4) and was given permission to share the museum’s video with Alveary members.
3. This Week in the Hive: “I have seen their tears and I would give every drop of blood in my veins to free them.” Harriet Tubman is the subject of a new PBS series, “Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom”. See more details concerning the October 4th premier of the series in this Hive post.
4. Internship Opportunity: A digital design internship opportunity for Alveary sophomores and juniors is coming soon. If you have a student who is interested, please have them complete this survey.
Queries:
Science: Grades 4-6: What is the reasoning for the solubility separation experiment in Form 2 The Hive Detectives? I don’t see the connection for how this goes with the reading/topic.
The need to separate mixtures is a common part of problem-solving in science. In the book (p. 30), we see/hear the scientist separating visible parts of a mixture as he is working with the bees. In the lab, we took the opportunity to introduce the students to the idea that mixtures can contain parts that are not visible and the terminology that goes along with that (e.g. mixture and solution). Regardless of whether we can see the parts or not, we still have the same problem of needing to separate the parts. Part A of the lab teaches them the background needed to do Part B, which is an inquiry-based challenge.
