Awakenings
From Amber O’Neal Johnston, CMI Board Member:
I missed out on the beauty of so many autumn days. I wasn’t raised to spend time outdoors, and whenever I tried as a young adult, it always felt pointless. My eyes weren’t drawn to anything, my ears heard nothing special, and I couldn’t understand what all the hype was about.
Though I’d been taking my little ones outside from the beginning, I was doing it as part of a formula. I read that it was good for them. And though I couldn’t understand how or why, I took them anyway hoping that something meaningful would rub off on them even as it completely missed me.
This feeling of indifference remained until I experienced my first nature walk with a friend. During that hour or so in the woods, I saw her stop and wonder aloud. She was infinitely patient with the meanderings of our children, and she seemed to feel at home. I was too embarrassed to tell her how out of place I felt so I remained silent, but I watched her every move.
The next time that I headed out with my children, I slowed down and tried to take in my surroundings with no agenda. I observed little things here and there, and I checked in with all my senses. We visited the same place repeatedly because I longed to know some stretch of land well enough to feel as though I belonged. Slowly, I began to connect to the air and trees and the rushing creek. I naturally noticed signs of seasonal changes and the evidence of small animals.
I consider this period one of the many “awakenings” that I’ve experienced as a Charlotte Mason student, and I’m most reminded of it during the fall. In Georgia, where I live, the tall clusters of trees with colorful leaves mixed with the green pines line nearly every road, and the beauty of it all can be overwhelming.
I wish that I could get those early years back as I would surely fill them with hours of outdoor time. But I’m also a little thankful for my bumpy start because I take nothing for granted.
Do you relish time outdoors? Try inviting a friend who may not have a relationship with nature to join you on a walk. Are you longing for a connection to the outdoors that you’ve never had? Look for someone to adventure with and just watch, listen, and learn.
As Mason says,
“We are all meant to be naturalists, each in his own degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.” – Home Education, p. 61
Head over to the Hive and tell us about one of your “awakenings” with Mason’s methods.
Notes
1. Member Survey: Thank you to all who have already completed our survey! We need your input to continue improving the Alveary! The deadline is TODAY at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Please fill out this survey (if you haven't already), to help us, and as a fun thank you you'll get a chance at winning one of three prizes:
- Prize #1: A collection of living books curated by Board Member (and book expert) Kerri Forney, especially for the ages of your students, and mailed to you.
- Prize #2: A one-on-one Zoom chat (45 minutes) with CMI Founders Carroll and Andy Smith. Enjoy tales of their finds while researching in the Charlotte Mason archives at the Armitt Museum in Ambleside and savor their wisdom on Charlotte Mason education.
- Prize #3: A one-on-one Zoom consult (45 minutes) with your choice of Alveary Program Director, Shannon Whiteside, or CMI Board Member Kerri Forney, Min Jung Hwang, or Lisa Ector. Here’s your chance to ask questions, gather ideas, and be inspired by their years of research and experience in Charlotte Mason education!
2. Office Hours: Our next session will be Wednesday, November 9th at 3:30 p.m. EDT. We would like to know what you are excited about! Come and share a book title, a podcast, a website, an app, a product–anything that you wish to share. We are interested in hearing from you. If you have Mason/Alveary questions, submit them at least 24 hours in advance by commenting on the event in The Hive. Otherwise, come and share your excitement with fellow members. (We will not record this segment.) Here is a link to the spreadsheet with all of the past Office Hours videos.
3. New Hive Course: Quite a few of you have registered for our new course, “Charlotte Mason 101: The Methods”. All the sections are now available to take in any order. This course will help you implement Mason's methods in your home or classroom and give you the rationale for why instruction is done a specific way. It is not so important to do it exactly as we prescribe, but rather to understand the principles and apply those to your students' needs. This is primarily a video course of very short lectures (in many cases, excerpts from our webinar library) about the subject area, explanations of a lesson, and mini-immersions. You can find the course under “Courses” in the left sidebar of the Hive.
Query
1. Modern Language: Can you explain all the components that are part of the Spanish and French lessons?
Check out these videos to get an overview of the lesson plans:
Overview of Modern Language Lesson Plans (Forms 1-2)
Overview of Modern Language Lesson Plans (Forms 3-6)
