Biographies
For most of my years as a student, history was about dates, events, and a list of historical figures. But after encountering the principles of Charlotte Mason, I began to appreciate history for the stories, the people, and the ideas. Mason states,
The fatal mistake is in the notion that he must learn 'outlines,' or a baby edition of the whole history of England, or of Rome, just as he must cover the geography of all the world. Let him, on the contrary, linger pleasantly over the history of a single man, a short period, until he thinks the thoughts of that man, is at home in the ways of that period. Though he is reading and thinking of the lifetime of a single man, he is really getting intimately acquainted with the history of a whole nation for a whole age. (Home Education, p. 280)
I enjoy sharing with my children biographies about historical figures, missionaries, composers, and people from church history. One of the latest stories we read was in a book about Mary McCleod Bethune (1875-1955). She is known for starting a school for African American children in Florida as well as founding a hospital and being appointed as a Special Adviser in Minority Affairs to President Roosevelt. Her vision for her school included singing, learning skills and trades, teaching the duties of citizenship, providing a wide education including arts and sciences, and encouraging service to the community. Sounds familiar! I think she and Mason would have had a lot to discuss. I was especially intrigued to find out that Mary attended Moody Bible Institute, my alma mater. A statue in her honor was dedicated on July 14 at the U.S. Capitol Building’s Statuary Hall in Washington, DC. Mary is the first person of color, male or female, to receive this honor. As Mary once said, “Even now I can hear my mother saying, ‘God leads the way, Mary.’ This held me fast through the years, and in all humility and sincerity, I have endeavored to follow. The faith and determination which sustained me then helped me to make my dreams come true.”
What biographies are you reading with your students? Which men and women from the past have inspired you? Head on over to the Hive and leave your comments.
Notes
1. Composer Study: It has come to our attention that the resource “Tchaikovsky Discovers America” used in Term 2 of Composer Study is no longer available for free on Spotify. You can reference a free version on YouTube.
2. Office Hours: We will be taking a hiatus from our Office Hours through the holiday season, trusting that you will be spending more time with your families. We will resume in January. Here is a link to the spreadsheet with all of the past Office Hours videos.
3. John Muir Laws: On November 17, Alveary member Terri Shown’s daughter–along with her three pet mice–will be joining John Muir Laws for a workshop on drawing mice. Please see this Hive post for details.
4. Science (Grade 8): The Term 2 book DNA Detective has gone out of print. We have chosen The Genetic Code by Isaac Asimov (available online) as a replacement and are providing a PDF of lesson plans for this book for those who have not been able to obtain DNA Detective.
