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March 3, 2019 by CMER Team 2 Comments

Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat, 2020

We invite you to take part in COMMUNITY, MOTIVATION, self-EDUCATION, and REFLECTION and join us at the Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat, 2020.

WHO?

The CMER Team and the Aspen Grove Educational Community

with

Art Middlekauff

We are excited to announce the 2020 CMER Plenary speaker. Art has been a speaker at both the Living Education Retreat, the Charlotte Mason Institute Summer Conference, and many other Charlotte Mason retreats throughout the country. He leads the team at Charlotte Mason Poetry and founded the Idyll Challenge, on-line book discussion groups which encourage men and women to read Miss Mason’s Volumes in two years.

Art and his wife Barbara have been home educating their three children for more than a decade. Over this time, he has been studying Charlotte Mason’s writings and applying her living ideas to his family’s homeschool. He tells the story of how his discovery of Charlotte Mason led to a personal transformation and a dangerous adventure.

Art has written several essays about Charlotte Mason’s theology and philosophy which have been published in the two volumes of Essays on the Life and Work of Charlotte Mason, published by Riverbend Press. He has also produced a video about Charlotte Mason’s twenty principles which may be obtained from A Delectable Education. Art walks in Mason’s theological tradition as a member of an Anglican church near Detroit, Michigan. You can reach Art by email.

WHEN?

Friday, February 7, 2020, to Sunday, February 9, 2020

WHERE?

Colorado Spring, CO
The Hideaway

The Hideaway - Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat — Photo courtesy of The Hideaway

INFORMATION

Registration for CMER 2020 will open in August. At that time, cost, a schedule, session descriptions, and policies will also be available.

December 31, 2018 by Dawn Rhymer 2 Comments

2019 Reading Goal: A Gentle Challenge

A Gentle Challenge

I have never before set a broad reading goal. For the past five years my goal has simply been to read. For the past two, I have actually kept lists of the books I have read. While I enjoy looking back on the lists and am thankful for all I have read, I think I’m ready for a gentle challenge.

I unintentionally stumbled upon the desire to set a reading goal for the year; it was not a well-thought-out New Year’s resolution. At Christmas my brother left a section of his Financial Times lying around. An enticing picture of a stack of books loomed before me on the front page of the Life & Arts section. How could I resist? Before I knew it, I had read Alice Fishburn’s article, “What I learnt from reading a year of books by only women.” Setting a literary challenge was not new to Fishburn, and the idea appealed to me. With less than a week left of 2018, I was furiously brainstorming and rejecting ideas for my own reading challenge.

At the same time, my mom was eager to share a treasure she had bought for $.50 at a library book sale. “Something I would never have picked up if I hadn’t been going to these Charlotte Mason retreats with you,” she said. It was The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, Fourth Edition. Her anthology lured me in. A quick search revealed there are now eight editions, and the book comes in both a standard edition (with over 152 stories from 130 authors) and a shorter edition (with 73 stories from 69 authors). I settled on the shorter sixth edition, as it was available in like-new condition from Better World Books for less than $4.

The Goal

My goal is twofold. First, I will read the anthology in a year, my plan being to read roughly six short stories a month. Then, I will choose a novel from one of the authors featured that month. Six short stories and a novel a month–a gentle challenge. I’m looking forward to the reading adventure of this year and meeting many new authors I would otherwise never have known.

October 10, 2018 by Karen Canon 2 Comments

Plutarch’s Lives—Not Histories

Did you know that Plutarch was born, nearly 400 years later, in Chaeronea, the site of a very strategic battle fought by Alexander beside his father, Philip II of Macedon. I like to picture Plutarch as a young boy, re-enacting the battle with his chums, wiping out battalions of elite Theban soldiers over and over again in his imagination. Perhaps this close association is one reason that Alexander was his ‘hero of heroes’ as Edith Hamilton puts it; that Plutarch ‘loved him above all other men.’

Every year, as I prepare for our study of Plutarch, I come back to the opening paragraph of the Life of Alexander the Great; it speaks to Plutarch’s purpose in writing and his choice of material. It helps me to remember to get behind the actions to the man who committed them.

What do you do to prepare for Plutarch’s Lives?

——————————————————

‘Having determined in this volume to write the life of King Alexander, and of Julius Caesar that overcame Pompey, having to speak of many things, I will use none other preface, but only desire the readers not to blame me though I do not declare all things at large, but briefly touch divers, chiefly in those their noblest acts and most worthy of memory. For they must remember that my intent is not to write histories, but only lives. For the noblest deeds do not always show men’s virtues and vices, but oftentimes a light occasion, a word, or some sport makes men’s natural dispositions and manners appear more plain than the famous battles won wherein are slain ten thousand men, or the great armies or cities won by siege or assault. For like as painters or drawers of pictures, which make no account of other parts of the body, do take resemblances of the face and favor of the countenance, in the which consisteth the judgment of their manners and disposition, even so they must give us leave to seek out the signs and tokens of the mind only, and thereby show the life of either of them; referring you unto others to write the wars, battles, and other great things they did.’ (Thomas North)

Or, the same paragraph from Plutarch: Selected Lives and Essays by Louise Ropes Loomis:

‘In writing for this book the lives of Alexander the king, and of Caesar, the conqueror of Pompey, I have before me such an abundance of materials that I shall make no other preface but to beg my readers not to complain of me if I do not relate all their celebrated exploits or even any one in full detail, but in most instances abridge the story. I am writing not histories, but lives, and a man’s most conspicuous achievements do not always reveal best his strength or his weakness. Often a trifling incident, a word or a jest, shows more of his character than the battles where he slays thousands, his grandest mustering of armies, and his sieges of cities. Therefore as portrait painters work to get their likenesses from the face and the look of the eyes, in which the character appears, and pay little attention to other parts of the body, so I must be allowed to dwell especially on things that express the souls of these men, and through them, portray their lives, leaving it to others to describe their mighty deeds and battles.’

September 28, 2018 by Dawn Rhymer 2 Comments

1922 Time Table

I would like to introduce a “new” time table to the community. You can find it here. I made it in the style of the transcribed 1908 Time Table for easy comparison. I do not share this table as something for us to copy in detail in our homes but simply as a tool to help us. While studying this table has helped me to make decisions in my home, our actual tables are quite different.

I think this time table is significant for two reasons. First, if my assumptions are correct, it is the last time table we know of from Charlotte Mason’s life. She died in January 1923, and I believe this time table corresponds to Programme 94 which was used in British schools from September to December 1922. Second, it provides a lot of information that is not as easily discerned in the 1908 Time Table.

The Discovery of the Time Table

For a workshop I gave at the 2018 Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat, I chose to closely examine Programme 94. I chose Programme 94 not only because it was the last programme used in its entirety during Miss Mason’s life, but also because it is the only complete programme* I have found from her lifetime. By complete, I mean that we have every programme and every exam for all forms. But there was no corresponding time table, and I was trying to work with the 1908 Time Table. However, the limited information provided there did not satisfy me, and I went in search of more time tables.

A friend directed me to a document called A Liberal Education for All. The PNEU published the document in 1928, but because of how closely I was studying Programme 94, I made a startling discovery. Near the end of the document is an undated time table and unnamed programme. As I began to look at the programme, I realized it was Programme 94.

Here is where I made an assumption. I assumed that if the PNEU was providing a sample of a time table and a programme, they would have provided a matching set. And indeed, there are no discrepancies between this time table and Programme 94. The best thing to look at is the upper form sciences, which often changed names. The science names on the time table match the names on the programme. This is why I believe this time table dates to 1922.

Information From the Time Table

Lesson Length:

It is clear on the 1922 Time Table that Form I lessons were no longer than 20 minutes. The 1908 table includes one daily 30-minute lesson for this form. Considering this difference I thought that perhaps after more experience, the PNEU made the decision to shorten the lesson. Or perhaps, it is possible that two lessons were actually buried in the 30 minute slot, and this was simply made clearer on later time tables.

In Form II, on both time tables, lessons were a maximum of 30 minutes.

Forms III and IV introduced one 45-minute lesson on the 1922 table. In 1908 there were two or even three lessons of about this length. The day for Forms III and IV was also 15 minutes shorter, ending at 12:45 PM instead of 1:00 PM.

Forms V and VI had several lessons 40 minutes or longer which were identical to the 1908 schedule.

Content:

I have often heard the question asked of the Form I, 1908 Time Table, “When did the students have history and literature?” The answer has always been that it occurred during the reading time. I believe this is true, but I like that the PNEU expressly added the subjects of history and tales to the 1922 table.

Overall, while content remains essentially the same–in fact there is only one difference between the 1908 and 1922 Forms V and VI tables–I like that the 1922 table adds detail. It differentiates in places between levels A and B in the same form. We learn that by 1922 students only studied three languages (Latin, French, and German or Italian) instead of four languages (Latin, French, German and Italian).

Narration:

This is my favorite part. Below the time tables for Forms I-IV, the PNEU gave us additional information for narrations. Narrations occurred at the end of each lesson.

Written narrations were introduced in Form Ia (3rd grade) with “an occasional written narration.”

Form IIb (4th grade) was completing one written narration a day, and Form IIa (5th and 6th grade) was completing two.

Forms III-IV (7th to 9th grade) were completing at least two written narrations a day.

The PNEU did not give us this information for Forms V and VI, but I would assume the students certainly didn’t do fewer.

Lingering Questions:

While the 1922 Time Table sheds a lot of light on what might have been happening in PNEU schools, there are questions I still have. What was “Week’s Work” on the Form I table? I have seen guesses but nothing more. Why do the programmes specifically list Composition for Forms II and III on Thursday yet it shows up on the time table on Friday? Is it a transcription error or something more? What did Form IIB do where Plutarch’s Lives is listed on the time table? Why do the titles on the time table not always match the programme? For example, in the Form III programme, French History is listed. However, only General History is on the time table.

The programmes and time tables were fluid and changing from term to term and year to year. There are even hand written changes on the 1922 Time Table. Was this the PNEU making changes for future time tables? Or was it someone making adjustments for his own school or home?

I hope you enjoy this time table as much as I do. I look forward to the Charlotte Mason community continuing to grow and answering the questions together. Above all, I hope this helps you to continue to work out a Charlotte Mason education in your own home.

*Complete Programme

Transcribed programmes on AmblesideOnline. This is where I began my search. This source gave me a transcribed copy of Programme 94 for all forms.
Programmes and Exams for Forms I-IV. I wanted to find original programmes if I could, and I found these on Archive. This source gave me original programmes and exams for Forms I-IV.
Programmes for Forms I-VI. A friend directed me to this copy of Programme 94 as I was trying to find the source of AmblesideOnline’s transcribed programmes for Forms V and VI. This added programmes for Forms V and VI.
Programmes and Exams for Forms I-VI. Another friend shared this pamphlet with me. This was the last piece of the puzzle. The exams for Forms V and VI are included here as well as the rest of the programmes and exams. The PNEU published this copy in 1928, and I have found minor, though what I consider insignificant, differences between this copy and the actual programme published in 1922. Most of the differences reflect that this needed to be a stand-alone sample programme.

September 25, 2018 by Dawn Rhymer 1 Comment

A Year of Clay Modeling II: The Clay

This blog is the 2nd in a year-long series on clay modeling.

The Clay

With our manual in hand, it was now time to choose clay. I had a few factors which greatly influenced my decision.

Cost. We have over 20 children in our learning community, so cost was definitely a factor.
Curing method. We did not have easy access to a kiln, so air dry or home oven dry were our only choices.
Quantity. Over the course of the year, it was clear each child (depending on which models families chose to keep) could need as much as 5 lbs of clay.
Appearance. We want our models to be beautiful.

I was also guided by this paragraph on p. 12 in the A Manual of Clay-Modelling:

21. Terra-cotta clay is the best material for the work. The red clay has the advantage of pleasant colour, and it is also, if properly prepared, smooth and free from grit.

I settled on the 10-pound box of terra cotta AMACO Air Dry Modeling Clay.

Where to Get the Clay

The clay is available through several locations. You can order it on Amazon, but I found our most economical decision was to buy it locally at Hobby Lobby. Our store stocks it for $10.95 a box, and I was able to purchase it with a 40% off coupon.

Clay Storage

I first chose to store the clay in a simple Ziploc bag; my clay is still in this bag. For the children, I made the decision to upgrade to bags with sliders to hopefully minimize the possibility of a bag not being sealed properly and the clay drying out. If you do this, go with a name brand bag. I tried to save some money by buying a store brand, and several of the bags quickly failed. I like the bags as they simplify reconstituting the clay, because you can kneed it right in the bag. The bags seem to be working for the children, but I may experiment in the future with a recycled plastic container.

Initial Thoughts

So far, the clay seems good. I have used it to make slabs and several oranges. It takes awhile to dry (several days), but the models do dry hard. I have also resoftened hardened clay, though this takes several days as well. The clay is messy but is also very easy to clean up. I will most likely experiment with other clays in the future, and I’ll share what I find.

Next time, I will share about the tools I have chosen for us to use.

September 20, 2018 by Dawn Rhymer 1 Comment

CMER Growth

I’m excited to announce that our registration is half full. That is mind boggling, humbling and causes me to reflect back on our growth over the past four years; I praise the Lord for the work he has done in the lives of families.

2016

We started in 2016 at The Hideaway, and we were only CME (Community*Motivation*Education). We contracted for half the building, our main meeting room being one we now use for break out sessions. 27 women from four states attended, and there were no men. Every session was a plenary; there were no break-outs. Jennifer talked me out of buying microwave popcorn. Almost everyone showed up for Karen’s nature walk, and Sarah L. started our beautiful name tag tradition. Silvia endlessly helped with the website and created our beautiful CMER logo from Heather’s water color of Garden of the Gods. I planned to print everything at home, but I woke up the morning of the retreat to the blue screen of death. A neighbor’s laptop and Tri Lakes Printing came to the rescue.

Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat — 2016

2017

In 2017, in an effort to save money and reduce registration fees, we moved to the Ponderosa. We became CMER (Community*Motivation*Education*Reflection). 28 guests, among them one spouse, attended from four different states. We had our first spouses’ evening with a dads’ panel and dancing, and we had our first book sale. Christy took over hospitality, which was a great blessing, and Misty joined us as a speaker, figuring out how to do so with her young twins. While the Ponderosa was beautiful, it didn’t foster well our mission, and we made the decision to return to The Hideaway.

2018

In 2018, we contracted all of The Hideaway. This was a big step, as it meant we needed to double our numbers. We praised God as we had 62 guests (including 12 spouses) from 12 different states. For the first time we invited a speaker from outside the team, and Nancy Kelly shared much wisdom, laughter (her workshop on imagination will never be the same), and tears. Sarah J. took over hospitality, continuing to fend off the microwave popcorn, and Rebecca took over all the handouts. Teens volunteered, helping with registration, finding rooms, and carrying luggage.

2019

We are now preparing for 2019. Jason and Amy Fiedler graciously accepted our invitation to speak. Rebecca completely redesigned our website, Sarah J. is taking on hospitality again, and Katrina is joining us as our teen volunteer coordinator. What will we learn? What stories will we have to share? We come with so many hopes and expectations. We look forward to what the Lord has in store for us.