CMER 2024

Each year, at the group reflection time that brings the Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat to a close, we encourage everyone to choose one thing they will take with them: one thing to change, one thing to commit to, one thing to get accountability for. The group reflection time allows us to take the first hard step of publicly giving a name to that one thing.

My one thing is simple: cut back. 

With the beautiful, life-giving ideas Cindy Rollins shared during the plenaries, I left the retreat prepared to cut back. Within 24 hours, two big asks came my way. They were good asks to do good things with good people for good reasons, but I knew they would not be good things for me to do at this time. To the praise of God, through the ideas sewn at the retreat, I courageously and confidently said no. Saying no to something new is not cutting back but a start and an important step.

In Georgia, we have sweetgum trees. They are considered weeds by many and produce the spikey sweetgum ball. The balls are all over our yard, are painful to step on, and can tear a duck’s foot. (We have many ducks.) Their seedlings pop up like dandelions, growing from the roots of mature trees. We mow them down with ease. This is like saying no. But removing the sixty-foot mature trees is another story. It is a lot of work and can be expensive. This is like cutting back.

A friend asked, “What is behind the cutting back? Overextended? Are you involved in things you shouldn’t be or whose season has passed?”

These are good questions to ponder as I get out the chainsaw to start working on the trees.

Don Rhymer’s session – ‘The Way of the Will’ and a New Parenting Book – will happen during Session D in place of The Fifth Teacher.

‘The Way of the Will’ and a New Parenting Book

How Purposeful and Persistent Parenting Reflects CM’s Principles

Workshop Presented by Don Rhymer
For Parents

John and Cindy Raquet wrote a book decades in the making as a practical guide to fill in the gaps of a Biblical parenting philosophy. Much of this practical guide was written to systematically help parents “who struggle with teaching their children to respectfully obey them” as Scripture commands. It turns out, much of their practical guide resonates with Charlotte Mason’s principles. This session will unpack how many of Miss Mason’s principles, like “The Way of the Will,” intersect with the Raquets’ practical advice on basic parenting, especially for children 10 and under.

One of the optional evening activities at this year’s retreat is Shakespeare.

We will read scenes from Macbeth with props reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties, a nod to our book discussion selection, The Great Gatsby. No experience is necessary. Come join the fun!

---

So much fun!  Please do this again!  I told my kids all about it and now we may do this to wrap up our own Shakespeare reading each term.

I LOVED the Shakespeare evening. I was in Drama in High School and it reminded me of how fun acting can be. I will need to do this with my children.The 30-minute Shakespeare idea is a great way to celebrate the end of a play.

Good times!