Plenary: a meeting at which all the attendants of the retreat gather together to hear the speaker.
PreRetreat A: Charlotte Mason Foundations
A Paradigm Shift
Plenary Presented by Nancy Kelly
Join Nancy for an introduction to Charlotte Mason, including her belief in the child as a person and her viewpoint that education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life, and the science of relations. Who was Charlotte Mason? What was her educational philosophy? Can her methods be used in high school as well as in elementary school and middle school? Drawing from her 20 years of experience using Charlotte Mason’s methods, Nancy will talk about the basics of a Charlotte Mason education and how it can transform your homeschool.
PreRetreat B: Dictation and Recitation and Composition, Oh My!
Plenary Presented by Dawn Rhymer
Upon first discovering Charlotte Mason, a friend said to me, “It is quite different than normal homeschooling. We cover fifteen different subjects.” I think my ignorance of knowing what she really meant by those words in part led to my abandoning the idea of a Charlotte Mason education in my early homeschooling years.
During this session, we will take a whirlwind tour through the subjects you will encounter in a Charlotte Mason education as well as briefly touch on terminology like the Commonplace Book and Book of Centuries. Hopefully, when you leave this session, the lions and tigers and bears of a Charlotte Mason education will be seen as the friends they really are.
I: The Way of the Teacher Humility
Plenary Presented by Nancy Kelly
What postures do we take in our homes, schools, and communities? There are many lessons to be learned from L’Umile Pianta (The Humble Plant), the publication by the alumni from Charlotte Mason’s House of Education and the badge chosen by the Old Students’ Association. In this session, Nancy will explore how the lessons shared back then can help us today as we examine Mason’s thoughts on humility. This session will make you stop and think about how you approach education in any venue.
II: Our Schedule, Our Atmosphere
Plenary Presented by Nancy Kelly
Learn how Charlotte Mason structured her school days and how atmosphere is key. Nancy will share how you can make your homeschool an enriching place with any size family by describing her tried and true schedule from her own homeschool, Sage Parnassus. Hear what Nancy (and Mason!) thinks is the most important attribute in any environment in order for learning to occur.
III: The Well-Balanced Mind
The Imagination Factor
Plenary Presented by Nancy Kelly
Do you value your imagination? Your child’s? This talk is an exploration of the importance of imagination in education, faith and life. Mason said that “imagination is, like faith, the evidence of things not seen” and is an integral part of everyone’s personhood. How can we nurture this in our materialistic society where testing reigns supreme?
IV: New Thoughts of God
Living Bible Lessons
Plenary Presented by Nancy Kelly
Charlotte Mason said that Bible teaching should be “as the warp in and out of which the child weaves other knowledge and other thought.” In this workshop, Nancy will take attendees through an immersion session of a Bible lesson, which introduces children to “new thoughts of God” every day.
