Summertime Plans and Ponderings...

So, we are actually on a summer break.  I don't know if we've ever taken a really-truly-proper summer break.  We've always been 'take off a week or two here and there' type of homeschoolers.  Taking a good six weeks off all at once….I don't think we've ever done that.

 

Why now?  Well, we had planned to be travelling all summer, so I had organized our school terms out accordingly since I'm not interested in trying to homeschool on the road.   Now we aren't going to be travelling apart from a couple of weeks to visit my in-laws at the end of July.   I didn't feel like tweaking the plans I had already made, however.  So a six-week summer break it is.    And quite honestly, the lack of regular routine aside, I'm relieved.  I love homeschooling.  Overall it has been a really fantastic, wonderful thing for our family.  At the same time I am really glad to have some time to come to a full stop for a while, to just enjoy being together as a family and doing things when and how we feel like doing them (rather than because the schedule says so), and to take time to reflect on the past few years – where we've been as a family, where we want to go as a family, and what we need to do to get there.             

 

This article on a Charlotte Mason style summer plan has been circulating lately and it gave me a good framework to think through how I want to use these precious weeks off this summer.  Here are some of my plans, inspired by that article:

 

Mother Culture:

I'm definitely planning to read this summer, although quite honestly most of my current reading is of the lighter variety.  I'm trying out Elizabeth Goudge on the recommendation of some AO friends, and have a couple of other lighter-but-not-twaddly novels on order thanks to their suggestions.   I'm not up for another Dickens or finally tackling a Russian author this summer. :P  I will hopefully finish up Beowulf and How to Read a Book – both books I'm discussing with some ladies on the AO Forum.   I'm re-reading  When Children Love to Learn (more on that in a minute).  I'm also trying to be intentional to carve out time for daily Bible study and spiritual reading every day – my soul is very much in need of refreshment so this is a top priority.

 

I am also planning to take advantage of my husband being around this summer to sneak out to a coffee shop once or twice a week to write.  I can't do this in Africa and I had almost forgotten that it was possible.   This is definitely an exciting development.

 

I'm also hoping to spend time in some crafty pursuits, both for myself and with the children.  Michelle and I have been crocheting together.  Littlest one is itching to do some sewing, and I have been wanting to try to learn some new embroidery stitches so I may sit down and do some of that with her.  We also recently bought the Artistic Pursuits Elementary 4-5 curriculum which focuses on drawing techniques – Michelle and I have enjoyed the first couple of lessons and the little ones have joined in some too – even Papa is intrigued and may join us next time we pull it out.  James is enjoying various hands-on fix-it jobs with his Papa.

 

We are hoping to plug in to a good local church where we are living for the year – we visited one last week that is very promising – my soul is need of corporate worship, good teaching  and fellowship (in English!!).  And I am also excited that I will be able to attend two different Ambleside Online Retreats later this summer and meet in person many of the ladies that have been my online homeschooling support network these past couple of years.  (I will be in Indiana and at a smaller retreat in the Texas Hill Country…will I see you?)

 

Nature and Outdoor Time:

This one has been a little tricky because it has been pushing 100 for the past week or so where we are.  We are from Africa.  It gets hot in Africa.  It doesn't get THIS hot in Africa (at least not the part where we lived).  Yeesh.  It's put a bit of a damper on our plans to try out some of the parks and nature trails in this new-to-us area, although as soon at the temperature dips a bit, we will.  In the meantime, we are at least trying to take a walk around our neighborhood in the evening when the heat isn't quite so intense.  We also  just got a season pass for our local pool which is only a 5 minute walk from our apartment – we'll be there often.  We've procured bikes for the children, and as soon as my husband can get a hold of one for himself he will probably start taking the older two out on bike rides a little farther afield than our parking lot. J   There is apparently a nature museum and a hands-on science museum in the nearby 'big city', so we may visit those on some of those too-hot-to-spend-much-time-outside days.

 

Take a Good Look:

I'm really good at making schedules and other practical plans for our homeschool.  I love making neat-and-tidy charts and checklists and organizing new books.  However, in the craziness of our life over the past few years, it's been a long time since I've considered matters such as atmosphere, relationships, and habits.   I'm re-reading When Children Love to Learn as a guide to help me contemplate these principles, and I'm determined to put off any further practical planning until I've had some good time to think and pray through these more foundational issues.   I'm also teaching in a co-op setting in the fall for the first time, so I also want to consider how to put those principles to work in a group setting.   I'm sure I'll be processing some of those thoughts in this space.  Stay tuned.

 

Masterly Inactivity:

And yes, we will be practicing masterly inactivity as well – unstructured time for personal pursuits.  My oldest has built – and is continuing to add to – a "Borrower House" in a corner of the living room.  James is spending lots of time with Legos – his room has become his Lego-Man-Cave (are 7 year olds enough to have a man-cave?  Well, he does anyway.)  Now if only I could convince my littlest one that masterly inactivity was a good idea….

 

What are you planning to do this summer?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Masterly Inactivity: On Knowing When to Let Go

Thoughts on School Education: Chapter 4 "Some Rights of Children as Persons"

 

In this chapter, Charlotte lays out some specific examples of ways that we can respect the personhood of our children and practice masterly inactivity.  Some of those ideas included:

 

• Giving them freedom in play rather than over-stuffing their schedules with organized games and activities.
• Giving them the opportunities to express themselves freely rather than micromanaging.  Specific examples suggested were the freedom to explore creatively and come up with their own ideas and designs when doing art and craft projects rather than expecting a set outcome and freedom to write about topics of interest.  It occurred to me that the use of the 'blank page' in a notebook (as described in The Living Page) as a tool of response to a lesson rather than a fill-in-the-blanks worksheet was one way that this particular suggestion could be applied.  Nelleke shares another example here of giving her son freedom to explore as he has begun learning how to play the piano.
• Giving children the opportunity to "stand or fall by their own efforts" – experiencing for themselves the natural rewards or consequences of their actions, rather than nagging or bribing them to correct behavior.
• Giving children the freedom to choose their own friends.
• Giving children the freedom to spend their pocket money as they choose.
• Allowing children to form their own opinions on things like politics and religion as they grow into adults rather than expecting or influencing them to adopt the exact same position that we hold.

 

Cindy also has a good summary of this chapter here. 

 

I think it's important to note here that one needs to take these suggestions within the whole context of Charlotte's ideas. (And, as Cindy points out in her post, one needs to consider age-appropriateness with these suggestions too.)  Masterly Inactivity doesn't mean a totally 'hands off' approach. It does mean understanding and applying our God-given authority rightly.  It means understanding that our role as parents and teachers is to set before our children the great feast of ideas and to diligently train them in good habits.  It is only within this framework that we will be able to have the freedom not to give into the temptation to micromanage.  The key principle that I took away from the examples Charlotte writes of in this chapter was the idea that our role as parents is to instill our children with right ideas, sound principles, and good habits and then LET GO and not try to micromanage every aspect of their lives, even if that sometimes means letting them learn certain lessons 'the hard way'.   Easier said than done!  Once  again, I find it comes back down to the idea of resting in the Lord and entrusting our children to Him.  It goes back to remembering that we don't have the power to save our children or make them wise in our own power and strength – only God can do that.   We sow the seeds and let the Lord take care of bringing forth the harvest in their lives in His good time.   This has been such a repeated message to me lately!  It has certainly brought home to me the absolute necessity of praying regularly and fervently for my children and for the Lord to work in their lives.  (Lisa has a beautiful, must-read post on this topic here.)

Masterly Inactivity: How Can We Live It?

Thoughts on School Education: Chapter 3 "Masterly Inactivity" – Part 2

 

Last week, we defined what is meant by Charlotte Mason's term "masterly inactivity".  Today let's talk about how  we can reach this serenity of attitude – this 'state of rest' as Andrew Kern would put it – so that we can practice Masterly Inactivity in our homes.  Charlotte offers a few suggestions towards this end:

 

First of all, Charlotte encourages mothers to 'play' from time to time: "If mothers would learn to do for themselves what they do for their children when these are overdone, we should have happier households.  Let the mother go out to play!  If she would only have courage to let everything go when life becomes to tense, and just take a day, or half-a-day, but in the fields, or with a favorite book, or in a picture gallery looking long and well at just two or three pictures, or in bed without the children life would go on far more happily for both children and parents" (p.33-34).

I know, it does sound like a bit of a pipe dream, doesn't it?  In my particular life situation, I don't have a lot of opportunities to get out and away from my children, and yet I do see the difference that it makes when I can.  My ideal is to take a half a day at a coffee shop to read and think and journal, or to take a long walk in some peaceful place – but I can't do either of those in our current city.  What I have been able to manage is daily quiet rest time – in which we all go into our separate spaces and relax with a book or take a nap, mama included.  I also stop whatever tasks I am doing in the late afternoon early enough to be able to take 45 minutes or so with a cup of coffee and a book that nourishes my soul and mind before I need to start dinner.  My children are often playing outside at this time of day, weather permitting, so I join them with a chair on the front porch. Occasionally my husband will take the children out or find projects that he can include them in on the weekends so that I can have some quiet time alone at the house to read or write.  We are sadly lacking in places where one can take long peaceful walks in our city, but we soak that kind of thing up when we are able to get out of town for a while.  An occasional ladies' night out can be refreshing too, although in a different way.  What can you do to get some occasional refreshment for yourself?  It's worth a think, even if it means thinking outside the box.

 

Charlotte also encourages us to try and have a 'state of leisure' in our homes as far as possible.  The ideal is to try and avoid being rushed, busy, and stressed.  Busy seasons lead to greater 'fractiousness' in the home.  "Leisure for themselves and a sense of leisure in those about them is as necessary to a child's well-being as it is to the strong and benign parental well-being" (p.35).

 

This is a tough one in today's world, isn't it?  There's almost a societal expectation that we make ourselves busy, with the accompanying guilt trip  if we're not.   I will confess that I probably have an easier time of keeping our day-to-day schedule leisurely simply because I live in Africa and don't have the myriad of activity choices that are available elsewhere.   We still have busy seasons, though, especially around conference and co-op sessions…and I do notice the increased "fractiousness" in our home during those times.  It always makes me glad these are temporary seasons in our family life and not our normal state of life!  It is worthwhile to consider all the activities that we are involved in and all the running around we do.  Is it possible to combine our errands into fewer trips?  Can we evaluate the true value of our activities and cut some of them out?   Cindy Rollins has some words of  wisdom on this subject matter here. "Stress," she reminds us, "is the enemy of just about everything worthwhile."

 

Ultimately, though, and perhaps most importantly of all, Charlotte reminds us that masterly inactivity is the outworking of our faith in God and our rest in Him: "The highest form of confidence, known to us as faith, is necessary to full repose of mind and manner.  When we recognize that God does not make over the bringing up of children absolutely even up to their parents, but that He works Himself, in ways which it must be our care not to hinder, in the training of every child, then we shall learn passiveness, humble and wise.  We shall give children space to develop on the lines of their own characters in all the right ways, and shall know how to intervene effectually to prevent those errors which, also, are proper to their individual characters" (p.35).

 

Masterly inactivity is really all about REST – teaching and parenting and living from a state of rest, trusting that God will lead and guide us – when to act, when to let things go - and trusting our children are ultimately in His care.  Our role is to plant the seeds, He brings forth the fruit.

 

The message of masterly inactivity dovetails so nicely with my contemplations on rest over the past month or two.  I highly recommend Sarah's new ebook and audio companion Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakeable Peace if you need some practical encouragement in this regard.  At the very least, you can listen to interview she did with Andrew Kern as part of the audio companion for free at the Circe Institute website. 

 

In what practical ways have you striven to live out the principle of masterly inactivity in your living, parenting, and teaching?

 

 

 

 

Masterly Inactivity: What is it?

Thoughts on School Education: Chapter 3 "Masterly Inactivity" – Part 1

 

In this chapter, Charlotte notes the weight of responsibility we feel as parents to bring up our children "to be something more than ourselves" (p.26)  To feel the weight of that responsibility without knowing exactly what to do about it results in worry, restlessness, and anxiety.  Mason's antidote for this is what she calls masterly inactivity.  What is that, you may ask?  Perhaps it may be best to first think about what it is not.

 

Masterly Inactivity is not:

• A fatalistic "what's the good of trying" attitude
• Laziness
• License to do whatever one wants
• Fussy complacency
• Giving in to children's whims

 

Rather, Masterly Inactivity is:

• "Wise Passiveness" – a phrase Charlotte borrowed from the poet Wordsworth.  "It indicates the power to act, the desire to act, and the insight and self-restraint which forbid action." (p.28)
• A sense of liberty and freedom under authority.  Masterly inactivity only "works" within the framework of rightful authority.   That 'authority must be ever-present but in repose: "But she must see without watching, know without telling, be on the alert always, yet never obviously, fussily so.  This open-eyed attitude must be sphinx-like in repose." (p.31)
• Exercised naturally and with good-humor – not forced or contrived.
• Exercised with self-confidence: "Parents should trust themselves more" Mason tells us. (p.29)
• Exercised out of a 'sound-mind'.  Children pick up on our nervous, anxious state.  We need to act out of rest, peace and serenity.  

 

Have you read Dorothy Canfield Fisher's Understood Betsy?  We recently finished it as it is the assigned literature selection for Ambleside Online Year 2 (although absolutely still worth a read even if you aren't an AO user).  In that book we see how these two opposing states of being play out in the life of young Elizabeth Ann (Betsy).  Betsy's parents died when she was young and she has been raised by her Aunt Frances who is nervous, fussy, and controlling.  As a result, Betsy has grown to be a nervous and fussy child who lacks confidence to do just about everything.  When she is 9 years old, she is sent to live with her Aunt Abigail, Uncle Henry, and Cousin Ann.  At their farm she is looked after with love and care, but also given a great deal of freedom – Uncle Henry lets her take the reins of the horse when they are driving home with the station, Aunt Abigail lets her season the applesauce to taste although Betsy has never made it before, she is sent off to walk to school on her own on the very first day, and so on.  By the end of the book we see Betsy growing into a confident young woman.  What difference Masterly Inactivity made in her young life!

 

Next week we'll look at some practical ways that we can learn to live and teach and parent from this state of 'masterly inactivity'.