Traverse City - Workshop Descriptions
Michelle Howard’s Opening Plenary Saturday:
The heart of fathers and mothers are sooo beautiful. We long for the absolute best for our children, and would die for them in an instant. Thus, we launch into educating them with the highest of intentions. All too often, however, we parents feel we're not yet able to deliver what we long for our children to receive. There seems to be a restless gap between our hopes, and what our days actually turn out to be. So, we rework our schedule or reconsider curriculum choices. What we don't usually consider for review, however, is the very shaping of ourselves, which occurred during our years as students, since most of us were raised in "big box" educational institutions. How can we find the Lord's miraculous restoration of us to His original intentions, freed from the stunningly insinuating forces which tried to enslave us as learners, and therefore try to work through us now as teachers, to enslave our children to a "shaping" we know is not God's way? Slave beget slaves. Freeborn beget freeborn. Christ is offering us His full, heart-deep freedom as persons, parents, and home-educators.
In other words, what makes our home-educations "Christian?" Our materials, our own faith, the morality of our homes? Isn't an education fully Christian when it fully embraces the Lord's deepest truths about education, which is what we seek in Charlotte Mason's long pursuit of just that? Let's be sure to jettison any forces at work in our inner and outer worlds which attempt to block or blunt those powerful truths. As we shine His Light on them, they will lose their grip. So, let's grow ever more free and strong and brave and joyous, as we walk our families into the high victory which the Lord has provided for us, and to which Charlotte Mason is helping to point the way!
Friday’s Morning of Lessons
Morning of Lessons:
FORM 1 - EMILY KISER | FORM 2 - NICOLE WILLIAMS | FORMS 3-6 LIZ COTTRILL
The Parents’ Union motto was ‘Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life,’ and Charlotte Mason clarified that it is only by these three instruments that we may lawfully educate our children. We do this by giving the children a wide range of subjects and letting them learn from really good books, over which they must personally labor, while the teacher rouses her students without a flood of talk. Miss Mason said that to “live up to this motto and in it [requires] much and continual thinking and strenuous living.” (School Education, p. 148)
Join one of our amazing speakers in your chosen form for a ‘morning of lessons’ where you will experience first-hand a variety of subjects completed using only these three instruments. These immersion lessons, a full school day, in fact, will include Bible, poetry, copywork, history, picture or composer study, history, dictation, math, recitation, geography, and nature study. The day will end with a time of questions and answers and general brainstorming.
Using Charlotte Mason's Methods to Educate a Neurodivergent Child - Kelsi Rea
This full-day immersion takes a closer look at the essence of Mason’s method in regards to the personhood, dignity and nature of each learner, so that we can fully explore the most effective and beautiful way to reach the hearts and minds of our neurodivergent children. We will lay a solid working foundation of Miss Mason’s philosophy in light of various educational and behavioral theories to show a method of education that truly applies to EVERY child. With Miss Mason’s guiding principles in mind, we will discuss child development, understanding (and managing) meltdowns, habit training and behavioral theories, academic progress including lesson adaptations and Mason’s own rubric for assessments, lesson planning and routines, as well as practical ideas and encouragement for weary educators. We will spend this time evaluating, discussing, sharing resources and refocusing our vision for our children, armed with the educational tools necessary to run this race with endurance!
Saturday’s Workshop Offerings:
Workshop A
Math: A Living Subject - Kelsi Rea
For many homeschool families, the switch to a Charlotte Mason approach to learning is synonymous with Nature Study, Living Books, Narration and Handicrafts. However, what do we do about Math? This workshop looks at both the philosophical AND practical approach to the teaching of mathematics as Miss Mason prescribed. You’ll gain new understanding of Math as a living subject, HOW to conduct a math lesson, ideas for teaching multiple students at once and you’ll be able to get your hands on some of the newest CM Math resources available and flip through CM based and CM friendly math curriculum. This workshop is geared towards all grades so that as a home educator, you will see Miss Mason’s big picture for mathematics, her recommended scope and sequence, and how to jump in at any grade level with a new appreciation for the amazing world of math as a living subject.
Imagination: The Missing Ingredient - Liz Cottrill:
We learn, we plan, and we attempt to present a full feast to our children, and then it seems they are disinterested. This presentation is to help us to put the spark back into our classroom. Charlotte Mason took full advantage of imagination and encourages every teacher not to neglect this natural gift within every person. Liz will unfold the purpose for imagination and show how useful it is in helping our children connect the known and familiar to the unknown and extraordinary.
Scheduling: A home schoolroom managed on sound principles - Nicole Williams:
Charlotte Mason gave us very specific guidelines for how a homeschool family’s daily schedule should run, including morning lessons and afternoon occupations. But for some, the idea of creating and following a schedule can be daunting. Join me as I show you how Mason’s plan allows for freedom and serenity in your day.
Way of the Will - Jessica Becker:
We all want an atmosphere of joy and peaceful obedience in our homes, but sometimes our children seem bent to do exactly the opposite of what we desire. Even as adults, we can struggle with establishing and maintaining a new habit or skill. In short, we all struggle with a weak will. Mason had a lot to say about the will, calling it a “subject of unspeakable importance to every being” (Vol. 1, p. 317). She even goes so far as to say that “character is the result of conduct regulated by will” (p. 319). So what is this abstract thing called “the will?” We will explore this question, along with how the will relates to habits, the conscience, and the spiritual life of the child. We will also look at what having a “strong-willed child” really means, and how we can help train their wills (and our own) to do what is right.
Workshop B
Mothers are born persons - Liz Cottrill:
Charlotte Mason’s ideas about education are life-giving for our children, yet mothers often find themselves floundering, frustrated, or fearful about any or all aspects of the wide and generous feast they are to spread. The good news is that Mason had plenty of wisdom to offer to the mother who teaches in addition to her methodology and curriculum. The feast is not for our children alone. Liz will explore what a Mason education means for the mother herself.
Forecasting - Emily Kiser:
We are constantly asked about how to pace out the assigned work across the school year. If a time-table is the mark of a well-governed homeschool, where do assigned page quantities factor into our Charlotte Mason curriculum? And how can we adapt our expectations to meet our child where he or she is at? In this workshop we will look more closely at a helpful tool that we can use to bring order and balance in answering all these questions. Emily will walk through several specific examples and offer ideas for how you might relieve some anxiety about scheduling and feel confident you are prepared for your school week while abiding by Miss Mason’s advice to not stay up late at night in preparation for tomorrow’s lessons.
Habit Training: In Principle and Practice - Kelsi Rea:
Charlotte Mason saw no separation between the spiritual and educational life of children, meaning that their ability to read and write is NOT the end goal of homeschooling! Developing good (and consistent!) habits with your children could arguably be the hardest and most ambiguous part of homeschooling, so let's break it down! This workshop will talk about the core principles of habit training, what kind of habits we seek to develop at each stage of a child's life, how to reenforce and develop those habits, working with "strong willed" and "weak willed" children, and long term habit maintenance not just because "mom said" but because habits produce peace for the child, the parents and the home.
Instructing the Conscience - Jessica Becker:
Many of us may think of the conscience as the little voice inside clicking its tongue at our poor decision-making. But in Charlotte Mason' philosophy, the Conscience and the Will are the dual powers of self-direction given to us by our Creator. Conscience plays a vital role in the ideas we choose to accept, and therefore the choices we make that shape our lives and character. But our Conscience has one particular weakness: it must be instructed in order to do its job well. In this session, we will explore practical ways we can do just that, along with what the Conscience is (and isn't) and how it interacts with our Will in order to help us choose what is right.
Workshop C
Lesson Planning in a Living Education - Liz Cottrill:
It’s one thing to choose the subjects and find the books, plan a schedule and gather the children, but then what is the teacher expected to do to bring out the most in the day to day lessons? Is reading and narration really all there is? There are practical principles and specific tips for getting through the lessons with delight and enthusiasm rather than with a haphazard or unprepared approach. This workshop will address the general guidelines as well as many specifics for facing your school day with intention rather than uncertainty.
Paper Sloyd Demonstration - Emily Kiser
Charlotte Mason became a champion of "Sloyd," a Scandinavian method of teaching traditional handicrafts. In this Demonstration Lesson, we will explore the principles underlying Sloyd and why it can be an important part of the feast, as well as all the tools and materials needed. Then you’ll get a chance to complete a model, seeing for yourself how challenging yet achievable this form of handicrafts can be, training the hand and eye and preparing the student to tackle many other skills in the coming years.
When Law Leads to Liberty - Jessica Becker:
We bristle at the words “law” and “duty,” but they are some of the most repeated words in Mason’s writings. In the preface to her volumes, she writes that “those of us, who have spent many years in pursuing the benign and elusive vision of Education, perceive that her approaches are regulated by a law, and that this law has yet to be evoked” (p. xiv). Mason would come to call this the “law of educational liberty,” even going so far as to call it the basis for her entire philosophy. But what can the ideas of “law” and “liberty” possibly have in common? And how can they speak to our deepest fears and concerns about our children today? In this plenary, we will examine this bedrock idea and its practical outworkings, in both the way we approach our children’s education and their development as born persons.
A Single Science Lesson - Nicole Williams:
Charlotte Mason said, “The only sound method of teaching science is to afford a due combination of field or laboratory work, with such literary comments and amplifications as the subject affords.” In this science immersion, you will experience a living science lesson for yourself. Following the handson lesson, there will be time to consider each element and ask questions about the method.
Workshop D
Swedish Drill - Emily Kiser
Swedish Drill--what is it and is it useful for 21st Century students? In this immersion lesson, you'll hear a brief description of the principles underlying Drill and why Charlotte Mason considered the subject an important part of the feast, as well as have a chance to participate in this form of exercise that cultivates attention, perfect execution and body awareness.
Nature Study Practicum - Nicole Williams:
Would you like to see Nature Study in action? In this practicum, Nicole will incorporate several components of what Miss Mason referred to as out-of-door work to better help you understand what to do with the children during a time of nature study
Homeschooling Burnout - Kelsi Rea:
Homeschool burnout is a VERY real thing and it's important to understand the difference between burnout and frustration - and how to overcome both. This workshop both encourages and equips the tired homeschool mom who can't spin any more plates or motivate any more children to finish their math. We will explore the roots and pitfalls of burnout, diagnosing what the cause is and troubleshooting together to redeem your homeschool year - and your sanity.
The Big 2 Beliefs of History - Michelle Howard
Shakespeare tried to tell us that mankind "struts and frets his hour upon the stage...full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Yet, every history class we ever had featured mankind as the star of life's show. Ironically, at the same time, most everyone hated their history studies,and feels they remember nothing....even though it supposedly glorified humanity! So, Who is the real star of history? And, how would gaping admiringly at the real Hero make our studies more enjoyable, memorable, and impactful...both in this world, and the world to come?! Let's dig into the Big Two Beliefs, which will make these thrilling explorations quite graspable for ourselves and our children/teens!