Stories from the Classroom
With Lee Anne Jardine
Charlotte Mason has something to teach all of us. Ambleside teachers share their unique experiences in teaching with Mason’s methods in the classroom, with special emphasis on applications for parents.
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As you already know, our school is very intentional about the pieces of literature and history that we select for our students. Each selection is chosen with the expectation that students will not only read it, but also think about it, discuss its ideas, and process their own knowledge about the piece both verbally and in written form. We’re helping them eat it, if you will.
We want the author’s ideas to spark ideas in ourselves.
These reading selections can be impactful and meaningful for students, particularly when we use Mason’s process of narration to help them fully take in what they are reading.
In one of my read-aloud sessions of Treasures of the Snow with a group of first graders, students listened attentively as one character, Annette, asks her grandmother what it means when Jesus knocks at the door of our hearts. The book's author, Patricia St John, goes on to explain what it means to invite Jesus into our hearts through the words of Annette’s grandmother.
She says, “It’s like someone knocking at the door of a dark, dusty house and saying, ‘If you let me in I will take away the dust and the darkness and make it beautiful and bright… That’s what knocking means. You have to say, ‘Yes Lord, I need you and I want you to come and live in me.’”
A few days after this reading, a parent of one of the students approached me to share that her daughter had asked if she could accept Jesus into her heart. Treasures of the Snow had helped produce an eternal work in this student as she listened, considered, and responded to the rich ideas being presented in this living book.
Another important theme in Treasures of the Snow is forgiveness. Through a series of events in which Annette was hurt, she decides to pursue revenge and unforgiveness to assuage her pain, which causes a prolonged disagreement between her and another character. But as the story progresses, we watch as repentance leads to restoration and healing. Annette realizes how much heartache could have been avoided if she had chosen to forgive.
Characters like Annette, in each of our carefully chosen books, have real impact.
Through characters like the Israelites in the wilderness, Pinocchio, and the Fir Tree in Anderson’s Fairy Tales, we learn to avoid the mistakes others have made by watching them endure the disastrous effects of their poor choices.
Other figures allow us to see the positive outcomes of right choices, like Squanto, Joan of Arc, Corrie Ten Boom, and George Washington Carver.
The foundation of these lessons is in the choosing of worthwhile literature to set before children. But we cannot just offer a living book to students and expect them to absorb all of its goodness spontaneously.
No, we must teach them how to pay attention to what they are reading. This most important habit of paying attention is learned by using the tool of narration.
Narration involves all students in the learning process. It’s a shared experience. Students learn to communicate and express themselves in speaking and writing, and they give attention because of the work that is required to be able to engage when called upon.
As a shy child myself, I never contributed much in the classroom, and my experience as an older student involved listening to lectures given by teachers who did not require much of my attention or effort.
But in a Charlotte Mason classroom, students are taught to think.
Each child achieves their potential. None are made to feel inferior because they have the satisfaction of knowing that progress is being made. Each student is known and valued, and the teacher is aware of every student's strengths and areas where they need support. Teachers work alongside students and in alliance with parents to ensure continued growth.
On one occasion, I was working with a student who had attended a different school the previous year and had not yet learned to read. Instead of laughter and ridicule, her classmates supported and helped her.
Then one day, a few months into the year during a reading lesson, she read aloud with such eloquence that the class broke out into spontaneous applause. It was, in a way, the result of the investment all of us had made and each of us felt the joy of experiencing growth with this student.
It was not just one student’s growth that we were celebrating.
Our environment of respect and understanding in the classroom made this student feel valued and wanted. The development of good habits allowed for a smooth running of the day so that this student could learn and delight in her new knowledge.
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Application For Home Life
In the home, I encourage you to continue to be mindful of what you put in front of your children and allow them to give their attention to.
Because of how your children are being trained at school to actively engage with the world around them, your children are paying close attention to what they see, hear, read, and experience — especially as they age and mature and hone that skill.
Their use of technology is especially relevant to this discussion, and our upcoming Ambleside Evenings on October 17 and December 5 will be tackling that topic in much more detail. Here is the Tech-Wise Family Resource Guide that we handed out at the Parent-Teacher Fellowship to kick off that study.
Together, we are forming lasting habits of character and values that will hold them in good stead for their futures. What a joy and privilege it is as a teacher to witness this journey in your children.