Charlotte Mason Home Education in a Nutshell

Charlotte Mason (a British educator from the previous century) was a big thinker who had a very high view of children. So let me start out by saying that I don't believe anyone could ever fit Charlotte Mason's ideas, methods and philosophies into an actual nutshell (I just thought it made a good title for this article). Miss Mason's ideas were so broad and far reaching, it took six large volumes to contain her writings on just the topic of education. With that said, here's a very brief overview of a handful of Charlotte Mason's most familiar ideas.

TWADDLE:

Twaddle is what parents and educators today might call "dumbed down" literature. It is serving your children intellectual happy meals, rather than healthy, substantive mind- and soul-building foods. Charlotte Mason advocated avoiding twaddle and feasting children's hearts and minds on the best literary works available.

LIVING BOOKS:

Living books are the opposite of dull, dry textbooks. The people, places and events come alive as you read a living book. The stories touch your mind and heart. They are timeless.

WHOLE BOOKS:

Whole books are the entirety of the books the author actually wrote. If the author wrote a book, read the whole book. The opposite of this would be anthologies that include only snippets from other works-maybe a chapter from Dickens, a couple of paragraphs from Tolstoy, etc.

NARRATION:

Narration is the process of telling back what has been learned or read. Narrations are usually done orally, but as the child grows older (around age 12) and his writing skills increase, the narrations can be written as well. Narration can also be accomplished creatively: painting, drawing, sculpting, play-acting, etc.

SHORT LESSONS:

Charlotte Mason recommended spending short, focused periods of time on a wide variety of subjects. Lessons in the early years are only 10-15 minutes in length, but get progressively longer as the children mature. (Lessons increase closer to an hour per subject for high school students.)

NATURE WALKS:

In spite of often rainy, inclement weather, Charlotte Mason insisted on going out once-a-week for an official Nature Walk, allowing the children to experience and observe the natural environment firsthand. These excursions should be nature walks, not nature talks.

DAILY WALKS:

In addition to the weekly Nature Walks, Mason also recommended children spend large quantities of time outside each day, no matter what the weather. Take a daily walk for fun and fresh air.

NATURE NOTEBOOKS:

Nature Notebooks are artist sketchbooks containing pictures the children have personally drawn of plants, wildlife or any other natural object found in its natural setting. These nature journals can also include nature-related poetry, prose, detailed descriptions, weather notes, Latin names, etc.

ART APPRECIATION/PICTURE STUDY:

Bring the child into direct contact with the best art. Choose one artist at a time; six paintings per artist; study one painting per week (maybe 15 minutes per week). Allow the child to look at the work of art intently for a period of time (maybe five minutes). Have him take in every detail. Then take the picture away and have him narrate (tell back) what he's seen in the picture. Excellent prints can be found inexpensively at bookstores that feature fine art calendars.

JOURNALING:

There's great value in keeping a personal journal, encouraging reflection and descriptive writing. Record activities, thoughts and feelings, favorite sayings, personal mottoes, favorite poems, etc.

COPYWORK:

Daily copywork provides on-going practice for handwriting, spelling, grammar, etc. Keep a notebook specifically
for copying noteworthy poems, prose, quotes, etc.

DICTATION:

Each day choose a paragraph, or sentence, or page (depending on the age of child). Have the child practice writing it perfectly during his copywork time. Have them look carefully at all punctuation, capital letters, etc. When the child knows the passage well, dictate the passage to the child for him to recreate the passage.

BOOK OF THE CENTURIES:

A Book of the Centuries is a glorified homemade timeline; usually a notebook containing one or two pages per century. As children learn historical facts, they make notes in their book on the appropriate century's page about famous people, important events, inventions, wars, battles, etc.

FREE-TIME HANDICRAFTS:

Charlotte Mason's schools finished daily academics in the morning, allowing the afternoon hours for free time to pursue crafts and other leisure activities or areas of personal interest.

HABITS:

Charlotte Mason had much to say on establishing good habits in children. Habits (good or bad) are like the ruts in a path from a wheelbarrow going down the same trail again and again. As time goes on, it becomes increasingly difficult to run the wheelbarrow outside the rut, but the wheel will always run smoothly down the well-worn rut in the path. By training children in good habits, the school day (and home life in general) goes more smoothly. Focus on one habit at a time for 4-6 weeks rather than attempting to implement a long list of new habits all at once.

Preschool Teachers - How to Help Your Students Who Have Speech Or Language Problems

As a preschool teacher, you know that every child who comes to your classroom is a unique little being, and the mix of abilities and personalities of the children in each class makes each school year different. Sometimes you have one or more children in your class who seem to be behind the other children in their abilities to communicate.

If you don't have special training or experience working with children who have some speech or language difficulties or needs, you may be wondering if you are the right teacher for such a child. If you have an interest in and knowledge of normal child development, and if you have a caring attitude and a desire to learn new skills, you certainly are the right teacher.

As a speech-language pathologist, I want to support your efforts to help every child in your class have a successful year learning and developing. Rather than giving you some specific activities to put into your daily plans, I offer you one global piece of advice. This is it: a preschool teacher working with a young child who has a speech or language need should think more about ways to assist the child through all routine activities and not just think about creating a few specific activities.  Anyone--a preschool teacher, a parent or other primary caregiver, a daycare provider, or a therapist-can and should follow this suggestion.

That's it-one global principle. There are ways of listening to, talking with, and interacting with children that help to facilitate speech and language skills, and these methods can and should be blended right into daily interactions--at home and at school.  It is the style and substance of interaction that matters--not a "cookbook" set of specific activities. I caution against thoughts such as, "For the next 15 minutes we'll do a language activity." Instead, please have this thought, "Everything that occurs during this entire class period is a potential language enhancing activity. Everything I do and say should help promote each child's growth in social, language, pre-literacy, motor, and cognitive skills."

Here are several key points from my overall concept of an adult's role with any speech-language learner. These are suggestions for parents and teachers interacting with any child. I have chosen to alternate pronoun use to include both genders.

1. First, observe the child to know what his abilities are.  Continue to observe him closely over time so you can notice improvements big and small.

2. Consider yourself to be like a "foreign language" teacher; therefore, slow down a little, look at the child for recognition of what was said, and repeat or change the wording as necessary until she understands.  Adults should use my recommended techniques to "filter" the rapid flow of language until what is presented matches the child's ability to grasp what is being said and to respond successfully.

3. Speak in statements much more often than in questions.  Questions test knowledge and the ability to answer.  Statements teach.  [Note: Recall a time you took a foreign language class.  Did you prefer that the teacher pepper you with questions that you had to both understand and formulate a response to, or did you prefer a conversational/commenting style that enabled you to join in when you felt able?]

4. Present language at or just above a child's level of current ability. I have coined the term Upside-Down Pyramid to represent the process of systematically reducing the length of an utterance--starting from a complete sentence--and then reducing to the level the child needs in order to join in and respond.

5. Assist the child only as much as needed.  Do not do things for a child that he can do herself. 

Recently I read the report a school psychologist wrote after observing a young child in his preschool classroom.  The child has speech-language needs, and he has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, though his parents do not agree with that diagnosis.  In my one-on-one therapy, he interacts well with his mother and me, and his language skills are exploding.  He still doesn't talk much at school.  

The psychologist reported many areas in which the teachers could promote his participation.  She saw that staff met his needs without presenting language or expecting any verbal communication (passing out snacks and craft items without engaging the child in communication). If he didn't follow a direction to join the group at the table, an aide picked him up and put him on a chair. If he had trouble sharing a toy with another child, he was removed from the situation. And so on.  

Of course, what is needed instead is that activities in which children need things (snacks, items to make a craft, items to be used at circle time, musical instruments, and so on) should be treated as rich opportunities to provide models and to elicit language from every child.  A child who doesn't understand or doesn't comply with a direction needs to hear it again--the same way or modified--and then guided with the least amount of help necessary in order to complete the task.  One of the major points and benefits of early schooling is to enable children to gain social interaction skills.  Instead of being removed from a conflict situation, a child needs supportive mediation by a caring adult who can guide a verbal interaction that resolves the physical encounter with a peer.

I have written an eBook which is like a course that might be called "Speech-Language Pathology 101" for parents--and it is equally applicable to preschool teachers and daycare providers. Each chapter is written like a handout on a variety of topics including the array of speech-language disorders and how to help a child understand, use language, and speak more clearly.

As I have mentioned, there are ways of talking that can be used throughout the entire day with young children that can boost their speech, language, and communication skills.  My ideas are simple.  That said, these techniques may be simple but not necessarily easy to acquire without studying them. Once learned, with practice, they become an automatic means of helping children learn.  Adults who want to help children need to examine their current interaction styles and really try to embrace these specific, well-designed ways of interacting with children.  Children deserve to have supportive interactions with caring mentors--their parents and teachers. 

Math Teacher Requirements - Requirements For Teaching Math in the US

From kindergarten up to college, there are always math subjects. With this, there is a constant demand for Math teachers nationwide. If you are planning to shift or go for a teaching career, the basic Math teacher requirements in US are; a bachelor's degree from an accredited university AND an alternative teacher certificate, OR a state-approved degree that includes a teacher-training program. For post-secondary teaching jobs, most colleges or universities require at least a master's degree in a Math related field to earn an instructor position for freshmen college math.

For aspiring preschool or kindergarten Math teachers, a degree in Early Childhood Education will suffice as a prerequisite for a teaching certificate. For elementary and secondary Math teachers, a degree in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Studies with a major in Math, or Elementary Education majoring in Math are the most common math teacher requirements to get a teaching certificate. However, those who already have a bachelor degree, of any program, and want to shift career into Math teaching may be required to enroll in a state-approved teaching graduate degree before taking a certification exam. For example, in New York State, a graduate degree from an approved teacher-preparation program is initially needed, plus a passing mark in all assessment tests to get you certified. Some states also have GPA preferences, as for New York, a minimum of 2.5 GPA is required from the bachelor degree program. Most US states also require PRAXIS or pre-professional skills test before, during or after a teacher training program.

For those who will be in college and plan to pursue a Math teaching career, each state has an accredited teacher preparation program for each education level, elementary or secondary. For those who are already in college and want to bridge a teaching career, education courses are required plus practicum hours. One must satisfy semester hours on Math core subjects plus other pedagogical core competencies.

For Math teachers that plan to migrate from state to state, the alternative teacher certification pathway is often called interstate reciprocity. One must inquire at the state education office for subject equivalents between states and the specific math teacher requirements. Some teaching certificates or Math national teacher tests may be honored to replace the assessment or subject proficiency tests.

For foreign teachers who want to teach Math in US, math teacher requirements often require that you undergo degree equivalency verification. There are state agencies that handle this, checking if the foreign teacher's bachelor degree is comparable to a US bachelor degree. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores may also be required for aspiring teachers who come from countries where English is considered a second-language. In Arizona, a TOEFL score of at least 84/120 is required for certification applicants. Apart from that, the foreign teacher should also a valid working visa, J-1 or H1-B, a contract or recommendation from the hiring school and consent verification letter from state Board of Regents.

Don't Be Nervous About High School

That time of year has come again. The leaves are changing colour, your parents are rushing you to the office supplies store, and you're spending sleepless nights worrying about the next school year.

You know that it's going to be your first year of high school; your parents have said that high school is different from "grade school". Your parents say that high school demands more "discipline", "initiative", and "hard work". According to them, without these qualities of self-motivation, you are destined for failure.

Fortunately for our sake, they are wrong. Everything about hard work and perseverance forming the basis of high school education is wrong. Everything about the good student who always does his homework, stays up extra late to finish assignments, and never swears is wrong. Your parents, and other adults, are telling you nothing more than fanciful lies which, although have good intentions, destroy the true meaning of high school.

In reality, high schools treat their students less like pupils in a class and more like a group of individuals who are there to learn, from the teacher, and from one another. In many ways, a high school environment requires less discipline to succeed. A friendless nerd who stays up all-night studying for the final exam may get high grades but he cannot be considered successful in high school.

To be successful in a high school environment, you must put more emphasis on the community aspect of a school. Instead of focusing all your time on math, science, and all the other academic subjects, make sure that you join plenty of clubs, make plenty of friends, and have fun.

A high school is not a learning institution as much as it is a community-driven centre for the absorption of knowledge. In high school, popularity and networking are just as, if not more important, than academics. High school is not some dull place where you sit for seven hours straight and listen to teachers babble. Instead it is a place where you are encouraged to form alliances with other students and learn off one another.

So, don't be nervous about high school and take any negativity you receive with a grain of salt. This school year, you can succeed, you will succeed, because 80% of your mark will be based on how well you network yourself within the community.

Writing Prompts Your Students Will Love

Prompts are useful for many different kinds of writing exercises. You might choose to use a writing prompt as a daily warm-up activity. Writing prompts are also useful to have on hand for when students finish a classroom assignment early, or to be used anytime they have some spare time to fill. Writing prompts are good practice for when students need to write on topics for assessment tests. Having a supply of writing prompts on hand will also make it easier for a substitute teacher to fill in for the day, if the need arises. However, because many teachers like to have a new writing prompt every day, after a while it can become difficult to think of enjoyable and stimulating topics. Here are some idea starters for the next time you need a fresh batch of writing prompts for your students.

"Write About Yourself" Topics

Children often love to write about themselves. After all, what other topic do they know as much about? Writing prompts that encourage a child to do some self-evaluation can often produce some excellent essays and journal entries. Here are some examples of good writing topics that will get your students thinking about their own strengths and talents:

Describe something that you are really good at doing.



If you had to earn some money tomorrow, how would you go about doing it?


What are three things you can do today that you couldn't do when you were in kindergarten?


What would you be doing today if you weren't at school?

Make-Believe and Imaginary Topics

Writing about something completely imaginary can be a lot of fun for students. This style of writing is also good exercise for a child's sense of imagination. These topics can be especially enjoyable because there aren't any real facts involved, so there's no way what they write can be incorrect. However, it can sometimes be difficult for children to come up with make-believe topics on their own. Here are some idea-starters that will really get your student's imagination working in full gear:

Imagine that tomorrow morning you wake up and discover you have a super power. What would it be?


The four seasons are fall, spring, summer and winter. If you could create a new season, what would it be? What is its name, when does it occur, what is it like?


If you could build a house on Mars, what would it look like?

Creative Writing Topics

The ability to write an interesting story is a valuable skill. Sometimes it can be fun to just make up a title, and let your students write their own creative story. Once again, there aren't any facts to get right or wrong, which makes these kinds of topics especially enjoyable. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Write a story titled, "The Day Spaghetti Grew on Trees"


Write a story titled, "The Fish Who Couldn't Swim"


Write a story titled, "The Car That Would Only Drive in Reverse"

If you give your students fun and entertaining writing prompts, you might just find that they'll start getting their class assignments done faster, so that they have more time to write.

Preschool Teachers - How to Help Your Students Who Have Speech Or Language Problems

As a preschool teacher, you know that every child who comes to your classroom is a unique little being, and the mix of abilities and personalities of the children in each class makes each school year different. Sometimes you have one or more children in your class who seem to be behind the other children in their abilities to communicate.

If you don't have special training or experience working with children who have some speech or language difficulties or needs, you may be wondering if you are the right teacher for such a child. If you have an interest in and knowledge of normal child development, and if you have a caring attitude and a desire to learn new skills, you certainly are the right teacher.

As a speech-language pathologist, I want to support your efforts to help every child in your class have a successful year learning and developing. Rather than giving you some specific activities to put into your daily plans, I offer you one global piece of advice. This is it: a preschool teacher working with a young child who has a speech or language need should think more about ways to assist the child through all routine activities and not just think about creating a few specific activities.  Anyone--a preschool teacher, a parent or other primary caregiver, a daycare provider, or a therapist-can and should follow this suggestion.

That's it-one global principle. There are ways of listening to, talking with, and interacting with children that help to facilitate speech and language skills, and these methods can and should be blended right into daily interactions--at home and at school.  It is the style and substance of interaction that matters--not a "cookbook" set of specific activities. I caution against thoughts such as, "For the next 15 minutes we'll do a language activity." Instead, please have this thought, "Everything that occurs during this entire class period is a potential language enhancing activity. Everything I do and say should help promote each child's growth in social, language, pre-literacy, motor, and cognitive skills."

Here are several key points from my overall concept of an adult's role with any speech-language learner. These are suggestions for parents and teachers interacting with any child. I have chosen to alternate pronoun use to include both genders.

1. First, observe the child to know what his abilities are.  Continue to observe him closely over time so you can notice improvements big and small.

2. Consider yourself to be like a "foreign language" teacher; therefore, slow down a little, look at the child for recognition of what was said, and repeat or change the wording as necessary until she understands.  Adults should use my recommended techniques to "filter" the rapid flow of language until what is presented matches the child's ability to grasp what is being said and to respond successfully.

3. Speak in statements much more often than in questions.  Questions test knowledge and the ability to answer.  Statements teach.  [Note: Recall a time you took a foreign language class.  Did you prefer that the teacher pepper you with questions that you had to both understand and formulate a response to, or did you prefer a conversational/commenting style that enabled you to join in when you felt able?]

4. Present language at or just above a child's level of current ability. I have coined the term Upside-Down Pyramid to represent the process of systematically reducing the length of an utterance--starting from a complete sentence--and then reducing to the level the child needs in order to join in and respond.

5. Assist the child only as much as needed.  Do not do things for a child that he can do herself. 

Recently I read the report a school psychologist wrote after observing a young child in his preschool classroom.  The child has speech-language needs, and he has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, though his parents do not agree with that diagnosis.  In my one-on-one therapy, he interacts well with his mother and me, and his language skills are exploding.  He still doesn't talk much at school.  

The psychologist reported many areas in which the teachers could promote his participation.  She saw that staff met his needs without presenting language or expecting any verbal communication (passing out snacks and craft items without engaging the child in communication). If he didn't follow a direction to join the group at the table, an aide picked him up and put him on a chair. If he had trouble sharing a toy with another child, he was removed from the situation. And so on.  

Of course, what is needed instead is that activities in which children need things (snacks, items to make a craft, items to be used at circle time, musical instruments, and so on) should be treated as rich opportunities to provide models and to elicit language from every child.  A child who doesn't understand or doesn't comply with a direction needs to hear it again--the same way or modified--and then guided with the least amount of help necessary in order to complete the task.  One of the major points and benefits of early schooling is to enable children to gain social interaction skills.  Instead of being removed from a conflict situation, a child needs supportive mediation by a caring adult who can guide a verbal interaction that resolves the physical encounter with a peer.

I have written an eBook which is like a course that might be called "Speech-Language Pathology 101" for parents--and it is equally applicable to preschool teachers and daycare providers. Each chapter is written like a handout on a variety of topics including the array of speech-language disorders and how to help a child understand, use language, and speak more clearly.

As I have mentioned, there are ways of talking that can be used throughout the entire day with young children that can boost their speech, language, and communication skills.  My ideas are simple.  That said, these techniques may be simple but not necessarily easy to acquire without studying them. Once learned, with practice, they become an automatic means of helping children learn.  Adults who want to help children need to examine their current interaction styles and really try to embrace these specific, well-designed ways of interacting with children.  Children deserve to have supportive interactions with caring mentors--their parents and teachers. 

Initial Giving - A Super Sunday School Lesson for Your Elementary Kids

Have you ever been a gift from someone who had a frown on his face? Or just do not seem thrilled that a gift? This happened to me. It is not very funny. I wish I had hardly ever received the gift. Do you know how God expects us to give our gifts? 2 Corinthians 9:07 says, "God loves a cheerful giver." Be happy when it's all the donor and recipient to bless. Here's a fun lesson in Sunday school to help your child learn to think in this verse by heart andabout some interesting gifts they might give to some special people. It's called "Initial Giving."

Here's what you do:

For this Sunday school lesson you will need a second-timer and a white board or chalkboard. You will need someone from your class who spells and writes well and who can be the scorekeeper.

Divide your class into 2 teams. Have them sit in 2 separate areas of the room. You are now ready to play this activity. Say the following: 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, "God loves a cheerful giver." This verse doesn't say God loves a grumpy giver or a bored giver. It says God loves a cheerful giver. Why do you think God wants us to give cheerfully? (Wait for responses. Clarify with the following: When we give with a cheerful and joyful heart, we are going to be blessed and the person who is receiving the gift is going to be blessed.) 2 Corinthians 9:7 is an easy verse to memorize so we're going to play a fun game to make sure you have it inside your heart and mind for your whole life.

Continue saying: You are in 2 different teams. I am going to take turns asking a student from each team something they might give to a certain person. You will have to answer with 2 words formed from the initials of your own name. For example, I might ask, "David Johnson, what would you give to your grandma?" David might respond with "dandy jacks." Sarah Crawford might say "seven cantaloupes." You will have 7 seconds to come up with an answer. If you are successful, you will come forward and stand on your side where you team is sitting. My scorekeeper will write your answer on the board so it cannot be used again. Once I have asked every student the gift they would give, I will then have each of you who were able to give me a gift according to your initials to recite 2 Corinthians 9:7. For every team member who says the verse correctly, they will earn 50 points for their team. We will then start all over, but on the next round you will have to give a new answer that hasn't been used. After 5 rounds, the team with the most points wins. Now let's play!

Tips for Success:

Just come up with different people the kids can give "gifts" to. Try the following: the Queen of England, Sponge Bob (or another favorite cartoon character of the kids), your pastor, the tooth fairy, and best of all, Jesus.

If 7 seconds is not long enough, try 10 seconds. You don't want to take too long, though, because you want to maintain a nice momentum.

Finally, if you have a child with initials that would be difficult to work with, such as KV, you could have him or her use 2 other letters in their name.