Children need more individualized education than current trends allow for. Childrens' minds and bodies are already ready to learn and don't need methodical preparation (Kindergarten is this philosophy packaged in an institutionalized method: preparing children to learn); they are designed to learn and just need guidance and the right environment to do what they were made for. Education is much, much more than a method of preparing children to learn--it is life itself, and 'bringing up' is a more accurate way to view it. And parents are more than modellers, they are inspirers.
Understanding what education is, and what our goal is, enables us to choose a method to get from point A to point B. Understanding that children have minds ready to learn prompts us to forget rigid methods and instead, impart ideas (concepts) that will spark childrens' minds. One idea can light a fire in someone that propels them to action for the rest of their lives. Our job as educators is to expose our children to vital, living ideas that may stir their imaginations and inspire them to noble lives and heroic deeds. Not all ideas are tangibly perceived; some may be a mere yearning or appetite for something vague and unseen that draws one to something higher (as in Longfellow's poem Excelsior.) Surrounding children with kindness and cooperation may not present an "aha!" moment to a child, but will become part of his environment with every breath and become an unperceived standard inside him drawing him to more of the same. This should make us think twice about losing control in front of our children in a fit of anger or impatience.
-from Charlotte Mason series, Vol. 2, Parents and Children
Monday, July 09, 2007
Ready to Learn
I stayed up late last night reading Charlotte Mason's writings on Ambleside. This site has really helped me to formulate my plan for this year's educational goals. And this passage really stood out to me. I like Miss Mason's way of thinking....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment