| Charlotte Mason was a Christian educator
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| | you, Mom) is a bore. Why is this lecture
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| who lived and worked in Britain during
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| | method still begin carried out in high
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| the latter part of the last century.
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| | schools? Inspiring the love of knowledge
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| Today her work is undergoing a revival in
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| | in children depends on the presentation
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| home school circles. Why? This article
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| | of ideas. Ideas are what the mind feeds
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| will attempt to answer that question! For
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| | on.
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| Charlotte Mason, education was not a list
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| | To quote Miss Mason, "Ideas must reach us
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| of skills or facts to be mastered.
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| | directly from the mind of the thinker,
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| Education was an atmosphere, a
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| | and it is chiefly by the means of the
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| discipline, a life. I think most of us
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| | books they have written that we get in
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| would agree with her that education is a
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| | touch with the best minds." This includes
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| life process which is not confined to the
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| | all forms of human expression. This is
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| classroom. Are we practicing this
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| | why Charlotte said, "Varied human reading
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| concept, or are we duplicating the public
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| | as well as the appreciation of the
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| school classroom regimen in our homes?
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| | humanities is not a luxury, a tid-bit, to
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| Are we educating our children for life or
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| | be given to children now and then, but
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| for achievement tests? In the Charlotte
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| | their very bread of life." Homeschoolers
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| Mason method, whole books and first-hand
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| | following Charlotte's philosophy and
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| sources are used whenever possible,
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| | method try to give their children
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| rather than textbooks.
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| | abundant portions of the humanities at
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| Textbooks tend to be crammed with facts
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| | regular periods. They don't allow
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| and information, at the expense of human
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| | themselves to get stuck in a routine
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| emotion. This is deadening to the
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| | which emphasizes skills alone.
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| imagination of the child.
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| | "Oh, we only had time for math drill,
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| Miss Mason advocated what she called
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| | spelling, and grammar, and a few pages
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| "living books." Children, she thought,
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| | from our history textbook today. Tomorrow
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| should read the best books, not graded
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| | we will hopefully have time for poetry,
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| readers or textbook comprehension
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| | and maybe a little music appreciation."
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| paragraphs. Educators think they are
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| | When fear of a poor showing on the
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| doing children a favor by taking scissors
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| | achievement test allows skills to take
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| to cut out pages of the best books.
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| | precedence, humanities take a back seat.
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| Charlotte called this putting literature
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| | The result: lessons become wearisome,
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| in "snippet form." Children deserve to
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| | children become fed up, mom gets burned
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| have more than just a nodding
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| | out. The children are starving for
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| acquaintance with the best authors.
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| | knowledge touched with emotion, and for
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| A child gains knowledge through his own
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| | ideas.
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| work digging out facts and information.
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| | In the Charlotte Mason method, lessons
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| He then learns to express what he has
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| | are kept short, enabling children to
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| learned by clothing it in literary
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| | develop the habit of attention and
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| (conversational) language -- in short,
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| | preventing the contrary habit of dawdling
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| narrating it back to you. Miss Mason said
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| | over lessons. "Oh, you're not finished
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| that asking children to narrate back what
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| | with your one math page yet? Well, then
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| they have learned is the best way to
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| | there is no time for a short romp in the
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| acquire knowledge from books. Because
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| | back yard. Perhaps you can finish your
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| narration takes the place of
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| | math page in less than 15 minutes
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| questionnaires and multiple choice tests,
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| | tomorrow." Charlotte didn't concern
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| it enables the child to bring all the
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| | herself with grammar lessons until the
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| faculties of mind into play. The child
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| | children were well into the habit of
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| learns to call on the vocabulary and
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| | narration. She thought it was more
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| descriptive power of good writers as he
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| | important that the child learn to express
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| tells his own version of the story.
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| | himself correctly.
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| Miss Mason's schools never gave homework?
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| | He should have daily opportunities to
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| Correct. If you follow her method there
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| | have an opinion, make a judgment, no
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| is no need for homework in the elementary
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| | matter how crude, develop a train of
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| years because the child immediately deals
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| | thought, and use his imagination. Are you
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| with the literature and proves his
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| | using grammar lessons for first, second,
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| mastery by narrating what he just learned
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| | third grade children that replace this
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| back to you. Instead of homework he gets
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| | free use of expression? I am disturbed at
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| a cozy evening with a good book and
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| | curricula that claim to be based on
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| parental attention. We want our children
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| | Charlotte's method, yet spend time
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| to be eager to learn, don't we? So why do
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| | inappropriately breaking down parts of
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| Christian private schools bow down to the
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| | speech to the exclusion of familiarity
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| American homework grind? Charlotte Mason
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| | with the literary content. Let's be
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| believed in introducing the child to the
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| | careful not to prune the child's natural
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| humanities while he is still young, while
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| | inclination toward language. In the early
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| he is forming his personality. In her
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| | years, he might score slightly lower on
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| view education is for the spiritual and
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| | achievement tests, but you can't serve
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| intellectual benefit of the child, not
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| | two masters. I have notebooks I've filled
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| just to provide the skills needed for
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| | with my children's narrations.
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| making a living. Short goody-goody
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| | When Charlotte says education is a
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| stories are shunned for whole books that
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| | discipline what she means, in
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| follow the life of an admirable
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| | Victorian-day terms, is that proper
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| character. Morals are painted for the
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| | education inculcates good habits. The
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| child, not pointed at the child.
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| | mother who takes pains to endow her
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| Miss Mason wanted children to be
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| | children with good habits secures for
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| motivated by admiration, faith, and love
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| | herself smooth and easy days. On the
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| instead of artificial stimulants such as
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| | other hand, she who lets habits take care
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| prizes, competition and grades. What,
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| | of themselves has a weary life of endless
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| there were no grades in her elementary
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| | friction. The mother needs to acquire her
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| schools? No As, Bs, Cs, or Fs? No
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| | own habit of training her children so
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| happy-face stickers or gold stars?
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| | that, by and by, it is not troublesome to
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| Correct again.
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| | her, but a pleasure. She devotes herself
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| Lessons in the Charlotte Mason scheme of
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| | to the formation of one habit in her
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| things end at 1:00 p.m., and the
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| | children at a time, doing no more than
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| afternoon is free for leisure. Leisure
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| | watch over those already formed.
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| for children usually means running,
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| | Remember, to instill habits: Be
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| climbing, yelling, and so forth, all out
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| | faithfully consistent. The danger is when
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| of doors. Handicrafts or practicing of an
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| | we let things go "just this once."
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| instrument, chores, visiting lonely
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| | Forming a habit is using perseverance to
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| neighbors, observing nature, or cooking,
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| | work against a contrary habit.
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| may also be accomplished during this
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| | Formation is easier than reformation.
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| time. Unfortunately, public school
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| | Nip the weed in the bud.
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| children arrive home just in time to see
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| | What are the symptoms of an unsatisfied
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| the sun set and do homework. What a waste
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| | curiosity in either teacher or student?
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| of time and ability! What drudgery!
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| | Simply this, "Do we have to do school?"
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| Through Charlotte's method a child gains
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| | Why not follow Charlotte's advice? Whose
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| the skill of educating themselves.
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| | books; very few textbooks, if any.
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| Students do not depend upon notes they
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| | Narration in place of workbooks; grammar
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| have taken of a teacher's lecture where
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| | is saved for a little later.
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| most of the information has been
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| | An emphasis on the humanities.
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| predigested by the teacher. With
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| | Short lessons, especially for drills and
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| Charlotte's method the carefully chosen
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| | skills.
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| words of an author are commented on by
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| | Formation of good habits.
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| the child in essay form, either oral or
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| | Free afternoons; no homework, no grades.
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| written, starting at age 6-7. Much
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| | Unedited literature; no readers.
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| explaining by the teacher (this includes
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