At the 2016 CMI conference, a mother approached me to share her reaction to my lecture the preceding year. I was awed and humbled, once again, to realize the tremendous impact that story has on our lives as persons—my story on her, and stories in general on her family. I asked her if she would… Read More Vision for Children—Or Parents?
I have heard Pollyanna mocked often enough in my life that I became scornful of her myself. This scornfulness was unjust, being based on lack of knowledge. Of course, I vaguely remember the movie on TV, dim childhood recollections of a girl climbing out of her room into a tree, being spunky. After reading Pollyanna… Read More Are You Glad?
Last week, I interrupted the fascinating advice of an uneducated grandmother to her minimally educated daughter from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. One page of Shakespeare per day, is her counsel. Here is the second of the two essential books recommended for the mother to read to Francie, who is a baby at the time… Read More A Second Visit to Brooklyn, Part 2
As I write, the temperatures in Virginia rival the bitter winters of the far north. My children and I just finished reading a book about a hero of those brutal, wintry regions. Canada values the feat of courage and fortitude displayed by one of her pioneers so much that a statue stands on the bank… Read More Winter Inspiration for the Entire Family
Children act out what they read. When I was in elementary school, my friends and I played “Helen Keller.” Since I was littlest in my class I took her part, rambunctiously relishing the opportunity to unleash all self-restraint to mimic the wild and willful tantrums of young, untrained Helen. We had all read The Silent Storm by Marion Marsh… Read More The Silent Storm
Growing up in a family of girls, the ways of boys were always a bit of a mystery for me. Since raising three of my own, I understand them more, but this is also in part thanks to Ralph Moody. Otherwise known as “Little Britches,” Ralph enlightened me considerably about a boy’s thirst for danger, especially if it involves… Read More Not Just for Boys
(The closing remarks from the CMI International Conference, June 20, 2015) Is this her reason for warning us against getting between the child and the book? We can hinder. Our task is to sow and to keep weeds from preventing growth, removing rocks and roots to give implanted ideas a fighting chance. Here is our God-given duty. Moral… Read More Vision for Children, Final Installment
(The next portion of the plenary lecture given at the CMI international conference, June 20, 2015) We must employ living books for all school subjects, not just for fiction reading- imagination stimulating, curiosity provoking books. Information is received, she said, if accompanied with enough narrative padding. Which tastes better, a vitamin C tablet or a fruit salad? Are their history… Read More Vision for Children, Ninth Installment
(This is a further portion of the plenary speech shared at the Charlotte Mason Institute international conference, June 20, 2015) My books have shown me what was good, and what was not. The best fiction books are not those without any negative or ugly incidents, but show characters who wrestle with difficult moral choices and reveal the subsequent… Read More Vision for Children, Eighth Installment
(A portion of the plenary speech at the Charlotte Mason Institute’s Annual Conference, June 20, 2015) Of course, as a child I had no idea faith and wisdom for life were growing in me, only now, by looking over my shoulder, can I see the trail of books that showed me the way. I’m pretty sure my mother… Read More Vision for Children, Seventh Installment