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Beautiful CM style school room
- This topic has 79 replies, 36 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 10 months ago by
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Lindsey, please tell me that pin of your living room is from last year….I am not ready to decorate yet–too much clutter & a lot of cleaning to do!
Sue,
Ok, that pin of my living room is from last year. (LOL!)
Actually, it is from this year. We pulled the fall decor down over the weekend and got the winter stuff put up on Sunday. We didn’t live in this house this time last year, so….
Oh….I see….Well, I’m trying to get things de-cluttered & cleaned up enough to start Christmas decorating. My kids are at their dad’s for Thanksgiving & won’t be home until late Friday or early Saturday, so I don’t have an excuse!
I’m kind of thankful for the solitude today, but I don’t feel like “working” on Thanksgiving, more like lounging around watching movies & reading. I hope to get motivated enough to at least get the living room ready for Christmas decor!
I keep thinking “education is an atmosphere…”
Over 10 years ago, I wrote my own “translation” of Charlotte’s 20 Principles. Here is the pertinent one:
6. When we say that “education is an atmosphere,” we do not mean that a child should be isolated in what may be called a ‘child-environment’ especially adapted and prepared, but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions. It stultifles a child to bring down his world to the ‘child’s’ level.
My translation/thoughts: What *is* the Real World? Is it a lovely little classroom with colorful balloons on the wall and neat little rows of paste and tidy little stories that sum up our lesson at the end? Why do we now see schools bringing Real Life into the classroom – cooking, shopping, community workers, etc? The home environment *is* the Real World, it shouldn’t be altered for the child, but the child should be absorbed into daily life and its rhythms and requirements.
This is what came to mind when I saw that lovely little classroom. It’s a lovely little classroom and clearly the parents have put a lot of time, effort, and money into having a lovely little classroom, which is – I’m guessing – exactly what they wanted. It doesn’t really fit the CM definition of atmosphere, but I’m assuming that wasn’t their goal. To each one’s own, I guess. 🙂
We’ve lived many places during our 20+ years of homeschooling (as renters mostly and now owners) and some of my children’s happiest home ed memories are sitting on the porch doing school work at the outdoor table, snuggled up together in front of the electric radiator, even huddled in a fort under the dining table. We did have a dedicated school room for about 5 years with a large table that held two desktop computers and the printer (back in the day), a small sofa, a small wood table and chairs, a cabinet, some bookshelves (the rest spread through out the house). I’m not sure it was better or worse than any other type of homeschooling. Life changes so quickly and the needs of little ones must be taken into account, and then they’re not little anymore and things change. 🙂
I do agree that Miss Mason wasn’t suggesting segregated rooms that are artificially done just for the children, but in the case of the original room, or Lindsey’s for example, I find them very homey and natural, environment wise. I think this is one of those things that Miss Mason’s (in my opinion) thoughts only extend so far, since she didn’t have any children. She might have expressed herself differently if she knew what it was like to day in and day out have the children’s stuff all throughout her house. My interpretation falls into having a space that is a natural extension of the home is certainly within the desired “atmosphere.” No doubt, these parents are also having plenty of learning opportunities in their kitchens, laundry rooms, family rooms etc. A school room can also be supported by her habits of cleanliness, neatness and order.
Rachel
When I see homeschool rooms such as the two I see here, I’m thinking of them more as a study or a library. They are an extension of the home. A relaxing and quiet place to retreat to study as needed.
Thanks for sharing a bit of your home w/ us Lindsey!
Our “lovely little classroom”, as you so condescendingly put it, is very much an extension of our home. And it’s a big blessing for our entire family, included extended friends and family, who are happy to have that space for children to play or even to sleep over, if necessary. Also, because of the layout of our current home, there no room in our dining room for anything more than our table (which seats 8) and a small buffet against the wall. So, unfortunately, as large as this home is, the dining room was not built with the idea that bookshelves would be needed for a future homeschooling family with as large a home library as ours is. Furthermore, our family entertains quite a bit–at least once or twice per week we have company over for a meal or life group. It is very nice to be able to decorate my home how I like it and how I want to receive guests without having to move books and Crayons out of the way.
Do you associate paintings by Rembrandt and Van Gogh on the walls to be bringing things “down to the child’s level”? Or do our history or literature books resemble “tidy little stories that sum up our lessons”? How is having a large, cozy chair in our schoolroom any different from having a living room with a large, cozy couch or chair? My children do their work at table-height desks–is their education stifled because it’s not the dining room table?
I was very specific in my video that I was in no way trying to make anyone feel inadequate or discontent with what their homeschool looks like. And, if you were to visit my home, you would probably find it very obvious why we chose to use that room as a home office/schoolroom area–as it very naturally fits our needs. It’s not as though we are only up there for schooling. We use the room constantly, and it is a definite part of the natural environment of our home.
I don’t normally find it necessary to defend myself over things like this, but I felt your comment very unnecessary for the tone of this specific thread. It was meant to be a fun thread, a place where we could all sort of have a “show and tell”, as many of us have been part of this forum for years and most of us have never met in person, much less been to each other’s homes. If you read through any of the other posts, you’ll see that several of us have very homey, inviting, natural Charlotte Mason schoolrooms. If you didn’t like the thread or my specific post about our schoolroom, you didn’t have to comment. However, I felt as though you were trying to put me in my place and show how my family’s space isn’t “Charlotte Mason-friendly” or is in some way something that Charlotte herself wouldn’t approve of.
My children take nature notebooks outdoors and sit on our swing to draw what they see. They dig in the dirt and make mudpies and follow ants and name the various birds that live in our yard. They lay on our couches and read. They lay in their own beds and on their floors and read. They are in the kitchen with me all the time, learning to cook and wash dishes and make grocery lists. Just because the bulk of our formal schooling doesn’t take place on the couch or at the dining table does not mean that my children are receiving any less of a Charlotte Mason education than those who are doing school in those areas of their homes. Education is an atmosphere–it’s not a room. I set the atmosphere of my home by keeping a TV out of the living room, by making books available in bedrooms and in the living room and in our schoolroom, by inviting my children to cuddle with me on the couch to read aloud, by teaching them good habits, by keeping our home mostly clutter-free so that there is space for them to build forts in the living room or whatever else they need to spread out and play. In my humble opinion, I think Charlotte Mason would be approving of the atmosphere of our home.
Blessings,
LindseySorry, Lindsey. I was responding to the original post:
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/09/5-secrets-for-every-day-one-first-day-back-to-school/
I haven’t seen your classroom and should have mentioned which post it was I replying to. Please accept my apology.
Lindsey-
Your room is lovely and I think you did a fine job of expressing your motives for sharing it. I like Ann Voscamp’s as well. I wish we had a lay out that would allow a room like that. Even though we learn all day and in all rooms, having a central place for things like maps and posters and computers and such would be so nice. A homey place to center ourselves and shut out the outside world for a few moments- lovely. I, too, struggle with having an appealing home to guests and a balance. It is my home too. I should not feel guilty if I want my dining room to be an actual dining room. I am old fashioned and enjoy having a formal parlor as well.
I so appreciate everything that Charlotte Mason taught, but I remind myself of something. She was not a wife, mother, or homemaker. She did not have to find a way to make her home and her homeschooling intertwine. She did not have to help a husband through hospitality. I understand she lived at Scale How, but that is not the same as managing a home as a wife and mother and schooling. She didn’t have to shop and cook for her brood and school them. She was not doing much of what we do. And so, I take what she taught and apply it to my own life as it works for us in our home. We should all do the same.
If our hearts are right, the atmosphere will follow. And we should give ourselves permission for it not to look the same to each of us.
I do want to make it clear that I was responding to the original one post, as did many many others. I ought to have indicated I was speaking about that one, which was laid out like a very tidy classroom with sections for themed books, etc. I should have indicated I was speaking about that one, as so many other posters did as well, and not Lindsey’s. I feel dreadful for having hurt her feelings so. It was not my intention, and I ought to have been much more careful.
As for the original schoolroom – not everyone is going for the same look. Lots of people, particularly when I began homeschooling in 1990, set up schoolrooms with desks, large bulletin boards with classroom style displays, some people had flags for doing the US pledge of allegiance, and some took attendance and had uniforms. I’m not sure this is CM style, but not everyone is going for the CM style of atmosphere, one where children were brought meaningfully into the homelife and NOT kept in a separate child-only life (like the victorian children relegated to the nursery). So… part of my pondering was how to translate Miss Mason’s instruction to not have that child-only or separated life (which doesn’t really happen now a days in the same nanny/governess/nursery way) into modern life. I wondered whether there were ways in which we are still separating children and their education from family life in general. What would Charlotte’s admonitions look like today re: atmosphere. I think it’s an interesting thing to ponder.
Again, I can’t apologize enough to Lindsey who believed my comments to be directed to her home and they were not. I had not even seen Lindsey’s display and I was purely addressing the original post with the original classroom design. (As many many pages of others have done. I’m not alone in being reminded of a rather large well-designed classroom, as others have commented similarly, as well.)
Dear Lindsey, I’m sorry my post looked like it was attacking you. It was carelessness of me. I ought to have noticed how the conversation had moved from the Original classroom to yours, and specially indicated that I was speaking about the original one. I’m too quick on the keyboard today, and again, I apologize.
@LauriKnits, I think you ought to pop on over to Lindsey’s blog to watch her video about their room. It really puts her ideas (that work for her family, and probably would for others but not for everyone) into perspective, and it allows us to put a face to the posts we read on this forum.
I really think that the notion that education is an atmosphere takes into account how your family members live their lives much more than how your house accomodates educational activities. We all vary on that account, and I recall a time when my children were very young that I had to walk to the library to do schoolwork a few days every week to get away from a less than stellar home atmosphere. It worked at the time because it allowed for us to focus on the education and not be distracted by a difficult situation at home.
Since then, we have moved in with my elderly dad, leaving behind (for the most part) the contentious persons who were creating a somewhat dangerous situation, and we can again focus on our educational activities within our home or wherever we might travel for the day. No, we aren’t able to devote a room primarily to education, but we have nooks and crannies that work well for us. I believe the atmosphere now is one of adaptability, and I’d like to think that Charlotte would approve. If not…..well, they are not her kids, now are they?
I’m sure Lindsey’s blog is wonderful!
My always-homeschooled children are now in Grad School, College, and the 15 yo youngest is my last little homeschooler.
I’m sorry if I’ve given you an impression that I believe Charlotte Mason means a room dedicated for education. I didn’t intend to say that at all. (I thought I’d actually said the opposite.)
It’s lovely to think of us all behind these names, isn’t it? All of us with complicated lives, heartaches, loves, struggles, faith, friendship. Most of us will never know what the person behind a name has had to live through.
I will apologize again for not specifying that I was responding to the original post, as many many pages of people also did. I’m sorry, again. I can only continue to apologize to each of you who I have offended by my not having specified. I guess I will continue to apologize to each of you, as there’s no way for me to delete my comment.
Sue, for offending you regarding having a room for homeschooling, I apologize. I truly didn’t think I was giving any indication of the importance of having a room for homeschooling, and I am sorry. I also apologize for seeming to indicate I thought Charlotte Mason trumped parental preferences. I don’t believe that. I didn’t realize I’d given that impression, and if I did I would retract whatever I said to give you the impression.
If there is anyone else who I have offended, please send me a PM so I don’t have to keep apologizing here on the board and taking up valuable space.
LauriKnits, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to apologize any more.
99% of the ladies on here are very gracious and don’t take things offensively unless it seems outright. And the other 1% don’t tend to stick around very long because we all get very defensive of each other! No need to apologize! We’re all assuming the best in you, and don’t believe that you’re out to offend in any way. Congrats on having kids graduated and in grad school! What an amazing accomplishment that is for you!
Blessings,
Lindsey
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