Challenges or Struggles with the CM Method

Concern: more literary than math/science oriented. At least I’ve seen some parents freak over cm style math and science and opt for boxed curriculum. But, college goals would tend to dictate whether, or not these are more needed. I don’t think all students need higher math and science necessarily. Neither do I think all of them must devour all of Shakespeare. ;0)

Organic. That word fits our CM home and life. Each child, though learning within the same time frame, or about the same science topic, ends up with an especially individualized education. Some become literature buffs and others shine through in math & science with a real life background in nature and hands on math skills.

Remembering them as unique persons tends to dissipate the fears that can mount due to comparison to the rest of the educational options.

Becca<><

My children are not yet school age, so we are only doing early years activities- enjoying nature, cooking together, habit training, learning letters, and reading lots of books together.  However, as I look ahead, I feel like the Charlotte Mason method seems so logical and refreshing to me (I have previous experience teaching in the public schools), but the idea of putting it all together and the planning of it all is what seems like a challenge to me.  It’s not like a curriculum in a box or a text book program where you just open and go.  That can be a bit overwhelming for a newbie.

Also, I’ve found that connecting with other homeschool moms locally who have a similar philosophy has been difficult.  I’ve found as I’ve talked with other moms in the area that I live in a community where homeschooling is fairly popular, but it seems to be primarily traditional or classical methods.  So, I feel finding others who I can connect with and share ideas and resources with (or even do nature study or other studies together) is a challenge.

I think my biggest challenge is knowing the list of CM subjects to cover and not feeling like I’m doing any of the ‘extras’ that well. Our day has to be strong on Math and Lang. Arts, and now some other subjects w/a 7th grader. So, trying to get in Shakespeare, Plutarch, Hymns, Singing, Folksongs, Art Instruction, Artist Study, Poets and poetry, Composers, Nature Study, etc. often seems daunting to me…even though I know they often don’t take much time and don’t have to be done all at once. These are the subjects that make life richer, but it’s easier to drop them in the day because we certainly shouldn’t drop Math or Writing!