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multicultural perspectives?
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I am looking forward to homeschooling my son who is a Korean adoptee. My only concern with Charlotte Mason’s approach as opposed to something like Sonlight is that CM seems to lack a focus on groups and people other than Europe and America. This concerns me b/c I want to teach my son about all the people of the world, especially since we tend to adopt again, possibly from Africa. Are there any other interracial adoptive families who use CM and how do you appropriately value your child’s culture without working yourself to death to find all your own resources and information? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Heather <><
We have a Chinese son and we’ve had exchange students from France, Taiwan, Japan and China.
I think a Charlotte Mason education is open to anything in the world. CM’s philosophy of education does not depend on certain curricula or topics. You can use CM’s way of doing things with whatever you’re studying. Find living books about the people you’re studying and have your son narrate. I operate a homeschool living books lending library so I have thousands at my fingertips, but there are many out there you can locate in your library. We love the “Twins” series by Lucy Fitch Perkins and books by Madeleine Brandeis. Incorporate geography by doing map drills. Find handicrafts from these places. Do a nature study based on animals and plants from these places. Let him do copywork from poetry/literature from different cultures. Are there artists/composers from that area?
Just a bit of brainstorming…
You could use Sonlight’s catalog to get books about different places. We wanted the kids to find out about lots of countries all over the world this year, and we ordered several Sonlight books individually. It’s a good place to start. We’re having a lot of fun!
I’m also an adoptive mom of internationally adopted children and I agree wholeheartedly with Robin! I approach CM as a philosphy or framework in which I can plug all different kinds of materials and books. Using CM’s methods, the sky truly is the limit as to what you study! If you don’t see what you like on the lists here or other CM resources, the time you put into researching books and other materials that celebrate and highlight Korean culture will be well worthwhile. All the best!
We have a daughter from Guatemala and are adopting from Korea now as well. We also have two biological children. An acurate world view is one of the main reasons we choose to homeschool and I have found CM to be perfect for this since it is so flexible. We are on Module 2 right now so our map drill is Asia and we have studied Israel and Turkey so far and will be moving on to Turkey next (using A Child’s Geography 2). We do Spanish language study every week, use Singapore math in part for it’s multi ethnic pictures and names, and celebrate holidays around the world that we find fun (especially Chinese New Year!). What I love about SCM in particular is how the history modules are divided up to more acurately emphasize America’s relatively short history when compared with the rest of the world. I know many people do want American history as part of each year and my 8 year old doesn’t know who our first president was yet, but she has developed a love of Egyptian history, knows what a democracy is from contrasting North and South Korea, and loves helping me cook dishes from around the world including gum from Guatemala! Only so much information can be put into any curriculum so if you find something you like but it lacks a history of Korea or a culture your family has a particular interest in for whatever reason, you can easily add a unit study simply by reading about the country, cooking the food, listening to local musicians, viewing the art from the area, or contacting missionaries or adoption agencies that work there. The internet makes it so easy. We do those types of studies over the summer or Christmas break for variety. You can make it work without going crazy b/c it is something you are passionate about. There are some children’s books based in Korea that I have found at http://www.rainbowresource.com Also, if you find something cool, please PM me or list it on the forum again as I am just starting to gather more resources to learn about Korea. God bless!
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