What are YOUR results with CM?

Dedra,  our 16 yo really took off quickly with this method after I gave her some space.  In the beginning, I was so excited that I thought everyone would be on board with me.  So immediately I had us doing all the family work together.  It didn’t go very smoothly and I thought it was too late to start but I felt like I was supposed to stick with the method.  So, I slowed down the transition and  I  had her read the Charlotte Mason Education book  by Catherine Levison.  She saw what I was trying to do but I’d say she was convinced by reading this for herself and putting some of the methods into practice on her own.  For example, she researched different composers on her own and artists and found that it was in fact interesting.  Now she is reading (on her own initiative) the original series by Charlotte and says she is preparing for when she has a family.  And, (big bonus) she asks if she can take turns teaching her siblings so she can get practice. 

We followed the transition steps that are listed here at SCM, but it took us longer to go through the steps than it probably takes for someone starting out with preschoolers and early elementary children.  That’s what tripped me up at times.  I wanted it to take 6 weeks at the most to completely transition.  We still haven’t gotten nature study in the schedule weekly.  It’s more spontaneous.  But that’s my next goal. Also, I tried to do everything that was listed in the curriculum guide for each child and realized quickly that I had to let that idea go.  As we proceed, we do cover more each term than we did the term before, but our ‘6th grader’ still isn’t reading books from the grade 6 level list in the curriculum guide.  We just choose some books from the grade 4 level and some from the grade 5 level and move up as he progresses.  If we never get to the grade 12 level books that’s ok. 

Blessings on your new journey!

Ditto!