Do you remember the unique feelings associated with preparing for the first day of school? New notebooks, new pencils, and maybe a new outfit all laid out; trying to get to sleep and the alarm sounding before you knew it; the familiar sight and smell of the old school mixed with the slightly nervous sensation of a new desk… Read More The First Day of School

Every summer I spend many hours planning for the school year ahead. This is equally delightful and agonizing work. I consider the past year’s successes and failures, set new goals and make adjustments, choose the subjects, fit them to a reasonably realistic schedule, then begin choosing the books. The last stage presumably should be my… Read More Finding the Right History Book

Our library year begins on August 1 every year. We opened for the first time in August of 2006, choosing this month of the year because in our community, most families head back to school during this month. Originally we had intended just to collect wonderful books for our children and future grandchildren, books that… Read More The Gift of a Family Library

When I was growing up in school, science was a necessary evil. I had to get through the classes, get good grades, but left scientific pursuits to other “scientifically inclined,” people. I remember the faintest flicker of an interest in certain aspects of science occurring on occasion, but the test or the move to the next unit would quickly snuff… Read More Literature and Science: Dead or Alive?

Unsurprisingly, I recently wrote about the value of reading old books, I say “unsurprisingly” since that is the topic of most of my writing. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays last January, I was in need of a fun and undemanding book to read. I had had Mother Carey’s Chickens by Kate Wiggin on my list… Read More One Thing Leads to Another

As parents dedicated to instructing our children in the ways of truth, we have “no greater joy than to hear that our children walk in truth.” (3 John, 4) So imagine my inward joy on an otherwise humdrum school morning, while I sat patiently listening to my son struggling through his reading, when he stopped and asked a question.… Read More I Love to Tell the Story

Have you ever heard one of those news segments where people on the street are randomly asked “what happened on the Fourth of July?” and been appalled at the woeful ignorance of the American citizen? I often wonder if it is a true representation, or if only the most outlandish responses are recorded. Still, is the point of… Read More Did Independence Day Really Happen?

I just returned from the Charlotte Mason Institute conference at Ferrum College. One of the distinct privileges of that gathering is the stimulating conversation with like-minded CM educators, whether casually at meals, in the accidental meetings on the sidewalk outdoors, or in the deliberate setting of scheduled chats centering on particular themes. During one of the latter sessions, we tackled… Read More Anything New?

My observation of the ebb and flow of activity in our family over the course of my child-rearing years is that the merry month of May is almost, if not equal, in busyness to the Christmas season. Since opening our library, that pattern has intensified. These seasons shape the course of our years and, ultimately, the character of… Read More ‘Tis the Season