Preparing for the homeschool year: Beginning with me
Whether you’re homeschooling or preparing for your kid’s upcoming school year, it’s time to start planning. If you’re anything like me, maybe you feel you’re running a bit late. But here’s what I’ve realized: real preparation doesn’t begin with a curriculum, it begins with me.
I’ve been drawn to the Charlotte Mason philosophy that education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. While I am still exploring various philosophies, this one has held my attention. Because I consider myself a novice, I’ll use a passage pulled by Ambleside Online from Charlotte Mason’s School Education on page 182,
“I don't need to emphasize what kind of educational tools we should use. We know that 'Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.' By that, we mean that parents and teachers should know how to make the best use of a child's circumstances (atmosphere) in order to advance a solid education; they should cultivate his self-discipline by training him to have the kind of habits that will make his life run smoothly (discipline), and they should nourish his mind with ideas, since that's the kind of mental food that develops their personalities (life).”
But before I can offer an education (that is one of atmosphere, discipline, and life) to my children, then it begins with me. Look - I’m a whole person! Motherhood and home education are massive components of my life, but the fullness of my being is the starting point in any attempt to foster daily education for my children. So here’s how I’ve been focusing on my personal development through the same lens of an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life.
Atmosphere: Fostering the culture of our home
Based on other Mason experts, like Simply Charlotte Mason, atmosphere refers to the natural circumstances a child finds themselves in, i.e. not a child-specific or child-centred environment, but in their home environment, which houses adults and potential other-aged siblings. It has more to do with the culture of the home than the things in the house. Through the partnership with my husband, we set the tone for our household - emphases of joy, relationship with God, respect, and continual learning are at the centre.
Much of how I am working on my personal development falls under the discipline category, so I won’t mention those just yet. However, the number one way I have been focusing on personal atmosphere is through prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” As a mom under new circumstances in every sphere of life, what a peace-giving tool - to pray! Number two would is keeping a gratitude journal (also known as a mercies journal), where I jot down moments of joy or thankfulness on most days. Finally, I serve others, be it in our home or in our community.
Beginning with my own prayer, gratitude, and servitude - I can then start to sow these seeds with my children. Shrouding them in an atmosphere of things worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8), beginning with myself.
Discipline: Modelling character and habits
Largely known as habits, I think this is the most straightforward of them all. Recently we saw a friend who’s a father of four and of course - as a new mom of three, already campaigning for a fourth - I had to ask how life is with four. He said, “Four’s the good life. You just have to raise them really well until they’re six …” and then I think he proceeded to say something about how they become relatively independent by that age. Hearing this fell in line with what I’d been reading: how foundational the early years are to get children on a good track for good habits.
Look, my five year old continues to work on picking up after herself, clearing her dishes, folding her laundry, using her big voice in public, and remembering her manners. But wouldn’t it be so wonderful if she advanced in those habits within this next year? Absolutely! But wait… do I even do all of those things perfectly? Not a chance. So habit training begins with me.
Lately, these personal habits have been tied to my health and finances: waking up early, exercising frequently, eating healthily, cleaning as I go, and spending less (like way less). It’s not a groundbreaking list, but it is changing my life. I’ve given myself much grace after having baby #3, but it is time to ramp up in my personal discipline - not primarily so that I can serve my children - but so that I can feel energetic throughout the day, feel strong and capable, and practice contentment.
Still working on that pile of clean laundry. Did I say pile? I really mean, mountain.
Life: Pouring out from a full cup
My current understanding of what Mason means by education being a life, is that education isn’t just to prepare a child for their future career, but that it’s about their holistic development. It’s about exposing children to lifegiving ideas and books; exposing them to the relationships between ideas, philosophies, the real world, and what we might typically call ‘subjects.’ In Mason world, I’ve heard lots of mother-teachers talk about mother culture, and mother academia, as Autumn Kern from A Commonplace likes to call it. All of this points to the questions: how am I educating myself? How am I filling myself up with noble ideas?
For me, that has looked like a ton of reading and commonplacing. No, not just reading about home education, although I am certainly doing that too, but reading a variety of texts that inspire teaching methods, deepen critical thinking, and forces respite from information overload. Here’s my book stack, which bridges non-fiction, fiction, and philosophy:
Home Education volume 1 by Charlotte Mason
How Children Learn by John Holt
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
And I have my eye on Plato’s Republic, some classical poetry, and Shakespeare. When it comes to the Bible, I am focused on memorizing key verses. Many books means it’s slow going, but notetaking helps me to keep track. And no, I don’t have more hours of the day than any other mom… but it’s a choice to flip a page or scroll a feed. And how lovely would it be for our children to find their favourite adults reading? That and my knitting project is certainly lacking my attention. Some things gotta give.
As for commonplacing: Google’s AI overview says is the practice of creating a "commonplace book," a collection of insightful notes, quotes, and other information gathered from various sources, intended for future reference and reflection. It's a way to compile knowledge and ideas, rather than a diary or journal focused on personal experiences. Basically commonplacing keeps me humble for I am not all knowing, but I certainly gather wisdom from others.
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When I first started to homeschool, only in January of this year, I was thrown into it earlier than we anticipated. I was in my third trimester of pregnancy and I was freshly laid off from my full time job. Since then I’ve read a little more and observed a ton more. Yes, I will still be getting the environment ready - rotating toys and buying necessary supplies. Yes, I have a methodology on how to teach reading and writing. Yes, I will be following a flexible rhythm for each day. But it ultimately, and most importantly, begins with me.
Writing this post, I thought of 2 Corinthians 8:12-13 (NLT) “Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality.” Boiling it down for my personal context, I understand this as, I can’t give anything I don’t have. So, if I want to educate my children, which is to give them an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life - then I need to begin with me.
We are their atmosphere!
